When we first saw photos of Corregidor Island, it made an impression. The island is covered in grassy hills dotted by palm trees. It’s a landscape you don’t often see in the Philippines. So on our Siargao island hopping adventure, we made sure to add Corregidor to our list. It’s not included in most day trips and it turned out to be our favorite stop.
What makes Corregidor Island so special? Unlike most islands around Siargao, the highlight of Corregidor is hiking rather than swimming. A short trail from the island’s coastal village goes directly to the center of the island, where you can hike over the island to experience its grassy hills and panoramic views.
In this guide, we’ll explain how to get to Corregidor Island from Siargao and what to expect when you arrive.
Corregidor Island Complete Guide
Corregidor Island is a small island south of Siargao. Its grassy hills are dotted by palm trees, creating a unique landscape you don’t see elsewhere.
The highlight of Corregidor Island is a short hike to its hilly interior. The hike is about 30 minutes each way, so it’s not overwhelming or too difficult. We did the hike in Crocs!
Once you reach the turnaround point for the hike, a bent coconut tree marks the end of the trail. This is a popular photo spot, as it’s a unique tree in front of a unique landscape.
The end of the trail also has a shelter you can rest under. Once you hike into the grassy hills of Corregidor Island, there is no shade anywhere except for this tiny shelter, so it’s a good place to take a break before heading back.
How to get to Corregidor Island from Siargao
Corregidor Island is located south of Siargao, about a 45-minute boat ride from General Luna. It can be visited by itself as a day trip, or more commonly as part of an island hopping tour from General Luna in Siargao.
Most boats to Corregidor Island depart from General Luna in the morning. We don’t know of any tours that go to just Corregidor Island, so the best way to get there is to add Corregidor Island to your Tri-island tour, along with Daku, Naked, and Guyam Islands.
First, make your way down to the General Luna Tourism Office. It’s located at the General Luna pier, and it’s where all the boats depart for the island hopping tours. These are the official government-operated tours.
There are 4 different packages to choose from. All the tours go to Naked, Daku, and Guyam Islands. To go to Corregidor Island, Package 3 is the tour you need. The cost of the tour package depends on the amount of people you bring, so it helps if you have a larger group so you can split the cost between more people.
We were able to go down to the tourism office in the morning and book a boat for the same day. It took us about 20 minutes from the moment we walked into the tourism office to the time we were on a boat to go island hopping. However, the tourism office can get busy at times, so I recommend going as early as you can to organize a tour, especially if you have a big group that requires a larger boat.
The boat to Corregidor Island lands at the beach on the island’s west side. After getting off your boat, you’ll meet your guide who will take you hiking into the island’s grassy interior.
Corregidor Island: Our Experience
We visited Corregidor Island as an addition to the popular Tri-island tour from General Luna. We boarded our boat at the General Luna pier in the morning, and after a quick stop at Naked Island, we made our way to Corregidor Island.
Our journey to Corregidor Island did not take long. Luckily, we had smooth seas, so our boat captain was able to get there quickly, and it only took about 25 minutes to get to Corregidor from Naked Island. We ended up being the second group on the island that day.
Once we landed on Corregidor Island we met our guide and started our hike. We began on a path from the beach and went up onto a trail that curved along the hillside. Soon, we found ourselves walking through the island’s only village. It was a nice warm-up and a way to get a sense of how people live on this tiny island.
On the other side of the village, we started up a staircase that marked the beginning of our ascent up the hill into the island’s interior. As we climbed up the stairs, the canopy thinned out and we emerged onto a trail that cuts through the grassy hills on the top of the island!
Once we reached the top of the hills, we were rewarded with unobstructed views of the sea and surrounding islands. I took a moment to soak it all in, amazed at how high up we were—it’s rare to get such awesome views from a small island.
The trail followed the hilltop through a grassy landscape dotted by palm trees. Hiking through the center of the island and seeing the landscape from a different perspective was a nice change from all the water activities we were doing in Siargao.
