🌏 Asia · Southeast Asia
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Best Things to Do in the Philippines
7,641 islands — and nine experiences that show you why the Philippines is one of the most extraordinary countries on Earth.
7,641 islands — and nine experiences that show you why the Philippines is one of the most extraordinary countries on Earth.
The Philippines is one of the most naturally extraordinary countries in the world — 7,641 islands stretching across the western Pacific, with some of the most biodiverse marine ecosystems on Earth, an active volcanic landscape that produces scenery of breathtaking drama, limestone karst formations rising from impossible turquoise water, and a culture of warmth and generosity that makes every encounter feel genuinely welcoming. From the electric-blue waterfalls of Cebu to the glowing firefly rivers of Palawan to the perfect volcanic cone of Mayon, these nine experiences are where to start.
Mayon Volcano is considered the world's most perfectly formed volcanic cone — its near-symmetrical profile rises 2,463 metres from the Albay plain in a near-perfect triangle that has made it one of the most photographed natural formations in Southeast Asia. The Mayon ATV tour takes you across the lava fields, through river crossings, and between the rice paddies of the surrounding farmland with the volcano dominating the entire skyline above you — cloud-wreathed at altitude, its flanks scarred by lava flows, its form impossibly geometric against the Philippine sky.
The ATV route covers terrain that ranges from smooth agricultural tracks to rough lava-field crossings and shallow river fords — genuinely varied riding that produces real adrenaline without requiring any previous ATV experience. Hotel pickup is included in the tour. Mayon is an active volcano (it has erupted over 50 times since records began) — tours operate when activity levels are safe, and the combination of potential danger and perfect beauty creates a distinctive atmosphere that conventional sightseeing doesn't deliver.
Legazpi City in Albay province is served by direct flights from Manila (1 hour) and Cebu. It is one of the Philippines' most rewarding secondary destinations — the Albay region combines Mayon's volcanic landscape with excellent seafood, the historic Cagsawa Ruins (a church buried by Mayon's 1814 eruption), and a genuinely uncrowded travel experience.
Oslob on the southern tip of Cebu is one of the few places in the world where you can reliably snorkel alongside whale sharks year-round — the largest fish on Earth, reaching up to 12 metres in length, moving through the water with an unhurried grace that makes the scale of their bodies completely astonishing from just a few metres away. The whale sharks are attracted to the area by local fishermen who feed them small shrimp, which has created a consistent year-round encounter that is the most accessible whale shark experience in Southeast Asia.
The encounter takes place in a small area of shallow water just off the beach — snorkellers enter the water from outrigger boats and the whale sharks move between and around them, completely unbothered. The spotty grey-blue skin, the enormous flat head with its wide filter-feeding mouth, and the sheer scale of the animal are overwhelming in person. The experience typically lasts 30 minutes and the guides are excellent at positioning snorkellers near active sharks.
The Oslob encounter is controversial among conservationists who argue that feeding wild sharks changes their natural behaviour and creates dependency. Responsible travellers should weigh this — but the encounter remains the most accessible whale shark experience in Asia and operates under regulations that limit boat numbers and prohibit touching. Donsol in Sorsogon offers a non-feeding alternative where whale sharks are encountered on their natural migration route.
The Kawasan Falls canyoneering experience is one of the finest half-day adventures in Southeast Asia — a 4–5 hour journey through a series of jungle gorges in the mountains of southern Cebu, involving swimming through river pools, cliff jumping from platforms at 3 to 10 metres, rappelling down rock faces, sliding through natural water chutes, and crawling through narrow canyon passages, all building toward the finale: the electric-blue pools of Kawasan Falls, where three tiers of turquoise water cascade from the jungle above into pools you can swim in.
The canyon is carved through limestone by the Matutinao River, and the water ranges in colour from deep blue to vivid turquoise depending on the light — a geological phenomenon caused by the mineral content of the limestone and the depth of the pools. The entire route is guided, all safety equipment is provided, and the operators running the canyoneering routes are experienced. No previous canyoneering experience is required, but a reasonable level of fitness and basic swimming ability are essential.
