Dinagat Island

            When you're probably planning for a vacation or travel, I'm sure some of you think about the best place where you can rest and experience the fresh and beautiful nature. If I will get a survey, I'm sure some of you want to go to Boracay or Palawan. Think about this! Why would you try to go to a new spot and experience new beautiful surroundings and amazing beaches? Why would you explore new things? Oh I know we're now thinking the same thing! You're now looking for a new place to travel right? Well don't worry! I'm here to help you. Since you want to find a beautiful place that will suits on your travel activity I will recommend you to travel DINAGAT ISLAND!

             

           Dinagat Island is formerly part of Surigao Del Norte and it is now an independent province. Take note that this is not just an independent province but it is also a PARADISE!

            I will now share my story while I'm visiting the beautiful paradise; Dinagat Island. I hope this will help you as a guide for your travel.

            This is the first time I visited Mindanao. My friend just shared some facts about Dinagat Island since she already visited it two years ago. She just said that Dinagat Island is such a wonderful place but yet undiscovered. Some people went there because they say it's good for mining industry. I became more curious about the place when I actually saw some wonderful photos of it and that photos add more excitement for me to go to Dinagat Island. I will go to Dinagat Island alone so I thought this will be this will be exciting and of course challenging.

Day 1

       Since I'm from Bulacan, I woke up at 3:00 A.M just to prepare the things needed for my travel activity. I travel for almost 1/2 hours to Ninoy Aquino International Airport. By Cebu Pacific Air, I travel from around 4 hours and 30 minutes to go to Surigao Del Norte. 

Things to Remember 

•  Pocket money that can pay for souvenirs, foods and transportation 

• Camera

• Fully charged phone

• Extra battery, charger, pocket WiFi

• Extra shirts or clothes

        I ride a tricycle to go to Surigao City Seaport. It's already around 9:00 A.M then I ride a boat and it takes one and half hour ride so I came to San Juan at 10:30 A.M. Since I only ride in a small boat, I just pay 200 Pesos for it.  

      As a Traveler, you need to be a "Girls or Boy Scout' on some ways. You need to be ready for anything that can be done by the day of your travel. 

      

  

           First, I came to the Provincial Capital of the province which is San Jose using a boat ride. San Jose has 6 municipalities: The Cagdianao, Dinagat, Basilica, Libjo, Loreto and Tubajon. The spoken language here are Cebuano, Surigaonon, Waray-waray, Filipino and English.Take note that as a traveler,  you may ride in a "Habal-habal" or a single engine motorcycle to travel the beautiful places in Dinagat Island. You may see rice farm on the road side and the beautiful view of the bay.  

San Jose also looks like a hilly town. While traveling, I saw the Ecleo Family's house where the prominent people in Dinagat Island live. 

                           

                                              A photo of Ecleo House

         While staying at Dinagat Island, We should also need to find a good place to stay that's why I recommended "Bahay Turista" in San Jose. It is an air-conditioned room that will cost 500 Pesos per night. I felt very tired on traveling so I decided to stay on that place for a while and take a good rest. Another fact about "Bahay Turista, It's good to stay there and watch the beautiful sun set. 

 

                                            Bahay Turista in San Jose

Day 2

      

       I'm now ready for the exciting travel here in Dinagat Island! While traveling by a boat, I just saw different kinds of rock formation. I'm so amazed to see the "Lake Bababu". 

This place is so awesome! The lake also covered with rock formations and coconut trees. I feel the fresh air and I was happy to see the pure and cleared water from the lake

.
Next stop is the "Kisses Islets" in Libjo. 

 

Its name comes from the chocolate brand Hershey's kisses because of its shape looks like the mentioned chocolate brand.
 While visiting Dinagat Island, I also saw "Alocasia Scalprum". This is an endangered species of plants so I'm so glad to found it here growing in this place. 

                         

                                    Alocasia Scalprum

After visiting some of the beautiful spots in Dinagat Island, I decided to go back to Bahay Turista. When I came back to this place, since It's already 6;30 P.M, I was amazed on view of the sunset. Its very beautiful and perfect for self-picture. 

                                

            An example photo of sunset view in Bahay Turista captured by Pam Respecia/ Photography 

Day 3

         This will be my last day here in Dinagat Island so it's time to buy by PASALUBONG products. This trip will be incomplete if I'll never buy different kinds of things that will be located here. Some Pasalubong Items that will be buy in this place are seafood or accessories made of shells. 

