With over seven and a half thousand islands, it can be overwhelming trying to figure out how to make the best of your trip to the Philippines. There’s so much land to cover, so many beautiful places, so many potential experiences. Where to even start? Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered. The Philippines is a place that deserves multiple trips to see all it has to offer, but for your first time, I’ve narrowed the list down to just five islands. I think three weeks in the Philippines is the perfect amount of time to discover a few of the different facets of this gorgeous archipelago.
Your itinerary for the perfect three weeks in the Philippines
Here’s a quick breakdown of my itinerary, which is flexible if you want to spend more time somewhere or less in another.
Day 1-3: Manila. Big city with a historical centre
Day 4-6: Donsol. Swim with whale sharks
Day 7-9: Puerto Princesa. UNESCO World Heritage Underground River
Day 10-13: El Nido. Island hopping, snorkelling
Day 13-15: Cebu. Second big city, day trip to large waterfall
Day 16-21: Bohol & Panglao. Tarsiers, Chocolate Hills, beach time
Island no. 1: Luzon
Manila
Most people just use Manila as a jumping off point for their three weeks in the Philippines. The historical Intramuros area, the heart of the old Spanish colonial city, looks beautiful and is worth exploring. But when I first arrived in the Philippines I was not in a good place mentally as my dog back home had been put down only a few days before. It was also the Easter weekend, and this very Catholic country pretty much shuts down, so I did absolutely zero exploring. Travel isn’t all fun and adventures; sometimes you just need a few days off. And that’s completely fine.
Read more: Mulu National Park – Bats, Caves and a Broken Heart
Where I stayed: Our Awesome Hostel. The hostel is a bit of a distance from the Intramuros area, but so are pretty much all the hostels in Manila. I’ll always be grateful to the lad at reception for letting me check in at 4.02am so I could get some sleep after a late flight instead of making me wait until the afternoon. They have a cute rooftop area and spacious dorms.
Donsol
There are two places in the Philippines that are known for whale shark interactions. Donsol, in the far south east of the island, is one, Oslob on Cebu is the other. When it comes to wildlife tourism, I research the shit out of it, and found some things about the Oslob area I did not like the sound of. For one, they feed the whales to encourage them to come closer to the boats, which is not okay in my book. Wild animals should never be fed by humans, and this has created a situation where the whale sharks in Oslob have become reliant on the boats for food and it has actually stopped the local population from completing their annual migration. It’s also led to a large increase in collisions between boats and whale sharks, causing injuries to these amazing creatures.
So even though Donsol is more of a pain in the ass to get to than Oslob, I knew they didn’t feed the whale sharks there. I also knew it would be a quieter experience than the very popular Oslob.
It’s a very long journey from Manila to Donsol. I had to take an overnight bus to the city of Legazpi, followed by a minibus to Donsol. The seventeen hour journey was filled with detours, misinformation, police checks, taxis, jeepneys, and tricycles and was by far the worst journey of my life. I think I was just unlucky in every way possible. You can also fly to Legazpi, so if it’s in your budget, I recommend doing that instead.
Donsol is a very pretty town, with resorts and hotels lining the oceanside. Right in the middle is the Whale Shark Interaction Centre, where all the boats leave from. When I previously swam with humpback whales in Tonga, it was the most magical experience of my life. So unfortunately for Donsol, this experience had a lot to live up to. In all honesty it was disappointing. The reason the whale sharks congregate in this area is because it’s stuffed full of krill, their favourite food. However, this does mean the visibility is pretty poor, only a couple of metres. It’s not always poor, but weak currents at the time made it worse than usual. But even though we spent a fair amount of time looking around for whale sharks, it did add quite a bit suspense and excitement when one of the ten metre-long fish appeared out of nowhere.
I was surprised at the crowds. Whereas in Tonga, they were very strict about the number of boats and people in the water around the whale sharks at any one time, in Donsol they were not following those rules, despite the signs I had seen at the Interaction Centre. I frequently was bumped, pushed and hit on the head with selfie sticks while trying to keep my distance from the whale sharks while others tried to get closer. I’d hate to see what Oslob was like if this was the quieter place. God I hate selfie sticks.
This all sounds very negative, but I don’t regret going. Seeing whale sharks up close is a magical experience, despite the other humans. So just concentrate on the whale sharks and hope the visibility is better for you than it was for me.
Read more: Swimming with Giants – The Humpback Whales of Tonga
Where I stayed: Woodland Beach Resort, by far the most beautiful place I stayed during my three weeks in the Philippines. Their “dorms” have a maximum of three beds and a private bathroom. With a swimming pool, small beach, on-site restaurant and a dive center, this small resort is the perfect place to stay in Donsol. It’s also very close to the Interaction Centre, just a couple minutes walk down the road.