The hike was not long. After walking about 30 minutes the trail ended at a small shelter with a sitting area. This was the only shade we found along the hilltop, so the shelter was a welcome retreat from the hot sun!
We stopped for a moment to chat with a few others and spotted a bent coconut tree. It turns out that the tree is one of the photo ops of the trail, so of course we had to get a photo of her own!
We hiked a bit beyond the shelter to a view overlooking the eastern side of the island. This was our opportunity to fly our drone and see everything from the air before heading back down the trail.
Once we got back to the beach, we swam around in the ocean to cool off. Hiking in the direct sun was so hot that we were stoked to finally have a place to cool down.
Through all the hiking, we worked up quite an appetite, so we ate a snack of pancit noodles from the local restaurant before hopping back on our boat and heading to the next island on our tour.
Corregidor Island Photos
Where to Stay in Siargao
Choosing where to stay in Siargao is pretty straightforward. General Luna is the island’s main tourism hub. Most of the accommodations, restaurants, and shops are located in General Luna, and it’s also where all the tours and activities depart from. If you want to be close to everything, General Luna is the place to be.
Here are our recommendations on where to stay in Siargao:
- Luxury: If you’re looking for the best place to stay in Siargao, Las Palmas Villas is hard to beat. It has everything you would expect from a resort, including a swimming pool, a garden, and a full-service restaurant and bar.
- Mid-range: Big Waves Boutique Hotel is located right in the heart of General Luna, in a local neighborhood. The rooms are clean and all have their own private bathrooms and AC.
- Budget: We enjoyed our stay at Hostel Bajala so much that we ended up extending it a few times. The place is clean, cozy, and comfortable. We couldn’t ask for more.
If you prefer to find your own place to stay, you can visit Booking.com to explore all your accommodation options in Siargao.
What to Pack for Siargao
Here are some of our must-have items you might not have thought of when packing for a trip to Siargao.
- Crocs: During our time in Siargao, I was so glad to have Crocs to protect my feet when exploring caves and islands. They are the ultimate shoe in the Philippines for a reason – many Filipinos wear them too!
- Earplugs: If you’re planning to do any island hopping while in Siargao, I recommend bringing a set of earplugs for the boat rides. Most boats in Siargao have super loud diesel engines that will make your ears ring!
- Sunscreen: For some reason, sunscreen is expensive in the Philippines and I’ve even encountered places selling fake sunscreen that doesn’t work! So I recommend bringing your own sunscreen to Siargao.
- Dry Bag: With all the sand, salt, and water flying everywhere during our adventures out to Siargao’s islands, I was so glad to have a dry bag to keep all my things safe from the elements!
- Travel Towel: In my opinion, a travel towel like this one is super necessary for a trip to Siargao! It packs down nicely and was there for me anytime I went swimming, or just needed to brush sand or dirt off.
Our Siargao Google Maps Locations
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Are You Following Our Siargao Blog Series?
We spent 16 days in Siargao and found so many things to do there—from caves to beaches, mangroves, and lagoons. To help fellow adventurers, we’ve put together guides to the best places we found. You can check them out by clicking the links below.
- Start planning your trip here: Siargao Travel Guide
- Our ultimate guide to Siargao: 26 Awesome Things to Do in Siargao
- How to plan your Siargao vacation: Siargao 3 Day Itinerary
- Our Siargao Beach Guide: 15 Best Beaches in Siargao
- Our favorite place to swim in Siargao: Beto Cold Spring
- Our most intense adventure in Siargao: Exploring the Marvelous Somyot Cave
- Our favorite day tour in Siargao: Sohoton Cove
- Our favorite beach in Siargao: Pacifico Beach
- How to rent a motorbike in the Philippines
I hope you enjoyed our guide to Corregidor Island in Siargao. Feel free to leave a comment below if you have any questions! 🐸
