This publish could include affilliate hyperlinks. It implies that if you happen to purchase one thing by way of one among these hyperlinks, we’d get a small fee at no additional value to you. Affiliate fee helps us maintain this journey weblog working.
Are you planning to journey to the Philippines however uncertain the place to go and what you’ll be able to go to within the Philippines in 10 days? On this itinerary for 10 days within the Philippines, I’ll share one of the best ways to go to 3 superb islands – Boracay, Cebu and Bohol!
We went to the Philippines in April and Could and completely cherished it! nonetheless, these are additionally the most well liked months within the Philippines. As somebody who just isn’t actually used to the warmth, I need to admit that I truly suffered fairly a bit there and couldn’t actually operate throughout the hottest hours of the day.
Here’s a quick overview of our itinerary within the Philippines day-to-day:
Days 1-3: Boracay
Day 4: Flight to Cebu, switch to Moalboal
Day 5: Oslob
Days 6-9: Ferry to Panglao, Bohol
Day 10: Cebu
Earlier than we begin with the detailed itinerary, I needed to share with you the overview of a very powerful hyperlinks that had been used on this publish. I began offering a abstract of the hyperlinks by request of lots of my readers, who discover it simpler to have all of the hyperlinks in a single place.
Helpful hyperlinks for this itinerary for 10 days within the Philippines
Lodges: Lodge Coast Boracay; Harman Suites Moalboal, Pobla Oslob, South Palms Resort Panglao or Henann Alona Seashore
Ferries: Bohol to Cebu, Oslob to Panglao – all ferries could be booked on-line right here
Flights: Test right here
Excursions: Bohol countryside day tour – guide on-line right here; Sundown cruise in Boracay, Snorkelling & island hopping tour in Boracay, Canyoneering tour in Moalboal
With out additional ado, let’s get began with the itinerary for the Philippines in 10 days, visiting Boracay, Cebu and Bohol island!
10 days within the Philippines: Boracay, Cebu and Bohol itinerary
Day 0: Arriving in Manila at night time
I don’t depend the departure day of the journey as we didn’t actually do a lot on this present day moreover arriving in Manila very late at night time and sleeping for a couple of hours earlier than taking an early morning flight to Boracay. We had been flying to the Philippines from Hong Kong, so we took the newest flight from Hong Kong to Manila and arrived in Manila after midnight. Fortunately, our lodge on the Metropolis of Goals was a brief 15-minute drive away from the lodge, however I like to recommend staying even nearer to the airport, as site visitors could be fairly insane, even at 5 a.m., because it has turned out.
Some good lodges in Manila (close to the airport) to contemplate: Discovery Primea, Iyf Malate Manila
Days 1 – 3: Boracay
Attending to Boracay from Manila
As I discussed earlier than, we determined to take the early morning flight from Manila to Caticlan (P. Gogofredo Ramos) airport, which is the closest airport to Boracay. There are many direct flights from Manila to Caticlan, and flying time is slightly below an hour. Yow will discover costs and availability of those flights right here >
Caticlan airport to Boracay
Caticlan airport is situated on a unique island – a really shut one, so it requires a really quick ferry journey. Whereas there’s a public ferry, which is reachable in lower than 10 minutes from Caticlan airport by taxi, numerous lodges truly present free transfers! They are going to decide you up from the airport, ship you to their ferry (every resort has its personal ferry), decide you up on the opposite facet – in Boracay, and ship you to the lodge. In whole, 2 bus rides and 1 ferry journey took lower than 40 minutes, and we arrived at our resort very quick!
The place to remain in Boracay
There are 5 important areas for staying in Boracay: Stations 1,2,3, Balabag and Punta Bunga. Balabag is a kite browsing space – it’s cheaper than the remainder of the island, nevertheless it’s not likely appropriate for swimming, and you’ll have to stroll to Stations 1 and a couple of to swim there, which might take round 20-Half-hour.
Punta Bunga is situated fairly distant from all the principle eating places and lodges of Boracay; therefore, it’s a lot quieter, and you will discover some guesthouses and costlier resorts on this space.
