Philippines Travel Guide

The Philippines runs on island math: which islands you combine, how many ferry or flight legs you need, and whether a jeepney or a private van gets you there cheaper. We're building the same real-price approach here that we use for Japan, starting with the islands, transit routes, and hotel zones every budget traveler actually asks about.

Top Things to Do in Philippines

• El Nido & Coron island-hopping: Palawan's twin bases for lagoon-hopping tours, limestone cliffs, and shipwreck diving, usually booked as full-day boat tours.
• Boracay White Beach: The country's best-known beach strip, now capped on visitor numbers, with sunset sailing and water sports along a 4km stretch of sand.
• Siargao surf town: Cloud 9 break and General Luna's surf-and-cafe scene, plus island-hopping to Naked Island and Guyam.
• Banaue Rice Terraces: 2,000-year-old rice terraces carved into the Cordillera mountains, a long but rewarding trip north of Manila.
• Chocolate Hills, Bohol: Over a thousand cone-shaped hills that turn brown in dry season, usually paired with a tarsier sanctuary visit.
• Intramuros, Manila: The walled Spanish colonial old town, best explored by bike or calesa horse-carriage.
• Whale sharks in Oslob or Donsol: Snorkel or dive alongside whale sharks; Oslob (Cebu) and Donsol (Bicol) are the two main, regulated sites.

Where to Stay: Best Areas & Hotels

• Boracay Station 1-3: Station 1 is the quiet, upscale end of White Beach; Station 2 is the busy middle with the most restaurants; Station 3 is the budget end.
• El Nido town vs Corong-Corong: El Nido town proper is walkable to the tour boats but pricier; Corong-Corong, a short tricycle ride away, is the budget base.
• Siargao: Cloud 9 vs General Luna: Stay near Cloud 9 for surf access, or in General Luna proper for more food and nightlife options within walking distance.
• Cebu IT Park / Cebu City: A modern, walkable base for city stays and a launch point for southern Cebu day trips.
• Manila: BGC or Makati: Both are safe, modern business districts with easy airport access; BGC skews newer, Makati has more budget options.
• Coron town: Small and walkable, built almost entirely around organizing island-hopping tours to the wreck dive sites and lagoons.

Top Destinations & Cities to Visit

• Manila: The gateway city and usual first or last stop, worth 1-2 days for Intramuros and food before island-hopping elsewhere.
• Cebu: The Visayas hub city, with whale sharks, canyoneering, and ferry connections to Bohol and Siquijor.
• Boracay (Aklan): The most-developed beach destination, easiest to reach and best for first-timers who want infrastructure.
• Palawan (El Nido & Coron): The lagoon-and-limestone-cliff postcard shots come from here; expect more travel time to reach either town.
• Siargao: Surf-first island with a laid-back, scooter-and-cafe culture that's grown fast over the last decade.
• Bohol: Chocolate Hills, tarsiers, and river cruises, usually combined with a Cebu trip via fast ferry.
• Davao: Mindanao's biggest city, a quieter, less-touristed base for durian, Mount Apo, and Samal Island beaches.

Transportation & Passes

Getting around the Philippines means combining domestic flights (Cebu Pacific and Philippine Airlines cover most island routes), inter-island ferries (2Go and OceanJet for longer hauls, smaller bangkas for short island-hopping), and on-the-ground jeepneys, tricycles, and Grab within cities. Because the country is thousands of islands, route planning matters more here than almost anywhere else in the region, one wrong ferry schedule can cost you a full extra day.

Best Time to Visit: Seasonal Guide

Dry season (November to May) is the safe bet for island-hopping and diving, with March to May running hottest. Typhoon season (June to October) hits Luzon and the Visayas hardest and can cancel ferries with little notice, Mindanao (Davao, Siargao) sits mostly outside the typhoon belt and stays more reliable through these months.