If you are looking for a place to get away from it all, Siargao may be it. Located on the northeastern corner of Mindanao, Siargao is an island which forms part of the province of Surigao del Norte. A fairly large island (it has seven municipalities), Siargao is just one of a cluster of islands ringed by reefs on the edge of the Philippine Deep. That unusual location gives it a geography which runs the range from isolated stretches of beach on desert isles to sharp rock outcroppings, mangrove swamps, and inlets and caves. It also gives the water an unbelieveable palette of colors running from light green to bright turquoise and deep blue plus some of the best deep-sea fishing and surfing available in the entire Philippines.

Siargao may be one of the best-kept secrets of Philippine tourism, for now. That is primarily because it is somewhat difficult to get to and there are not too many places to stay. Part of the adventure of visiting Siargao is in the getting there. There are principally two ways. One can catch a flight to Cebu and connect on a Sea Air Twin Otter flight directly to the island. But that’s only twice a week (Tuesdays and Saturdays). The rest of the week, one needs to fly to Butuan (both PAL and Cebu Pacific service this city) in Agusan and then take a two-hour ride by land to Surigao City before boarding a speedboat which will take another two hours to Siargao Island.

Ahhh, but arriving is something else. After passing by countless islands, one approaches the resort of Pansukian through its almost mystic-like back entrance through a glass-calm mangrove swamp. It is there where one first meets Nicholas Rimbeau, a Parisian lawyer who retired from legal practice in France to build his own paradise in the tropics. After spotting the island from the air, Rimbeau selected a unique spot for his dream resort. Fronted by a beach and backed up by a mangrove swamp, Pansukian is a small resort of just nine or so rooms and villas layed out on lushly landscaped gardens. Built under the personal supervision and design specifications of this Frenchman, Pansukian is equal parts Muslim Mindanaoan, Balinese, and Thai architec-ture. All struc-tures are built on stilts with sandy paths or elevated wooden bridges connecting them.

Pansukian is one of those places where one can plan an entirely relaxing vacation or an adventurous one or enjoy a little bit of both. Among the highly recommended activities to do are kayaking in the mangrove swamps (one must take a guide or you’ll get lost in the maze), boating out to the outlying islands and sandbars, or kayaking and swimming in the caves of Suhoton Coves. A national park, Suhoton Coves is a network of lagoons and caves linked to each other so that one traverses through small caves to emerge from one lagoon to another.

Then there’s surfing. Siargao is home to some of the best surf in the Philippines, and the world – according to surfing aficionados. Every September, when surf’s up, countless surfers – mainly from Australia and Europe – turn up on beaches like Cloud Nine to ride what has been called a “perfect ride.” It’s called perfect because Siargao’s solid reef seabeds ensure that waves consistently form the same shape time after time. Surfing has become such a big-time activity on the island that an international tournament is now held there every year in September. Once the domain of foreigners, a Filipino protégé beat his teacher at last year’s championship. Local legend has it that the locals used the beat-up surfboards left behind by the foreigners at the end of every season to learn the tricks of the trade and to beat the masters at their own game.

So whether you’re in for an active vacation or just a simply passive one, Pansukian is worth the visit. A little difficult to get to but well worth the effort to see one of the country’s best-kept secrets and last frontiers.