Things to do in Dinagat Island

• snorkeling
• Surfing
• Mountain Climbing
• Site seeing 
• Island hopping

 Other places for you to visit

• Ouano Lagoon.
•  Pangabangan Island
• Campijagit Point 
• Basilisa Coast
• Esperanza spring

ITINERARY

       

     Day 1

   4:00 AM   Going to NAIA   

    6:00 AM  Departure from Ninoy Aquino International Airport to Surigao Del Norte

    7:30 AM   Arrival to Surigao City Seaport

    9:00 AM   Going to San Juan ( Provincial capital)
   11:15 AM  Riding Habal-habal (single engine motorcycle) to see those rice farms

   and beautiful view of the bay and high mountains and at the same                           time; Going to Bahay Turista.
  12:35 AM Lunch
   7:30 PM  Dinner

Day 2 

   7:40 AM  Breakfast
   8:30 AM  Going to Lake Bababu
   9:15 AM  Take some pictures of wonderful rock formations in Lake Bababu
  10:30 AM Going to Kisses Islets
  11:00 AM  Sight seeing (Kisslet Island)
  11:30 AM  Going back to Bahay Turista
  12:45 PM  Lunch
   3:00 PM  Riding Habal-habal to discover the beauty of Dinagat Island
   8:40 PM   Dinner

  
Day 3

   8:00 AM  Breakfast
   9:30 AM  Going to Pasalubong store where I can buy different pasalubong items.
  10:00 AM  Going to Surigao City port
  11:30 AM Going back to NAIA

   1:40   PM  back to Bulacan

     

Budget Breakdown 

               

 From Bulacan to NAIA- P120

 NAIA to Surigao Del Norte- P1500

 Surigao Del Norte to Dinagat Island- P200

 Room renting- P1,500

 Foods- P1,500

 Transportation for discovering different some tourist spots in Dinagat Island (Boat, motor etc)-P600

 Souvenir items - P1,500

 From Dinagat Island to NAIA- P1,700

 NAIA to Bulacan- P120

Total expenses: P8,740.00

This is my 3 days trip here in Dinagat Island. I hope this will help you as guide for your travel tour. 

Festivals

    Tinubdan Festival 

          This festival was started on 2008. This is a celebration headed by the Ecleo Family and this is all about the celebration of people in Dinagat Island who receives full of blessings and good harvest. It also emphasized or showing the increasing or the development of the province in terms of different aspects like in terms of government properties where they already completed schools, hospitals, roads, market, water system and other things that was needed by the people who lives in Dinagat Island. Until now, they still celebrated Tinubdan Festival every April 25 of the year. 

Bugkosan sa Isla Dinagatan Festival — 

                                         

This festival was celebrated by the whole seven municipalities of Dinagat Island. It celebrate culture, tourism, history and beauty in Dinagat Island. This was also shows unity of those people living in Dinagat island to promote their province. 

Sirong-Sirong Festival --Cagdianao

               

 This is is ethnic mardi-gras parade. Sirong is about the war between Muslims and Christians. This festival was started in 2004 with a hundreds of performers. Their festival is still celebrating on June 28-29 every year. This is also a fiesta for Saints Peter and Paul. 

FOOD STORES LOCATED IN DINAGAT ISLAND 


Mabuhay Dina Gat Restaurant 

          This is a store that serves delicious and affordable Halo-halo for only Php 60. Halo-halo is perfect for this place since this province is surrounded with beautiful beaches. Mabuhay Dina Gat Restaurant was located at San Juan, Dinagat Island. 

Denor Restaurant 


           This restaurant offers different kinds of delicious foods. They serves as in fast and cleanest way of serving so this place is so nice most especially when we find foods for our lunch or merienda.



Balut Store 

 

            Balut is a Filipino delicacy. Some people especially foreigners are very curious about this food. This bring us a delicious taste of egg or boiled fertilized duck egg. For only below Php 20 we can buy a delicious Balut. This Balut store was located near the Bahay Turista in San Juan, Dinagat Island.


Hotels near on Dinagat Island 

•  Almont Beach Resort 

          38.0 km from Dinagat Islands

•  Hotel Tavern  

             38.9 km from Dinagat Island

• Philippine Getaway Hotel  

           40.4 km from Dinagat Islands

•  Parkway Hotel Surigao 

          41.4 km from Dinagat Islands

• Dona Marta Boutique Hotel  

          52.6 km from Dinagat Islands





I hope all of this helps you to have more ideas about Dinagat Island. "Come and visit DINAGAT ISLAND!"