Want to know more about interacting responsibly with wildlife? Continue to the end of the post for some of my top tips and get your FREE guide to responsible wildlife tourism too!
Island no. 2: Palawan
Puerto Princesa
The easiest way to get to Palawan is to fly. The main city is Puerto Princesa, which feels very different to Manila. Founded in the late 19th century by Spanish settlers, the city now revolves around tourism. Its wide main street is lined with shops and restaurants ranging from thatched roof local joints to grand, high-end eateries. Live music emanates from open-air bars. Palm trees sway in the warm breeze. The greenest and least-densely populated city in the Philippines, Puerto Princesa is the perfect place to start your Palawan adventure.
The star attraction of the city is actually a couple of hours away. The Puerto Princesa Underground River is not only a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but also one of the New 7 Wonders of the World. If those aren’t two great reasons to go, then I don’t know what is. The only way to see the underground river is through a fairly expensive tour. It takes 2 hours by minivan to get to Sabang, where we had to wait until our boat number was called. This boat brought us to a beautiful beach, from which we walked to a busy lagoon, where many other tour guests waited in vivid orange life jackets. I could see the cave across the turquoise water, a low, wide entrance in a sheer cliff. Small rowboats moved in and out through the entrance.
When it’s your group’s turn to climb into a boat, you’re given a headset with an audio guide, and you’re asked not to talk inside. This is so the cave stays as quiet as possible to enhance the experience. Though of course there were always whispers from others. At the right moments, the guides point out features of the cave with their headtorch, amazing natural rock scultpures and weird shapes created by water erosion. Though the river is 8km long, emptying into the ocean on the other side of the cave, the boats only go 1.5km in before turning around. You’re in the cave for 45 minutes, but that time goes very quickly. It was an amazing experience that I highly recommend. Your three weeks in the Philippines wouldn’t be complete without it.
Read more: UNESCO World Heritage Sites – Where I’ve Been So Far
Where I stayed: Your Space Pensionne. I can’t find any reviews after 2017, so I believe this hostel has now closed. Find other places to stay in Puerto Princesa here.
El Nido
Five hours north of Puerto Princesa, it’s easy to get to this beach town via one of the many minivans that go there throughout the day. The town is nestled between the blue ocean and stunning limestone cliffs. This place is very tourist-oriented, but it’s beautiful. The streets are lined with many dive shops and tour offices selling various island hopping excursions. Wary street dogs sunbathe on the beach, children swim between boats floating in the bay. El Nido is peacefully chaotic, or chaotically peaceful. It’s hard to describe.
If you only do one activity in El Nido, I recommend an island hopping trip. Because there are so many places trying to sell them, it’s possible to haggle the price. There are usually multiple options depending on which locations you want to visit. I tour I chose was originally 1400 pesos, but I was able to negotiate that down to 1000, which I was pretty pleased about (bear in mind this was several years ago, so prices have likely changed since then). This was one of the most fun activities I did in the few weeks I spent in the Philippines.
With fourteen others, mostly couples, I waded up to my waist to the boat. During the trip, we visited three lagoons, some hidden through narrow opening in limestone cliffs. You can swim from the boat, or hire a kayak. The water was crystal clear and clean. Oh, and the staff are very knowledgeable in the art of tourist photo-taking. Lunch is always included in the tour price, usually served on a white sand beach off which you can snorkel or buy beers from locals on kayaks with coolers roped to the front.
Where I stayed: Mia’s Lodge, which was actually still under construction at the time. Again, I can’t find information stating if this place is still operational, so here’s a link to other hostels in El Nido.
Island no. 3: Cebu
Cebu City
A quick flight from Puerto Princesa brings you to Cebu City, the second largest city in the Philippines. By this point I had been on the road non-stop for nearly three months so I was getting a little burned out. While I was glad to Though there are a few attractions within the city, like the oldest Catholic church in the Philippines, an impressive Heritage Monument and SM Mall Cebu, one of the biggest malls in Asia, I did very little exploring, but the city looks worth a visit.
Where I stayed: Tropical Hostel. There are other places in Cebu with much better reviews for a similar price now, so I recommend checking those out as well.
Kawasan Falls
The one place I really did want to see on Cebu was Kawasan Falls, just over two hours away. What would three weeks in the Philippines be without a little waterfall chasing? It’s easy to get a bus from the city to the entrance to the falls, as it’s quite a popular spots with tourists and locals alike. There is an entrance fee, but it’s not very much as far as I remember. After going through the gate, there’s a short walk along a beautiful clear river that ends at the lower falls. It’s pretty much always crowded and there’s a bar and picnic tables (that you have to pay to use). But if you’re there with others, it’s no problem to leave your stuff to one side while you go swimming.
Most people there were posing for photos on the large rafts (again, you have to pay to use them), with many wearing bright red lifejackets. Swim out to the beautiful falls and you’ll find a large undercut behind the waterfall that few people go out to, so it’s much quieter there. The vibrant blue colour of the water is seriously gorgeous, even if it feels very cold compared to the humid air.
