Mopedding around Siquijor Island

Nature
The wow factor for nature - does it show nature at its best? Doesn't need to be the wildebeest migration or diving with hundreds of hammerheads. Rather make you pause as you realise just how awesome the natural world can be
6
Culture
How much does this experience showcase some of the better and finer things that us humans can offer? Sure, it can be ancient ruins and renaissance churches, but it can also be festivals or soaking up some of the great modern cities of the world
5
Fun factor/activity
Very simple - was it fun? This is usually linked in with doing some kind of activity - i mean, walking along some cliffs is nice, but paragliding from them, now that is fun. Its a vastly underrated factor in a truly great experience
7
Avoid the crowds
Big tour groups and being surrounded by loud fellow tourists can sap the life out of even the greatest of travel experiences. This score is to reflect just how much you can avoid this. But. . . The score also takes into account if the crowds actually add to the experience, such as with a party town or a bustling local market
5
World famous
How world famous is the experience?
3
unique
How hard is it to have a similar experience in other places round the world?
4
Overall TE Score
The overall travel experiences score:  fun factor + avoid the crowds + (best of nature or culture) + (best of world famous or unique). Then convert into a score out of 100
55 *What the scores mean and where do they come from
RANKING
How this travel experience ranks compared to all the other experiences on this site, based on the travel experience (te) score
341st/454
Top 80%
continent
Asia
country
Philippines
Length of time
1 day or less
Typical daily price
This gives you a rough idea of the daily price based on 2 people travelling where they can split costs like accommodation. It excludes travel there and back, and factors in inflation the numbers in brackets show the price range for the full time of the experience (so not necessarily daily). It is a range to reflect different budget vs higher end
$30 ($20-$40 in 2024 prices)
Time of year visited
March
Primary Tags
Click on any of the tags to see all travel experiences with the same tag
Driving Islands Sunsets
All Tags
Adventure Beaches Jungle Mopeds Waterfalls
Wow Factor
The wow factor reflects just how much you’re likely to say “wow”. As there’s a lot of experiences in the world, and a lot of wows, i’ve gone with a simple ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ to ⭐️ score, and a separate category for the truly "gash"
⭐⭐

Summary

Siquijor is a nice chilled out island wedged in between the far bigger islands of Negros, Cebu, Bohol and Mindanao. It’s famous with Philippinos for being the home of witchcraft and potions, but for the international tourists is basically a beautiful spots for sunsets, beaches, snorkelling and a nice size for zipping around in a moped.

What to do.  Jump on a moped and aim to:

  • Checking out Cambugahay waterfalls.
  • Getting your feet cleaned by the Old Enchanted Balete Tree – basically leave your feet in the pond and the hundreds of fish come to bite the dead skin off your feet . . . its fun I promise.
  • The views out across the island from the central higher points – Larena Triad restaurant / coffee shop is great for views.
  • End at the beaches on the west side for the sunset like Paliton Beach.

I’d recommend staying at Coco Grove – whilst its one of the premier places on the island, its far cheaper than other parts of the Philippines and has one of the nicest beaches for sunset on the island. The snorkelling at the house reef if worth the stay alone.

 

Views from Larena Triad restaurant / coffee shop, Mopedding around Siquijor Island Philippines

Orientation

 

The whole island is only around a 80km / 50miles drive to drive the circumference, so very manageable on a moped.

 

Highlights

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#1 Zipping around on the mopeds . . . always fun in South East Asia

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#2 The glorious sunsets from the likes of Paliton Beach, Coco Grove Resort, and just about everywhere on the west side of the island

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#3 The views from some of the nice little spots up in the hillsides. In this case, Larena Triad - food nothing to shout about, but the views are grand

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#4 Getting your feet cleaned by the fish at the Fish Cleaning Spa by the Old Enchanted Balete Tree

The mopeds

 

Super easy

I would categorise getting on a moped and exploring one of the islands as one of South East Asia’s highlights.  Right up there with beautiful beaches, world-class diving and the wonderful food.  Its a great way to see the area, gives you a feeling of freedom, and super fun.  You should 100% do it.

It’s South East Asia so the whole moped experience is super easy to do.  In Siquijor:

  • Pick up – multiple shops in town, but its often just easier to rent one from your accommodation.
  • Refill – typically just via people on the street with coke bottles full of petrol.
  • Cheap – US$10-US$15 should cover everything for the day, including fuel.

 

Three things to be aware of

Firstly, this is this the Philippines.  This means different road rules and the likelihood of dogs / pigs / whatever darting onto the road.  They’re generally only in the towns and, as long as you apply a bit of common sense, the danger is very limited.

Secondly, the roads for Siquijor are good quality – the only times you may have a couple of bumps is when leaving the main road for the beaches, or if there is heavy rain that leads to mud on the road.  In this case, either see if there is a different route or just be careful and take your time – the locals are well used to tourists struggling with mopeds and most likely will help.

Finally, always wear your helmet. I know that sounds like being a Dad, but do.

 

Experiences Nearby

The below map shows experiences nearby with a colour that reflect the Overall Score of those experiences

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Score Detail

The scores above are the real point of this site.

Over 20+ years and 100+ countries, I’ve tried to rank the world’s best travel experiences — from genuinely mind-blowing ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ to the properly gash.

Every one of the 500+ places on this site has both a Wow Factor rating and a more analytical Travel Experience (TE) score based on the things that actually make travel memorable.

If you're curious about the thinking behind it, head to the About page.

Otherwise, explore the map above or on the Home page and see which places truly deliver maximum wow.

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