Philippines Travel Guide: Palawan, Siargao, and the 7,640 Islands Nobody Tells You About

The Philippines presents a logistical challenge that most Southeast Asian destinations do not: 7,640 islands spread across 300,000 square kilometres of ocean, connected by a domestic aviation network, an inter-island ferry system, and a road infrastructure that varies from modern expressway to unpaved jungle track depending on how far you are from Manila. Most international visitors see only two or three islands in a typical two-week trip, which is not a failure of ambition but a recognition that the country rewards depth over breadth. Palawan and Siargao, the two destinations that appear most frequently in contemporary travel media, are genuinely as good as advertised. But they represent perhaps 1% of what the archipelago contains. This guide covers the essential destinations with the practical detail needed to get to them without burning two days in transit for every day on the beach.

Palawan: The Long Island at the Edge of the Archipelago

Palawan is a narrow, elongated island running 450km from northeast to southwest, bordered by the Sulu Sea and the South China Sea, and containing some of the most biodiverse marine environments in the world. It has been named the best island in the world by multiple travel publications across multiple consecutive years. The superlatives are, for once, earned.

El Nido

El Nido sits at the northern tip of Palawan within the Bacuit Archipelago, a cluster of limestone karst islands that rise vertically from water of a colour that photographs routinely fail to reproduce accurately. The town of El Nido itself is small, slightly chaotic, and increasingly developed, but it is the departure point for the island-hopping tours that make the area worth the journey.

Four standardised tours operate from El Nido, each covering different islands and lagoons:

• Tour A: the Big Lagoon (a wide, calm, turquoise body of water surrounded by limestone cliffs), the Small Lagoon (accessed by kayak or swimming through a narrow opening in the rock), Shimizu Island, and Secret Lagoon. This is the definitive El Nido experience and the most popular. Cost: ₱1,200 per person (approximately $21), including guide, lunch, and basic snorkelling equipment. The entrance fee to the Big and Small Lagoons is an additional ₱200 per person (as of 2024).
• Tour B: Entalula Island, Pinagbuyutan Island, Cudugnon Cave, and Cathedral Cave. Less visited than Tour A and worth booking on a consecutive day.
• Tour C: Helicopter Island, Matinloc Shrine, Secret Beach, and Hidden Beach. The most varied in terms of landscape type.
• Tour D: Cadlao Lagoon and surrounding islands in the northern section of the archipelago. The least crowded of the four.

Book tours through accommodation providers or directly with operators on the main El Nido beach road. Bring reef-safe sunscreen (chemical sunscreens are banned in protected marine areas), a dry bag for electronics, and cash. ATM reliability in El Nido is inconsistent; withdraw sufficient pesos in Puerto Princesa before travelling north.

Getting to El Nido from Manila: fly to El Nido Airport (ENI) with Air Juan or Cebu Pacific Air (1.5–2 hours, ₱2,000–6,000 depending on season and booking timing), or fly to Puerto Princesa (PPS) and take a van transfer (5–6 hours, ₱600–800). The Puerto Princesa option is often cheaper but adds a full travel day.

Puerto Princesa Underground River

The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature (as voted in 2011 by the New7Wonders Foundation). The centrepiece is a navigable underground river that runs 8.2km beneath a limestone karst mountain, making it the world's longest navigable underground river. Tours enter by paddle boat for approximately 1.5km into the system, passing cathedral-like cave chambers with stalactites and stalagmites, colonies of swiftlets and bats, and rock formations accumulated over millions of years.

Permits are required and strictly limited in number; book weeks to two months ahead through the Puerto Princesa City Tourism Office or licensed tour operators, especially in peak season (December–May). The permit costs ₱150 (approximately $2.70); tours from Puerto Princesa city (90 minutes each way) add ₱1,200–1,800 including van transfer and boat entry. The park is located 80km north of Puerto Princesa city at Sabang.

Siargao: The Surf Island

Siargao is a teardrop-shaped island in the Surigao del Norte province, in the northeast of Mindanao. It entered international travel consciousness primarily through its surf break, but the island has developed a broader appeal that now encompasses island-hopping, lagoon exploration, and an increasingly serious food and café scene in the main town of General Luna.

Cloud 9 (officially Tuason Point) is the break that put Siargao on the map: a heavy, barrelling right-hander breaking over shallow reef that hosts the Siargao Cloud 9 Surfing Cup (an international competition). It is suitable for experienced and advanced surfers; the reef is shallow at low tide and the lip throws hard. Beginners should not paddle out at Cloud 9 during swell. The Jacking Horse break, a short tricycle ride from General Luna, is wider and more forgiving and the recommended learning spot. Surf lessons cost ₱500–800/hour with a local instructor; board hire is ₱300–500/day.

