Things to Do in the Philippines

The Philippines rewards a narrow focus. With more than 7,000 islands and slow travel between them, nobody sees it all in one trip, so the sensible approach is to pick the two or three experiences you most want and build the route around them. Island-hopping by boat, diving, and surfing are the headline activities, but the country also has 2,000-year-old rice terraces, the oldest Chinatown in the world, Spanish colonial towns, active volcanoes within a day of Manila, and a fiesta calendar that hands whole cities over to street dancing.

Timing matters more here than in most of the region. Dive windows, surf swells, whale-shark seasons, and the festival calendar all change what is worth doing when, so each section below flags its season and the last one gathers them into a table.

Island-Hopping and the Lettered Boat Tours

In El Nido and Coron, island-hopping is sold as standardised day tours identified by letter, run on outrigger boats called bangkas.

• El Nido Tour A. The lagoons: Big Lagoon, Secret Lagoon, Shimizu Island, and Seven Commandos Beach. The most popular, with the calmest water. Big Lagoon has its own small entrance fee and an optional kayak rental.
• El Nido Tour C. The dramatic one: Hidden Beach, Secret Beach, Matinloc Shrine, Star Beach, and Helicopter Island, among tall limestone cliffs. Rougher water and a longer boat ride.
• El Nido Tours B and D. Quieter and cheaper, built around caves, sandbars, and closer beaches. Tour D now carries Small Lagoon, since one boat can no longer visit both lagoons in a day.
• Coron. A single loop rather than lettered tours, taking in Kayangan Lake, Barracuda Lake, Twin Lagoon, and the reef at Siete Pecados. Add a separate wreck-diving or wreck-snorkelling trip for the WWII fleet sunk offshore in 1944.
• Multi-day expeditions. Boats run three to four day trips between Coron and El Nido, camping or in basic huts on uninhabited islands, for people who want the sea rather than a town base.

A tour day follows a set shape: boats leave around mid-morning, hit four or five stops with a beach barbecue lunch in the middle, and are back by late afternoon. Bring a dry bag, reef shoes for the rocky landings, and enough cash for the fees, which are collected separately at the pier or on the beach.

Joiner tours, where you share a boat with strangers, run from around PHP 1,200 to 1,400 (~USD 21 to 24) per person including lunch. A private boat is from around PHP 9,600 (~USD 165). On top of that, El Nido charges a one-time Eco-Tourism Development Fee of around PHP 400 (~USD 7), valid ten days, and some lagoons and beaches add a small local entrance fee. All of it is cash. Similar day tours run out of Hundred Islands near Alaminos, off Bohol to Balicasag and Virgin Island, from Port Barton further down the Palawan coast, and around Camiguin and Siargao.

Diving and Snorkelling

The Philippines sits inside the Coral Triangle and the diving is a genuine reason to come. The main sites, roughly north to south:

• Anilao (Batangas). Two to three hours from Manila, the country’s macro-photography capital: nudibranchs, frogfish, blue-ringed octopus. An easy weekend trip.
• Puerto Galera (Mindoro). A reef-diving base reached by ferry from Batangas, with strong currents and good coral around Verde Island.
• Coron (Palawan). A dozen Japanese naval ships sunk in 1944, most lying between 10 and 40 metres, and a few shallow enough to snorkel.
• Malapascua (Cebu). The dependable place in the world to see thresher sharks, on dawn dives at Monad Shoal, year-round.
• Moalboal (Cebu). A wall of millions of sardines that shifts along the shore, snorkellable straight off the beach, plus turtles at Pescador Island.
• Apo Island and Dauin (Negros). Turtles on nearly every dive at Apo, black-sand muck diving at Dauin, both out of Dumaguete.
• Apo Reef (Mindoro). A large atoll-type reef in the Mindoro Strait, one of the biggest contiguous reefs in the region, dived on day trips from Sablayan or on short liveaboards.
• Tubbataha Reef (Sulu Sea). The country’s premier dive, a UNESCO marine park reachable only by liveaboard from Puerto Princesa, and only from mid-March to mid-June when the sea is calm enough to cross. Trips run five to seven nights and book out a year ahead.

Certification is inexpensive by global standards. An Open Water course runs from around USD 350 to 450, and a two-tank fun dive from around USD 60. Liveaboards also run the Visayas and the Coron wrecks outside the Tubbataha window. Non-divers can snorkel almost everywhere, with Moalboal, Apo Island, and the Coron lakes the standouts.

Beaches and Surfing

Beyond Boracay’s White Beach and the El Nido and Siargao circuits, the beaches worth the effort include:

• Nacpan Beach near El Nido, a four-kilometre curve of golden sand a bumpy ride from town.
• Kalanggaman Island off Leyte, a sandbar tapering off both ends of a tiny palm island, visited as a day trip from Malapascua or Cebu.
• Bantayan Island off northern Cebu, flat, quiet, and known for white sand and a slow pace.
• White Island, Camiguin, an uninhabited sandbar with the volcano rising behind it.
• Malcapuya and Banana Islands near Coron, the postcard beaches of a Coron day tour.

