The Hidden Lake of Siargao Island: Poneas Lake

The hidden lake on Poneas Island is one of the true treasures of Siargao. Enjoy a day of island hopping from San Benito and see what you discover!

Poneas Island is west of the popular surf island Siargao in the south of the Philippines. There are a number of smaller islands nearby Siargao that are popular for island hopping, the most popular route is the day-trip to Daku, Guyam, and Naked Island. However, to reach Poneas Island from Siargao, you will drive up to the small town of San Benito on the west coast and take the boat from there out to the docking point on Poneas Island. Once docking, you will follow a dirt, rock path up the hill and down towards the hidden lake inside Poneas Island.

To reach Poneas Island and visit the hidden lake you will need to drive to San Benito, which is the launch off-site for tours to Poneas Island. We rode up on our mountain bikes from General Luna in just under two hours but most people, including our friends, rode their motorbikes up in under an hour.

Once at San Benito, you can visit the tourism office, which is a small building next to the basketball court at the docks. It’s smart to organize your trip the day before or several days before because it isn’t super busy like General Luna and there isn’t just a boatman and crew waiting every day for tourists. We were the only tourists at all on the day we went and there were no other boats on the water in the region all day.

The trail is short but steep and sweaty in the tropical humidity. Through palm trees, rocks and dense forest, you ply your way up the hill. It will challenge many, but the reality is that it’s a 15-minute walk so slow and steady if you are out of shape and you will still have no troubles in reaching the lake.

The lake is truly incredible. Hidden from the ocean and the outside world, you are truly in a secret paradise it feels. As I took to the air to get a better understanding of the region it was quite impressive to see the small mountains of Poneas Island, which had a resemblance to the terrain of the nearby Caob Island.