The Philippines is more than 7,000 islands, and that is the problem with every route here: you cannot just ride from top to bottom the way you do in Vietnam. There is water between the island groups, and you cross it on a domestic flight, a ferry or a bangka that does not sail every day. Turn up without a plan and you lose days working out boats.
So here are eleven stops, from Manila to Siargao. For each island you get the number of days, how you cross to the next one and the hostel where we would start. Then we cut it into three sizes: three, four and six weeks. Every passport on our visa page gets 30 days visa free on arrival, and you can extend that in the country if you want to stay longer.
Every island links to our own page for it, which is where you will find the neighbourhoods, the hostels and the trips worth doing.
The route at a glance
- Manila (1 to 2 days)
- Puerto Princesa (1 to 2 days)
- Port Barton (2 to 3 days)
- El Nido (3 to 4 days)
- Coron (3 days)
- Boracay (2 to 3 days)
- Moalboal (3 days)
- Siquijor (2 to 3 days)
- Bohol (3 days)
- Malapascua (2 to 3 days)
- Siargao (4 to 5 days)
The route falls into three parts. First Palawan, from Puerto Princesa in the south overland to El Nido and by boat to Coron. Then the Visayas around Cebu, with Moalboal, Siquijor, Bohol and Malapascua. And to finish, Siargao, the surf island off the coast of Mindanao. Boracay hangs in between as a stop of its own, because it sits on its own island and you only get there by air.
Three, four or six weeks?
3 weeks: Palawan, Cebu, Bohol and Siargao
Manila (1), Puerto Princesa (1), Port Barton (2), El Nido (3), Coron (3), Moalboal (3), Bohol (3) and Siargao (4). That makes 20 days plus a travel day, and in that time you get the lagoons of Palawan, the sardines of Moalboal, the Chocolate Hills and the waves of Siargao.
Boracay, Siquijor and Malapascua wait for another trip, and you take the fast boat from El Nido to Coron rather than the multi-day expedition. From Coron you fly to Cebu in an hour and catch the bus to Moalboal. After Bohol you sail back to Cebu City and fly on to Siargao.
4 weeks: add Siquijor and four days on a boat
Take the three-week route and add Siquijor (2) between Moalboal and Bohol: from the southern tip of Cebu you cross to Dumaguete, and from there it is an hour to the island. On top of that, swap the fast boat from El Nido to Coron for the Big Dream Boatman expedition: four days at sea, nights on remote islands, and you arrive exactly where you were heading anyway.
That brings you to 26 days, with a few days of slack inside your 30 days visa free. You will need that slack, because somewhere on the route a boat is going to stay on the beach for a day.
6 weeks: everything, with an extension in the country
All eleven stops, the expedition, and the generous end of each number of days: count on 40 to 42 days. That means extending your stay in the country, which is completely normal in the Philippines. It is exactly the route below, in the order we describe it. Boracay slots in here as a breather between Palawan and the Visayas, and Malapascua as the dive stop between Bohol and Siargao.
Palawan: from the Underground River to the lagoons
1. Manila (1 to 2 days)
Almost everyone lands at NAIA, and its four terminals are a long way apart, so check which one you need before you go. Sleep in Makati around Poblacion: you are among the hostels and the bars, and it is a quick run back to the airport. One day is enough for Intramuros and Fort Santiago in the morning, Binondo around lunchtime and a rooftop bar in the evening. Two sights a day is more realistic here than four, because the traffic sets your schedule.
Manila is not why you came to the Philippines, but in a single day you see three sides of the country that no island gives you: Spanish, Chinese and modern Filipino. Take a Grab rather than a taxi off the street, and keep your phone in your pocket on the jeepney. See our Manila page.
Getting to the next stop: the flight to Puerto Princesa takes about an hour and a half. Book it for the day after your city day.
Our verdict: one full day, then fly to Palawan the next morning
2. Puerto Princesa (1 to 2 days)
The gateway to Palawan, with the island’s only big airport, right in the middle of town. Day one is the Underground River, and you lock in your permit at least a day ahead. Day two is Honda Bay or swimming with whale sharks, with the firefly cruise in the evening. On the whale sharks, ask whether the operator works with wild animals rather than feeding them, and keep four metres back.
Take out your cash for the rest of Palawan here and now, because there are few machines further north and none at all in Port Barton. At about €20 a day it is also calmer and cheaper than El Nido. See our Puerto Princesa page.
Getting to the next stop: the van to Port Barton takes about three hours and leaves in the morning from the San Jose terminal outside the centre. The last one goes in the afternoon.