I definitely recommend following the path up to the top falls, which although still busy, are a little less crazy. The path follows the narrow river as it meanders through the forest, with little bridges criss-crossing the cloudy turquoise water. At these upper falls you will see canyoneering groups in their red helmets finish their adventure tour by jumping the thirty five feet into the pool at the bottom of the falls. Anytime someone hesitates (which happens a lot) the crowd below gets involved, chanting encouragement and counting them down. It looked like so much fun and I wish I had given myself time to go on a tour.
Island no. 4: Bohol
Tagbilarang
The main city on Bohol really doesn’t have much to do. It’s a great hub for transport, and has restaurants and supermarkets, but there are much better places to spend your time. You will likely pass through the city multiple times, to and from the ferry terminal and bus station or from Panglao to the attractions on the main island.
Man-Made Forest
Mahogany trees, most people only stop because it’s an official tourist spot. Very pretty otherwise. I don’t know how this became a tourist attraction, because even though it’s very pretty, if you didn’t know it was an official tourist attraction, you might not even realise. It’s definitely worth pulling over for a photo though, as the mahogany trees look absolutely gorgeous. Beneath the uniformly green canopy, the temperature drops with a lovely cool breeze, a great way to temporarily escape the humid heat of the Philippines. The tree roots entwine together like an ancient forest from Lord of the Rings, and local films are often shot here.
Located 20km from Tagbilarang, the forest is conveniently on the way to your next destination. Mahogany trees, most people only stop because it’s an official tourist spot. Very pretty otherwise.
Chocolate Hills
One of the most popular attractions on Bohol, your three weeks in the Philippines wouldn’t be complete without visiting this strange natural phenomenon. No one knows for sure how the hills were formed. Hundreds of conical or dome-like mounds rise from the flat plains over most of the central part of the island.
The main viewing area is located in Carmen, and is usually packed with visitors and tour buses. I highly recommend timing your visit to late in the afternoon so that you can watch the sunset over the hills. We arrived in the afternoon to a viewpoint so full of people we had to wait in line to see the hills, and decided to stick around for a couple of hours to see if it quietened down. By the time the light started to fade, not only was the place almost empty, but the sky turning purple over the hills was really beautiful.
Bear in mind, the Chocolate Hills aren’t always brown. During the rainy season, the grassy slopes are a vibrant green like the forest around them. It’s only during the dry season, when the grasses dry out, that they turn into giant Hershey’s Kisses. Knowing this in advance might save you some disappointment!
Tarsier Sanctuary
There are two places on Bohol where you can easily find tarsiers, the tiny, alien-like primates whose huge eyes have captured visitors’ imaginations for decades. But these two sanctuaries couldn’t be more different, and I implore you to make sure you’re visiting the right one.
The Tarsier Foundation in Corella is a little more out of the way, but it’s the official tarsier sanctuary in Bohol, supported by conservationists. Here they do critical research into the declining species, and their staff make every effort to protect the little primates from over-eager visitors. The acre-big enclosure in which the tarsiers live doesn’t actually prevent them leaving, but it’s designed to keep predators out, so it’s a safe haven, not a cage. A narrow path winds through the enclosure, and staff wait with each of the tarsiers along the way to make sure these sensitive, nocturnal animals aren’t disturbed by noise or selfie sticks. They’re so tiny, they would be easily missed if not for the helpful staff!
It would be such a shame to come to the Philippines for a few weeks and not see this weird little creature. Where else would you get to see them?
The other “sanctuary” is unfortunately the more popular one, because it’s located in Loboc, an area with several nearby attractions that draws a lot more people than Corella. At the Tarsier Conservation Area, the tarsiers are handled by staff and placed in easily-photographed trees. Though it seems the Conservation Area has improved a lot over recent years, no longer allowing visitors to handle the tarsiers, reports still indicate that the staff there make no effort to prevent disturbances to the tarsiers, and the animals certainly don’t have the option to leave their enclosure if they wish.
Please make sure, as with any wildlife-related activity, to do your research beforehand to make sure you’re not contributing to harmful attractions or organisations. And bear in mind, an organised tour around Bohol may visit the Conservation Area in Loboc and not Corella, so check with the tour company before booking. It’s more fun to explore on your own, anyway!
To visit the Tarsier Foundation in Corella, you can hire a scooter for the short drive, or else hop on one of the minibuses that drive along that route and stop at the end of the road to the foundation centre.
Island no. 5: Panglao
A tiny island connected to the south of Bohol by a man-made bridge, this is one of the most beautiful places you’ll visit during your three weeks in the Philippines. Coming to the end of a three-month trip through southeast Asia, as soon as I arrived I decided to spend my whole last week in the country in Panglao and Bohol. Staying on Panglao is a really great option because it’s so easy to get to the main island, and here you have easy access to beautiful beaches and tropical vibes.
