Siargao

A right-hander breaking over reef, with a wooden boardwalk running out above the water so you can watch from the front without surfing. It breaks shallow over coral, so beginners learn elsewhere, and the September and October contests crowd the line-up.

A green lagoon ringed by mangrove, thirty minutes in by boat from Del Carmen. A timber diving platform and paddleboard hire sit together there, and at low tide boats cannot get in, so departures follow the morning water. The deck is the only shade there is.

A pool that exists only at low tide. When the sea pulls back, deep water is trapped between the rocks and holds like a swimming pool; when it returns the whole thing is gone, so the hour has to be checked first. People jump in from the rock above.

A straight run between palms from General Luna to Pilar, with the trees closing over the sky on both sides. From the viewing deck the palms carry to the horizon, and riding it on a motorbike the shade drops the temperature you feel.

You go into the pool inside the cave and swim out the far side. It is dark enough that a guide leads with a torch, part of it is out of your depth, and the exit runs like a river. There is nowhere to leave a bag, so a dry sack matters.

A sandbar with not one tree on it, which is where the name comes from. High tide halves it and there is no shade at all, so umbrellas are hired off the boat, and as the first stop on the three-island trip it fills early in the morning.

The biggest, and the only island here with a village, so it serves as the lunch stop. Women from the village lay out rice and grilled fish for a cooking fee, and some people bring the ingredients from the market themselves. There is plenty of palm shade.

A small island with a handful of palms on it, ten minutes to walk round. Behind it the coral lies shallow and cuts feet easily, so shoes go on before getting in.

A palm leaning out over the river has a rope hung from it, and sitting on the trunk is what people come for. Some swing off it, though the river runs cloudy with the bottom invisible, so feet first is what they tell you. A queue forms by afternoon.

One of the widest mangrove forests in the country, with a timber walkway running into it. From the tower the forest splits along the channels, and after dark a firefly boat goes out. The mosquitoes are heavy, so cover your arms.

A long beach in San Isidro on the island's northeast, far enough from General Luna to draw far fewer surfers than Cloud Nine. Only a few small eateries sit under the palms, so the days pass quietly.

A lagoon on Bucas Grande, south of Siargao, entered by boat through a cave mouth passable only at low tide. Inside is a lake of stingless jellyfish, but they swarm only in certain months, so check before going.

A secluded beach toward Burgos in the north, with soft white sand running a long way. Shops along the road are rare, so bring water and food. Often only a few locals and a handful of travellers share it.