The Philippines is one of my favorite countries in Southeast Asia. Some of the best places to visit in the Philippines include white-sanded beaches, waterfalls with incredibly blue water, and bays with limestone cliffs. Here you can visit one of the smallest primates in the world and swim with millions of sardines. The Philippines is an incredible country, which should be very high on your travel list.
This Philippines travel guide follows a circular route to and from Manila. Places are color-coded as a must-visit, highly recommended, and if time permits. As you’ll most likely need to take a few flights to travel around (ferries are sometimes complicated and often take a long time), I recommend first picking the places you want to visit, and then looking at flights between these places. Base the order in which you want to visit the islands on the flights you found. This will save you both time and money.
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Table of contents - The Ultimate Travel Guide to the Philippines: All the best places to visit in the Philippines
Traveling The Philippines - Tips & Tricks
Currency: The local currency is the Philippine Peso. This is because the Philippines was a colony of Spain. The exchange rate is about 60 pesos to the Euro and about 56 pesos to the USD at the time of writing. You can check the current exchange rate here.
ATMs: I couldn’t find a free ATM during our stay in The Philippines. All cash machines charged me 250 pesos (about 4,15 EUR/4,50 USD) per transaction. What helps cut down the cost, is using a bank card with no or a low withdrawal fee and a good exchange rate, like Wise.
Transport: The main public transport in the Philippines is Jeepneys. They are converted jeeps, often colorful which you can wave down. For larger distances, you can use busses. To move between islands, you can take ferries for shorter distances between neighboring islands, but often it will be necessary to fly. For shorter distances, you can use tricycles to move around. Make sure to negotiate rates though!
Food: The Philippines is not known for its cuisine. That doesn’t mean there is no good food in the Philippines, quite the contrary, but don’t expect a foodscene like in other Southeast Asian countries like Thailand. Popular dishes include Adobo (meat in a soy-based sauce) and lechón (roasted pork) with rice. Breakfast generally consists of a type of meat of your choosing, rice, and an egg. Fast food restaurants offering fried chicken and french fries are also popular and of course, you can find many restaurants offering different types of food.
When to visit the Philippines
Weatherwise, the best time of year to visit the Philippines is at the start of the dry season. The dry season lasts roughly from December to May. Towards the end of the dry season temperatures and humidity levels rise, however, so the best months to travel to the Philippines are December to February. Do note that this is also the high season, so prices of accommodation rise and some of the most popular places in the Philippines like El Nido can get very crowded. So you might want to opt for the shoulder season instead.
How to get to the Philippines
The best way to get to the Philippines is by flying to either Manila or Cebu. They receive the most international flights. There are plans for a ferry route traveling between the Philippine island of Palawan and the Malaysian part of Borneo. So in the future, it might be possible to travel to The Philippines by boat, but for now, flying is the way to go.
Manila
Manila is definitely not included in the list of the best places to visit in The Philippines. I would only spend time here if you need to because it works out like this with your flight. It’s not a very nice city. There is not much to do for tourists and it is quite dangerous in certain areas as well. If you do spend some time in Manila, you could go for a stroll in Rizal Park and visit some places in the center nearby like the Cathedral, Baluarte de San Diego and Fort Santiago.
Taal Volcano – If you have a whole day to spend in Manila, you could look at visiting the Taal Volcano. It’s an easy day trip from Manila. Taal is a stunning volcano with a crater lake, located in Taal Lake.
Banaue
Banaue lies about 200 km north of Manila and is famous for its rice terraces. It is a really beautiful area, and if you not have seen rice terraces before yet, I do recommend visiting. If you have seen plenty, or you’re planning on visiting places like Sapa in Vietnam or Bali or Flores in Indonesia, I wouldn’t worry about it too much if it doesn’t fit your Philippines itinerary.
If you do go to Banaue, enjoy the viewpoints and contract a guide to go hiking in the fields. There are some other rice fields nearby that are worth a visit too, like Batad.
How to get to Banaue from Manila
Buses traveling between Manila and Sagada can drop you off at Banaue. It’s a windy drive through the mountains which takes about 9 hours.
Boracay
Boracay is a tiny island in the province of Aklan. It’s famous for its beautiful white beaches and nightlife. White Beach is one of the most beautiful beaches I’ve seen, so for this, I do recommend visiting Boracay. But Boracay is an expensive and popular ( = busy) tourist destination and a little complicated to get to. It most likely will require two extra flights (there and back) if you want to add Borocay to your itinerary, as it’s out of the way compared to other destinations in this guide. So do keep this in mind if you’re thinking of visiting Boracay on your trip to the Philippines. If it seems like a little too much hassle to you, know that there are many other beautiful beaches in the Philippines, and Southeast Asia in general, to visit.