Stations 1, 2 and three are situated on the principle seaside of the island, The White Seashore and are fairly comparable. Station 3 is a bit additional away, so it’s quieter. Station 1 is the loudest, and station 2 is the combo between stations 1 and three.
Lodges to choose in Boracay
We stayed on the Lodge Coast situated in Station 2, and it was an awesome expertise. The workers on the lodge made us really feel welcome, they had been extremely attentive, and meals was additionally superb there. Since 2020, it’s not allowed for the lodges to have their solar beds on the seaside, however you might be, after all, allowed to take a seat on a towel. Not solely the workers helped us with the towels each time, additionally they helped to protect our belongings and introduced us recent water on a regular basis! The lodge was stunning and the rooms had been good, so I can wholeheartedly advocate Lodge Coast!
If Lodge Coast just isn’t obtainable, Mandala Spa & Resort Villas can be an awesome possibility.
In case you’re on the lookout for a correct luxurious resort, take into account staying at Shangri-La
In case you would like a extra budget-friendly possibility, these lodges are an awesome selection: Levantin Boracay
Issues to do in Boracay in 3 days:
Although Boracay is a tiny island, and you’ll stroll all of it in a couple of hours, there are many issues to do. We spent 3 full days in Boracay, and the time flew by! Listed below are the issues we advocate doing in Boracay:
Attempt Mango frozen yoghurt from HaloMango (essentially the most scrumptious factor we’ve tried in Boracay!)
Watch the sundown on the White Seashore (we did it day by day)
Go on a personal sundown crusing journey – you’ll be able to both guide it on arrival or pre-book on-line right here >>
Go on a snorkelling & island hopping tour – guide right here
Stroll to Bulabog
Stroll the White Seashore from Station 1 all the best way to Station 3
Swim quite a bit and benefit from the sunshine
Day 4: Flying to Cebu, exploring Moalboal
Flying from Caticlan to Cebu
Our lodge in Boracay, Coast, additionally included a free return switch, so we wakened early, packed our issues and had been delivered to Caticlan airport in lower than 45 minutes once more. Caticlan has a couple of direct flights to Cebu per day, and ours departed round 11 a.m.
The flight time from Caticlan to Cebu is a bit longer in comparison with Manila, however our flight someway departed 20 minutes earlier, so we had been in Cebu forward of time.
Getting from Cebu to Moalboal
There are two other ways of attending to Moalboal from Cebu airport: by bus, minibus, or non-public taxi. For the reason that highway is fairly windy and one among us will get movement sick simply, we determined to go for a personal taxi. In whole, we paid round $65 for a one-way taxi journey, which was costly in comparison with a public bus however took considerably much less time. And sure, I did get dizzy even in a taxi (one thing to bear in mind if you happen to additionally get motion-sick simply).
We organized the taxi by way of our lodge in Moalboal, Harman Suites. Once we booked it, they despatched us a message providing to rearrange a taxi for us, and we determined to guide through them.
The place to remain in Moalboal
As I discussed earlier than, we stayed at Harman Suites Moalboal, which was completely fabulous. The value was nice, the situation was superb, simply 3 minutes strolling from the seaside with the sardines and proper within the coronary heart of Moalboal. Additionally they supplied free snorkelling gear, and the standard of the gear was so a lot better than we had anticipated and skilled in different lodges throughout our 10-day journey within the Philippines.
You possibly can examine the costs and availability of Harman Suites right here >>
Snorkelling in Moalboal: Do you see sardines whereas snorkelling?
Most individuals come to Moalboal to both snorkel with sardines or dive with them. A lot of folks come on a day journey from Cebu, which is fairly tiring, as it’s good to get up round 4 a.m. We by no means tried diving earlier than (and the docs prohibited Jose to dive anyway), so snorkelling was our solely possibility. I wasn’t fairly certain whether or not we might see any sardines or something in any respect whereas snorkelling. Nevertheless, it turned out you’ll be able to see sardines completely properly simply 10-15 meters away from the doorway to the ocean. It’s simpler to see them when it’s sunny.
