One of the most beautiful places we got to visit during our three-week stay on Siquijor was Liloan Forest and Bacong Beach, also known as the Secret Beach.
Liloan Forest is a protected area of pristine forest situated on the southeast tip of Siquijor Island. We reached the place from Maria Village, following the main road south, and taking a left turn at 9.1486, 123.6666. Alternatively, you can reach the same sport driving east from Tigbawan Village. There we drove straight for about 2 km and took the second left turn we encountered (junction coordinates: 9.1444, 123.6849). A bit more than a km later, we entered Liloan Forest.
By the end of the road, we saw a small parking area. It is possible to continue driving further inside the forest but we decided to proceed on foot; a pleasant walk, after all, was the reason we came there.
The forest itself was incredibly charming and quiet. We hardly encountered any people at all. We only kept treading on the fallen-leaves carpeting, in the constant shade of massive perennial trees, birds chirping merrily all along our passage.
The forest area is fairly large but still small enough for one to traverse its entire length within an hour or so. There are plenty of wide paths and faint tracks to walk on. And the forest is still sparse enough for one to explore off-trail at ease.
Walking at random, only aiming for the coast, we ended up at a picturesque rocky bay. There was zero sign of civilization over there. We enjoyed the view and took a few nice shots. We could see two secluded beaches right west of our location, but we decided to head east, instead, in search of the secret beach.
Known as Bacong Beach, this is the easternmost beach on the island of Sijuijor. We made it there following a broad path on which one could also drive a motorbike. The path led us to a spot overlooking the beach over a lush cliff. The beach’s coordinates are 9.1536, 123.6996.
We got down a concrete stairway, and there we were: all alone at the secret beach, gaping at its exquisite, wild beauty. The sea was full of scattered boulders that didn’t make it easy to swim. There was a nice patch of deep turquoise water by its south end, which would be ideal for a swim, but the way there was still full with sharp rocks and the turbulent waters we encountered during our visit rendered it rather dangerous to attempt to reach it.
We didn’t get to swim, after all, but enjoying the serenity of the place alone made this trip absolutely worth it.
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