Planning a travel itinerary for the Philippines can often be quite a task. After all, the Philippines consists of more than 7000 islands, so choices must be made. Additionally, the most popular islands are often far apart, requiring you to puzzle over flights and dates to create your ultimate travel route. We’ve visited the Philippines multiple times and have seen the most well-known islands in the process. Some were fantastic, others less so. With all this experience, we’ve put together the perfect travel itinerary for the Philippines for you. This is the route we find most beautiful and recommend to everyone. But because everyone is different, we’ve also written about other islands you can add to this itinerary at the bottom of this article. So feel free to mix and match, especially if you also like one of the other islands. Wherever you go, a trip through the Philippines is always a unique experience full of surprises!
Tips for Planning Your Philippines Itinerary
Before we dive into all those awesome destinations and the itinerary, we have some tips that might come in handy when planning your itinerary.
Best Time to Visit the Philippines
Try to avoid the period from July to October. This is both the rainy and typhoon season. If you want to be almost certain of good weather, it’s best to travel between January and May. However, there are exceptions because the Philippines is such a large country, and the seasons vary here and there. For example, in Siargao, in the southeast, the rainy season is in January and February.
Visa
Are you staying in the Philippines for less than 30 days? Then you’ll get a visa on arrival for free when you arrive. You don’t need to arrange anything beforehand for that. If you want to stay longer, you’ll need to arrange a visa in advance.
Transportation in and to the Philippines
If you book early, about 6 months before departure, you can sometimes find a ticket for less than $500. Once in the Philippines, you can use tricycles, buses, and jeepneys on most islands. You don’t need to book anything in advance for that unless stated otherwise. Everywhere you’ll find small tour agencies where you can arrange your bus transport. You can travel between nearby islands by boat or ferry, but there’s a good chance you’ll also visit islands that are far apart. Therefore, it’s almost inevitable that you’ll have to book some domestic flights. Major airlines in the Philippines are Cebu Pacific, Air Philippines, and Skyjet. Not all of these airlines are affiliated with Skyscanner or Cheaptickets, so also check the airlines’ websites themselves for routes and costs.
Tip: Book domestic flights as early as possible because they are cheapest then. The longer you wait, the more expensive they get, and the differences are truly huge in the Philippines. You can snag flights months in advance for $30 that cost $100 last minute.
Our Favorite Hotels and Hostels
During our travels through the Philippines, we’ve stayed in numerous hostels and hotels. We’ve compiled the most enjoyable spots into one overview with our recommendations for the best hostels and hotels per destination.
The Travel Itinerary for the Philippines
This itinerary will take you to the most beautiful places in the Philippines in about 3 to 4 weeks. If you want to stay longer or travel faster, you’ll find more tips for fun destinations at the bottom, which you can use to expand or change the itinerary. We’ve written a separate article with tips for almost every destination on this itinerary so that you get a good idea of what there is to do and can decide for yourself how many days you want to spend at each destination.
Manila
Your journey through the Philippines will almost always start in the capital city of Manila. This massive city isn’t particularly beautiful or charming, so we recommend moving on as quickly as possible. However, it’s nice to take a break from the long journey, and Makati is the safest district to stay in. Lub d Philippines Makati is a very good and affordable hotel in Makati. There are nice common areas where you can play pool or foosball, and the rooms and dormitories are very good. This is a great place to relax after your journey. It’s quite popular, so it’s wise to book your stay as soon as possible after booking your flights. When you book here, you can cancel for free up to 6 days in advance. If you want to see more than just beautiful nature in the Philippines and delve into the culture, consider looking into the unique tours offered by Smokey Tours.
Restaurant tip in Makati: Cosmic is one of the best and affordable restaurants in Makati. It’s a bit hard to find, but this is the location. You’ll find the door and stairs upstairs to the right next to the shop on the corner.
Coron and the Expedition to El Nido
Board a flight from Manila to Coron, and your journey starts off on the right foot. One of the most amazing things to do in the Philippines is the expedition from Coron to El Nido or vice versa. Since you’re coming from Manila, it makes sense to take the route from Coron to El Nido. Both places are part of the Palawan region, which has been voted as the most beautiful island in the world multiple times in recent years. During the expedition, you’ll sail with a traditional boat for five days to El Nido. Along the way, you’ll stop at the most stunning paradisiacal islands to enjoy the beach, snorkel, or eat fresh fish. You’ll sleep in a cute bamboo hut on the beach of an uninhabited island, truly getting away from it all. This expedition is for anyone who isn’t afraid of adventure and can do without Wi-Fi for a while. After five days, you’ll arrive in El Nido, where there’s plenty more beauty to discover. Curious about what to do in El Nido? Check out our tips for El Nido.
