Did you know there are over 7,000 islands in the Philippines? There are so many beautiful places to see that it can feel pretty overwhelming trying to plan just a two-week itinerary.
I was afraid we would miss something amazing or not get a real feel for the culture in only two weeks. Plus, flying from New York, we had to count for about 2 days of travel on either end. But unfortunately due to jobs, vacation time, and general life at home, two weeks was all I could take so I had to make it work.
I was really stressed while planning my Philippines itinerary because I had so many questions about what to do and what to skip. Everyone I asked had a different opinion. I’m in a really supportive girls group on Facebook called Girls Love Travel who shared a ton of info with me but it was all so contradictory. Some people said Coron was a must see, others said to skip it for Siargao. It was confusing!
So in this post, I’ll share everything I did, what I liked and didn’t like, and what I wish I had done. Obviously I only saw a small part of the Philippines so this is strictly my opinion on what I felt was worth it and what wasn’t.
Our Philippines itinerary was:
- New York to Cebu
- One night in Cebu
- Three nights in Bohol
- Three nights in Coron
- 5 day/4 night boat trip from Coron to El Nido with Tao Expeditions
- One night in El Nido
- One night in Manila
- Flight back to New York
Overall, I felt I had adequate time in all of the places I went except for El Nido. I wish I had 2-3 nights in El Nido so I had least one full day there. Otherwise, I felt good about how I spent my two weeks. Of course everywhere in the Philippines is worth seeing and beautiful but here’s a breakdown of how I spent my time:
Cebu
I chose to do one night in Cebu strictly as a jumping off point to get to Bohol. Flights from Manila to Bohol didn’t work with my schedule on my first day in the Philippines so I chose to spend one night in Cebu and take the ferry.
I chose to skip Cebu activities because it felt like there wasn’t a lot that I wanted to do there. Cebu City isn’t that exciting. People stay on this island mostly in the south near Oslob. This is where you can go canyoneering at Kawasan Falls or swimming with whale sharks. I’ve done canyoneering in the past and while it’s fun, and the Kawasan Falls looked beautiful, it just wasn’t high on my list of things I wanted to do in only two weeks. I would have rather spent my time exploring remote islands, beaches, and coral reefs. Though I think my boyfriend would have loved to do canyoneering rather than snorkeling every day!
As for swimming with whale sharks, I did a lot of research and learned that this activity really isn’t great for the environment. Luring the whales to this area for tourism messes with their natural migration. I don’t love tourism that uses animals as entertainment for people so I chose not to do this activity. If you’re considering it for your Philippines itinerary, I encourage you to do some research.
I arrived in Cebu via an AirAsia flight from Manila. It was quick, easy, no real problems. Others have mentioned horror stories about some of the Philippine airlines but I was fortunate to have no problems. I will say that I gave myself way too much time in the Philippines to switch from Philippines Air to AirAsia. It took about an hour and a half to get from one terminal to the other and get checked in. I chose not to fly directly to Bohol because the timing that day was tight. In hindsight, I definitely could have made the flight and skipped Cebu all together!
Bohol
Bohol is an island located two hours southeast of Cebu City. It’s known for beautiful beaches, island hopping, and a lush countryside featuring the Chocolate Hills.
I chose Bohol as one of the stops on my Philippines itinerary mainly because so many friends and random strangers suggested it to me. Also, I liked that it had both countryside sites and beaches so I could mix sunbathing with sightseeing.
One day I was here:
The next day I was here:
I stayed on Panglao Island which is attached to Bohol via a bridge. It’s where most of the resorts and hotels are located and where most western tourists stay. If you’re visiting Bohol, I would definitely recommend staying on Panglao. It’s an easy day trip to the countryside from there and a lot of places you’ll most likely be visiting such as Alona Beach (a popular spot for sunset viewing and restaurants) are located on Panglao.
Bohol was really easy to get in and out of which made getting to our next stop, Coron, easier, too. It’s a quick, 2-hour ferry from Cebu to Bohol so I was able to take a morning ferry back to Cebu, hop on a plane, and be in Coron before sunset. Some of the other islands people suggested to me such as Camiguin and Siargao were a little bit harder to get to, thus making it difficult to hop around within the Philippines.
I was really happy with my decision to stay in Bohol and would recommend it to others. It had some of the most stunning sunsets we saw in the Philippines. I mean, come on, how is this real!?
For more on my three days in Bohol, click here.
Coron
Coron was always on my list. First of all, it was the one place that I continuously saw mentioned on must see lists. Second, every picture I saw was more jaw dropping than the last. And lastly, it was the jumping off port for my trip with Tao Expeditions.
Coron is located in the province of Palawan. When you see photos of the Philippine islands, more often than not it was taken in Palawan. These are the lush green islands jutting out of turquoise waters that you see all over guide books and Instagram. Seeing Palawan was a must for me.
