Salagdoong beach and the east coast

Cliff-jumping platforms, a white-sand cove and a shady forest on Siquijor’s east coast, with an old church in Maria and quiet fishing villages on the way.

Area

Siquijor

Start from

San Juan

Distance

about 30 km

Time needed

1 day

Best season

All year; calmer December – May

Difficulty

Easy

Transport

Scooter or tricycle

Tickets & rules

Small entrance fee to the beach

Why go

Salagdoong beach in Maria is the island’s classic day out for local families. A road through a forest of molave trees leads down to a cove of white sand and clear water, with concrete platforms on the rocks where people jump into the sea.

I sat for a long time watching teenagers climbing the platforms, hesitating, shouting, and then leaping into the water, while their friends cheered. It was one of the happiest scenes I saw on the island.

The east coast is quieter than the west. Villages are small, beaches are often empty, and there is a pleasant sense that life here moves at its own pace.

The story

Salagdoong was developed as a public beach resort and has long been a favourite of locals. The forest around it is one of the larger remaining stands of molave, a hard native wood used in building old churches and houses.

Maria’s parish church dates from the Spanish period, like most of the island’s churches, and its plaza is the kind of place where the whole town seems to pass by at some point in the afternoon: schoolchildren, a priest on a motorbike, a vendor pushing a cart of sliced mango and green guava with salt.

Fishing villages along the coast still use traditional bancas and set nets near the shore. Early in the morning you can see fishermen bringing in catches of small fish, which are sold right on the beach.

On the way back along the north coast you pass Larena, one of the island’s two ferry ports, where the arrival of a boat briefly turns a sleepy waterfront into a crowd of tricycles, porters and families waiting for relatives from Dumaguete or Cebu. Ten minutes after the ferry leaves, the town goes quiet again, and the dogs return to sleeping in the shade of the pier.

Getting there

Salagdoong is near Maria on the east coast, roughly 45 minutes by scooter from San Juan. The road down to the beach is steep.

Tricycles can be hired for the day if you prefer not to drive.

A suggested plan

1. 9:00Leave San Juan and ride east along the south coast.
2. 10:00Stop at the church in Maria.
3. 10:30Arrive at Salagdoong; swim and watch the cliff jumpers.
4. 12:30Lunch at the beach.
5. 15:00Return via the north coast through Larena and Siquijor town.

Where to stay

San Juan is the main base. Maria has a few small resorts if you want to stay on the quiet side of the island.

Good to know

• Weekdays are quieter; weekends bring local families.
• Bring water shoes; the rocks are sharp.
• Check the depth before you jump.