If you haven't visited this pristine country yet, this one should make it on top the of your bucket list this year for sure.
I explored top 5 cities in the Philippines during my 13-day new years break this year. To be honest, this was a little tight which left us very less time to just chill at a single place for a longer time but I got greedy and new years in Boracay is something I didn't wanna give up. If you would like it to be a little relaxed then I would only recommend visiting 4 cities to you guys within this period. So, let's get on with it!
First of all... A very happy new years, you guys! Hope all of you had a wonderful start to 2019.
And if you are getting interested in this incredibly beautiful destination for your next trip, I would say that you are about to embark on a hell of a journey in this pristine and yet highly unexplored country!
As mentioned, I explored 5 main places during my latest trip to Philippines and visited the following places in the order from left to right - Cebu, Coron, El Nido, Boracay and finally Manila. We took a long time to decide the order in which we will be visiting these cities considering the ease of connectivity and strategically being in Boracay for the new years.
So, this is how it goes...
Day 1: Arrive Cebu and then take a 3 hr road trip to Moalboal
It's a lot of travel to first reach Cebu taking a long flight and then embarking on yet another long road journey to Moalboal sounds taxing! However, my recommendation would be to ditch the city crowd and instead stay in Moalboal, whatever it takes! This was one of the best decisions we made since most of the incredible activities and attractions are near Moalboal and you gotta reach for all of them early in the morning which might not be possible staying in Cebu. So unfortunately, the most of the first day of your trip actually goes out in travelling. Trust me it's for the best!
Day 2, 3: Do those incredible activities in and around Moaboal
We enjoyed our time in Moalboal probably the most! It might be also because this one was our first days in the Philippines. And to be honest 2 days was kind of less for this place. Moalboal has some incredible activities and an exciting nightlife in store for travellers. The activities that we did while in Moalboal -
Snorkelling - Went on one of the most exciting snorkelling trip (and if you can free dive then you would have the time of your life!) We saw the famous Sardines run (million of sardines clustered just 50 m from the shore), 3 turtles chilling very close to the surface and one of the best coral gardens with rare and beautiful fishes. We just walked into a tour company shop at the Panagsama beach and took a personal tour from them.
Canyoneering at Kawasan falls - Jumping from the top of the boulders and hilltops into the depth of free flowing river and floating away with it's current! If that madness is something that feels like your calling then just go for this one! We went for this activity with the Kawasan Canyoneering tour company and can't recommend them enough!
What we missed? :(
We needed a day more at this place to see and swim with the whale sharks at Oslob. And hence, personally recommend staying in Moalboal for a full 3 days at the very least. Anyways, they say there's always a next time!
Best area to stay in Moalboal?
Since I am not really a resort person, I love staying near the action! The Panagsama beach is a really happening area to stay with all it's nightlife and being a great snorkelling beach (Sardines and turtles right here!!)
Day 4, 5: Coron, Palawan
Took an early morning flight to Coron from Cebu and probably this day was one of the most tiring one for us. Remember the 3 hour drive back to Cebu from Moalboal?
Reach Coron early morning and explore the incredible undersea life in these pristine islands and be amazed at almost everything! The tours here are quite customised and standard. You could either go with a bigger tour company and join an existing group or you guys go for a private boat tour by renting out a boat from the port yourself. The cost of that of course goes higher, but then the experience might be slightly better since you get all the freedom of your own to spend more time in one location over another. We opted for a private boat tour and went for snorkelling one day 1 and island hopping on day 2.
Day 6, 7, 8: El Nido, Palwan
Travel Tip - There are lesser stay options in El Nido and hence they run out quickly and get expensive! So book a stay in El Nido the first thing.
One thing to note is that travelling to El Nido is a struggle! El Nido has a very small airport where only one private airline company operates (Airswift) and hence the flights are expensive. And the ferry ride from Coron to El Nido is also 3-4 hours long with only two timings to operate (12 PM and 1 PM ferries). Hence, just consider your half an day gone in travelling! Reach El Nido in the evening and chill out and relax in one of the cool bars and restaurants in the main market area.
El Nido is another of the pristine islands of the Palawan and less explored than the Coron because of obvious connectivity issues. So the must do thing in El Nido is to explore the beautiful lagoons and clear waters this place is surrounded by. They call it the A, B, C and D tours which has the famous big and small lagoons of these island. Unfortunately we didn't have the weather gods supporting us when we visited this place (cyclone predictions!) So we tried to make the most out of our remaining 2 days here by exploring the island itself. Other things one can do apart from island hopping is visiting the Kuyawyaw falls, zipping between islands, canopy walk to see a beautiful view of the city and if you are a serious trekker then probably a rather difficult trek to the Taraw peak.
Day 9, 10, 11: Boracay!
Travel tips -
1. Make sure you take a flight to Catclan airport which is a 30 mins from Boracay instead of the further one at Kalibo.
2. Boracay entry is now restricted by the government. So the stay needs to be booked early to get accommodation in any of the government approved hotels.
Boracay is one of the smaller yet the biggest party islands in the Philippines and since it was new years eve I couldn't have possibly missed it. Had the most chill times in here with exploring the amazing market area called D Mall near Station 2 beach. The station 1, 2 and 3 beaches at Boracay is the most family friendly and flat beaches with turquoise waters. The best ones to have a to make sand castles, take a dip and paddle around. There are many incredible scuba and snorkelling sites as well, so people who still feel the craving for it can try it here as well :).
Day 12, 13: Manila
Our two days in Manila flew by! This city has so much to offer to travellers be it nature, history or a happening city life. Manila has got it all.
We did the taal volcano tour on our day 1 and this place gets a big fat thumbs up from us. Riding the taal lake to reach the main volcano island is an adventurous boat ride and it feels like you are caught up in the middle of a storm inside an ocean! But then visiting the volcano is definitely worth the roller coaster ride.
Day 2 was all about exploring the old town of Intramuros in Manila. We did an eco bike tour by Bambike and can't recommend this one enough to you guys! Get the most interesting history dose while your time here and spend the afternoon having lunch in one of the cool cafes around this area. Nights in Manila are sorted with one of the world's largest malls lined up with great food and drink places!
Definitely the perfect way to end our trip!
I hope you find my itinerary useful and my captures inspire you to visit this incredible country even more. If you do like it, show your love by sharing this further and commenting below.
Want to know more about Philippines and other travel tips? Comment below and I would be the happiest to help!