The Philippines

The Philippines, in a few days

From El Nido and Coron in Palawan to the hills of Bohol and the surf of Siargao, by small plane and fast ferry: the map, what is worth booking, everything that costs nothing, and where to sleep at three budgets.

Day by day

1

El Nido (Palawan)

Days 1-3

The northern tip of Palawan, where limestone cliffs drop straight into the Bacuit archipelago. Most days start on a bangka heading out to the lagoons.

🎟️ Worth booking

• Island hopping by bangkaFull day · from €30
  A day on a traditional outrigger boat between the lagoons, small beaches and limestone islets of Bacuit Bay.
• Kayaking into the lagoonsHalf day · from €25
  The Small Lagoon is reached by kayak through a gap in the rock too narrow for the boats.

✦ Free to visit

• The turquoise lagoons under the limestone
• Nacpan Beach, four kilometres of sand
• Sunset over the Sulu Sea
• Snorkelling off the beach

📲 Book things to do in El Nido (Palawan) on GetYourGuide

2

Coron

Days 4-5 · ⛴️ Fast ferry 4h

An island town known for its clear lakes and for the Japanese supply ships sunk by an American air raid in September 1944, now one of the best wreck dives in Asia.

🎟️ Worth booking

• Diving the Japanese wrecksFull day · from €60
  A day of dives on the ships sunk in Coron Bay in 1944, several of them at recreational depth.
• Kayangan Lake and the lagoonsFull day · from €30
  A boat day around Coron, with a climb to Kayangan Lake, whose water is clear enough to see the rock many metres down.

✦ Free to visit

• Kayangan Lake
• Mount Tapyas, some 700 steps up for the sunset view
• The hot springs
• The reefs, within snorkelling reach

📲 Book things to do in Coron on GetYourGuide

3

Bohol

Days 6-8 · ✈️ Domestic flight 1h30

An island of more than a thousand grassy cone-shaped hills, the Chocolate Hills, and of the tarsier, a palm-sized primate with each eye as large as its brain.

🎟️ Worth booking

• Chocolate Hills and tarsiers, guidedHalf day · from €30
  The viewpoint over the hills, then a sanctuary where the tarsiers, among the smallest primates on earth, sleep through the day.
• Loboc River lunch cruiseHalf day · from €25
  A slow floating restaurant up a green river lined with jungle.

✦ Free to visit

• The Chocolate Hills
• The white-sand beaches of Panglao
• The tarsiers
• The rice fields and the countryside

📲 Book things to do in Bohol on GetYourGuide

4

Siargao

Days 9-10 · ✈️ Domestic flight 1h

The surf capital of the country, built around the reef break at Cloud 9. Inland it is coconut palms as far as you can see, offshore a string of small sandy islands.

🎟️ Worth booking

• Surf lesson at Cloud 9Half day · from €30
  Beginners learn on the gentler breaks nearby, with Cloud 9 itself in view for when the swell is right.
• Island hopping: Naked, Daku and GuyamFull day · from €30
  Three islands in a morning: a bare sandbar, a coconut island with lunch, and a tiny one you can walk around in minutes.

✦ Free to visit

• The surf breaks
• Sugba Lagoon
• The coconut groves
• The Magpupungko rock pools, at low tide

📲 Book things to do in Siargao on GetYourGuide

Worth sorting before you go

Domestic flights and island ferries · The islands are linked by short flights on small planes and by fast ferries. Leave a spare day between legs: sea crossings are cancelled when the weather turns.

📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly

🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta

🚗 Car hire
Compare the agencies before you land.
Compare · Booking

💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut

🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer

Some links are partner links: we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.

Flavours & local habits

🍽️ Worth tasting

• Adobo: meat braised in vinegar, soy and garlic, the dish every family claims to make best.
• Lechon: whole roast suckling pig, the centrepiece of any celebration.
• Sinigang: a sour soup made with tamarind, with pork, prawns or fish.
• Halo-halo: shaved ice layered with beans, fruit, jelly, ube and evaporated milk.
• Calamansi: a small local citrus squeezed over almost everything, and into juice.

⚠️ Best avoided

• Check the typhoon forecast before booking between June and November.
• Take ferries and bangkas run by established operators, and make sure there are life jackets on board.
• Drink bottled water only, and cover up on the boat: the sun at sea burns fast.
• Agree the fare for tricycles and boats before you set off.

Words that help

English ↔ Tagalog

✈️ Flight delayed by 3 hours or more, or cancelled? You may be owed up to €600. Check your flight on AirHelp.

The practical page

Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/philippines

Packing checklist

Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.