Every traveler heading to the Philippines faces a difficult decision. The country made up of more than 7 000 islands attracts by its exotic diversity, beautiful nature, turquoise sea and great people. But which island to visit when there are so many of them? We decided to visit 4 islands – Palawan, Bohol, Panglao and Luzon – because each of them offers something a little different and you should definitely not miss it when traveling to the Philippines. In addition, here you will find recommended hotels and hostels, where we slept in the Philippines.
1 . Taal Volcano – a unique volcanic area
A trip to the Taal Volcano is a must stop for any visitor who plans to visit the island of Luzon. Most flights to the Philippines are heading to the capital of Manila, which is located on this island. This natural scenery is unique because there are actually two volcanoes in one. In the middle of the caldera of a giant prehistoric volcano, there is a lake from which another volcano towers and in whose crater there is another lake. It sounds somewhat bizarre, but that’s why you have to see it with your own eyes. The volcano is best reached by bus that departs directly from Manila and it takes approximately 2.5 hours to get there. Or you can book a tour with an agency from Manila.
Recommended hotels and hostels in Manile:
- The Suez Serviced Studios Makati – Booking.com | HotelsCombined.com
- Remington Hotel – Booking.com | HotelsCombined.com
View of the lake in the middle of the volcanic caldera of the volcano Taal
At the first lake in a large crater, a boat trip to the second volcano awaits you. This volcano towers in the middle of the lake. Ascent to the top is somewhat steep and we were surprised how many people live in their huts. Although this volcano is still the second most active in the Philippines, it has become home to many natives. They do not seem to be aware of the danger even though in 2011 the hot magma has begun to penetrate the surface. But when you finally hardly get to the very top, it’s a fascinating view ahead of you. For a small fee, you can even go to places where hot steam rises directly from the rock. Local people will offer you golf clubs and for a small fee you can hit off a couple of balls right up to the middle of the lake.
Eve on the edge of the lake inside the volcano crater
2. The Bacuit archipelago – blue lagoon between the rocks
Who was in Palawan and didn’t visit El Nido is the same as if he wasn’t in the Philippines at all. Although it is a very popular tourist area, this place is still very attractive and interesting. The beautiful beaches overlooking the surrounding rock formations are luring the baths. But best of all is the island hopping to the Bacuit archipelago. These islands of various shapes form beautiful lagoons, among which there are hidden sandy beaches.
El Nido isnt only interesting places to visit on Palawan, keep reading or visit this post about all places in Palawan.
Recommended hotels and hostels in El Nido:
- Amakan – Bed | Bunk | Breakfast – Booking.com | HotelsCombined.com
- El Gordo’s Adventures and Guesthouse – Booking.com | HotelsCombined.com
Beach tucked between rocks
There are so many islands that even more excursions are on offer according to your own preference. The price includes a luxury lunch on the beach on one of the islands. Surely don’t hesitate to take snorkel with you because the cliffs offer a unique undersea spectacle. I have to say that we have dived in many places on earth, but this still remains the most beautiful for us.
Turquoise sea invites for swimming
3. Exotic cuisine – duck eggs or tree worms
If you like trying extreme cuisine, the Philippines is the right place. Local cuisine offers lots of selected specialties that we aren’t accustomed to in our Western culture. One such delicacy is called Balut, and it’s a real unmistakable dish. We have discovered Balut with the help of local people because it is sold in closed refrigeration boxes, so at first sight it isn’t visible. Balut is an 8-week-old egg, where a duck embryo has already been formed and is boiled. Local people eat it so that they gradually peel these eggs and eat it with the salt. If you decide to taste it, don’t peel the whole eggs to see how the duckling looks inside. Otherwise, you reduce your chances of being able to eat this local delicacy.
Balut – the duck egg with embryo
Another extreme delicacy is tamilok. When eating tamilok I had the advantage of not even knowing what is this food. The slimy transparent substance tasted like a sea clam, so I lived in the belief that I enjoyed some excellent sea creature. In fact, tamilok is a tree worm that thrives in mangrove wood. Local people catch him and eat it raw. Bon appetite!
Tamilok – the raw worm
4. Chocolate hills – tears of the giant in love
Chocolate Hills are spread differently in groups on the island of Bohol. They are covered with tufts of grass that are beautifully green during the rainy season. Until the time of drought comes and the grass dries and browns, which is roughly from February to May. Then they look really like chocolate truffles. However, it is a magic spectacle in every season. Scientists cannot agree what has caused their interesting shape, however there are a few theories. According to experts, round hills have been shaped by the wet ocean climate along with the limestone from which the peaks are formed.
Chocolate hills
But local legends are somewhat more romantic. It is said that the giant Aroga passionately fell in love with an ordinary woman named Aloy. But she didn’t return his love, so the giant had kidnapped her. Aloya was unhappy and had withered and at the end, she had died. Aloya’s death caused Arogo much pain and misery, and in his sorrow, he couldn’t stop crying. When his tears dried, the Chocolate Hills were formed. The ideal is to combine a visit to the hills by scooter which you can rent at every corner at minimal cost.