Our verdict: two days, with the second kept for the sea so you can shuffle things if the weather turns
3. Port Barton (2 to 3 days)
Halfway between Puerto Princesa and El Nido there is a village of a few sand streets on a bay, and plenty of backpackers name it afterwards as one of their favourite places in the Philippines. Day one is the island trip with the turtles, day two White Beach and Coconut Beach, and with a third day you walk to Pamuayan Falls or lie in a hammock.
No cash machine here really does mean no cash machine, the power goes off at night and the signal is minimal. Bring a power bank, a torch and enough cash. In the water, keep off the coral and stay three metres back from the turtles. See our Port Barton page.
Getting to the next stop: the van to El Nido, three to four hours, partly on unsurfaced road. Vans only run once or twice a day, so sort out your seat the evening before.
Our verdict: two to three days, and head out early on your second morning for Coconut Beach before anyone else
4. El Nido (3 to 4 days)
A bay of 45 islands full of limestone cliffs, hidden lagoons and white sand, and for a lot of backpackers the place that stays with them longest from their whole trip. The island tours take a full day, so you have room for one thing a day: Tour A and Tour C are the classics, and with a third day you ride a scooter to Nacpan Beach and finish at Las Cabanas for sunset.
Book Tour A as soon as you arrive, for the next day, because it fills fast, and before you set off ask how many people are going and whether there are enough life jackets on board. If you want to see the other half of Bacuit Bay, go underwater with Palawan Divers, who take two students per instructor. See our El Nido page and things to do in El Nido.
Our own pick
Diving with Palawan Divers
Everybody sees El Nido from above the water. Palawan Divers takes you to the other half of Bacuit Bay, with two students per instructor. From your first breath underwater through to divemaster, in a bay most people only ever photograph.
Reader discount with the code REBELSONTHEROAD. Mention it when you book, because nobody applies it for you.
See Palawan DiversOur partner in El Nido
Our verdict: three days at least, and keep one loose day in hand in case the boats stay on the beach
The crossing: four days at sea from El Nido to Coron
Between El Nido and Coron you have two choices. The fast boat takes about four hours, does not sail every day and in the rainy season sometimes not at all, so check the timetable before you commit to your nights. Or you make the same crossing over four days with Big Dream Boatman: past islands with no promenade and no wifi, sleeping in a beach hut or a glamping tent, snorkelling over coral, with a chef on board who cooks three times a day.
If you have four weeks or more, the expedition is for us the most beautiful stretch of the whole route. If you have three, take the fast boat and save those days for Siargao.
Our own pick
Four days between Coron and El Nido
The expedition runs in both directions, Coron to El Nido and back again. Four days and three nights past islands with no promenade and no wifi, sleeping in a beach hut or a glamping tent, snorkelling over coral, and a chef on board who cooks three times a day.
See the expeditionOur partner on this route
5. Coron (3 days)
Coron sits on Busuanga and has what El Nido does not: the lakes and the wrecks. Day one is the classic day trip past Kayangan Lake, Twin Lagoon and Barracuda Lake, with the 721 steps of Mount Tapyas in the evening. Day two is diving or snorkelling on the Japanese wrecks. Day three is the islands south of Coron, where the whitest sand is and it is a lot quieter.
The wrecks are not a beginner dive: only go inside with a guide and the right qualification, and do not fly within 18 hours of your last dive, not even the short hop onward. Coron Town has few cash machines and they regularly run empty. See our Coron page and things to do in Coron.
Getting to the next stop: the airport is thirty kilometres out of town, about an hour in a shared van. For Boracay you fly via Manila to Caticlan, two flights of about an hour each. Leaving Boracay out? Then it is an hour’s direct flight to Cebu.
Our verdict: three days, get on the first boat to Kayangan Lake and keep a day of slack for the wind
Boracay: a breather between Palawan and the Visayas
6. Boracay (2 to 3 days)
Barely ten square kilometres, with four kilometres of powder white sand along the west side. This is the most touristed island in the country, and that is exactly why it makes a good place to switch off for two or three days before you throw yourself back into bangkas and domestic flights. Day one, walk the whole of White Beach and watch the sunset from a paraw. Day two, the boat trip past Crystal Cove and Puka Beach. Sleep in Station 2 and eat inland rather than on the beach.
Since the 2018 clean-up there are strict rules: no smoking, drinking or eating on the sand, and you take your rubbish with you. Make sure you can show your accommodation or your onward flight, because you get asked for it on arrival. See our Boracay page.
Getting to the next stop: ten minutes by boat to Caticlan, then the flight to Cebu. From Cebu City you take the bus to Moalboal.