If you’re trying to decide if you should include Coron in your Philippines itinerary, I give you 110% yes! The town of Coron is a little dodgy looking but the surrounding islands are actual heaven on earth. For about $70 USD, you can get a private, day long boat tour of Coron Island or the surrounding Busuanga islands. That’s including entrance fees and unlimited food! Split that between you and a partner or a few travel buddies and it’s an affordable day trip! There are so many beautiful places to swim, snorkel, or scuba dive around Coron. I totally understand why it is on every must visit list.
Coron is a little bit harder to get to but it’s not impossible. There are flights to Coron on several airlines. Most are from Manila or at least connect in Manila. I flew on Philippine Airlines and was able to hop on the only non-stop of the day from Cebu to Coron. I didn’t want to spend my entire trip traveling from one island to another so seeing that I could get to Coron from Cebu, just a ferry ride away from my first destination of Bohol, made it an easy second stop.
While in Coron, I stayed at Busuanga Bay Lodge but I don’t recommend it if your goal is anything but relaxing. While it was a beautiful hotel, it wasn’t well located for exploring Coron. More about my stay at Busuanga Bay Lodge here.
Tao Expedition
The absolute highlight of my Philippines itinerary was my 5 day, 4 night island hopping boat trip with Tao Expeditions. If your goal is to see as much of the Philippines as you can in two weeks, Tao is a must! You get away from the crowds of tourists and visit secluded islands that are mostly uninhabited. Days are spent getting to know the crew of local Filipino boys and learning what life is like in Palawan.
On Tao, we snorkeled with turtles, ate fresh fish made right on the boat, and slept in huts on secluded beaches. Very rarely did we see another boat or other people during our trip. It felt like we had the islands to ourselves. My goal is getting away from crowds while traveling. I usually do this by waking up before sunrise. But with Tao, the crew knows all of the remote islands to visit that others don’t. There’s no cell service and no wifi. Just you, new friends, and nature.
If you’re thinking about adding Tao to your Philippines itinerary, I’m telling you it needs to be at the top. It was such a unique travel experience and a fantastic way to see Palawan. I wish I could live on the Tao boat forever. Also, getting from Coron to El Nido can take several hours on a boring ferry so you might as well take your time and get to live like the locals with Tao instead!
My biggest piece of advice if you’re planning to do Tao is to book it before booking your flights to the Philippines. I booked my flights first so only had set days that I could join the expedition. During the busy season, their trips can fill up quickly so if you only have specific dates that you can go, that can be tricky. I wish I had booked Tao and then planned the rest of my trip including flights around it.
More on my experience with Tao Expeditions here.
El Nido
I unfortunately only had one night in El Nido while in the Philippines. It just didn’t work with my itinerary to do more than that. This was the one thing I wish I had done better. I wish I could have stayed at least two nights in order to see more of the sites around El Nido. Even though my Tao Expedition took me around Palawan, we didn’t see all of the amazing places there are to see in this area.
El Nido is known for several different boat trip routes: A, B, and C. Each of these routes takes you to different places around El Nido such as the Hidden Beach and Secret Beach. I didn’t get to do any of them since I only had one night in town. Everyone on my Tao boat was talking about which routes they would do the next day after arrival and I was sad to have missed it. El Nido is really, really beautiful if not more so than Coron. Though keep in mind that it is a bit more crowded! But if you’re planning your Philippines itinerary, definitely include at least 2-3 nights in El Nido.
I stayed at Buko Beach Resort while in El Nido which is located on Corong Corong Beach. It felt like it could be in Bali or Tulum. We had an outdoor shower and there were palm leaves everywhere! Very Instagrammable. I wish I had just a little more time to enjoy this hotel. We saw the most beautiful sunset while having drinks at the beach side bar and the best (free) breakfast.
Manila
I spent the last night of my Philippines itinerary in Manila mostly to be safe for my flight back to the States. I flew to Manila from El Nido on Air Swift so I was worried my flight would be canceled and pushed to the next day. Just in case, I wanted to leave a ton of time for any issues!
While in Manila, I am sad to say that I didn’t do much. By the end of my trip, I was exhausted! Also, I used credit card points to book a luxury, business hotel so I wanted to enjoy the beautiful room. I stayed at Discovery Primea, across from the Glorietta Mall. I did walk around the mall and go to McDonald’s! Walking around local malls is one of my favorite ways to people watch when I travel. Not only to see what’s in the stores but also watching locals do a regular activity like shopping is a great way to get ini the culture.
I also love to go to McDonald’s in other countries because there’s always an interesting twist on the traditional menu. For example, in India they don’t eat beef so the Big Mac is called the Maharaja Mac and it is a paneer burger. At the McDonald’s in Manila, they had rice bowls with Filipino sauce and even McSpaghetti! I always love trying the different menu items.
Manila has a great bar, restaurant, and club scene but I unfortunately missed it. I was so exhausted in Manila that I just couldn’t stay awake for another night of partying! Luckily, Manila is easy to get to within southeast Asia so maybe on a future trip I can go back.
Overall, I was really happy with my two week Philippines itinerary. I felt that in a short amount of time, I saw and experienced a lot. There are definitely other places I wish I could have gone and I would have if I had more time. But for just two weeks, I have no regrets!
Have you been to the Philippines? What was your favorite place? Leave your thoughts in the comments!