On the way to Chocolate hills, you can admire the work of local people in the fields
5. Philippine tarsier – the smallest primate
This little animal with huge eyes is among the smallest higher primates. It is a Philippine endemic species that lives mainly on the islands of Bohol, Samar, Leyte and Mindanao. Tarsier is a nocturnal animal, so his sight is very well adapted for night vision. During the day he is hiding in the cavities of the trees, where he rests and sleeps. He is also a great hunter because he feeds on small insects, spiders, crustaceans and small rodents. Tarsier occurs in the branches of the trees, so to catch the prey, he jumps from one tree to another one. Sometimes he has to overcome several meters distance. In order to attach well to the tree trunk, he has very long thin fingers and also the tail.
The Philippine tarsier is suffering from life in captivity. They are very shy animals that die quickly because of stress. It is therefore very important to carefully select the reservation where the tarsiers occur. During the visit, try to be really quiet so you don’t stress the animal unnecessarily. This small creature has recently been designated by nature conservationists as an almost endangered species.
Philippine narthex – the smallest primate in the world
6. Sabang river – The underground river
The Sabang River, with its 8.2 km is the longest underground river in the world and is has been added to UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was even listed in 2011 as one of the new 7 natural wonders of the world. Visiting this natural sights can’t be more tempting. As a result, tourists from all over the world are coming there. This causes instead of a romantic boat ride on the river rather massive affair. Anyway, we have decided to visit this place. Because of the great interest, authorities have even introduced daily quotas that limit the number of visitors to the cave. So, it is necessary to arrange a tour sufficiently in advance through a travel agency. The river flows through the caves in the national park – Puerto Princesa Subterranean River Park on Palawan.
The cave can be reached by water taxi, which is a pleasant boat ride right up to the rock cliffs. The river flows right under the huge rocks and you will have the unique opportunity to board the boat and let yourself to drive up a few kilometers to the inside of the cave. The guide with his poor English is trying to compare the individual stalagmites to known animals. There are bats flying above your head, and besides the light of flashlight, there is completely dark in a cave. Those who already have had a few visits to stalactite caves will be very familiar with this tour.
Recommended hotels and hostels in Puerto Princesa:
- Fersal Hotel – Booking.com | HotelsCombined.com
Access to the underground river Sabang
7. Diving & snorkeling – coral reefs
The Philippines is one of the best diving destinations ever. The islands are thriving with life both on land and in the seas. I have to say that diving in the Philippines was one of the most beautiful experiences. And if you have never scuba dive, then believe me there is the right time to start. Almost at every beach on Philippines, you will find a scuba dive center where you can rent diving equipment at very reasonable prices. The instructor will take you where you will explore the seabed. Beautiful coral reefs full of fish and floating turtles will enchant you. We combined diving with excursions to the islands of Virgin Island and Balikasag from Alona Beach on Panglao Island. If you are a little more challenging, you can try scuba diving or snorkeling with whale sharks in Oslob. For those who love wreck diving, there is an ideal bay near Coron or Subic Bay.
Recommended hotels and hostels on Panglao island:
- Moon Fools Hostel – Booking.com | HotelsCombined.com
- Imagine-Bohol – Booking.com | HotelsCombined.com
Underwater life in the Philippines is very diverse
Unfortunately, the diving was spoiled by the coming typhoon, but in the end, I was glad for it. Local people feed the sharks to attract them closer to the shore and therefore wild animals are so unnecessarily accustomed to humans.
Virgin Island – beautiful beach
Itinerary of our journey on Philippines
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OOOh I love almost everything in this post!! Makes me want to go! Not sure about the food though! Pinned for future reference and if you think I really shouldn’t miss the food, then maybe I might be brave enough to try it! Thanks for linking up with #TheWeeklyPostcard!
Yeah, I know what do you mean :)) It’s really extreme food for us. Anyway, Tamilok is pretty tasty and Balut… So it isn’t my favorite food, but my friend (European tourist) ate 7 of them in the row!
Looks beautiful!! #Weeklypostcard
Yeahh, it is very beautiful 🙂
Not really thought about going to Philippines much – until now! The underground river looks amazing! #theweeklypostcard
We are really happy to show other people what this country offer – it can help them decide to travel there ! 🙂 that is great 🙂
The water just looks amazing! I am not sure about the duck eggs and tree worms though. But seriously the Philippines has been on my list for awhile and you just reinforced my thinking. Thanks for sharing on #TheWeeklyPostcard.
We are happy to inspire other travellers o visit this amazing country 🙂 Thank you for this comment
What an incredible trip! How long it lasted? I feel like doing all the activities in here (except the exotic eating, I will leave that to my husband). I have heard about the Taal Volcano and how unique it is. Will like to go there for sure. #TheWeeklyPostcard
We have spent in Philipines one month, but the whole week we did nothing because of the typhoon. It is good to watch the forecast, because this is coming regular. 😛 Yaeh.. I know this food is very challenging 🙂 wish the courage to your husband.
