ashenThere are a handful of locations that you simply can’t disregard if you are planning a trip in Asia. The Philippines is one such place that you never want to miss. This piece of land on earth offers every aspect of nature’s wonders to the human eye. There’s so much to experience in this tropical paradise between snorkeling close to wrecks, historic sightseeing, pointy volcanoes and the sandy beaches. Therefore what you need is a pretty comprehensive detailed understanding of how to travel the Philippines. And that’s exactly what we are going to provide in this article.
In this post we will cover everything there is to know about how to travel the Philippines including rules and regulations, destinations, general travel tips and a bit about the country and its people.
Introduction to Philippines before travel
Located in Southeast Asia, the Republic of the Philippines consists of approximately 7,641 islands. Its capital city is Manila while Tagalog and English are the most prominent languages. The Philippines possesses the fifth longest coastline in the world and is rich in biodiversity. The climate is tropical and mostly hot. There are two major seasons namely the rainy wet season and the dry season. The best recommended time to travel is between from January to June avoiding the monsoon season.
As of 2021 $1 = 50 Philippine peso. If you are travelling on a fixed budget there are plenty of options of cheap lodgings, transportation and food. Stick around and we will provide you with everything there is to know about how to travel the Philippines and experience everything on different budget levels.
Visa for different nationals
There are quite a few countries whose nationals may enter the Philippines visa free for a stay not exceeding thirty days. These nationals have to have the valid return tickets for their original or the next destination plus passport validity for six months beyond the period of stay.
Holders of Hong Kong Special Administrative (SAR) and Macau Special Administrative Region (SAR) passports are allowed to enter the Philippines and stay for fourteen days. Holders of Macau-Portuguese and Hong Kong British passports may enter and stay in the Philippines for seven days.
Best of Philippines 2021
Sugba Lagoon
It’s a country consisting of 7000+ islands, so yeah this is naturally anticipated by all. The aquatic environment in the Philippines is truly magnificent and enchanting. With its crystal clear blue waters, who can resist the temptation of kayaking, swimming or diving? Siargao island hosts the Sugba Lagoon and it is a destination that no tourist would dream of missing out on.
Sugba lagoon has the bluest waters that you will possibly ever witness and diving is the best way to immerse yourself in this marine life. Other popular diving spots include Anilao, Tubataha and Bantayan island in Cebu.
Banaue Rice Terraces
Banaue rice terraces are a UNESCO World Heritage Site spanning a history of more than 2000 years. These paddy fields are a real blessing to the eye that favors greenery. The environment around these parts is naturally cool given that the whole area is surrounded by paddy fields. Hiking and trekking are the means to get through here.
April, May, October to November are the best times to visit if you want to experience pure greenery. Because the harvesting season is in June and December. Buses are the way to get to the Banaue terraces. Additionally to complete the trip, you might want to check out the next town Sagada for more activities and interactions with the Filipino culture.
Boracay
Boracay, recognized as one of the world’s best islands, is a tourism magnet in the Philippines. The white sand is so addictive and soothing to the feet that makes you want to keep walking all day long. You can engage in all the physical activities such as diving, kiteboarding. And then relax to your heart’s content by lying on the sandy beach. Also prepare yourself to witness the Boracay nightlife and chill in some of the local bars or enjoy the beach parties.
Palawan
The Philippines has plenty of coastline to offer for you. El Nido in Palawan possesses beautiful lagoons with rocks of different sizes and formations. Kayaking, Paddling or Swimming is the best way to lose yourself in the beauty of these incredibly scenic spots. Apart from El Nido, Puerto Princesa and Coron are the other couple of places that you must visit.
The Underground River of Puerto Princessa is the main attraction, while in Coron diving is the key activity and hence a paradise to marine life enthusiasts. The shipwrecks further amplifies your diving experience on this coast. Apart from diving, you can also spend your time observing the many lakes and trying to visit as many islands as possible. Also don’t forget to visit Nacpan Beach while in El Nido.
Cebu
You definitely don’t want to miss out on the seafood of Bantayan island in Cebu! It’s not just the beachside activities about Cebu but the mountains too. There are many islands where you can go to watch the dolphins, chocolate hills and Philippine Tarsiers.
Ilocos Sur
Who doesn’t want to explore ruins and ancient buildings to understand the history of the place they are visiting? Well Ilocos Sur is just the place to witness the ancient Spanish architecture that constructed the Philippines earlier. This fact alone contributes to Vigan of Ilocos Sur being a UNESCO world heritage site. It is widely recognized as the most beautiful tourist spot in the Philippines.
A similar attraction is Intramuros or the Walled City. The same Spanish architecture flourishes here. You can either rent a bike or choose to walk and explore the city.
