Launched in 2005, Suroy Suroy Sugbo – which means “wandering in Cebu” in the Cebuano language – are the official tours of Cebu Province organized by the Cebu Provincial Tourism Office. Each of the overland bus tours focuses on a particular area in the province, stopping by every single municipality to visit the town center (usually the town church and plaza), taste the local delicacies, and watch cultural presentations.
Last November 18 to 20, I was invited to join the first tour in two years after the pandemic and Supertyphoon Odette (Rai), which devastated Cebu Province in 2021. The three-day tour I joined was a “Southern Heritage Trail”, covering the 22 cities and municipalities from Talisay City all the way to Santander. Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia herself also participated in the entire tour.
The next tour, dubbed “Northern Escapade”, will be held from January 17 to 19, 2023 and will cover the northwestern coast and Bantayan Island. Tour rates are ₱11,100 ($199) to ₱15,120 ($271), depending on your chosen accommodation, and are inclusive of premium air-conditioned tour bus, full-board meals for three days, Suroy Suroy travel kit (umbrella, t-shirts, bag, brochure and visor), and DOT-accredited tour guide.
For booking and inquiries, visit or call the Cebu Provincial Tourism Office, 3/F East Wing Capitol Building, Escario St, Cebu City; (032) 8882328 local 1130, 1133 or 1134 (Look for Ivy, Lino or Cesar).
Here are five awesome reasons why you should join the Suroy Suroy Tours!
1. Discover lesser-known towns
Suroy Suroy Sugbo doesn’t only cover the most popular towns, but every single city or municipality in the area. Our southern tour covered not only the popular destinations such as Carcar, Moalboal and Badian, but also lesser-known towns in between. I was particularly excited to visit towns like Alcoy, Alcantara, Ronda and Dumanjug, which I haven’t visited before despite countless prior roads trips to the south. Due to the jam-packed schedule, participants are only allotted an hour or so at each stop, so the tour doesn’t provide an in-depth experience of each place. However, it was a great way to get a preview of what each town has to offer for tourists, who may revisit the towns they like on their own later on.
2. Feast on local delicacies
An overwhelming aspect of this tourism caravan is all the food! Each stopover is virtually a fiesta, offering eat-all-you-can buffets of Filipino fare – yes, that includes lechon, which southern Cebu is particularly known for – as well as local specialties. In order to enjoy the food at each stop, I would control my portions and focus on specific delicacies each town is known for. While I’m already familiar with southern delicacies such as Carcar lechon and torta de Argao, I also had a lot of personal culinary discoveries throughout the trip, which included humbâ (pork stew) of Ronda, tostado (sugar cookies) of Santander, and palagsing and tinumpi (snacks from buri palm flour) of Ginatilan.
3. Watch festival dances
Aside from overflowing spreads of food, each town prepares a program showcasing local talents. The highlights of which are cultural dances drawn from the local festival, which typically celebrate a specific delicacy, product, or tradition. Some of the most memorable cultural dances presented during the tour were the Utanon Festival of Dalaguete, Siloy Festival of Alcoy, and Kagasangan Festival of Moalboal. These festivals are held annual on different dates throughout the year, but by joining Suroy Suroy Sugbo, you can witness them on a single trip!
4. Bring home tons of souvenirs
Prepare extra room in your luggage or bring an extra bag for all the freebies you’ll be bringing home. At the start of the tour, complimentary Suroy Suroy travel kits will be distributed to all tour participants. Throughout the tour, you will also be accumulating goodie bags from each of the towns visited. These souvenirs include food items, handicrafts, giveaways, and brochures. There will be lots of pasalubong to share with family and friends after the tour.
5. Make new friends!
The “Southern Heritage Trail” had over 400 participants, so one is bound to meet a lot of new people. Over the course of three days, you’ll quickly make new friends and connections, especially with your busmates. The tour caravan comprised of three buses, and I was lucky to have been assigned to Bus #3, which turned out to be the most enthusiastic and energetic group.
