Daku, Guyam and Naked Islands

The three-island tour is Siargao's standard day on the water, and the islands are deliberately different from one another. Daku is the largest - a proper island with a village, coconut palms, huts to rent and families who cook lunch for visiting boats, usually the middle and longest stop. Guyam is tiny, a scrap of sand with a clump of palms in the centre that can be walked around in a few minutes and looks exactly like the cartoon idea of a desert island. Naked Island is what the name says: a bare sandbar with no tree, no shade and no structure at all, bright white and shifting with the tide. Boats leave General Luna in the morning, do the circuit in some order and return in the afternoon. Registration is at the municipal tourism office, and the boat is hired whole rather than per person, so joining a group keeps the cost down.

What you actually see

• Daku - the big island with the village and lunch huts.
• Guyam - the palm clump on a scrap of sand.
• Naked Island - a bare white sandbar with no shade.
• The crossings - open water between the three.

When to go

March to October for the calmest sea. Early departures beat the fleet; the sandbar is largest at lower tide.

Honest expectations

Naked Island has no shade whatsoever - sun protection is essential. Boats are hired per vessel, fees are collected separately at the tourism office, and rough weather cancels the trip.

Nearby

Sugba Lagoon, Magpupungko and the Cloud 9 break are the rest of Siargao's circuit.