FAQ’S

Yes there is a hospital on the Island and it is located in Dapa Municipality but for need of medical attention
or small emergencies such as requiring stitches, there’s a clinic in General Luna on the boardwalk close to the market. However, if you can wait, it’s probably best to go to the hospital in Dapa. For larger emergencies you may need to take a boat or plane to the mainland, boats can be chartered 24 hours a day. The hospital here is small and underfunded so they’re only equipped to handle basic problems.

For any general health concerns, sickness, or illnesses there is a good clinic called the J.D.C clinic in the city of Dapa, a half hour motorbike ride from G.L / Cloud 9. The clinic is run by Dr. Chloe Digal who is also the Chief of Hospital at Dapa Hospital.

There are pharmacies on the island to buy prescriptions but if you have any pre-existing health conditions that require medication you should definitely bring enough with you for your trip. Also, you can’t buy contact lenses or contact lens solution on the island, so make sure you bring enough for your trip.

Over-the-counter (OTC) medications such as pain-killers, flu-relievers, and such can be bought at most corner stores.

Yes there is Money Remittance on the Island.
There is Palawan, Mlhuillier and Cebuana in Dapa and General Luna where you can received or send money.

Yes there is ATM machine on the Island. There are 3 ATM machines in Dapa and 1 ATM machine in General Luna.

No, absolutely not. This should be the furthest thing from your mind. In fact, recently a memorandum was signed by Siargao and Surigao’s top government and military officials declaring Siargao and its surrounding islands ‘Insurgency free’. It always has been, but now it’s official! You might see on the news or hear from you friends about Islamic terrorists in the Southern Philippines, but that’s very, very far from us.

Most developed countries, visitors are granted a (free) 30 days visa upon arrival.

Should you wish to stay for longer than one month the visa can be extended for another month in Surigao City, a three hour ferry ride from the Dapa ferry terminal in Siargao. The cost is about 3300 pesos and it’s very quick and easy to obtain. In fact, you can take the ferry to Surigao, get your visa, then get the ferry back to Siarao in the same day. The staff at the Department of Immigration are all very nice and helpful.

After your first 30 day (free) visa and then first one-month extension it’s still possible to extend further without much trouble. You’ll have to go back to Surigao again but this time they’ll give you a two-month extension. That’s right, the first time you go to extend you will only be given one more month, but after that extensions are given two months at a time and you can continue to do this for well over a year before ever having to leave the Philippines.

NOTE: After you first one-month extension and when you apply for your first two-month extension you will have to apply for a tourist ID card while you’re doing the visa in the Department of Immigration. The cost of this is around 4000php. So the costs associated with visas looks roughly like this
first 30 days – free
first extension (one month) – around 3300php
next extension (two months) plus ID card – around 7800php
future extensions after this point ( two months) – around 4000php each time

HOT TIP!!! If you know that you will be staying in the Philippines for more than one month it is possible to apply for a two month visa upon arrival in the Philippines. This will save you time and money as you won’t need to go to Surigao City after the first month to get the first months extension. Here’s how: Upon arrival from an international flight line up for the immigration inspection as usual, when approaching the counter tell the immigration officer that you would like a two month visa. You will be led into a small office where you will pay around 2800php and be given a 59 day visa. I have done this myself the last two times I’ve entered the Philippines and can confirm that this information is accurate…I only wish somebody had told me this earlier!

The Philippines is considered a malaria-free country. Cases of Dengue are very rare and are usually confined to remote, tribal locations. In all my time in Siargao I’ve only heard to two cases of Dengue so you really should be fine.

Just make sure your bring your swimwear. Anything you need you can buy here except contact lens solution and tampons. Bring those and try to bring plenty of cash. It’s not always easy to take-out money on the island.