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This post was created for the purpose of telling what to see in the Philippines, and follows the itinerary of my trip, recounted HERE, to this wonderful Asian country. Geographically speaking, the Philippines is an archipelago of about 7,000 islands, distributed in three macro-regions: Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. The Philippines is, especially, a paradise for lovers of water activities!
The history of the Philippines is long and interesting: suffice it to say that the first human settlements in the Philippines date back 30,000 years. The Philippines underwent a strong Spanish influence, beginning with Magellan: the navigator, who was of Portuguese descent, was killed near the island of Cebu by locals as he was about to complete his circumnavigation of the globe.
Finally, in 1898, the United States of America defeated the Spanish: the Philippines became independent from the United States in 1946.
What to see in the Philippines: Bohol, Visayas
Bohol Island definitely deserves a place on the list of what to see in the Philippines. I slept at Aloha Beach, which is a convenient base for touring Bohol Island. There are basically two recommended tours: the first is the ‘mainland’ tour, while the second is the islands tour.
On the first day in Bohol, I participated in the tour that allows you to get to know the innermost part of Bohol.. By participating in this tour I was able to appreciate, in particular, visiting the Chocolate Hills (i.e., a forest full of hills, which were formed by the accumulation of seaweed and corals: the name comes from the brown, chocolate-like color, typical of the dry season) and the tarsier conservation center (the smallest primate in the world: their eyes, relatively very large, are very tender!). There is also the possibility of doing this tour independently by renting mopeds.
On the second day I participated in a snokelling tour, definitely worthwhile! Also deserving of appreciation is a mini-island with a very small tongue of fine white sand. Alona Beach, despite the high presence of ladyboys and prostitutes at night, is a pleasant area to sleep.
Bohol is well connected to the rest of the Philippines through its airport.
What to see in the Philippines: Dumaguete, Visayas
Dumaguete is well connected to Bohol: in fact, the boat transfer takes two hours. Dumaguete itself is quite ugly: honestly, there is practically nothing to see! On the other hand, Dumaguete is a perfect base for snorkeling on Apo Island.
This TOUR is quite expensive, however, it is absolutely divinely beautiful. In fact, Apo island is one of the most beautiful marine sanctuaries in the Philippines. By participating in this tour, I was able to admire a sensational crystal clear sea and, most importantly, snorkel with an endless amount of sea turtles! In my opinion, this tour ranks in the podium of must-do experiences in the Philippines!
Near Dumaguete there is also something else not to be missed: the Casaroro waterfall, in fact, is only 20 kilometers from the city center and can be reached easily by scooter. From the parking lot, you have to walk about 15 minutes to admire these beautiful waterfalls.
Between Dumaguete and Casaroro is a town, Valencia. This town is famous for the cockpit, or cockfight. It takes place, generally, on Sunday: the weather is really hard to describe, as there are hundreds of people betting on the winning rooster. All in all, Dumaguete is worth two nights.
What to see in the Philippines: Moalboal, Visayas
Moalboal is poorly connected to Dumaguete: in only three hours I had to take five different means of transportation. Moalboal is still part of the Visayas, and is located on the island of Cebu. Unlike Dumaguete, Moalboal is a tiny town and very pleasant. Snorkeling in Moalboal gives a great surprise: there is, in fact, the possibility of admiring the so-called sardine run, that is, thousands and thousands of sardines moving together, forming a wonderful spectacle!
There is another must-do activity in Moalboal: canyoneering at Kawasan Falls , which is 45 minutes away from Moalboal. Participating in this tour, I was able to appreciate a spectacular natural landscape, enhanced by many jumps, the last of which is 12 meters exactly next to the waterfall: scary and spectacular!
Moalboal is a good place to stay for at least two or three days, as it also boasts a fair amount of nighttime activity.
What to see in the Philippines: Coron, Visayas
Coron is well connected to the rest of the Philippines by its airport. Unlike Moalboal, I find the town of Coron (which is part of Palawan province) uninteresting. On the other hand, the nature surrounding Coron is absolutely magical!