Racuh A Payaman
The perfect feast for your nature loving eyes is what Racuh A Payaman in Batanes offers. Catch the all in one view of Mt. Iraya, Diura Beach, Pacific Ocean and the Tayid Lighthouse. Also referred to as the Marlboro country, this is one of the most scenic attractions in the Philippines.
Philippines Travel Cost
This is actually the main concern under the question “how to travel the Philippines” or how to travel anywhere for that matter. Therefore we will try our best to close in on budget plans as accurately as possible for solo travelers, couples, families on different budgets.
However, although we put out these figures based on the experience of as many travelers as possible, everything fluctuates according to your needs. For example you can save a lot of money by camping and hitchhiking. Sticking to public transports, cheap hostels and street foods.
Travel
When it comes to travel, needless to say it is wiser to constantly be updated with the boat and flight schedules since they tend to get delayed. Public ferry rides cost about $5 USD on average while long distance buses can cost as much as $10 USD. Domestic flights will cost up to $70 USD. If you think these flight prices will quickly end your budget, you can always stick to buses and ferries.
For example, to get to Palawan the easiest way is to fly to Puerto Princesa and take a shuttle van to El Nido. But there is also a ferry that rides to Busuanga (Coron) once a week. However, according to many sources, the average tourist spends a little over $16 USD daily on transport(local transport).
Lodging
Again you can cut down a lot on the accommodation by opting for shacks and dorms opposed to luxury hotels. However you have to be out of Manila to choose these sorts of lodgings. For example in Cebu there are options for budget guesthouses while you also get luxury hotels. All this aside, on average a tourist spends a little above $19USD daily on accommodation. But remember that you can drastically cut this cost by choosing the cheaper hostels and dorms. It can go down as $5 a night once outside of Manila.
Food
Yes you can’t stick to street food everyday for the sake of being on a budget, but it’s the recommendation to not enter tourist focused restaurants every other day. Unsurprisingly the price of food in restaurants is much higher than that of street food. Statistically it is around $12 USD per person daily for food. Again you can just limit your dining outs to maybe a couple of times. However you must try some of the mandatory food items of the Filipino people. These include Adobo which is a chicken or pork dish, Sinigang a soup, Lechon a pork dish and Lumpia or the Filipino spring roll.
Aquatic Activities
Well of course you should know how much it costs on an average to experience all the activities Philippines has to offer, at least some of it. Scuba diving, Kayaking, Swimming with sharks, day tours, entrance tickets etc. You can eliminate day tours and stuff like that if you are a backpacker. Learning to dive can cost around $25 while Snorkeling equipment can be hired for less than 5 bucks. On average it’s around $13 USD for these activities per person, but bear in mind that it can be reduced if you are willing to explore everything by yourself.
To summarize the expenses and bring a standard figure to everything lets see what a 7 day trip might cost. For a solo traveler it’s a little above $1900 USD and for a couple it can be in the range of $3,500 USD. These prices can almost triple if you are planning luxury travels.
How to Travel The Philippines on a Budget
Well to be honest who doesn’t want to enjoy to the fullest with as minimal expenses as possible? Let’s see how we can accomplish that.
- For accommodation try Couchsurfing and staying in local guest houses. It is a great way to interact with the locals more, taste the traditional cuisine and experience the culture.
- Get in groups and hitchhike. Yes there is a little bit of risk involved but at the same time it’s a great way to meet new people.
- Camping is a splendid way to cut costs on accommodation once you start traveling outside the city. Nobody will bother you and you can camp closer to hostels, on the beach. Check out some tents here.
- Try to avoid Manila as much as possible for you are likely to get caught in scams. The taxi drivers keep a sharp eye out for tourists. No metered taxis in the arrival section of the airport hence go to the departure section and get one of those. And the great news is that you can use Uber in the Philippines which are lot cheaper than regular taxis.
A few items to include in your travel bag
A travel adaptor is always recommended in any sort of travel. Especially valuable if you are planning a backpacker type tour.
A rain jacket ,for you never know when it might start pouring down because after all Philippines has the only two seasons.
Apart from these make sure to pack enough tank tops, sundresses, beachwear, bathing suits and slippers. The usual things you would deem appropriate for a tropical country made for spending time on the beach.
Summary
That’s pretty much there is to know on how to travel the Philippines. It is entirely fair to believe that there exists no better place in the whole region of Southeast Asia to experience the glory of the aquatic world so closely. The Spanish mixture engraved with the architecture and the incredible coastline never ceases to mesmerize you. The opportunities for scuba diving, kayaking and other water related activities are countless. The weather is at its coolest between November and February. While the warmest climate is experienced between March and May.
With all this said, I believe no one would ever dream of missing out on this hidden treasure in the Southeast Asian region. You can plan a perfect budget trip without breaking your bank and enjoy your time immensely amongst the many islands, engage in all sorts of adventurous and aquatic activities and receive everything the Philippines has to offer.
