Philippines travel guide

Swim with stingless jellyfish at Sohoton Cove

A long boat ride from Siargao, a swim into the snoring cave and then Tojoman Lagoon, where thousands of jellyfish drift around you. Shared tours cost about ₱2,700 to ₱3,000. It was one of my favourite days of the trip. See my Sohoton Cove guide.

Do the Siargao land tour

Coconut viewpoints, the Maasin River, the Magpupungko rock pools at low tide and Sugba Lagoon behind the mangroves, for about ₱1,900 to ₱2,200. My first reaction at Sugba was just “oh wow”. See my land tour guide.

Snorkel the Moalboal sardine run

Millions of sardines swirl just off Panagsama Beach all year, and you can swim out to them from the shore. You don’t need to dive, because snorkelling gets you just as close. My sardine run guide explains how.

Canyoneer to Kawasan Falls

Jump, slide and swim down a turquoise river canyon near Badian, for about ₱1,900 to ₱2,200. I was nervous about doing it alone, and it was one of the best days I’ve ever had while travelling. Read my canyoneering guide.

Paddle into the Underground River

A full day out from Puerto Princesa into one of the longest navigable underground rivers in the world, with bats overhead and a chamber called the Cathedral. Permits are capped at 900 a day. See my Underground River guide.

Island-hop El Nido’s lagoons

El Nido’s tours run from A to D and cost about ₱1,200 to ₱1,800 plus fees. I did A for the Big Lagoon and the Secret Lagoon, and C for Helicopter Island and the open sea. My island-hopping guide compares all four.

Take the slow boat from El Nido to Coron

Three days and two nights through the remote Linapacan and Culion islands, snorkelling a shipwreck and sleeping at simple beach camps. It was one of the highlights of my trip. Read my Keelooma review.

Kayak the Twin Lagoons in Coron

Duck under a low arch of rock into an emerald lagoon, then hire a kayak to paddle away from the boats. The coral garden on my tour was the best snorkelling of my trip. My Coron island-hopping guide helps you choose a tour.

Explore Camiguin

Kay Rodriguez’s family island has waterfalls, springs, a sunken cemetery and White Island, a sandbar that disappears at high tide. Her Camiguin guide gives you a local’s view.

Three weeks in the Philippines

Three weeks

Siargao – Moalboal – Puerto Princesa – El Nido – three days by boat to Coron – Coron

My 3-week Philippines itinerary never has more than one big travel day at a time.

Three days in Siargao

Three days

Land tour to Magpupungko and Sugba Lagoon – island hopping and Cloud 9 – Sohoton Cove

Every day is planned around the tides. See my Siargao itinerary.

Three days in El Nido

Three days

Arrival and a rooftop sunset – Tour A and the lagoons – Tour C and the open sea

The route I followed. See my El Nido itinerary.

Palawan in under two weeks

Eleven nights

Puerto Princesa and the Underground River – El Nido – three days by boat to Coron – Coron

The Palawan half of the three-week route, if you only have time for one region.

Siquijor

A small island south of Cebu with waterfalls, cliff jumping and a reputation for folk healers. I didn’t make it, and everyone I met told me I should have. It’s first on my list for next time.

Port Barton

A quieter beach town between Puerto Princesa and El Nido. Many travellers rate its island hopping as highly as El Nido’s. Stop here to break up the long van ride.

Pacifico, Siargao

An hour’s scooter ride from General Luna through coconut country, ending at a long, quiet beach that’s free to visit.

Camiguin’s springs

Beyond White Island, Kay’s favourites include the Santo Niño Cold Spring and the naturally fizzy Bura soda springs. Each costs about ₱30 to ₱50 to get in.

Dishes to try

• Garlic rice (sinangag) – rice fried with lots of garlic. I’m obsessed, and I now make it at home.
• Kare-kare – a rich peanut stew. Mine was pork belly, at El Kuvo in Coron on my last night.
• Sisig – sizzling chopped pork with onion, chilli and calamansi. It was my first proper Filipino meal, in Moalboal.
• Adobo – meat braised in vinegar, garlic and bay leaves. Mine was cooked on board the Keelooma boat.
• Tuna belly – boiled in a soy and spring onion broth. It was my favourite meal in Moalboal.
• Grilled seafood – the beach lunch on most island-hopping tours.
• Jollibee Chickenjoy – fried chicken with rice and gravy from the national fast-food chain, from about ₱110. An absolute win.
• Lechon – whole roast pig, at its most famous in Cebu. One I’m saving for next time.
• Halo-halo – shaved ice with evaporated milk, sweet beans, fruit, ube and leche flan. Kay says Viola’s Snack Bar makes the best on Camiguin.

My Filipino food guide covers 12 dishes, with prices.

Drinks to try

• Mango shakes – Philippine carabao mangoes are famously sweet.
• Calamansi – the small, sour citrus, as a juice or in cocktails. On Siargao I had a calamansi paloma.
• Mango margarita – El Kuvo’s in Coron was dangerously good.
• San Miguel – the beer behind every karaoke night, about ₱80 in a bar.
• Fresh coconut water – straight from the tree.

Loka, Siargao

A beachside café and bar right by the Cloud 9 boardwalk. I had a flat white and a mango pudding: so chill, and so good.

Tan-aw Restaurant, Moalboal

On the beachfront at Panagsama, looking towards Pescador at sunset. The boiled tuna belly was my favourite meal in Moalboal, and mains cost about ₱250 to ₱300.

