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The word most often associated with Samar is 'rugged'. It has a heavily forested, virtually impenetrable interior, around which runs a beautiful coastline of turquoise bays, secret surf breaks, towering cliffs and sandy beaches. Not surprisingly, Samar tends to draw a more adventurous tourist – the spelunker; the canyoner; the diehard surfer looking for an undiscovered break. Transport connections are quite good between the main towns, but to really explore Samar, a motorbike and lack of time pressure are ideal. The main language of Samar is Waray-Waray.
Parts of northern Samar have long been a refuge for small groups of the New People's Army (NPA). The conflict has died down in recent years, and any action tends to occur in the remote hinterlands and does not affect tourists.
These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Samar.
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Some of the most renowned rock formations are 2km to 3km from Biri town. Head to the northeast edge of the island, where two boardwalks take you halfway out to the offshore formations. Many Filipino film directors have used this location for location shoots. Continue to the rocks via a vast tidal area where some prime swimming holes have formed; a few are deep enough to snorkel in.
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The forested island of Capul, west of Dalupiri, has a delightfully easygoing pace of life. It was a galleon staging post during Spanish days – the name probably comes from Acapulco, where the ships were headed – and has a lighthouse and ruined fort, which you can just glimpse upon arrival, where sentries once combed the horizon for Moro pirates. There's only electricity from 4pm till midnight.
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The best surfing on Calicoan Island is at ABCD Beach, named after the four reef breaks along this coast, and also after 'Advance Base Construction Depot', which is one for the WWII buffs. It has great left- and right-handed reef breaks between June and October.
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This remote cluster of islands lies east of Capul. Previously virgin territory, a new beach resort has started to put them on the map. Sila Island is famous for its three pink-sand beaches.
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During WWII, the US military transformed the area into a launching pad for attacks on Japan, and it was once the largest PT (patrol boat) base in the world, with as many as 300 boats and 150,000 troops stationed here, including a young future–President Kennedy. You can walk up to the weather station, 4km east of Guiuan, for sweeping views across the Pacific Ocean and Leyte Gulf. The 2km, US-built runway below was instrumental in getting in relief supplies post-Yolanda.
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Just offshore from Borongan, pretty little Divinubo is ringed by white-sand beaches and has a few secret surf breaks. There's a lighthouse built by the Americans in 1906. It's a good spot to take a picnic. To get here, take a tricycle to barangay Lalawigan south of town (P50, 15 minutes), where you can wait for a boat to fill up (P20 per person) or charter a special trip (P300, 15 minutes).
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In Pieta Park (also called Doña Paz Memorial Park) this memorial is for the victims of the 1987 Doña Paz ferry disaster; most of the 4300 or so victims were from Catbalogan and elsewhere on Samar. Just 24 people survived.
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There's been a church on this site since 1616. Today's structure, dating from the mid-19th century, replaced two earlier buildings which were destroyed by fire. It faces Pieta Park.