Our verdict: two days as a stopover, and get up early one morning for Ilig-Iligan Beach on the quiet side
The Visayas: sardines, waterfalls and the Chocolate Hills
7. Moalboal (3 days)
On the west coast of Cebu, three hours by bus from the South Bus Terminal in Cebu City, there is nowhere easier or cheaper to swim among millions of fish and sea turtles. Day one is the Sardine Run and the turtles, straight off the shore at Panagsama Beach. Day two is canyoneering at Kawasan Falls. Day three is Pescador Island, a dive, or a day trip to Oslob and Tumalog Falls.
For canyoneering, pick an operator with helmets, life jackets and insurance, and do not get too close to the turtles. Panagsama is rock rather than sand, so do not expect to lie around on a beach. See our Moalboal page and things to do in Moalboal.
Getting to the next stop: from Bato or Liloan on the southern tip of Cebu you cross to Negros, and from Dumaguete the fast boat takes you to Siquijor in an hour.
Our verdict: three days, and get in the water for the sardines on your very first morning
8. Siquijor (2 to 3 days)
An island with a 102 kilometre ring road, small enough to ride round in a day, and the surprise of a lot of trips through the Philippines. No big resorts, little traffic, and a pace you notice straight away after El Nido or Cebu. Day one is the ring road with Cambugahay Falls, the balete tree and Salagdoong Beach, day two the beaches and the coral around San Juan. A bed here costs about €6 and a meal €2.
The scooter is the way to do this island and also its biggest risk: photograph your rental before you ride off, wear a helmet and take it slowly at night, because there are dogs and goats on the ring road. At Cambugahay, check how deep the water is yourself before you jump from a rope swing. See our Siquijor page.
Getting to the next stop: the boat to Bohol takes about two hours and does not sail often, so plan it ahead.
Our verdict: two to three days, and ride the full loop, including the quiet stretch on the east side
9. Bohol (3 days)
The island where the Philippines is more than beaches: dolphins, turtles, tarsiers, waterfalls, rice terraces and a beach, all within scooter range. Sleep on Panglao near Alona Beach. Day one is the countryside tour with the Chocolate Hills, the tarsiers and the Loboc River, day two diving at Balicasag or the dolphin trip at sunrise, and day three your own scooter ride through the Bilar man-made forest to the waterfalls.
There is one choice here that really matters: only see the tarsiers at a sanctuary where they live loose in the forest, never touch one, turn your flash off and keep your voice down. At about €20 a day, Bohol is also one of the cheaper stops. See our Bohol page and things to do on Bohol.
Getting to the next stop: the fast boat to Cebu City takes two hours and sails several times a day. From Cebu City you head north for Malapascua, or fly straight on to Siargao.
Our own pick
Diving with Seaquest Dive Center
Seaquest has been on Alona Beach since 1990 and rotates between the dive sites around Panglao, full of seahorses, mantis shrimp and other small life. In groups of six at most, with local dive guides who have known these reefs for decades. Even if you have never dived before.
With the code REBELSONTHEROAD you get 2.5% off your PADI course. Give it when you book, because without mentioning it you will not get it.
See Seaquest Dive CenterOur partner on Bohol
Our verdict: three days, and keep the third free for a scooter and a map
10. Malapascua (2 to 3 days)
An island two and a half kilometres long off the north of Cebu, and for divers one of the few places in the world you really should not miss: the thresher sharks at Monad Shoal. Day one is those sharks, before sunrise and down to almost thirty metres, so an Advanced certification is strongly recommended. Our partner Devocean Divers heads out there every morning from Bounty Beach. Day two is Gato Island or snorkelling at the Coral Garden, with sunset at the Lighthouse Viewpoint. With a third day you take the boat to Kalanggaman Island.
Even without a dive certificate this is a lovely island, with white beaches and an atmosphere the better-known islands lost long ago. Bring cash from the mainland, because the only machine is often out of order, and there is no pharmacy. See our Malapascua page.
Getting to the next stop: getting back to Cebu City takes a whole day, thirty minutes by boat to Maya and four hours by bus. From Cebu you fly to Siargao in an hour. Do not fly within eighteen hours of your last dive.
Our own pick
Diving with Devocean Divers
The thresher sharks at Monad Shoal are why you are here, and Devocean goes out to them every morning. A PADI 5 Star IDC centre on Bounty Beach, a Green Fins member, a maximum of four students per course, and instructors who have been doing that dawn dive for years.
Reader discount with the code REBELSONTHEROAD. Give it when you book, because without mentioning it you will not get it.