Lola Tanciang’s, Moalboal

A sutukil restaurant on Panagsama Road, where your seafood is grilled, cooked in a broth or served raw. I shared a seafood feast and pork sisig here with people from my dive. Cash only.

Piece of Sky, El Nido

The rooftop bar at H Hotel. I watched the sunset from here two nights running, with a cocktail and a saxophonist playing smooth jazz. Get up there early.

El Kuvo, Coron

Mango margaritas with a spiced rim and a huge plate of kare-kare for about ₱350, plus ₱100 for garlic rice. A fitting last Filipino meal.

The Philippines isn’t the cheapest country in South-East Asia, but it’s very good value. Domestic flights, island-hopping tours and the small environmental fees are what add up.

Not counting food or tours, I spent about £1,710 on rooms, two domestic flights, the Keelooma expedition and my flight out. My private rooms averaged about £65 a night, and three days on the expedition boat cost less than four nights at my Coron hostel.

• Backpacker: about ₱2,000 to ₱3,000 (£24 to £36) a day
• Mid-range: about ₱4,500 to ₱7,000 (£54 to £83) a day
• Comfortable: ₱10,000 (£119) a day and up
• Domestic flight with a bag and fees: about ₱2,500 to ₱6,000 a leg
• Shared island-hopping tour: ₱1,200 to ₱1,800, plus fees
• Carinderia meal: ₱75 to ₱150

My trip cost guide has my spend line by line.

Safety

The main tourist trail is generally safe, with the usual petty crime and scams in cities. The UK Foreign Office and US State Department advise against travel to parts of Mindanao, the Sulu archipelago and the Sulu Sea, but Siargao is excluded, and the UK also excludes Camiguin. The Foreign Office warns that ferries have a poor safety record, especially from June to December, so use reputable operators and don’t board in bad weather.

Health

See a travel clinic at least eight weeks before you go. The UK’s TravelHealthPro recommends hepatitis A, tetanus and typhoid jabs for most travellers, and rabies, hepatitis B and Japanese encephalitis are worth considering. Dengue peaks from June to October, so wear repellent, and drink bottled or filtered water.

Tipping

Tipping isn’t required, but it matters: in most regions the minimum wage is about ₱450 to ₱600 a day. Leave about 10% in restaurants that don’t add a service charge, and tip guides, boat crews and drivers 10% or more for great service.

Tips for travelling

• Register on the free eTravel system within 72 hours before you arrive, and again before you leave.
• Carry cash and small notes. Almost every tour, fee and boat is cash only, and ATMs run dry on the smaller islands.
• Route via Cebu or Clark. Since March 2026, the small turboprop flights to Siargao, El Nido and Coron no longer leave from Manila.
• Add checked bags when you book. Cebgo’s turboprops have a 7kg cabin limit, and bags cost far more at the airport.
• Leave at least one spare day before your flight home.
• Check exactly what your tour ticket covers before you hand over any cash at the port.
• Get to the famous spots early, before the tour groups arrive.
• Choose wildlife experiences carefully. Kay recommends the Philippine Tarsier Foundation’s sanctuary in Corella, Bohol, over roadside enclosures.

How to see the best for free

Swimming with the sardines from the shore at Moalboal is free: you only pay about ₱100 to ₱200 for a snorkel set. In El Nido, Nacpan Beach and Las Cabanas Beach have no entrance fee, and Las Cabanas faces straight out to the islands at sunset. On Siargao, the walk out along the Cloud 9 boardwalk costs ₱100.

Eat at carinderias, the local canteens, for about ₱75 to ₱150 a meal, and pick tours that include lunch. On Camiguin, Kay points out that the old Spanish church ruins at Bonbon are free to explore.

Packing

Packing for the Philippines? Don’t forget…

• Water shoes: I wore mine on boats, at the rock pools, in the Underground River and canyoneering.
• A dry bag: spray comes over the side of every bangka.
• Reef-safe sun cream: a mineral one, and enough from home.
• Insect repellent: dengue is around all year.
• A universal adapter and a power bank: the power bank goes in your hand luggage.

Kay’s Philippines packing list has the rest, plus the baggage rules.

Travel insurance

Make sure your policy covers medical evacuation from remote islands, diving to the depth you’ll dive, scooters if you’ll ride one, and cancellations for bad weather. Private hospital care in the Philippines is expensive. Some trips, like the Keelooma expedition from El Nido to Coron, won’t take you without insurance. A single-trip policy from the UK typically costs around £45. Compare policies with AXA Travel Insurance.

Suggested guidebooks

• Lonely Planet Philippines
• The Rough Guide to the Philippines

Interesting facts

• The official count is 7,641 islands. Visit one a day and it would take you almost 21 years.
• The Philippines was named the World’s Leading Dive Destination at the World Travel Awards for the seventh year running in 2025.
• It ranked second in Asia in the EF English Proficiency Index for 2025.
• Jeepneys were first built from surplus American military jeeps left behind after the Second World War.
• Spain ruled the islands for more than 300 years, and the Philippines became fully independent on 4 July 1946.

Handy phrases

Thank you – Salamat

Delicious – Masarap

Let’s eat – Kain tayo

Is it spicy? – Maanghang ba ito?

Yes (to an elder) – Opo

Time zone

Philippine Standard Time, UTC+8, with no daylight saving: eight hours ahead of the UK in winter and seven in summer.

Electricity and adapters

220 to 230V at 60Hz, with Type A and B sockets, and sometimes Type C. UK plugs need an adapter. US plugs fit, but check your chargers are rated 100 to 240V.