Looking for a new destination? Something that your friends and loved ones haven’t seen or experienced before? Come to Surigao!
I rarely promote off-the-beaten-path destinations for fear of it becoming another Boracay but this one should be told to everyone.
Here are some of the attractions you can expect:
1. Spice up your life with a luxurious bus ride.
And when I say “luxurious” (pronounced LUKSORYOS in the Surigaonon dialect), it means that the ride is filled with “lukso” (hop in English) since the bus would trail you into a 2-hour bumpy ride. To add more adventure, it will be like a badass 4×4 Jeep ride crossing the Sahara dessert. Expect a reddish brown blush-on when you get off the bus. Ohh if I may add, I’m guessing that some of the PDAF money went on the forever repair of this road called “Noventa” the boundary of Surigao del Norte and Sur. Just check Google who the heck are the congressmen here. Clue: They all start with letter “₱”

Free blush-on for 2-3 hours, fortified with lots of minerals.
2. Chocolate Hills are so common, have you heard of the Chocolate Mountains?
I love Mindanao’s changing landscapes like this one in Surigao- from lush forests to Chocolate Mountains. I’ve seen Chocolate Hills in Bohol up close and personal and even from the Cebu Pacific plane. It’s so common and touristy, add the tarsier and Panglao island. Why not try something that others won’t recognize easily like the Chocolate Mountains of Surigao. I bet its the first time you read about this too.
Actually, the Chocolate Hills of Bohol are quite misleading. Because most of the time, its green. But this Chocolate Mountains in Surigao is really brown what more, the chocolate becomes bigger and bigger. I heard the chocolates here are filled with nickel and some high-grade ores they even ship to China and Australia. Check it out before the chocolate gets out-of-stock.
3. Have you seen Red Clouds?
Usually you see this early morning or before sunset. But here in Surigao, just on top of the Chocolate Mountains, red clouds are a mainstay. Awesome how nature colors nature right? Not only that, sometimes its reddish brown sometimes brown, right now its pinkish. So kikay eh?! Super duper cool.
4. Chocolate Rivers Side-trip.

Closest thing to Willy Wonka’s Chocolate River dude! Only in Surigao!
Chocolate overload already? This blog is actually for chocolate-lovers. So you have chocolate mountains, chocolate-colored clouds and of course chocolate river. Have you seen the chocolate river from Willy Wonka Factory? That’s so damn cool right? You can make chocolate fondue. It’s just like that here in Surigao but of course you can’t taste the chocolate river since there’s too much mineral in there. But its close with Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. Seriously and like that of Willy Wonka’s might kill the greedy too.
5. Last but not the least- Red Sea.

Red Sea as seen from Google Earth. Even the name of the Bay speaks of red, the color of love. KinaLOVELOVEAN Bay
This is the real “Red Sea” not the one in the Indian Ocean dude. I’ve seen a lot of the Philippines and this one is the most unique. You can’t see this in any other place. Trust me!
“Your people are driven by a terrible sense of deficiency. When the last tree is cut, the last fish is caught, and the last river is polluted; when to breathe the air is sickening, you will realize, too late, that wealth is not in bank accounts and that you can’t eat money.” –Alanis Obomsawin
SHARE THIS SECRET TO YOUR FRIENDS! 😉
___ ___ ___
Want to read more? See this Conversation: Tuki, Boracay and Surigao
___ ___ ___
You can see this “new” attraction by flying to any of the two airports, Butuan City or Surigao City.
Cebu Pacific Air flies daily to Surigao and Butuan. For bookings and inquiries, go to www.cebupacificair.com or call (02)7020-888. The latest seat sales and promos can be found on Cebu Pacific Air’s official Twitter (@CebuPacificAir) and Facebook pages (/cebupacificair).

Hi journeying james,
saw these same sights when we went to bucas grande last summer. the roads were so dusty plus they have the same color as the foundation we apply on our faces. tsk. i hope they stop raping nature there. =,/
same hope here doc pyang. sad noh?
this entry is so satirical 😀
glad you got that!
“There is no room for greed when nature itself is your playground.” and when you destroy nature, you pave a way for greed to which you also destroy yourself in the process.
WORD sir erwin! i wish they really learn that they can’t eat money, someday someday soon!
my heart just melted. I think I’m having a migraine attack due to chocolate overload…. disgusting politicians.
disgusting indeed ms aila. sad sad 🙁
WAKE me up from the nightmare James! I saw it myself and it was one of the most devastating scenes I’ve seen in my Mindanao exploration. 🙁
really sad noh? ohh, there are illegal logging activities pa in agusan, surigao and davao region
OMG…to those who did this, i’m sure they don’t love their children and their children’s future…
I saw this on the way to Sohoton. I wonder why the people are allowing this to happen.Sooner or later mother nature will strike back.
and the worst will happen. time will teach us of how greedy we are humans