If you’re dreaming of white sand beaches, unspoiled nature and laid-back island vibes, the Philippines should be on your travel bucket list. We visited the Philippines during our South East Asia backpacking trip and immediately fell in love with this amazing country. The beaches there are some of the best we’ve ever seen – island hopping quickly became the highlight of our adventure!

The Philippines also feels unspoiled and you can discover some great spots there that haven’t been completely over-taken by mass tourism. We have put together the ultimate 2-3 week Philippines itinerary covering the must-see destinations and also included our travel tips. You can adjust the duration to suit your own pace. Two weeks would be fast paced, whereas three weeks would allow a more relaxed experience. 

Jump to:

• Best Time to Visit
• Getting To and Around The Philippines
• Moalboal (Cebu): 2-4 nights 
• Siquijor: 2-4 nights 
• Bohol: 3-4 nights 
• Puerto Princesa (Palawan): 1-2 night
• Port Barton (Palawan): 2-3 nights 
• El Nido (Palawan): 4-5 nights 
• Final Thoughts 

Best Time to Visit

If you can, avoid the typhoon season that usually happens between June and September. The weather can be unpredictable and you don’t want to get stuck in the torrential rain. We recommend visiting between December and April for the best experience when the weather is dry. This way you will be able to make the most of your Philippines itinerary and enjoy many island hopping trips. 

Getting To and Around The Philippines

If you’re flying internationally there are many flights from other countries in South East Asia. You will usually fly to Manila or Cebu first, then either take a domestic flight or travel by bus or boat. We recommend skipping the cities if you’re short on time as The Philippines for us was all about nature, peaceful vibes and stunning beaches. 

The Philippines is a country made up of over 7,000 islands! This makes flying and getting boats the best option to get around. We recommend using 12Go Asia for booking your transfers online. 

Once you reach your destination in the Philippines you can use a mix of shared vans, tricycles, taxis and scooters to get around. Shared vans are great for longer transfers and tricycles for shorter journeys. Renting a scooter is brilliant to explore the local sights if you are confident riding one. 

Moalboal (Cebu): 2-4 nights

Our Philippines itinerary started with Moalboal (Cebu). The town is conveniently located only 3 hours by bus from Cebu City. We recommend staying for two nights to enjoy the main attractions. 

Panagsama Beach, located right in town, is a fantastic place for snorkeling. We swam just a couple of meters off the shore to experience the sardine run. Seeing millions of sardines gathering by the reef drop off was a truly amazing experience! Moalboal also offers an opportunity to swim with turtles. We weren’t lucky enough to see them on our own so taking an organised tour to snorkeling spots could have increased our chances of spotting them. 

We also visited the stunning Kawasan Falls located just south of Moalboal. The falls are beautiful with turquoise water and surrounded by lush jungle. We rented a scooter for the day and the drive took less than 30 minutes. Coming early in the morning is a good idea, as it can get crowded. At the falls, there is an option to swim in natural pools or go canyoneering. We paid less than £3 per person for entrance.

Siquijor: 2-4 nights

Siquijor is a truly amazing place to relax and unwind. It’s a quiet island with a local vibe, beautiful beaches and stunning waterfalls. It’s also known for its mystical reputation and some local healers still practise there. 

We were slightly confused about how to get to Siquijor from Moalboal. The route isn’t super obvious and you can’t book your transfer online. However, once we figured it out, it turned out to be fairly straightforward. We took a mix of transport types including bus, ferry and tricycle. It was very affordable and there were other travellers doing the same journey so we joined forces. We suggest leaving in the morning to ensure you reach the last ferry to Siquijor as they can stop before 7pm. 