Furthermore, Moalboal had superb coral reefs and so many vibrant fishes – we spent a couple of hours on the afternoon of our first day in Moalboal and the following morning simply snorkelling and on the lookout for completely different fishes. It was genuinely among the best snorkelling places we’ve ever been to, and that was completely sudden!
You can even see starfish, sea snakes, turtles and different superb creatures!
Different issues to do in Moalboal
A lot of folks come to Moalboal for a couple of days. Sadly, we may solely keep for one night time attributable to a decent itinerary. I want we had stayed for longer, although, as there are many superb issues to do close by! Most people coming to Moalboal go canyoneering, because the waterfalls on Cebu island are a few of the most spectacular ones within the Philippines. You possibly can pre-book a canyoneering tour ranging from Moalboal on-line right here >>
Moalboal can be a stunning city – it has a really laid-back and relaxed vibe. There are many backpackers and folks from all backgrounds and the ambiance may be very pleasant. Moalboal may be very small – nonetheless, there are many completely different bars and eating places. There are additionally a couple of therapeutic massage parlours and the perfect one was undoubtedly Moalboal Spa and Therapeutic massage (not a really inventive identify, I do know), however the therapeutic massage was the perfect one we bought within the Philippines!
Day 5: Oslob
On day 5 of our 10-day journey within the Philippines, we wakened early and went snorkelling in Moalboal. Then we had an incredible breakfast at Shaka – arms down the perfect breakfast spot in Moalboal. By 1 p.m., we checked out from our lodge and requested for a taxi on the reception. Personal taxis from Moalboal to Oslob value us round $35-40 for a automobile and took virtually two hours. The taxi arrived round 2 p.m. – by that point, we had additionally sorted out ferry tickets for the following day’s ferry to Panglao. I like to recommend reserving tickets for the ferry upfront right here because the ferry tends to promote out, and the affirmation additionally takes a little bit of time.
Oslob is a tiny city and a really rural one. There isn’t a lot to do and there are solely two small eating places. We spent the afternoon strolling round, nonetheless, I like to recommend staying a bit longer in Moalboal and heading to Oslob for the night.
In Oslob, we stayed on the lodge Pobla – you’ll be able to name them earlier, they usually can assist prepare a taxi and a information for swimming with the sharks the following day.
Days 6-9: Swimming with the whale sharks in Oslob, Ferry to Panglao, exploring Bohol
Swimming with the whale sharks in Oslob
Our information picked us up round 7 a.m., and we arrived at Oslob whale shark centre Half-hour later (it takes round 25 minutes to drive there from Oslob city centre). On the entrance, our information helped us get the tickets and discover our spot within the queue. At 8 a.m., the queue was already round 90 minutes lengthy. There are locations to take a seat and conceal from the solar, so don’t fear, you gained’t want to face for a few hours to attend to your flip.
Since everyone will get round Half-hour with the sharks and in every boat, there’s solely place for about 10-12 folks, it takes fairly a little bit of time to ship and produce the vacationers again. I like to recommend taking the snorkelling gear with you, as what you’re supplied with just isn’t in nice situation and can most likely do extra hurt than use.
You aren’t allowed to method whale sharks (though typically they method you) and it’s good to keep subsequent to the boat. Nevertheless, because the waves are often fairly sturdy, it’s very simple to get dizzy!
Total, it was an incredible expertise to see whale sharks so shut! I simply hoped it could be a bit extra moral (the whale sharks are there as a result of they’re fed day by day at the very same spot).
Taking a ferry from Oslob to Panglao
We had been again within the lodge by 10:30 a.m., and our ferry was departing at 12 p.m. Fortunately, the ferry was only a 5-minute drive from the lodge, so we had time to complete packing and went to the ferry round 11:20 a.m.
We had been truly virtually the final ones to reach! There is no such thing as a ferry terminal, only a small tent the place they examine your ticket, gather your baggage payment and ship you to the ferry in a small boat. As I discussed earlier than, it’s very simple to guide tickets for all ferries and buses on 12Go Asia – right here you will discover the costs and availability of the ferry from Oslob to Panglao (Momo Seashore).
