Philippines Travel Guide
Blessed with an archipelago of 7,000 gorgeous islands, tropical waters and plenty of sunshine, the Philippines ought to be the ideal Southeast Asian destination were it not for its unceasing ability to ruin things with dictators, disunity and disorganisation. Muslim insurgency in the southern island of Mindanao and regular devastating typhoons are other impediments to an otherwise lovely country with sweet friendly people, most of whom speak English. The island of the Visayas are as near to tropical paradise as you get in these parts, but there’s plenty of culture, colonial history and good value for money in this under-visited country too.
Weather - when to go
The Philippines lie in the tropics, between 10 and 20 degrees north, enjoying hot but humid year-round weather. Generally, the rainy season runs from July to December and the dry season from January to June. December is the most popular and crowded month, but the weather is at its best in February and March, before it gets too hot. During the rainy season, you’ll still get sunny weather, but beware of horrific typhoons that sweep in each year at this time.
Highlights
Manila: for the shopping, nightlife, relative sophistication, good hotels, some grand old architecture and historic sites. The city itself, while sprawling, occupies a geographically interesting area of bays, inland water and volcanic peaks.
Boracay: for its beaches; this is the Philippines’ most popular seaside destination, crowded at times but lovely all the same.
North Luzon: with its popular tourist drawcards; the romantic hill town of Baguio and the frontier town of Bontoc. The Hundred Islands of the Lingayen Gulf are also picturesque.
Puerto Galera: a pretty coastline dotted with made-for-vacation beaches on Mindoro, with a virtually undeveloped island hinterland.
Visaya islands: is a collective name for the region of many islands between Luzon and Mindanao, offering a fantastic boater playground.
Panay and Negros: two small islands in the Visayas noted for their historic Spanish architecture and character.
Recommended Itinerary
The Philippines is very spread out and inaccessible unless you can afford to jet around. With just two weeks, you’ll have to pick your regions.
Three days in Manila for shopping, some sightseeing and nightlife.
Three to four days in North Luzon’s romantic Baguio and the frontier town of Bontoc.
Up to 10 days cruising the Visayas, lounging on the beaches of Boracay, soaking up the history in Panay and Negros or vacationing at Puerto Galera.
Additional time
Diving shipwrecks in Northern Palawan.
Surfing at Siargao Island.
Trekking in Bohol.
Health and safety
An ongoing Muslim insurgency in the south of the country does the Philippines’ tourism industry no favours, but generally the people are friendly and welcoming, and travelling on many of the islands is safe. Despite its reputation for corruption, the country has a fairly competent if under-developed tourism infrastructure and most people speak English. Watch out for pickpockets in Manila and busy tourist areas, get vaccinated against typhoid before you go and take malaria prophylactics for visits outside of urban areas.
What’s cool
Cruising the Visayas aboard a yacht, the beaches of Boracay, the peacefulness of the remoter islands like Palawan, diving the archipelago, Spanish colonial history on Panay and Negros and naughty nightlife in Manila.
What’s not
Muslim insurgency and terrorist trouble on Mindanao, congestion and pollution of Manila, corruption and mafia types, geographically inconvenient spread of islands, frequent typhoons and natural disasters.
Main festivals
With so many pious Catholics, it’s not surprising that the Philippines’ main festivals are religious in nature and play an import part in their spiritual beliefs.
January festivals
January: Ati-Atihan is one of the biggest and most celebrated festivals, held in Kalibo, Aklan. Natives and participating tourists cover their bodies in black and wear very colourful costumes for a parade to the beat of Hala bira!
February: Feast of Our Lady of Candles is perhaps the most lavish religious festival, held in the western Visayas region of the Philippines. A mass blessing of candles and a parade honour the Nuestra Senora de Candelaria.
April: Moriones Festival in the province of Marinduque sees locals dress up in colourful costumes and re-enact the story of Longinus as the streets of Boac are transformed into a giant stage.
October: Massa Kara sees Bacolod on Negros go wild with the ‘many faces festival’, in which a parade of elaborately decorated masks can be seen.
December: Feast of the Immaculate Conception takes place within the walled city of Intramuros in Manila. A Eucharistic celebration in honour of La Immaculada, it features a grand procession of 50 Marian statues.
Activities
Sailing: among the countless beautiful islands that make up the Visaya’s; perhaps the best way to appreciate the best of the archipelago.
Palawan escape: for those who are disgusted by the commercialisation of Boracay, you can get into nature on this remarkably clean and unspoilt island in the extreme southwest of the archipelago.
Diving: anywhere in the archipelago, not only are you treated to great reefs and clear tropical water (if they aren’t fishing with dynamite!) there are also countless WWII wrecks, especially off Palawan. Malupascua is particularly noted as a new hotspot.
Trekking: in the lovely hills of Bohol, off the island of Cebu.
Snorkelling: with whale sharks at Donsol off the south coast of Luzon
Surfing: the excellent surfing Siargao Island off Mindanao, with the swell of the entire Pacific behind it.
Food and hospitality
The Philippines is hardly noted for its cuisine however with Malay, European and American influences over the centuries, a wide variety of dishes have found their way onto local menus including Polynesian and Chinese. There is no big culture of eating out among locals, but tourist restaurants offer excellent value on international cuisine and fresh seafood is ever present. The hotel industry isn’t quite as booming here as in other popular parts of Southeast Asia, but tourists have been coming to the Philippines beauty spots for years and the infrastructure is pretty good, always offered with a smile and excellent English, at knock down rates.
Transportation
Manila is the only international air gateway to the Philippines, and geographically, the country isn’t too close to any other Southeast Asian capital. For short-time visitors, flying is the only practical way to get around to all the islands, but most routes are out of Manila with few inter-connections. The iconic jeepney is the Filipino answer to the Thai tuk-tuk, but acts more like a mini-van, relied on daily by throngs of commuters. There are also conventional air conditioned taxis to get you around. Bus networks on the islands are frequent if somewhat slow but come in various classes depending on how much time or money you have. Between the islands, a vast network of ferries of all sizes and speeds operate and are often the lifeblood of the country.