The Philippines is made up of over 7,000 islands. You won’t see everything in 3 weeks (unless you’re teleporting), but you can hit the highlights: dreamy beaches, unreal waterfalls and epic hikes.
Here’s how to do it.
Day 1: Manila
Unless you have an inbound flight arriving in the morning, you’ll be spending a night in the capital city of Manila. To be perfectly honest Manila is not our favourite city we’ve ever travelled to but if you want to spend a day exploring the city you could jump on this half-day tour.
Where to stay in Manila
The Sphere Serviced Residence
đź“ŤManila
Dusit Thani Manila
đź“ŤManila
1Bdrm Condo at Makati w Balcony View
đź“ŤManila
Getting Around: Make sure to download the Grab App (the Uber of the Philippines), before you arrive, not only is it an affordable way to get around you can also use it all over the Philippines to order food delivered to your hotel.Day 2-5: Cebu
Cebu is one of the main islands in the Philippines, so it’s easy to get to other islands from here by plane or ferry. On the morning of day 2, fly into Cebu from Manila. As soon as you land, jump in a bus or car and head straight down to Moalboal.
The bus is both cheap and comfortable in Cebu but make sure you ask for an air-conditioned bus when buying your ticket.
Moalboal
Use the afternoon to explore the small town of Moalboal and eat at one of the many delicious restaurants available. You can also book your activities today for the next few days with local providers or online with Get Your Guide.
Moalboal is famous for scuba-diving and snorkelling, especially the sardine run that occurs right off the beach, hundreds-of-thousands of sardines swim in unison at this drop-off, you can dive or rent a snorkel to experience this amazing site.
We dove with Cebu Fun Divers and can recommend them.
The next day, get ready for some adrenaline: go canyoneering and leap off waterfalls at Kawasan Falls. It’s wild, wet, and insanely fun. Book your tour here.
Day 6: Travel Day
On day 6 make your way to a small island off the North tip of Cebu, Malpascua Island is famous for amazing scuba diving, specifically diving with Thresher Sharks.
Getting from Moalboal to Malapascua Island is a long trip, expect it to take 12 hours. Take the earliest bus from Moalboal to Cebu city, you’ll be dropped back at the South bus termnial, from there you’ll need to take a taxi to the North bus terminal before getting on the next available bus to Maya Point. The last ferry of the day from Maya Point to Malapascua will leave around 5:30, so if you can’t make this in time then stay overnight near the port at D and N Lodge, basic, cheap accommodation with incredibly friendly hosts and a restaurant right next door. Take the first ferry the next morning to Malapascua Island.
Day 7-9: Malapascua Island
Diving with thresher sharks in Malapascua is one of those “did-that-really-just-happen?” moments. These sharks are deep-sea creatures and rarely seen, but around this tiny island, they rise up at sunrise to get cleaned by little reef fish, making it one of only a handful places in the world you can see these incredible sharks.
You’ll wake up at an ungodly hour to reach the dive site by sunrise, but it’s well worth it to watch the long tails, sleek bodies, and cartoonish eyes of the Thresher Sharks who seem totally unfazed by human presence. It’s calm, surreal, and kind of magical.
If you’re into diving, this is a bucket-list experience you don’t want to skip.
We dove with Dan’s Dive’s a dive shop run by locals and can recommend them. Make sure you book your dives the day you arrive so you don’t miss out.
Spend 2-3 days diving an relaxing on this small island, you can walk around the island exploring beaches but prepare yourself, unfortunately like much of South East Asia there is a lot of trash washed up on the beautiful white sand beaches. There are plenty of good restaurants to choose from on the island at affordable prices.
Day 10: Travel Day
Reaching Malapascua Island took a whole day but luckily today you just need to make it back to Cebu City for a short 2 hour ferry to Bohol Island.
Book the last ferry in advance using 12.go.asia a reliable and convenient way to book transport all through SE Asia.
Day 11-12: Bohol
Bohol’s got a bit of everything, rice terraces, the famous Chocolate Hills, and postcard-perfect white sand beaches. But the real star? The Philippine tarsier. These tiny, wide-eyed creatures are one of the smallest primates in the world and only come out at night.
We hired a scooter to see the top attractions in one day and explore on our own, but it was a lot of driving so if you want a more relaxed time hop on this day tour to hit all the main spots.
Day 13-15: Siquijor
On day 13 take the short 1.5 hour ferry from Bohol to our favourite island, Siquijor.
Siquijor is one of the smaller islands in the Philippines and is perfect for exploring on scooter, you can rent a scooter as soon as you depart the ferry at the port, if you’re not travelling with large suitcases this is a great way to get from the port to your hotel and back again.
Siquijor is home to majestic waterfalls and beautiful white sand beaches, it’s less developed than other islands in the Philippines which means it retains a lot of it’s charm.
Spend a couple of days exploring and enjoying a slow travel experience on Siquijor.
Day 16: Travel Day
Time to head to a new island, Siargao, you may have heard of it as it’s one of the most popular islands to visit in the Philippines and for good reason! Amazing surf, stunning beaches, gorgeous coconut tree’s and friendly locals make Siargao one of those places where you say ‘should we move here?’.
There’s no airport on Siquijor and only one daily ferry from Siquijor to Cebu City, the OceanJet ferry runs this route every day at 8:20 AM. so make sure you book in advance here.
The whole trip takes around 5 hours, including a 20-minute stop in Bohol. Tickets cost about $34.
Once you arrive on Cebu City, take a taxi or mototaxi to the airport to catch a flight to Siargao Island. The flight takes 1 hour and if you book in advance can be very affordable.
Day 17-20: Siargao
Siargao nails the island vibe with amazing surf spots, stunning beaches, scenic motorbike rides, island hopping, and seriously good food. It’s laidback, a little wild, and super easy to fall in love with.
But prepare for yourself for extremely inflated prices compared to the other islands you’ve been to so far. Due to its mass popularity, Siargao, has tripled the price of almost everything compared to other parts of the Philippines.
But in our opinion it’s still worth visiting and if you’re coming from Europe or the US it will still be affordable compared to what you’re used to.
Check out this full guide of the best things to do in Siargao.
Day 21-24: Coron
The small village of Coron has a lot to offer and has become one of the Philippines most visited islands. Coron is famous for it’s limestone karsts jutting out of the blue ocean, and is home to the famous blue lagoons.
Make sure you book your lagoon and island hopping tours, but prepare yourself for crowds unless you book a private boat and are able to arrive just before the tour groups.
Day 25-27: El Nido
Start day 25 with a 4-hour ferry from Coron to one of the dreamiest spots in the Philippines, El Nido. Tucked away at the northern tip of Palawan, this place is all crystal-clear water, white sand beaches, and dramatic limestone cliffs.
You’ll want to jump on one of the island hopping tours for amazing snorkelling, white sand beaches and delicious bbq fish lunch!
El Nido is a beautiful place to end your trip to the Philippines with a little relaxation on the stunning beaches. Plan to spend 2-3 days here.
Day 28: Manila
Make your way back to Manila by a short 2 hour flight from El Nido Airport, either book this to align the same day as your outound flight or stay one night in Manila. Be sure to check you don’t overstay the 30-day tourist visa for visitors to the Philippines.
