Sangay Siapo Island

The place

Island in Simunul, Tawi-Tawi

A small white-sand resort island near Bongao with a boardwalk and shallow, clear water.

• Island

  Traced to its sources since the guide was written.

• When to go

  Late afternoon: as the island closest to Bongao it works best as the last stop of a boat day, in time for the sunset.

• Safety in Tawi-Tawi

  Generally calm, and the province has worked hard at that reputation. It is the part of BARMM most often recommended to visitors without local ties. Foreign advisories covering the Sulu Archipelago frequently name Tawi-Tawi in the same breath as Sulu and Basilan even though the situations differ; read the current text rather than the headline. Coordinate island trips through the provincial tourism office, which is normal practice here rather than a precaution.

About this place

What to do

• Swim off the boardwalk

  The boardwalk crosses shallow water to the white beach, and large fish can be seen beside it.

  transitpinas.com

• Add it to a Simunul and Panampangan boat day

  A 2022 itinerary reached Sangay Siapo at 4:30 pm after Panampangan and Simunul and was back in Bongao by early evening.

  transitpinas.com

• Watch the sunset with Bongao in view

  From the island you can see parts of the capital across the water as the sun goes down.

  philippinebeaches.org

Before you go

• The island is privately run; one 2022 itinerary paid PHP 100 per person to land.
• Boat hire for a day of island hopping costs PHP 9,000 to 15,000, so it is cheaper in a group.

Where you’ll be

Simunul, Tawi-Tawi

Sources

• transitpinas.com
• lakwatsero.com
• philippinebeaches.org