Two weeks is the length of trip we plan most often for travellers coming from Europe, and it is the minimum we recommend for a first visit. It is enough time to see three very different islands without spending half your holiday in airports. Any more islands than that, and you will remember the transfers better than the beaches.
Here is the route we suggest most often, day by day, with the reasoning behind it.
Days 1 and 2: Manila, then straight to Coron
Most long-haul flights from Europe land in Manila in the morning or late at night. We do not try to connect onwards the same day. A delayed international flight is common, and a missed domestic connection can cost you a full day. Spend your first night near the airport or in Makati, sleep off the journey, and fly to Busuanga (the airport for Coron) on day 2.
If you land early and feel good, a few hours in Intramuros is the gentlest introduction to the country.
Days 2 to 5: Coron
Three nights in Coron gives you two full days on the water. One day for the classic sites, Kayangan Lake, Twin Lagoon and Barracuda Lake, ideally on a private boat that leaves before the shared tours. One day for something wilder: the Skeleton Wreck and a reef for snorkellers, or two wreck dives if you are certified.
Keep the evenings simple. Coron town is not the reason you came.
Days 5 to 9: El Nido
In the dry season, the fast ferry from Coron to El Nido takes around four hours and is one of the most beautiful journeys in the country. In the wet season, or when the sea is rough, you fly back through Manila instead.
Four nights in El Nido is the right amount. It means you can wait out a windy day without missing anything. Take a private boat for the lagoons and leave early, spend one day at Nacpan Beach, and keep one day completely free. Stay outside town if you can: a quieter beach or an island makes a huge difference to how El Nido feels.
Days 9 to 13: Siargao or Bohol
This is where the trip changes character. After the limestone and lagoons of Palawan, we send most people to one of two places.
Siargao, for surf lessons, palm forests, rock pools at low tide and the most relaxed island atmosphere in the Philippines. It suits couples, friends and anyone who wants to slow right down. It is best from March to October.
Bohol, for families and anyone who prefers gentle days: the Chocolate Hills, the tarsiers, the Loboc River and calm beaches on Panglao or in Anda, plus a day trip to see the sardine run and turtles around Balicasag.
Both usually connect through Manila or Cebu. Allow most of a day for the journey.
Day 14: back to Manila
We always bring travellers back to Manila the day before their international flight. Domestic flights are delayed often enough that a same-day connection is a risk we do not like to take. Use the evening for a last dinner in the city.
How to adapt it
- Short on time: drop the third island and give Palawan the whole two weeks, with a night in Port Barton between Puerto Princesa and El Nido.
- In the wet season (roughly June to October): swap Palawan for Bohol and Siquijor, which are more sheltered, and keep plenty of flexibility.
- For a honeymoon: replace one of the Palawan stops with a few nights on a private island.
- For more culture: add two nights in the rice terraces of Banaue and Batad at the start.
Our advice
Resist the temptation to add a fourth island. Every extra stop costs you most of a day. The best trips we plan have fewer places and more time in each of them, and that is what this route is built around.