Surfing has two seasons and two coasts. On the Pacific side, Siargao’s Cloud 9 is at its best from August to November, when the international contest runs, though the beginner breaks nearby work year-round. Baler and La Union, both reachable from Manila, are learner-friendly and best from October to March. Catanduanes has a heavier, less crowded wave. For kitesurfing, Boracay’s Bulabog beach fires up in the Amihan wind season, roughly November to March.

Volcanoes, Mountains and Rice Terraces

The interior of Luzon is mountain country, and the most rewarding of it sits within a day’s travel of Manila.

• Taal (Batangas). A volcano in a lake on an island in a lake, an hour or two south of Manila past the Tagaytay ridge viewpoints. It is active, so how close you can get changes with the alert level. Check before setting out.
• Mount Pinatubo (Zambales). The 1991 eruption left a crater lake, reached by a bouncing 4×4 ride and a one to two hour walk, done as a long day trip from Manila or Clark.
• Mayon (Albay). The near-perfect cone that looms over Legazpi. Climbing is often restricted, but the Cagsawa Ruins, a bell tower left standing after the 1814 eruption, give the classic view.
• The Cordillera rice terraces. Carved into the mountains around Banaue over 2,000 years and listed by UNESCO. The Batad amphitheatre is the most spectacular cluster, reached on foot with a local guide and usually done as an overnight, with an onward walk to Tappiya Falls.
• Sagada (Mountain Province). Coffins hung on the cliffs of Echo Valley, the Sumaguing and Lumiang cave connection, and dawn cloud views from Kiltepan. Cool, pine-forested, and a full day’s drive north of Manila.
• Mount Pulag (Benguet). Luzon’s third-highest peak, climbed overnight for a sea-of-clouds sunrise on the accessible Ambangeg trail.
• Masungi Georeserve (Rizal). A conservation project ninety minutes from Manila with a roped trail over limestone formations. Numbers are capped, so book well ahead.
• Camiguin. A small volcanic island off northern Mindanao, ringed by hot and cold springs, with the Katibawasan waterfall and a stiff climb up Hibok-Hibok for the fit.

Waterfalls, Rivers and the Underground River

Fresh water is half the appeal here, and some of it comes with a boat, a rope, or a cave attached.

• Kawasan Falls (Cebu). Turquoise pools below Badian, usually reached by canyoneering: a few hours of scrambling, swimming, and jumping down the gorge from Alegria, ending at the falls.
• Puerto Princesa Underground River (Palawan). A UNESCO site and one of the New7Wonders of Nature, an eight-kilometre navigable cave river entered by paddle boat. It needs a permit, arranged through a tour or the city office, and is a day trip from Puerto Princesa via the town of Sabang.
• Loboc and Bojo Rivers. The Loboc in Bohol runs lunch-buffet cruises on floating restaurants; the Bojo in Cebu is a quiet, community-run paddle through a mangrove estuary.
• Firefly watching. After dark on the Abatan River in Bohol and at Iwahig near Puerto Princesa, boats drift past mangroves lit with fireflies.
• Hinatuan Enchanted River (Surigao del Sur). A startlingly blue spring-fed river in Mindanao, busiest around the midday fish feeding.

Manila and Its Day Trips

Manila earns a day or two before you fly on.

• Intramuros. The walled Spanish city: Fort Santiago, San Agustin Church, the country’s oldest stone church and a UNESCO site, Manila Cathedral, and the Casa Manila museum house. Bamboo-bike and horse-drawn kalesa tours cover it well.
• Binondo. Founded in 1594 and the oldest Chinatown anywhere. Come hungry and walk between the old bakeries, dumpling houses, and hole-in-the-wall Hokkien restaurants, ideally on a food tour.
• The National Museum complex. Fine Arts, Anthropology, and Natural History in three grand buildings near Rizal Park, with free admission. The privately run Ayala Museum in Makati is the other strong collection.
• Escolta. Manila’s pre-war main street, a run of faded art deco buildings now filling with cafes, design studios, and a Saturday market.
• Corregidor Island. The fortified island at the mouth of Manila Bay, heavy with Second World War history, visited on a ferry-and-tram day tour.
• A second day trip. Tagaytay and Taal, Pinatubo, or Masungi, all within two to three hours of the city.

Spanish Colonial Heritage: Vigan and the Baroque Churches

Three centuries of Spanish rule left a built heritage that most beach-focused itineraries skip.

• Vigan (Ilocos Sur). A UNESCO-listed colonial town whose Calle Crisologo is a cobbled street of preserved mestizo houses, best at night once the kalesa traffic thins. Try the local empanada and longganisa.
• The Baroque Churches of the Philippines. Four earthquake-braced Spanish churches share one UNESCO listing: San Agustin in Manila, Paoay in Ilocos Norte with its enormous stone buttresses, Santa Maria in Ilocos Sur, and Miagao in Iloilo.
• Silay (Negros Occidental). A town of sugar-baron mansions from the early 1900s, several open as museums, nicknamed the Paris of Negros.
• Taal town (Batangas). Not the volcano but the heritage town of the same name, with a vast basilica and streets of ancestral houses, an easy add-on south of Manila.
• Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar (Bataan). A resort-museum where dozens of rescued Spanish-era houses from across the country have been reassembled on one riverbank, visited on a day trip or an overnight from Manila.