Our ferry was truly a bit delayed and took over 2 hours to reach to Momo Seashore. Due to that, numerous folks had points with decide up – all of the taxi drivers left, together with ours. There have been, nonetheless, a couple of minibuses that arrived to choose up vacationers, and we joined one other group to go to our lodge in Alona Seashore.
The place to remain in Panglao
In Panglao, we stayed on the lodge referred to as Alona’s Coral Backyard – the lodge was beautiful, nonetheless, the situation wasn’t that nice – it was a bit distant from the principle a part of the city. Therefore, I might advocate staying some place else.
We truly break up our keep in Panglao into two components – the primary two days, we stayed close to Alona Seashore, whereas the following few days, we stayed at a correct resort – South Palms Resort Panglao.
Wanting again on the journey now, we might have simply most popular to remain in a single lodge. Bathala Resort or Henann Alona Seashore would have been a greater possibility!
Issues to do in Bohol & Panglao
We spent most of our time in Panglao enjoyable and exploring the Alona seaside space. We went for a swim a number of instances – each time, we might see a minimum of 10 completely different blue starfish. There are, nonetheless, loads of urchins in Alona Seashore – I like to recommend all the time checking the place you might be stepping and likewise put on swimming sneakers like these ones.
One other must-do exercise in Panglao is definitely happening a day journey to Bohol island. Panglao and Bohol are two separate islands related by a bridge. It takes round Half-hour to get to Bohol from Alona Seashore. Bohol is a extremely gorgeous island – there are many issues to see, however most of them could be coated on a day journey. You possibly can guide a personal tour (like we did) right here.
Alternatively, you’ll be able to guide this small-group tour with a barely completely different itinerary.
The primary points of interest everybody visits are the Chocolate Hills, the Tarsier “Sanctuary,” and the Loboc River Cruise. The one one we didn’t take pleasure in was the Tarsier “Sanctuary” as a result of it felt worse than a zoo. Tarsiers are nocturnal creatures, so that they sleep throughout the day. Nevertheless, I noticed staff of the “Sactuary” touching tarsiers with a stick so that they get up and vacationers can take a photograph with their eyes vast open for a small tip.
Chocolate Hills are completely superb, and the Loboc river cruise was beautiful, too. It’s worthwhile to wait within the queue to get on a cruise – we waited for 1.5 hours because it was a really busy weekend throughout public holidays; nonetheless, most individuals can get in there a lot quicker. The cruise takes place in a really photogenic boat and features a buffet lunch, stay music and a stay dance present.
Day 10: Getting again to Cebu
On our final day within the Philippines, we took a ferry from Bohol to Cebu. We truly bought enterprise class tickets (they had been simply $3 extra per particular person) for the ferry. Once more, we booked all of the tickets on-line right here.
It took lower than 1.5 hours to get to Cebu from Bohol. The ferries usually are not all the time tremendous punctual, so I don’t advocate reserving your return flight too near the ferry arrival time. Depart a minimum of 5-8 hours till the flight. Whereas there isn’t a lot to see and do in Cebu Metropolis, it’s all the time higher to attend than pay for an additional flight!
Abstract of our itinerary for 10 days within the Philippines
I hope you discovered this text about our 10-day itinerary for the Philippines helpful and bought some inspiration to your journey. Although we had been on a decent schedule, the whole lot went as deliberate, and we managed to see the whole lot we needed to see! We noticed three gorgeous sunsets in Boracay, swam with whale sharks in Oslob and with sardines in Moalboal and visited the well-known chocolate hills in Bohol.
10 days within the Philippines doesn’t sound like quite a bit, nonetheless, each our jobs don’t permit us to take greater than 14 days off work directly, and we had been additionally visiting Hong Kong this time, therefore, we constructed this 10-day itinerary for the Philippines. In case you solely have 10 days to spend on this superb nation, maybe you will discover some helpful ideas on this article!
Listed below are another articles you would possibly discover helpful:
Our 4-day itinerary for Bhutan
5 days in Laos: Vientiane and Luang Prabang