Optional: Port Barton
After a few days of enjoying El Nido, you’ll travel by bus to Puerto Princesa in about 5 hours. If you don’t want to travel such a long distance at once, you can first visit the sleepy village of Port Barton, which is about halfway. Port Barton is much quieter than El Nido and has a pleasant atmosphere. Here, you won’t find massive limestone rock formations like those in El Nido, but you’ll still have paradisiacal beaches, and you can take a nice walk to Pamuayan Waterfall. We recommend staying in Port Barton for one or two nights.
Puerto Princesa
Upon arriving in Puerto Princesa, you can visit a unique place: the Iwahig Prison. This prison has no walls and is more like a village where well-behaved prisoners are allowed to spend the last years of their detention. This unique system is incredibly interesting, and you can just walk in to chat with the prisoners. They always appreciate visitors. Additionally, they have a shop where they sell items they’ve made themselves because everyone here has to earn their own money. If you go, bring some cigarettes and treats for them. Want to know more about this unique place? Read our experiences and tips for visiting the prison. If this doesn’t interest you at all, you can also take a day trip from Puerto Princesa to the Underground River in Sabang, which is supposed to be incredibly beautiful but unfortunately, we missed it. The other option is to fly straight to the next destination because there’s nothing else to do in Puerto Princesa.
Siargao
From Puerto Princesa, you’ll fly to Siargao with a short layover in Cebu. Siargao still doesn’t see huge numbers of travelers and, according to us, it’s the best-kept secret of the Philippines. Siargao has long been a popular surfing destination, but even if you can’t surf, life here is delightful. Covered with at least a million palm trees, Siargao is surrounded by the most beautiful beaches and exudes a wonderfully relaxed atmosphere. We’ve written an article about the best things to do in Siargao.
Batad
The Philippines is primarily known for its paradisiacal islands, but the country has more to offer. That’s why we’re concluding this travel itinerary with the destination of Batad, where you can find the most beautiful rice terraces in Southeast Asia. First, fly back from Siargao to Manila, and from here, take the bus to Banaue and then to Batad. Batad is a very small, authentic village where you’ll feel like you’ve stepped back in time. There’s hardly any internet, often no electricity, and no luxury hotels. You’ll stay in simple guesthouses but with a spectacular view. Before you go, make sure to read our comprehensive article about Batad because there are a few things you should know before heading here, as things work a little differently. This way, you won’t encounter any unpleasant surprises.
Back to Manila
Then, you’ll travel back to Manila to conclude your adventure in the Philippines. Of course, you can also follow this travel route in reverse so that you end your journey with beach time.
Other Fun Destinations in the Philippines
The itinerary above is, according to us, the most beautiful route for a period of about 3 to 4 weeks. But if you want to travel faster and see more, there are still more fun places to discover in the Philippines. Therefore, below you’ll find some destinations that you can add to the itinerary or replace with one of the destinations already on the itinerary.
Boracay
Until 2018, Boracay was a party destination completely overrun by tourism. It was crowded and dirty, with many touts and Christmas lights on the palm trees. Due to extreme pollution in various areas, the president made the extreme decision to close Boracay indefinitely. The island had to recover, and everything had to change. After six months, Boracay reopened but with many new rules. For example, drinking or smoking in public is no longer allowed, Christmas lights on the palm trees are prohibited, only electric modes of transportation are permitted, and no more parties are allowed on the beach. In short, a significant improvement!
Boracay has one of the most beautiful beaches in the Philippines with extremely blue water, so they’ve become protective of it. However, it’s a small island that’s entirely built up. So you’ll have more of a vacation feel than an adventurous travel experience. It’s not our favorite island, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a few days there. Note: You must have a hotel or hostel booking before arriving in Boracay, as this is one of the new rules.
Bohol and Panglao
From Cebu, you can travel by boat to Bohol and Panglao in just an hour. Panglao has white beaches but is a bit crowded and quite expensive. On the island of Bohol, you’ll find hidden waterfalls, jungle, and of course, the unique Chocolate Hills and the tarsier. It’s a cool destination to stay for a few days and explore the island with a motorbike. Check out our article with tips for visiting Bohol.
Siquijor
This island is less visited than the three mentioned above. It’s therefore pleasantly quiet and easy to visit by ferry from Cebu. Life here moves a bit slower, and you’ll spend your days lounging on the beach and riding around on a motorbike. But to be honest, if you’re looking for such an island and you have to choose between Siquijor and Siargao, we strongly recommend Siargao! It’s definitely worth the extra plane ticket.
