Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.
In numbers
13,429km²
Area
775km
Coastline
measured on a simplified outline
850m
Highest point
1,751,267
People
30°C
Warmest sea
June
1,422km
To the mainland
When to go to Samar Island
Best for the beach from January to March and from June to July.
The sea is warmest in June (30 °C) and coolest in February (27 °C). You can swim comfortably all year (21 °C or more).
Averages 1991–2020. Sea: NOAA OISST, the water within 35 km of the coast. Air, rain and sun: NASA POWER. Best months weigh warm afternoons (23–30 °C), sea of 24 °C or more and few wet days.
Island in the Philippines
Samar Island is an island in Philippines. It covers 13,429 km², with 775 km of coastline. Its highest point rises to 850 m. About 1,751,267 people live on it. The nearest mainland is 1,422 km away.
Getting there
- Calbayog Airport (CYP)main airport (2 on the island with scheduled flights)Car hire in AlbayDiscover Cars · Affiliate link↗
- FerriesBangkeruhan, Calbayog - Malobago, Lavezares - Biri Route, Bogo - Calbayog
- 1,422 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
- From January to March and from June to Julybest months to go (from 30 years of averages)
Plan the trip
Ferries, stays and things to do
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
On the island
What you find on Samar Island.
- 40beachesDumpao Beach, Sapao Beach, Pirate's Cove beach and Restaurant and 37 more
- 7viewpointsx, Liog-liog, Guinduyanan and 4 more
- 7lighthousesBorongan Lighthouse, Catarman Lighthouse, Carangian Lighthouse and 4 more
- 73ferry terminalsCalbayog, Tambongan Boat Terminal, Boat Terminal and 70 more
- 3marinasHarbor Can-Avid, Fishing harbor, paranas warf
- 49named peaksMount Huraw, Mount Capotoan, Mount Mactaon and 46 more
- 25waterfallsBangon Falls, Zanisi Falls, Blanca Aurora Falls and 22 more
- 1ruins and archaeological sitesBangahon Church Ruins
- 1waymarked walking routes
- 3campsitesWilly & Sons, 7hault to patong, burak-ay
- 132hotels, guesthouses and apartments
- 182restaurants, cafés and bars
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, inside the island's outline. A low number may only mean nobody has mapped it yet.
Cross-checked with our atlases
Samar Island in our other atlases
Everything Coastya, Peakyas, Lakeyas and Cascadyas know about what lies inside Samar Island, each with its own numbers.
2beaches and covesCoastya
2waterfallsCascadyas
Beach with the warmest sea
29.8°C
Cancohan Cove
sea in the warmest month · according to Coastya
2 waterfalls
on Cascadyas, the waterfall atlas
- Busay Falls
- Pinipisakan Falls
Cascadyas is coming soonOpen Cascadyas ↗
The shape of the land.
On average the island stands 143 m above the sea. 72 % of it is below 200 m.
- 32 %0–50 m
- 40 %50–200 m
- 27 %200–500 m
- 2 %500–1,000 m
Share of the island's area in each altitude band, from the Copernicus DEM (30 m, read at 30–240 m on large islands).
Size, for real
Next to islands you may know.
100 km
All outlines drawn to the same scale (Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap).
Towns on the island
- Catbalogan107,896 people
- Catarman97,738 people
- Borongan71,431 people
- Calbayog City67,921 people
- Dolores9,274 people
- Gamay9,125 people
- Oras9,022 people
- Palapag8,342 people
- Llorente7,908 people
- Basey7,844 people
- Can-Avid5,928 people
- San Policarpio5,616 people
Month by month
The weather on the island.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon high (°C) | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 28 |
| Night low (°C) | 22 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 23 |
| Sea (°C) | 27 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 28 |
| Rain (mm) | 454 | 286 | 245 | 140 | 189 | 227 | 248 | 176 | 215 | 286 | 338 | 530 |
| Wet days | 25 | 20 | 20 | 17 | 21 | 24 | 25 | 21 | 23 | 26 | 27 | 28 |
| Sun h/day | 4.5 | 6.0 | 7.1 | 8.2 | 8.0 | 6.8 | 5.6 | 5.8 | 5.7 | 5.7 | 5.5 | 4.7 |
| Wind (km/h) | 18 | 17 | 16 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 14 | 16 |
Averages 1991–2020 for the ~55 km NASA POWER cell over the island; the sea from NOAA OISST.
Recent years
Warmer and cooler years at sea.
Each month's sea temperature compared with its 1991–2020 average, in degrees.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +0.7 | +0.3 | +0.7 | +0.5 | +0.2 | +0.2 | +0.7 | +0.7 | +0.8 | +0.9 | +0.7 | +1.0 |
| 2021 | +1.1 | +1.0 | +0.9 | +0.3 | +0.1 | +0.5 | +0.6 | +0.8 | +0.5 | +0.7 | +0.6 | +0.4 |
| 2022 | +0.3 | +0.7 | +0.7 | +0.3 | −0.1 | +0.2 | +0.4 | +0.6 | +0.7 | +0.5 | +0.8 | +0.8 |
| 2023 | +0.4 | +0.6 | +0.3 | +0.7 | +0.6 | +0.3 | +0.1 | +0.6 | +0.5 | +0.9 | +0.9 | +0.7 |
| 2024 | +1.1 | +0.7 | +0.3 | +0.5 | +0.7 | +0.7 | +0.6 | +0.9 | +0.5 | +0.7 | +0.6 | +0.7 |
| 2025 | +0.6 | +0.7 | +0.5 | +0.7 | +0.4 | ±0.0 | +0.2 | +0.3 | +0.1 | +0.3 | +0.4 | +0.7 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Photos
Seen by visitors.
Nearby
More islands nearby.
Biliran
Philippines500 km²1,301 m86 km away
LeytePhilippines7,368 km²1,349 m141 km away
Maripipi IslandPhilippines29 km²663 m91 km away
Capul IslandPhilippines34 km²67 m112 km away
MasbatePhilippines3,268 km²697 m178 km away
Ticao IslandPhilippines326 km²371 m163 km away
Rapu-rapu IslandPhilippines65 km²516 m165 km away
BantayanPhilippines113 km²26 m178 km awayAbout these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q219737) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Outline | Natural Earth · public domain |
| Sea temperature | NOAA OISST v2.1 · 1991–2020 |
| Climate | NASA POWER · 1991–2020 |
| Relief, 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Beaches, ports, lighthouses, trails | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Towns | GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Beaches, mountains, lakes and waterfalls | Coastya, Cascadyas — Wikidata · CC0; © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL; GeoNames · CC BY 4.0; NOAA OISST |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
Do you prefer beaches, lakes, mountains, waterfalls, islands, rivers or canyons?
Same idea, other landscapes: field atlases built on open data, month by month, in seven languages.
beaches
Find your beach: sea temperature, sun and swimming month by month.Visit 
lakes
Every lake on Earth: water temperature, ice, depth and the shore.Coming soonVisit 
mountains
Every summit in 3D: summit weather, the 0 °C line, huts and trails.Visit waterfalls
Every waterfall: height, flow month by month and when it roars.Coming soonVisit 
islands
Every island from the sea up: size, sea temperature, ferries and 3D.You are here
rivers
Every river from source to sea: the journey, the flow and the basin in numbers.Visit 
canyons
Every canyon cut to scale: depth to the floor, rim and floor temperatures, trails and viewpoints.Coming soonVisit