I can’t believe how beautiful the Philippines are! Definitely on my travel bucket list. You are so brave trying balut! I’m familiar with the dish after seeing it eaten on television, but don’t think I could eat it. And that narthex?!! So cute! #TheWeeklyPostcard
Hi, thank you for this post 🙂 Yeah I understang this exotic food can be to much for somebody but it is a bit diffucult to find it there, because it is really food for locals. But it was really great experience ! 🙂
I had no idea that the Philippines consist of 7000+ islands, wow! I’ve always wanted to go, and can see how difficult it will be to select only a few of the islands, so now I’ve pinned your post for future reference 🙂 PS: Your photo of the Philippine tarsier is gorgeous … what an adorable creature!
Hi, thank you for the post, we are so happy that someone decided to visit this amazing place after reading this post. And it is how you are saying, very difficult to chose the islands, where to go. Everywhere is something amazing, so you need to visit this country manytimes. 😀
I went to Philippines last year as part of a travel bloggers conference and media trip, so I had the chance to explore the northern part of Luzon – Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur. Unfortunately, we could not explore the region as planned – our trip was cut short by 2 days due to Typhoon Lawin that was going to hit landfall in Ilocos. I experienced the massive heavy rains in Vigan and saw the rising waters on the way back to Manila. It was an incredible experience 🙂 But I would love to return to Philippines and to see the wonders of Taal Lake and other islands 🙂 #TheWeeklyPostcard
Yeah , I can understand how was the feeing about the typhoon. When we were on Palawan, the tropical strom came and when we moved to Bohol, we had to stay 1 week in our acommodation because of the typhoon. I feel really I compassionate with the locals, because this coming very often. But one day I would love to come back to see other islands. So next time 🙂
Aside from the food (that I’m sure I would not enjoy), Philippines looks like a great place to visit. It looks picture perfect and very relaxing. #TheWeeklyPostcard
The Phillipines ar very beautiful country with really nice people and I understang the food is really challenge 🙂
I’ve been to the Philippines a couple of times and but am only just hearing about most of these for the first time! Thanks for this really informative post.
As a diver and lover of marine life, though, I have to say that I can’t support snorkelling or diving with whale sharks in Oslob, because they feed them. There’s quite a bit of online literature on this already, but in short: (1) they lack a varied and healthy diet due to the feeding; (2) it’s interfering with their migration patterns which could ultimately affect reproduction; and (3) they get injuries from coming too close to motors and oars on the boats. See for example http://dive-bohol.com/conservation/5-reasons-not-go-oslob/ and https://www.dontforgettomove.com/swim-with-whale-sharks-in-cebu-oslob/
In the interests of full disclosure, I’ve gone on shark dives where they feed bull (and other) sharks in Fiji, but those are (imo) different in a few key respects. Namely, research and testing on samples from those sharks show that the feedings only constitute about 30% of their diet, they aren’t migratory, and unlike Oslob, you most definitely aren’t allowed to touch them. I definitely need to revisit my blog posts about those dives though, in the light of what I’ve learned about Oslob!
Hi Michelle, thank you for your post we are really happy you wrote this, because ti is very important to inform people about situation. To be honest, we were thinking to do the swimming with sharks, but when the typhoon came, it was not possible to do it. I didn´t know the locals are feeding them and of course this is something which we shoudn´t support, because it has really bad influence on the enviroment around. And I am pretty sad I am hearing this. I hope before the other people decide to go to dive wih sharks, they would search on the internet and they decide not to go. It is really sad and now I am happy we didn´t go. 🙂
Hi Eva, glad to hear that you didn’t end up doing it. I think many people do it just out of ignorance, but hopefully with higher public awareness we’ll see some changes in this industry. I’ve known about them feeding whale sharks in Oslob for years, but only just learned about the negative impact! It’s still possible to swim with truly wild whale sharks in other places, so hopefully you get to do it one day 🙂
These are some incredible Philippines tips! I’ve had the egg, and I think I’ll pass on the tree worms! The beach tucked between the rocks looks amazing! Thanks for linking up this week #wkendtravelinspiration!
Hi Jim, I am glad someone have tried to eat this egg as well !! It i big challenge. In Asia there is so much foog to try for us, Western people, that it is not possile to try everything.
So much here – and in the Philippines in general – that we want to see and do. Chief among them is finding ourselves a spot like you pictured, an isolated beach between the rocks. Of course, then we’d never want to leave! Thanks for sharing on #TheWeeklyPostcard.
Hi Rob and Ann, the Philippines is the favourite country from the all SE Asia countries. I hope we will come back one day.
Hi, thank you so much for this article. You helped me finish my project!