The South Coast Drive: Bacong, Dauin, Malatapay and Siaton
This route guide is for anyone with a rental car or scooter who wants a full day on the coast south of Dumaguete: a heritage church, black-sand dive sanctuaries, a hot spring in the hills, the Wednesday market at Malatapay, a yacht anchorage and a mountain lake at the end of a rough track. It is the easiest self-drive day in the province and the classic first outing from the city.
The road
The coastal national highway south through Bacong, Dauin, Zamboanguita and Siaton is paved and in good condition, flat and coastal, with light traffic after Dauin. It is the side roads inland to the hot spring and the lake that vary. Fuel is plentiful in Bacong and Dauin; fill up in Dauin or Zamboanguita before heading further south, as stations thin out between Siaton and Bayawan. Avoid the Ceres bus rush between 5 and 7 pm on the way home, and do not plan to drive rural stretches after dark: they are unlit and pedestrians, goats and unlit motorcycles share the road.
| Stop (from Dumaguete) | Distance | Driving time | Road |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bacong (San Agustin Church) | about 8 km | 15-20 min | Paved highway |
| Dauin (sanctuaries, resorts) | about 15 km | 25-35 min | Paved highway |
| Baslay Hot Spring | about 10 km inland from Dauin | Allow an extra hour round trip | Steep mountain road at the end |
| Malatapay, Zamboanguita | 25-30 km | 40-45 min | Paved highway |
| Siaton town | 50 km | about 1 hour | Paved highway |
| Tambobo Bay and Antulang | 55-60 km | 1 h 15 min | Concreted turnoff, some rough side roads |
| Lake Balanan | about 60 km | about 1.5 hours | Steep, narrow, partly unpaved, river crossings |
Bacong: San Agustin Church
Fifteen minutes out of the city, Bacong's Spanish-era Augustinian Recollect church (the parish dates from 1849) has the tallest belfry in the province, the oldest gold-leafed main altar in Negros Oriental and an 1898 pipe organ from Zaragoza. It was declared a National Cultural Treasure on 31 July 2001. Entry is free; dress modestly. Park in the church plaza. Bacong is also the birthplace of the new Leon Kilat and a centre for sinamay hand-loom weaving and stonecraft. Talisay Beach Park, the municipal beach, has dark sand and picnic cottages if you want a swim close to town.
Dauin: the marine sanctuaries
Dauin's black-sand shore is world-famous among divers for muck and macro life: frogfish, seahorses, nudibranchs and octopus, often compared with Lembeh Strait in Indonesia. A string of community sanctuaries, where fishing and boating are banned, sit just off the beach: Mainit, Luca, Dauin Poblacion North and South, and Masaplod Norte and Sur. Masaplod, 5-30 m deep, has good coral and schooling fish and is the most popular with snorkellers. A sanctuary fee of around 50 pesos per person is quoted; confirm on the day, as dive centres usually collect it. The best shore snorkelling at Masaplod is at high tide on a calm morning.
Dauin's San Nicolas church is described as the oldest in the province, with two ruined pirate watchtowers between the church and the beach. Resort landmarks along this stretch include Atlantis Dive Resort (about 14.5 km, 27 minutes from Dumaguete), Atmosphere Resorts and Spa, Liquid and Pura Vida. Remember the beach here is dark volcanic sand and calm water, ideal for snorkelling and diving but not a white beach.
Baslay Hot Spring
About 10 km inland from Dauin town, hot and cold streams merge at Baslay, and the Baslay Highland Brew coffee stop nearby has views over the coast. The last stretch is a steep mountain road: take a motorbike or a high-clearance vehicle, not a sedan. The fee was not confirmed at the time of writing, so check locally.
Malatapay Wednesday market
The seaside market at Malatapay in Zamboanguita runs on Wednesdays only. Farmers, fishermen and livestock traders converge with cattle, pigs and goats, whole lechon is sold by the kilo with puso (hanging rice), and open-air eateries by the water grill fresh seafood. Go between 7 and 10 am, before the lechon and the best fish sell out. Entry is free; a small parking or terminal fee may apply. The best trick is to buy seafood at the stalls and have a nearby eatery grill it for you.
The parking area is a large dirt lot and it is crowded on Wednesday mornings; scooters are easier. The Apo Island boat station is on the same site, so many people combine the market with a boat trip; see the Apo Island day trip guide.
Siaton: Tambobo Bay and Antulang
Past Siaton town, a concreted turnoff road leads in about 20 minutes to Tambobo Bay (also called Bonbonon Bay), a deep, mangrove-fringed natural harbour known among cruising sailors as a Visayas "hurricane hole" and an informal international yacht anchorage. There is a viewing deck above the bay. Across the peninsula, Antulang Beach Resort has an infinity pool, cliff paths, a half-kilometre white-sand cove and sunset cruises; nearby Kookoo's Nest has bamboo cottages on a sunset-facing cove, and Cove Sands is close by. Some of the side roads here are rough. These coves, about 1 hour 15 minutes from Dumaguete, are the nearest white sand to the city and worth the extra half hour for a beach day.
Lake Balanan and its rough road
Siaton's Lake Balanan is a crater-like mountain lake formed in 1925, when an earthquake collapsed a hillside and dammed the river. There is swimming, boating, floating cottages, a small pool and a seasonal zipline. Entrance is reported at about 50 pesos; confirm. The lake lies roughly 10 km inland from Siaton, about 1.5 hours in total from Dumaguete.
Be honest with yourself about the access road: it is steep, narrow, partly rough and unpaved, with river-crossing sections. Sedans are not advised; take an SUV or a motorbike, and avoid it after heavy rain. If you are in a small car, park in Siaton and take a habal-habal (motorbike taxi) up, reported at about 150 pesos round trip.
A sample day
| Time | Plan |
|---|---|
| 7:30 am | Leave Dumaguete; Bacong church first while the light is good |
| 8:30 am | Malatapay market (Wednesdays) before the lechon sells out, or Dauin snorkelling on other days |
| 11:00 am | Siaton; lunch at the coves or grilled seafood bought at the market |
| Afternoon | Tambobo Bay viewing deck and Antulang, or Lake Balanan if you have an SUV and the weather is dry |
| By 5 pm | Head home before the bus rush and before dark |
Expect 100-120 km and about 3 hours of driving in a car; add 20-30 percent on a scooter. Dry-season months (roughly November to May) give the calmest seas and driest side roads.
Getting there and parking
Follow the coastal highway south from the city; every stop is on or just off it. Park in the church plaza at Bacong, at resort or sanctuary entrances in Dauin, in the dirt lot at Malatapay (small fee possible), and at the lake gate for Balanan. Leave nothing visible in the vehicle.
Which vehicle to book
- Scooter for the coast road. The NMAX 155 or Honda Click 125 is the pleasant way to do the flat, light-traffic coast, and it parks easily at Malatapay on market day. Helmets are compulsory for rider and pillion.
- SUV for Balanan and Baslay. The lifted Montero 4x4 or Xpander gives the clearance the lake track and the hot-spring road need; a sedan should stop in Siaton.
- Van for a group. A Suzuki Ertiga or Innova carries a family plus snorkel gear and a cooler of market seafood in comfort.
Plan your trip
See the full fleet for prices and availability, and contact us if you want advice on pairing this route with Apo Island or the far south. Facts last checked September 2026; fees, schedules and road conditions change, so confirm locally before you go.