The island-hopping triangle from General Luna covers three small islands within an hour by motorised bangka (outrigger boat): Naked Island (a sandbar with no shade, dramatic in photographs), Daku Island (larger, with a small village and shade trees), and Guyam Island (small, palm-fringed, the most picturesque). The standard island-hopping tour costs ₱600–800 per person for a group or ₱3,000–4,000 for a private boat. Sohoton Cove, a tidal lagoon and cave system on the western side of the island, is a more recent addition to Siargao tour circuits and is worth the longer journey.

Getting to Siargao: fly from Manila, Cebu, or Davao to Sayak Airport (IAO) with Cebu Pacific or Philippine Airlines (₱1,000–4,000 depending on route and timing). Transfer from the airport to General Luna by tricycle (₱250–300 shared, 45 minutes) or van (₱500 private).

Boracay: Regulated, Cleaner, and Worth Reconsidering

Boracay has a complicated reputation. For decades it was the Philippines' most famous beach destination, White Beach's 4km of white sand consistently ranking among Asia's best. By 2017, uncontrolled development had left the beach backed by a wall of bars and resorts, the water periodically discoloured by inadequate sewage treatment, and the island's carrying capacity dramatically exceeded. In April 2018, President Duterte ordered the island closed entirely for rehabilitation, describing it as "a cesspool." It reopened in October 2018 after six months of infrastructure work.

The post-2018 Boracay is genuinely different: a day tourist cap is in place, camping and alcohol on the beach are banned, informal bars and vendors have been removed from the beachfront, and the sewage system has been substantially rebuilt. White Beach is cleaner than it has been in decades. The atmosphere is more controlled and, for some visitors, less fun; for others, the absence of the informal chaos is an improvement. A ₱75 (approximately $1.30) environmental fee applies to all visitors.

Bohol: Chocolate Hills and Tarsiers

Bohol, a compact island province in the Visayas, is best known for the Chocolate Hills: a geological formation of 1,776 near-identical cone-shaped limestone hills, each 30–120m high, spread across 50 square kilometres of the Carmen municipality. During the dry season (November–May), the grass covering the hills dries to a brown colour that gives them their name. The standard viewing point is the observation deck at the Hills in Carmen; entry costs ₱50 (approximately $0.90).

The Philippine tarsier (Carlito syrichta), one of the world's smallest primates at 85–160mm body length, is endemic to the southern Philippines and found in Bohol in small numbers. The Philippine Tarsier Sanctuary in Corella (run by the Philippine Tarsier Foundation) allows close-proximity viewing of tarsiers in a semi-wild setting and is the most responsible venue for seeing them. Tarsiers are nocturnal and extraordinarily stress-sensitive; avoid venues where handlers touch or disturb the animals.

Practical Philippines: Transport, Visas, and Timing

The Philippines' domestic flight network is the most important transport infrastructure in the country. Cebu Pacific and Philippine Airlines connect more than 30 airports, with fares starting from ₱500 on short routes booked well ahead. Cebu, the country's second city and main airline hub, is the gateway to the Visayas region (Bohol, Leyte, Samar) and is itself a worthwhile base. Philippine Airlines' subsidiary PAL Express connects smaller provincial airports.

Inter-island ferries operated by 2GO Travel, SuperCat, and OceanJet connect major island pairs with travel times ranging from 1.5 hours (Cebu to Bohol by FastCat, ₱600) to 20+ hours (Manila to Palawan by cargo ferry, ₱1,200–2,000). For routes where a ferry and flight are similarly priced, the flight saves a full day of travel.

Grab (the regional equivalent of Uber) operates in Manila, Cebu, and Davao. In smaller towns, tricycles (motorcycle sidecars) and jeepneys (repurposed WWII-era jeeps running fixed routes) are the primary transport. Negotiate tricycle fares before boarding; ₱20–50 for short rides within town is standard, ₱100–300 for longer transfers.

Visa: citizens of most Western countries, including the UK, US, EU member states, Canada, and Australia, receive 30 days on arrival, extendable to 59 days at a Bureau of Immigration office (₱3,030 extension fee). Further extensions to 6 months are possible but require additional visits and fees.

Best time to visit: November to May covers the dry season for most of the Visayas and Palawan. June to October is the typhoon season, most active in the north and central Philippines. Siargao, on the Pacific-facing east coast, can receive typhoon impacts September to November; the surf is often best during this period. The southern Philippines (Mindanao, parts of Palawan) is less affected by seasonal typhoons than the central and northern islands.

Philippines Budget Reference

• Budget accommodation: ₱600–1,200/night for a fan room in El Nido or General Luna
• Mid-range: ₱2,000–4,500/night for an air-conditioned resort room
• Food: Local restaurants (carinderia) ₱80–150 per meal; tourist restaurants ₱300–600; seafood grilled at the market ₱400–800 for a full meal
• Island-hopping tours: ₱800–1,500/person depending on island and tour length
• Overall daily budget: ₱1,500–2,500 ($27–45) for a backpacker; ₱3,500–6,000 ($63–108) for mid-range comfort

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