See Devocean DiversOur partner on Malapascua
Our verdict: three days if you dive, and plan a day of slack before you head back to the mainland
Siargao: the finale
11. Siargao (4 to 5 days)
The surf island off the coast of Mindanao, and the place where backpackers throw their plans away. You do not need to be able to surf: plenty of visitors never touch a board and still have the best week of their trip. Sleep in General Luna. Take a morning surf lesson, do the Tri-Island Tour, take the boat into Sugba Lagoon and ride the scooter to Magpupungko. Keep one day to ride all the way north towards Pacifico and Alegria, because that stretch shows you a completely different Siargao from the tours.
Most injuries here come from the reef and from scooters on wet roads. Stay out of the water at Cloud 9 until you can actually stand up on a board, wear reef shoes on the reef and do not ride north after dark. See our Siargao page and things to do on Siargao.
Heading home: from Sayak you fly to Manila in about two hours. The planes are small and fill up fast in high season, so book in good time. If your flight is cancelled, the ferry from Dapa to Surigao is your fallback.
Our verdict: at least four days, and expect it to turn into more
Practical: transport, timing, visa and budget
Getting around the Philippines, island to island
Domestic flights are the fastest way between the island groups: Manila, Cebu, Puerto Princesa, Coron, Caticlan and Siargao are all one to two hours apart, and the earlier you book, the less you pay. Ferries do the work between islands within a group, and bangkas do the island hopping on the day itself. Overland on Palawan and Cebu you take the van or the bus, and in the villages a tricycle.
Do not fill every single day. When the wind is up a bangka stays on the beach, and when a typhoon comes through domestic flights are cancelled in bulk, so keep a day of slack for every crossing and definitely before your international flight.
The best time to visit the Philippines for this route
For the Philippines as a whole, December to February is the best time to go: dry, sunny and with a calm sea, which is exactly what you want for island hopping and diving. June to November is the rainy season, with tropical storms possible, and boat trips are cancelled regularly. Siargao is the exception: its driest and calmest months are May to July, while November to February there is wet and windy.
Want one window for the whole route? Start on Palawan in March or April and finish on Siargao in May. That gives you the lagoons and the wrecks in the dry season, and you reach the surf island just as it hits its best.
Visa and onward ticket
Every passport on our visa page gets 30 days in the Philippines without a visa, and you can extend that in the country. You register through eTravel within 72 hours before you fly, and you need to be able to show an onward ticket. That gets checked more strictly here than anywhere else in the region, often already at check-in before you have left home. What applies to your passport is on our visa page, and how to get that ticket without locking in your route is on our onward ticket page.
What to pack
On this route you are in a boat almost every week, and you get wet: waterproof pouches for your phone and your documents are something you use daily here. There is no shade on board, so water and sunscreen come with you, and over coral that means sunscreen without oxybenzone. You also cannot take cash out everywhere: on Siquijor only in Larena and San Juan, and for El Nido you get your money out in Puerto Princesa.
Everything else that belongs in your backpack is in our Southeast Asia packing list.
What this route costs
On the islands themselves you get by on €18 to €25 a day: a bed from €6 to €9, a meal for €2 to €3 and a beer around €1.20. What pushes the average up is the crossings: count on about €35 a day once you include the domestic flights and the boats. El Nido and Siargao cost a little more than the rest, Puerto Princesa, Bohol and Siquijor a little less. Everywhere, bring more cash than you think you need, because machines are few and regularly empty.
Got time to spare?
With days left over you can slot in another island or two. From Manila, Tagaytay is a day trip. From Port Barton you can take a boat to San Vicente for Long Beach, the longest beach on Palawan. On Bohol there is the Anda side in the east, where hardly any travellers go. And from Moalboal, Oslob and Tumalog Falls make a day out: do ask how the operator works with the whale sharks, because they are fed there, and never swim in front of the animals. Combining the Philippines with the mainland? Then have a look at our route through four countries: plan that trip as a separate block before or after this one.
Short on time instead? Pick one island group and do it properly. Palawan on its own, with Puerto Princesa, Port Barton, El Nido and Coron, is already two weeks, and that is a trip in itself.
Palawan or the Visayas: where do you start if you only have three weeks?
Start on Palawan. It is the part of the route you can do overland, with vans between Puerto Princesa, Port Barton and El Nido and a single boat to Coron, and it is where the Philippines looks most like the photos you saw before you came. People who only have time for one island group almost always pick Palawan, and they rarely regret it.
The Visayas are the second half and the underwater side: the sardines of Moalboal, the thresher sharks of Malapascua, the turtles at Balicasag. With three weeks you combine Palawan with Moalboal and Bohol and finish on Siargao. With four, Siquijor and the expedition come in. And with six you do everything and simply extend your stay.
Our advice: start in Manila, fly to Puerto Princesa and work your way north, cross to Cebu and finish on Siargao. That way your trip ends on the island you did not want to leave anyway.