Filipino Food Experiences

Filipino food travels badly and is best understood at the source, ideally standing at a market stall or a plastic table.

• A Binondo food crawl. The best single food experience in the country: hopia and tikoy from century-old bakeries, fresh lumpia, kiam pong rice, and dumplings, eaten standing up across a few blocks of Manila’s Chinatown.
• Pampanga. The acknowledged culinary heartland, an hour or two north of Manila. Sisig was invented here, and Kapampangan cooking classes and long degustation lunches are the reason to make the trip.
• Cebu lechon. The island’s spit-roasted pork is seasoned heavily enough to eat with no sauce. Every Cebuano has a preferred source; join the argument.
• A kamayan feast. Rice, grilled seafood, pork, and vegetables spread over banana leaves and eaten with your hands, no cutlery. Sometimes called a boodle fight. Restaurants across the country do set versions.
• Weekend markets in Makati. The Salcedo Saturday Market and Legazpi Sunday Market are compact gourmet markets where Manila comes to graze on regional specialities.
• Mangoes in season. The mangoes from Guimaras, off Iloilo, are shipped nationwide and celebrated with a festival in April and May.

Markets and Shopping

Two very different retail worlds sit side by side here.

• Public markets. Carbon Market in Cebu is the oldest and largest; Divisoria and Quiapo in Manila are dense bargain warrens for fabric, produce, and household goods. Go early, watch your bag, and haggle.
• Pearls. The Philippines farms South Sea pearls. The tiangge stalls at Greenhills in Manila are where to buy loose pearls and strands, with hard bargaining expected and plenty of imitation mixed in.
• Handicrafts. Ifugao woodcarving, Kalibo’s pina and abaca cloth, capiz-shell homeware, woven banig mats, and Bohol basketry. Kultura, a chain inside the big malls, gathers a curated selection under one roof.
• The mega-malls. SM Mall of Asia in Manila is among the largest shopping centres in the world, and Ayala’s Greenbelt is the upmarket alternative. Air-conditioned refuge as much as retail.
• To take home. Dried mangoes, barako coffee, calamansi and ube products, and danggit dried fish.

The Philippines has no floating markets. That is a mainland Southeast Asian tradition, not a Filipino one.

Nightlife and After Dark

Nightlife is concentrated in a few pockets, and it looks very different in the cities than on the islands.

• Manila. Poblacion in Makati is the dense bar district, a grid of speakeasies, rooftops, and craft-beer spots in a few square blocks. Bonifacio Global City is the glossier, higher-rise alternative.
• Cebu. The IT Park and Mango Avenue areas hold most of the city’s bars and clubs.
• Boracay. Beachfront bars along Station 2 with fire dancers after dark, and a couple of larger clubs. Quieter than before the 2018 closure, by design.
• Siargao. The liveliest island for nightlife: beach bars around General Luna, Sunday sessions at the surf resorts, and bonfires on the sand.
• El Nido. A short, low-key strip of bars near the beach, geared to a drink after an island tour rather than a late night.

Videoke, the local karaoke, is everywhere, and a sunset booze cruise is a fixture in Boracay, El Nido, and Coron.

Festivals, Wellness and Local Culture

The fiesta is the clearest window into Filipino culture, and it is worth timing a trip around one.

• January is festival month. Sinulog in Cebu, Ati-Atihan in Kalibo, and Dinagyang in Iloilo all fall in the third and fourth weeks, with days of costumed street dancing to drums. Hotels in those cities book out months ahead.
• Later in the year. Panagbenga, the Baguio flower festival, in February; Moriones in Marinduque during Holy Week; Pahiyas in Lucban in May, when houses are hung with coloured rice wafers; Kadayawan in Davao in August; and MassKara in Bacolod in October, all masks and bright colour.
• The town fiesta. Every town and barangay has its own patron-saint fiesta on a fixed date, with a Mass, a procession, food, and often a fair. Ask locally what is on while you are there; being waved into a stranger’s fiesta lunch is a common experience.

Beyond the festivals, a few ways to get closer to daily life:

• Hilot. Traditional Filipino massage using warmed banana leaves and coconut oil, offered at island spas and, in its folk-healing form, on Siquijor.
• Freediving and yoga. Siargao and Panglao have become freediving centres with beginner courses, and yoga retreats cluster on Siargao and around El Nido.
• Arnis. The Filipino stick-fighting art, also called Eskrima or Kali, is the national martial art. Short introductory classes are easy to find in Cebu, its heartland, and in Manila.
• Basketball. The national obsession. There is a court in every barangay, and a pickup game is one of the simplest ways to meet people.

When to Do What: Activity Seasons

A quick reference. The dry season, roughly November to April, is the safe default for anything on or in the water.

Whale sharks are also fed daily at Oslob in Cebu, which guarantees a sighting year-round but has drawn criticism from marine biologists for its effect on the animals’ behaviour. Donsol, Honda Bay, and Southern Leyte’s Sogod Bay run encounters with wild, unfed sharks in season.