Sayak Airport (IAO) to Pilar
The arrival that crosses the island — from the airport on the west side to the quiet east coast, where the road you take depends on which part of Pilar you are actually going to.
You land on the west side; Pilar is on the east
Sayak Airport sits in the municipality of Del Carmen, on the west side of Siargao. Pilar is on the opposite, eastern side, facing the Philippine Sea, bounded by San Isidro to the north, Del Carmen to the west and Dapa to the south. So this arrival is a genuine cross-island road leg rather than a hop to the nearest town. Pilar is also a small place to be arriving into: 77.11 square kilometres and 11,135 people across 15 barangays at the 2024 census, against Del Carmen’s roughly 148 square kilometres. There is no arrivals rank waiting on the far side, which is the whole reason to have the transfer arranged before the flight.
There are two road approaches, and we do not publish a time for either
Two routes across the island reach Pilar from the airport side, and both are drawn on our routes map from real OpenStreetMap highway geometry, not sketched by hand. One runs north through Del Carmen town and around the top of the island via San Isidro before dropping down the east coast. The other runs south-east towards General Luna and then north up the coast, past Magpupungko. Which one a driver takes on the day depends on road conditions and on where in Pilar you are going — so we quote the journey, not a promised duration, and we will not invent a figure for either line.
Magpupungko is in Pilar — but it is not the same drop-off
Most visitors meet the name Magpupungko long before the name Pilar, and the two get used interchangeably in booking messages. They are not interchangeable. The rock pools sit north-east of the town proper and are a separate stop, and unlike a room they are tide-dependent: the pools only appear once the water has receded, so a trip built around them is timed to the tide rather than to a convenient hour. If the pools are why you are coming, say so in your request and read the Magpupungko route guide — the timing changes what a sensible pickup looks like.
Port Pilar is a harbour, not an arrival gateway
Pilar does have a natural harbour, through a small inlet called Port Pilar, and that occasionally leads people to plan a sea arrival straight into the municipality. Siargao’s passenger gateways are Sayak Airport and Dapa Port, which carries the ferry link to Surigao City. Whichever of those you come through, the last stretch to Pilar is a road transfer. Plan the journey around one of those two arrivals, not around the harbour.
What to include in your request
Send your flight number and date, and the accommodation name plus the barangay — Pilar has 15 of them, four of which make up the poblacion (Asinan, Centro, Pilaring and Punta), so the town name on its own does not fix the drop-off. Add your group size, bags, any surfboards, and any child-seat need. If Magpupungko or another stop is part of the same journey, list it, and we will price the complete plan as one fixed, all-in quote by email rather than the headline leg.
Why there is no price or journey time here
We would rather publish nothing than publish a number we cannot stand behind. Roads, weather and group size all move the answer. Send the trip and we will send a fixed, all-in price for your date.
Places tied to this route
These destination pages cover the arrival point, departure area or boat-connection stop behind this route, so you can understand the bigger trip before asking for a quote.
Sayak Airport
Siargao’s main airport, at Del Carmen on the island’s west side — IATA code IAO, and the arrival point most Siargao trips begin with.
Read morePilar
The east-coast municipality Magpupungko belongs to — quieter than General Luna, with its own surf, mangroves and town-proper stays.
Read more
Magpupungko
Natural tidal rock pools on the east coast at Pilar, only fully visible when the tide is out — and the tide runs on its own timetable, not the clock.
Read moreWorth reading before you book this leg
The questions this journey tends to raise on either side of the drive itself - what you are allowed to bring and how to declare it, and what the end you are heading for actually asks of you. Answered in full, so your request arrives with the details we would otherwise have to write back for.
Getting to Siargao
How to reach Siargao Island, Philippines — fly into Sayak Airport or take a ferry to Dapa, with the decision points that matter for your trip.
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Boards, bags & pets
Surfboards, a stack of luggage, a balikbayan box, a bike, a dog in a crate — what to tell us so the vehicle that meets you actually fits it, and the one item that needs a government permit before it can fly or sail.
Read more
Where to stay in Siargao
Siargao is nine municipalities, and the one you book in decides how every later day of your trip moves. Here is what each base actually gives you — and why the town name alone is not enough to quote a transfer.
Read moreTell us your trip. Get a fixed price.
It takes under a minute. No account, no payment now, no obligation — just a clear, all-in quote from someone who actually drives these roads.
- Free & no-obligation — quote first, decide later
- Reply by email from a real person on the island
- Fixed, all-in pricing for the right-sized vehicle
- Your details are used only to prepare your quote