Where I stayed: Bohol Coco Farm, 6km outside town. A small organic farm, the dorms are cabins next to an open-air restaurant and common area with hammocks. Flagging down a tricycle or jeepney outside the farm is really easy, so getting to Bohol or the nearby town is a sinch.
Alona Beach
Alona Beach is the main strip on Panglao, with lots of dining and accommodation options. Eat dinner with your toes in the sand as live music floats on the ocean breeze, watch sunset on the beach with an icecream melting in your hand. Swim in the busy, but beautiful blue waters, or take a boat trip to one of several even tinier nearby islands. Walk along the golden sand; the further from the town you go, the more peaceful it gets. I saw locals wading in the shallows every evening looking for crustaceans to feed their families, children and dogs playing around them. A little bit of authenticity in an often tourist-centric world.
Bohol Bee Farm
This nature-inspired resort has a beautiful restaurant on a terrace overlooking the ocean, and offers very cheap tours of the small farm, complete with a visit to the resident bee hives. The honey collected here is sold onsite and used in many of the dishes in the restaurant, and is a lovely place to spend a morning or afternoon. Climb down the steps to the beach below to soak in the warm water (but beware of high tide, we almost lost our belongings!).
You can walk from Coco Farm to Bohol Bee Farm, but it’s fairly long, and definitely not walkable from Alona Beach (unless you love walking) so the easiest way to get here is by tricycle.
Practical information for your three weeks in the Philippines:
- The national language is Filipino/Pilipino, a standardised version of Tagalog, though there are over a hundred languages spoken throughout the archipelago. English is generally widely-used, especially in areas frequented by tourists, so getting by shouldn’t be a problem. But as usual, learning a few phrases in Filipino is always appreciated by locals!
- The currency is the Philippine Peso/piso, divided into 100 sentimos. As of March 2021, the conversion rate was €1 = 57 pesos, US$1 = 48 pesos, AU$1 = 37 pesos. ATMs are pretty easy to find, and credit card machines are becoming more popular in tourist areas, though you will always need cash for public transport and smaller businesses.
- Most countries do not require a visa for a stay in the Philippines of up to 30 days. If you want to stay for up to 60 days, there is a visa-on-arrival that can be obtained for a fee. Check this handy website for more information.
- If you want to move around the islands, you will most likely have to take some domestic flights to avoid long ferry journeys. The flights are generally inexpensive and short, with Manila and Cebu offering flights to every location.
Disclaimer: this post contains affiliate links. If you book accommodation or excursions through any of these links I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you, which will help to keep this blog going!
Interacting with wildlife responsibly:
Never, EVER feed wildlife.
Enticing wildlife with food not only puts yourself in danger, but can lead to wildlife learning to depend on humans to survive or becoming more aggressive – neither of which are a good thing. Human food can also be dangerous to animals, making them ill or malnourished.
Mind your food and dispose of scraps properly.
Feeding wildlife can occur accidentally too, if left unattended or not thrown away correctly. When camping, hiking, or just out in nature, store any snacks or food in proper containers, and don’t leave food lying around unwatched. Even if you think there are no animals around, there probably are. And never leave food next to a rubbish bin. If the bins are full or you can’t find one, take it with you. Don’t be lazy!
Keep your distance.
Wildlife is unpredictable. Unless you’re very familiar with animal behaviour, it can be hard to tell how wildlife is reacting to a situation. Just because an animal looks calm, doesn’t mean it is. Certain times of the year have added dangers, such as mating seasons. Animals can be even more aggressive or volatile during these times, so extra caution is necessary. There have been too many instances of tourists getting too close to wildlife and getting injured, which usually leads to negative consequences for the animal as well.
Don’t touch.
If you’re lucky enough that an animal approaches you of their own free will, please don’t try to pat them. They’re not pets, they don’t enjoy it and it can spook them into doing something aggressive. Your touch can also be dangerous to some animals, particularly marine wildlife who have very sensitive skin. Whale sharks, dolphins and sea turtles can be harmed by the chemicals often found on our skin from lotions, suncream and insect repellent.
Always be aware of your surroundings.
Many wildlife encounters become dangerous simply because the human wasn’t paying attention. When out in nature, always listen out for wildlife, don’t wear headphones, make noise and travel in groups if possible.
Stay calm.
Always important. If you’re surprised by wildlife, remain calm and don’t run. While the original intention of the animal is probably not to hunt, suddenly running or moving away may cause their chase instincts to kick in. Stay facing them and back away slowly.
If you want to learn more about ethical wildlife tourist attractions, I got you covered!
I hope this guide helps you plan an epic three weeks in the Philippines! Where are you most excited to go first?
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