Here’s the breakdown of how to get to Siquijor from Moalboal:

1. Bus from Moalboal to Bato. The journey takes around 2 hours and it costs £2 per person. You can catch the bus in front of Jollibee, they run regularly every 30 minutes but there’s no strict schedule in place. 
2. Tricycle from Bato to Liloan Port. Tricycles will definitely be waiting for you once you get off the bus! Prices depend on your haggling skills but you shouldn’t expect to pay more than £2 per person for the 10 minutes journey. 
3. Ferry from Liloan Port to Sibulan. We bought tickets directly at the terminal and paid less than £2 per person. Ferries run roughly every hour from 5am till 7pm, and the journey takes less than 30 minutes. 
4. Tricycle from Sibulan to Dumaguete Port. We paid £2 per person and the journey took 20 minutes (though traffic can slow it down). Again there will be tricycles waiting. 
5. Ferry from Dumaguete to Siquijor. The final leg of the journey will cost you between £3-£5 per person depending on the company. We went with OceanJet, the journey took 1.5 hours and was pretty comfortable. 

After surviving the journey, we were rewarded with stunning waterfalls and nature. We recommend visiting Cambugahay Falls to see spectacular multi-tiered pools in lush natural surroundings. There are several rope swings to jump directly into the pools from them. Lugnason Falls are smaller but still stunning. It’s a great place to relax in the peaceful surroundings and take short hikes around them. 

After visiting the waterfalls, we recommend relaxing at Paliton Beach. It’s renowned for powdered white sand and calm clear waters. 

Bohol: 3-4 nights

Bohol was the next stop on our Philippines itinerary. It’s a great place to combine relaxing on the beach and exploring its rich nature. We stayed on Panglao island as we wanted to be within a walking distance to the beach. Alona Beach is the beating heart of the island filled with affordable accommodation options, restaurants and nightlife. 

The first day we rented a scooter for £5 per day and explored nearby attractions. Dumaluan Beach was our first stop. It’s the nicest beach we’ve seen on Panglao island. The soft white sand, turquoise waters and picturesque palm trees make it feel like a true paradise. It’s also an amazing spot for snorkeling and we saw plenty of starfish just off the shore. We drove further down, towards White Beach, and we stopped for lunch at Vedge Bohol. It’s a great affordable option in a relaxed setting. 

In the afternoon, we visited Hinagdanan Cave which is a naturally lighted cavern with a deep turquoise lagoon available for swimming. Entrance costs less than £1 per person but if you want to swim you will need to pay an additional fee (around £2 per person). It was definitely a great stop but we regretted not coming earlier in the morning as it got pretty busy. 

One of the highlights of our trip was a Bohol countryside tour where we visited amazing nature spots. You can book a private or shared tour on Klook , but we recommend hiring a local tuk tuk driver directly in Panglao  to take you around for the day. We found a friendly driver the same morning and paid £30 for the full day. That allowed us to have full control over the itinerary and explore Bohol’s stunning countryside at our own pace. Here are the spots we visited:

• Tarsier Sanctuary (Corella). It’s a truly unique experience seeing the world’s smallest primates in their natural habitat. There are two spots to see tarsiers in Bohol, make sure you visit the one in Corella that is run by the Philippine Tarsier Foundation  where they truly look after the wellbeing of the animals. Entrance to the natural forest cost £2 per person. 
• Camugao Falls. A truly stunning waterfall surrounded by rice fields and lush vegetation. There is a huge natural pool, perfect for a refreshing swim. Entrance costs less than £1 per person and the walk to the falls from the car park takes less than 10 minutes passing through rice fields. 
• Chocolate Hills. This stunning geological formation is the reason why everyone comes to Bohol. After you climb 200 stairs you will be rewarded with panoramic views across the hills. They appear green during the rainy season but turn brown as the weather gets dryer. We also grabbed our lunch in the restaurant onsite – for a touristy location it turned out to be reasonably priced. Entrance to the Chocolate Hills is also very affordable, around £2 per person.

Puerto Princesa (Palawan): 1-2 night

After exploring the province of Cebu it was time to head to the stunning island on Palawan. We caught an Air Asia flight from Cebu to Puerto Princesa for around £30 per person. 

Palawan has been voted as the best island in the world and we can definitely see why! The island is famous for the world’s best beaches but there are also amazing natural sites to explore. We decided to stop off for a night in Puerto Princesa to visit the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park. It’s known for its spectacular underground river, listed as a UNESCO heritage site and one of the new 7 Wonders of Nature.

We booked our tour online through Klook, choosing the standard shared option that included transport, visit to the underground river and buffet lunch. It was an absolute bargain for only £25 per person! 