How to get to Boracay from Banaue
The closest airport to Banaue is Cauayan. But it might work out better to travel back to Manila and fly from there. You will need to fly to Caticlan and take a short ferry from here, as Boracay itself doesn’t have an airport. Sometimes 2GO has cheap ferry tickets from Batangas (south of Manila) to Caticlan, so you might want to check this out too if you have the time to travel this way.
Moalboal
Moalboal is one of the best places to visit in The Philippines in my opinion. It is most famous for the Sardine Run. Here you can snorkel with sardines. They are very close to the shore, so there is no need for a tour. It’s best to go early in the morning when it’s not so hot and busy yet and the visibility is generally better as well this time. You can get to the Sardine Run from the beach, enter the water next to Chili bar. Just swim out over the shallow corals until you reach the point where the corals drop. They won’t be hard to find here.
We saw another snorkeling point recommended in other blogs and on Google Maps that was within walking distance of our hotel (Turtle Bay), but when we got there, we faced a resort and they said no public access. They sent us to Casa Moalboal which supposedly had public access, but there we also stumbled upon a gate. So I’d just stay with the sardines until you’re snorkeled out. There are corals here too. If you want more time in the sea, you could head to White Beach in the afternoon.
Another attraction in Moalboal is the waterfalls. We opted for Dao Falls and Inambakan Falls, Kawasan was closed. We saw many other waterfalls on the way and the map though, and they all look stunning so I guess you can’t really go wrong here.
Whale sharks – Snorkeling with whale sharks is another popular activity in The Philippines. Unfortunately, the way the tourism here is managed interferes with their natural behavior and harms them. There are other places around the world where you can snorkel with them in much better conditions, so I recommend looking at other places to swim with them if you would like to do this and skip this activity in Cebu.
How to get to Moalboal from Boracay
This is a large distance, and traveling by ferry will take a lot of time. So it is best to look for flights from Caticlan to Cebu City. From Cebu Airport you can take a bus to the SM City Mall. You’ll either need to get a jeepney or a taxi to the South Bus Terminal from here (or a taxi directly from the airport). This is where the direct busses to Moalboal are leaving from. The bus ride takes about 3 hours.
Siquijor
Siquijor combines a lot of things in a small space. I first came here in 2014 and loved it. But this time around I was a little disappointed. I don’t know if I remember it as something more than it is, or if it’s because this time we just came from Palawan and Cebu. Siquijor was just getting discovered by tourists when I visited the first time, so I guess that gave it a very different vibe too.
Siquijor is a small island, close to Cebu. You can drive around and see the main spots in one day, but of course, you can easily spend 2 – 3 days and see more of it. Siquijor is great for fitting in multiple waterfalls and beaches in a short time, but its beaches don’t compare to Palawan’s and its waterfalls not to Cebu’s. So if you’re short on time, or you prefer to spend more time in one place rather than hopping around, I recommend spending a day extra in those places instead.
How to get to Siquijor from Moalboal
The shortest way would be to travel via Dumaguete, but this is quite a hassle and be careful of scams with the tricycles.
If you want to travel this route, you will first need to get a bus to Liloan. Not all buses go to the port, so you might need to take a tricycle to the port. Then take the ferry to the Sibuan port. A tricycle from Sibuan to Dumaguete should only be 100 pesos, but the drivers were hugely overcharging, asking for 100-150 pp. We joined a group who thought they had haggled 100 per tricycle, but when we got to the port they wanted 100 per person. After lots of shouting and negotiating, we just met halfway (which was still way too much) and they left. Note that there are jeepneys too at Sibuan port, they won’t take you to the port exactly, but they will get you close. I recommend going with them if you want to travel this way to avoid all this hassle and frustration.
An easier way to get from Moalboal to Siquijor is to take the bus back to Cebu City and the direct ferry to Siquijor from there. It’s a longer way around, but much easier.
Bohol
Bohol was a really pleasant surprise to us. We hadn’t actually planned to go here but we wanted to visit another island after Siquijor, and one that was easy to visit and didn’t require multiple ferries or a flight. Bohol is way more touristy than I expected, I only knew it for the Chocolate Hills. But you can find some gorgeous beaches here, Tarsier sanctuaries, waterfalls, and a really cheese but fun rivier cruise! Overall, I’d say Bohol is one of the best places to visit in The Philippines!
How to get to Bohol from Siquijor
Oceanjet has direct ferries once a day in the morning between Siquijor Port and Tagbilaran. The trip takes 2 hours.
Puerto Princesa
The city of Puerto Princesa doesn’t offer much to tourists in itself, but it is the base for the Underground River. You can find tours for 2000-2500 pesos + 150 pesos environmental fee. We went with Wella Ticketing Services, which offered the tour to us for 2000 pesos. The closest town to the Underground River is Sabang, not Puerto Princesa. You could base yourself here too, but note that there more options in Puerto Princesa. Puerto Princesa is also better connected by bus and has an airport.
