Activities in the Philippines

Seven thousand islands means the best activity depends on which island you wake up on. Pick one or two groups per trip, because moving between them costs a flight or a ferry and usually a night.

Palawan: lagoons by bangka

El Nido’s Bacuit Bay is a maze of karst islands, and the standard way to see it is a numbered bangka circuit. Tour A covers Big Lagoon, Secret Lagoon and Shimizu Island, with group prices around ₱1,200 to ₱1,400 a person. Tour C adds Hidden Beach, Secret Beach and Matinloc Shrine at roughly ₱1,400 to ₱1,600. Fees come on top: the ₱400 eco-tourism development fee (valid 10 days), ₱200 for each of Big Lagoon and Matinloc Shrine, and kayak hire of ₱300 to ₱600 at the lagoons.

Compare group departures on GetYourGuide or ask a licensed operator at the town’s tourism office. The El Nido tourism site lists the approved circuits.

Coron, further north, sells packages rather than single entries, such as the Super Ultimate Tour at about ₱1,800 to ₱2,200 that strings Kayangan Lake, Twin Lagoon and Barracuda Lake together. Certified dive centres run three-tank days at ₱3,500 to ₱4,800 including gear and boat.

The Visayas: ferry loops and falls

Cebu and Bohol are separate islands. The OceanJet fast ferry between Cebu Pier 1 and Tagbilaran takes about 2 hours, with around 20 sailings a day, and tourist class costs ₱880; confirm times on oceanjet.net . On Bohol, the Carmen viewing deck over the Chocolate Hills costs ₱150 for non-resident adults after about 214 steps. Siquijor is another two-hour ferry from Tagbilaran, or a 50-minute hop from Dumaguete.

Siargao: surf

General Luna is the base for Cloud 9, a heavy reef break that suits experienced surfers. Beginners head for gentler spots such as Jacking Horse or Guiwan. Board rental runs about ₱300 to ₱500 a day and a one-hour lesson with a local instructor about ₱500 to ₱600. Siargao has its own airport, and its surf town sits outside the areas of Mindanao that foreign governments advise against.

Luzon: terraces and volcano views

The Ifugao terraces at Banaue and Batad are a night bus from Manila, around 9 to 10 hours. From the Tagaytay ridge you can look down onto Taal Lake and the volcano, and the island itself is a closed danger zone under PHIVOLCS. Mayon, near Legazpi, is at Alert Level 2: no summit climbs, and stay out of the 6 km danger zone. Check the PHIVOLCS bulletin before any ATV tour.

Eat like a local: kamayan

Boodle-fight lunches, rice and grilled seafood laid on banana leaves and eaten by hand, are served on most island-hopping boats and at beachfront restaurants. It is one of the cheaper memorable meals in the country.

Practical rules for every island

• Carry cash. Outer islands have few ATMs and they run dry on long weekends.
• Habagat and typhoon season run roughly June to November. The Coast Guard can suspend boats at short notice, so keep a 1 to 2 day buffer before an international flight. Amihan, roughly November to April, brings calmer seas on the west coast.
• Life jackets are required on motorised bangkas. Skip boats that do not carry them, and see coastguard.gov.ph for warnings.
• Wear reef shoes against sea urchins and carry household vinegar for jellyfish stings; never rinse a sting with fresh water.
• Most nationalities get 30 days visa-free. Register for free at etravel.gov.ph within 72 hours before arrival, and ignore sites that charge for it.

Verdict: if you only have a week, fly into Puerto Princesa or El Nido for a bangka circuit and add a Cebu and Bohol ferry loop only if you have three more days. For ticketed sites, see the attraction tours page .

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