There are several tours available in Coron: I chose the tour A (you can find details here), which takes mostly to Kayangan Lake and Coral Garden and is really not to be missed. Coron is the perfect place to start diving. I myself started to discover the underwater world in Coron, completing my ‘Discover Diving,’ which is a baptism of the underwater world. I do not rule out returning to Coron to dive. In fact, here you can appreciate several ships that were sunk during World War II-Coron is a wreckdiving paradise!
There is a beautiful viewpoint in Coron that should not be missed: Mount Tapyas, which is spectacular especially at sunset. Coron deserves at least three days of visits.
What to see in the Philippines: El Nido, Visayas
El Nido is connected to Coron by a four-hour maritime service. There is also an airport that allows travel to other places in the Philippines. The center of El Nido is referred to as El Nido Proper: it is definitely very touristy.
I preferred to sleep in Corong Corong, three kilometers away from El Nido Proper: sleeping in a backpacker hostel on the beach was definitely a good idea, so I I highly recommend the Outpost Beach Hostel! Also in El Nido I went diving, again outstanding.
As in Coron. El Nido boasts many tours to take, which you can find HERE. My hostel combined the tours differently, calling them Northern and Southern. I was definitely satisfied with both, and would definitely recommend them.
Another activity not to be missed in El Nido is the Canopy Walk: by crossing several suspension bridges, it is possible to admire a beautiful view of El Nido and Palawan.
El Nido Proper boasts a decent nightlife, although very touristy. In El Nido I recommend staying at least three nights: you would need a couple more to visit the Puerto Princesa Underground River, which is located further south, also in Palawan.
Map of what to see in the Philippines
You can find a map of what to see in the Philippines here.
IN ADDITION TO WHAT TO SEE IN THE PHILIPPINES, YOU MIGHT ALSO BE INTERESTED IN …
INFORMATION ON WHAT TO SEE IN THE PHILIPPINES
- Here you can find a video that quickly summarizes the two weeks in the Philippines!
- The budget for a trip to the Philippines is low, but not very low. Sleeping in a hostel costs around 15 euros, eating around 10-I did not really enjoy the cuisine of the Philippines, which is very much influenced by U.S. colonization (and tourism). Beers are cheap (one or two euros), but quality tends to be low. Diving is cheap: about 100 euros for two consecutive trips. The tours themselves are also cheap: on average they cost 30 euros.
- My personal podium of what not to miss in the Philippines consists of Moalboal, diving at Coron and snorkeling at Apo Island.
- The best season to visit the Philippines is from January to April. November and December might also be good. I strongly advise against the months from June to September.
- The places described cover a two-week trip. Had I had more time, I would have visited the rice fields of Banaue, which are nine hours away from Manila.
- Are the Philippines safe? I risked a rip-off with an ‘official’ cab to get from terminal to terminal in Manila. The taxi driver, in fact, tried to ask me for $50 for about a 5-minute ride-I got out at the first intersection leaving him with $8. I highly recommend the Grab app for cabs. In Bohol I was robbed of $50 in the locker of the Aloha Hammocks hostel, which is now closed. The island of Mindanao is totally not recommended for tourists.
- Apart from this bad experience, I report all other hostels positively: Flying Fish Hostel in Dumaguete (the best!)., Titanic Nipa Hut in Moalboal, Hop Hostel in Coron, Outpost Beach Hostel in El Nido as well as. Z Hostel in Manila, with beautiful panoramic views of the city.
- Filipino food is nothing special, and a few Italian restaurants stand out among the top choices: the Altrove in Coron and El Nido is good.
- In November, I found almost always very good weather: the temperatures, however, are always warm.
- I did not put Manila, the capital of the Philippines, on the list of what to see in the Philippines for one simple reason: I did not like it at all. I put Manila on my podium of the cities I liked the least, with Johannesburg and Djibouti.
- Coron or El Nido, which one to choose? Both are extremely beautiful. I would prefer Coron for diving. Otherwise, they are similar in their beauty: if there is an opportunity to visit both…well, much better! The choice would be really hard.
- The final suggestion is: the Philippines deserves, and how well it deserves!