If you need some time to kill in Puerto Princesa, you could visit Plaza Cuarto, the church, and the Bay Walk. Other than that there are tours to Honda Bay, and firefly watching and you could rent a scooter to visit some beaches too if you want, but the underground river is the star of this part of Palawan.
How to get to Puerto Princesa from Bohol
The best way is to fly from Tagbilaran to Puerto Princesa. If flights are a hassle, another option is to fly to Manila and take the ferry to Coron from here. Then change the order of the 4 locations in Palawan around.
Port Barton
Port Barton is one of my favorite destinations in The Philippines. There is just something about this little town. The best thing to do here is to rent a kayak or hike to Coconut Beach and White Beach. If you rent a kayak you can go to Starfish Island too. Starfish Island is a sandbar in front of Port Barton. It’s famous for its many starfish, but we only saw one. It depends on the tide and the currents how many there are. Make sure to visit when the tide is low, at high tide the sandbar is underwater. You can rent a kayak for 500 pesos and for 50 extra you can rent a mask + snorkel. If you’re not going to Starfish Island, don’t worry about snorkeling gear. You won’t need them at the beaches.
There are island hopping tours too in Port Barton, they cost around 1500 pesos.
How to get to Port Barton from Puerto Princesa
You can take a minivan from Puerto Princesa to Port Barton. You can take these vans from the San Jose bus station, located out of the city, or the airport which is closer to the city center. There is public transport available to take you to either station, but the airport is probably most convienent.
El Nido
El Nido used to be one of the best places to visit in Palawan but has become very touristic, expensive, and a little overrated. This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t visit. It’s just to manage expectations a little. El Nido is no longer the place it was 10+ years ago.
The best thing to do in El Nido is to visit some of the islands and beaches that are only accessible via the water. You can join an island hopping tour, or DYI and rent a kayak. I recommend the later as El Nido has become very crowded, and the beaches are full during the tour hours. If you rent a kayak, you can visit some other beaches and try to plan the beaches which tours visit at a different time. I did this when visited El Nido in 2014 and we were planning on doing this again this time around. Unfortunately, a typhoon passed by when we were in El Nido, and we only had time to visit Nacpan Beach the day we arrived. The other days we had to stay indoors because of the strong winds and rain.
To get to Nacpan Beach, you need to either take a tricycle or rent a motorbike. You can find motorbikes for around 400-500 pesos a day. There is accommodation at Nacpan Beach as well, so if El Nido town feels too crowded for you, check Nacpan out.
How to get to El Nido from Port Barton
Minivans make multiple journeys a day between Port Barton and El Nido. Ask the terminal for the current schedule. The trip takes around 4 hours.
Coron
Coron was our first destination in The Philippines and an amazing start! It’s another one of the best places to visit in The Philippines. I highly recommend doing the Super Ultimate Tour which is great value for money. You’ll visit 7 places on Coron Island, including lakes, snorkeling sites, and beaches. The lakes were the absolute highlight! The beaches and snorkeling were nice too, but the lakes surrounded by limestone cliffs and with incredible visibility are the stars of Coron.
Note that it is not possible to stay on Coron Island, the most popular place to stay is Coron Town, which is located on Busuanga Island and right in front of Coron Island. There is not much to do in Coron Town itself, so if you want to spend more time here, I recommend exploring some of the other towns on the island. We stayed in Coron Town, but heard good things from people who stayed in other towns, but it’s only worth it if you’re going to spend a few days here. If you’re staying in Coron, you could visit the viewpoint in town or drive to Marcilla Beach. Do note that the road to Marcilla is not in very good condition, so only go here if you’re comfortable driving a motorbike. It’s not the best place to learn to drive a scooter.
Traveling back to Manila from Coron – You can take the ferry, which is quite a good option. It takes about 1.5 days, includes food and you get a comfortable enough bed. I do recommend going for the airconditioned dorm room, not the cheapest option. We were comfortable in the tourist class, but had to walk through the cheapest dorm and it was really hot and stuffy there.
Other things to do in the Philippines
There are many other things to do in The Philippines. The main two parts that we had to leave out because of time restrictions were the south of Palawan and Siargao. The South of Palawan is supposed to be spectacular, but quite difficult to get to on your own and with very limited facilities. You can take a (pricey) 3-day tour from Puerto Princesa, or go on an adventure if time is no problem and see how far you get on your own.
Siargao is a popular island with digital nomads. Beaches are nice and it’s great for surfing.
This was the Ultimate Travel Guide to the Philippines: All the best places to visit in the Philippines