A shared van picked us up at 7am and after roughly 2 hours we arrived at Sabang Village which is the gateway to the park. From there a small boat took us to a sandy beach that you access the river from. The journey was slightly bumpy but it only took 20 minutes and offered great views of limestone cliffs rising from the jungle. 

We walked for around 10 minutes through a jungle trail (watch out for monkeys!) to reach the entrance. We hopped on a small paddle boat to take us through the river and were given an audioguide to tell us more about the formations and the unique ecosystem of the river. A life jacket and a helmet were obligatory on the boat. 

The whole experience of going through the underground river took around 60 minutes and it truly felt like entering another world. Light was illuminating the stunning stalactites and stalagmites. Our guide pointed to some of them that reassembled animals, vegetables and even one that looked like an European cathedral fully made out of limestone. 

Port Barton (Palawan): 2-3 nights

Port Barton is a quiet coastal village located 3-4 hours away from Puerto Princesa. We took a shared van to get there that we booked on 12Go Asia.  It was the perfect place on our Philippines itinerary to relax, enjoy uncrowded beaches and the laid back vibe. Even though it’s gaining in popularity with backpackers, you can still enjoy the local feel and affordable prices! 

The highlight of the whole trip in the Philippines was undoubtedly the Port Barton island hopping tour. We paid around £20 per person for a full day tour that included snorkeling stops and lunch. 

The reefs around Port Barton are definitely the best we’ve ever seen. We stopped at Turtle Spot where we were lucky enough to swim alongside turtles and a variety of colorful fish. Luckily, we hadn’t spotted a single jellyfish during the tour – quite the contrast to our experiences in Panglao and El Nido. Fantastic Reef was another unforgettable stop, snorkeling there was truly magical thanks to well-preserved coral. 

El Nido (Palawan): 4-5 nights

El Nido is definitely one of the best tropical destinations in the world with its amazing beaches, lush nature, and lively town centre. Staying right in the centre of El Nido made it super easy to access all attractions, and enjoy the restaurants and the relaxed nightlife. 

We rented a scooter for only £5 per day, which allowed us to see the sights easily. We drove towards the famous Nacpan Beach. The ride started with lovely views of the coastline before turning into serene countryside scenery. While the roads were okay for most of the way, towards the end they became pretty bumpy so you will want to prepare yourself for that. 

Nacpan Beach itself didn’t disappoint! We found a shady spot to chill on the beach and enjoyed a relaxing swim in the turquoise waters. On the way back to El Nido we stopped at Lio Beach,  another paradise beach with plenty of shade. As it’s so close to the airport, we saw planes fly overhead as we chilled by the shore.

The next day we decided to experience one of the famous El Nido island hopping tours. We opted for tour D that allowed us to explore some of Palawan’s most breathtaking lagoons surrounded by limestone cliffs along with stunning beaches and great snorkeling spots. Tour D is not as popular as others so it allowed us to avoid the crowds you can experience on some of the more popular routes. We booked from a local travel agent in El Nido and paid around £25 per person including lunch. 

The ultimate highlight of our Philippines itinerary was spending a night on Darocotan Island – a tranquil hidden gem just off the coast of El Nido with pristine beaches and a relaxed vibe. Snorkeling in the crystal-clear waters was an amazing experience. We even swam to a sunken shipwreck located just 100 meters off the shore. We stayed at Bice Camp  that offered us an amazing glamping adventure. You can read more about our experience on Darocotan Island. 

We decided to relax on our final day in the Philippines and headed to Vanilla Beach. A short and cheap tricycle ride from the centre of El Nido brought us to a beautiful stretch of sand lined with palm trees and calm turquoise waters. There are some options to get food and drinks nearby so it was easy to spend a day there just relaxing and soaking up the sun. 

Final Thoughts

The Philippines is one of our favourite destinations and we can’t wait to go back! It will definitely not disappoint and you will be able to experience the world’s most stunning beaches, breathtaking nature and chat with friendly locals. That said, when comparing with other countries in the region you will get less value for money when booking accommodation and the local food options can feel more limited.

We hope our Philippines itinerary helped you plan your time and you will enjoy this amazing country as much as we did.