The canyoneering starts in Badian, about 90km south of Cebu City — roughly 2.5 hours by bus or 2 hours by private car. Most tour operators provide transport from Cebu City as part of the package. The route ends at Kawasan Falls where you can swim before the return journey. Book with a licensed operator — there are unfortunately operators who cut safety corners; stick to reputable names.
The dugong — the gentle, endangered sea mammal related to the manatee — is one of the rarest wildlife encounters in Southeast Asia. Coron Bay in northern Palawan holds one of the healthiest dugong populations in the Philippines, grazing on the extensive seagrass beds in the shallow lagoons between the limestone islands. Snorkelling alongside a dugong — watching it graze slowly across the sandy bottom, rising periodically to breathe at the surface — is one of the most moving wildlife encounters in the region. A mother and calf together in the shallows is genuinely extraordinary.
The GetYourGuide tour combines the dugong encounter with a visit to a sea turtle cleaning station and a coral garden snorkelling stop — making a single trip a comprehensive marine wildlife experience that most visitors don't know exists in Coron. The dugong sighting is not guaranteed (they are wild animals) but the operators know the regular grazing areas and sighting rates are consistently high in the calm lagoons of Coron Bay.
Coron is served by direct flights from Manila (1 hour) and Cebu. It is one of the Philippines' most rewarding destinations — combining the dugong encounter with wreck diving (Coron Bay holds some of the best wreck dive sites in the world, including Japanese WWII ships), clear kayaking in the lagoons, and island hopping between the limestone formations.
Coron's limestone karst landscape is one of the most visually extraordinary in the Philippines — and the clear-bottomed kayaks that operate in its lagoons give you a view through the crystal water to the sandy bottom and coral gardens below while you paddle through channels between the vertical rock walls. The water in Coron's enclosed lagoons is a shade of turquoise that seems almost artificial: the combination of white sand bottom, shallow depth, and the clarity of the water in this part of Palawan creates colours that photographers consistently underexpose because the results look edited.
The kayaking routes thread through the maze of limestone islands, connecting lagoons that vary from completely enclosed (accessible only through low arches where you have to duck below the rock) to wide open bays where the full scale of the karst landscape becomes visible. Snorkelling stops at coral gardens and fish schools are integrated into most tours. Coron Bay's wrecks — the largest collection of World War II Japanese shipwrecks accessible in one area — are also a short boat ride away for certified divers.
Both are extraordinary — Coron is generally considered better for diving and wildlife (dugongs, wrecks, Barracuda Lake), while El Nido's lagoons (Big Lagoon, Small Lagoon, Secret Lagoon) are more dramatically beautiful and better for island hopping. Budget 3–4 days for each if possible. Flying into Puerto Princesa and overlanding to either is a common route that allows you to visit the Underground River en route.
The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature — an 8.2km underground river that flows through a series of massive cathedral-like limestone chambers before emptying directly into the sea. Visitors explore the first 4.3km by paddled boat, passing beneath stalactites and stalagmites that have been forming for millions of years in chambers large enough to hold entire cathedrals — the largest, the Italian's Chamber, is over 300 metres long and 60 metres high.
The experience of entering the cave by boat from the bright Philippine sunlight into the cool darkness of the mountain interior — with the sound of the river, the dripping of water from the formations above, and the guide's torch catching the aragonite crystals — is genuinely awe-inspiring. The bat colonies that roost in the upper chambers periodically take flight in clouds that pass overhead. The cave also contains prehistoric rock paintings, and a monitor lizard population around the cave entrance that has become so habituated to visitors they sit at eye level on the rock walls.
Puerto Princesa is the capital of Palawan province and a major gateway — served by direct flights from Manila (1.5 hours), Cebu, and other Philippine cities. The Underground River is 80km north of the city — most visitors take the guided tour that includes transport, the required park permit, and a certified guide. Permits are strictly capped; book well in advance for December–May visits.
The firefly rivers around Puerto Princesa in Palawan are one of the most quietly magical experiences in the Philippines — an after-dark boat journey through mangrove channels where synchronised fireflies illuminate the riverbank trees in pulsing waves of light, creating an effect that looks exactly like someone has decorated the mangroves with thousands of tiny fairy lights that breathe in and out in unison. The silence, the warm air, the darkness punctuated only by the green-gold bioluminescence of the fireflies — it is one of those experiences that is impossible to photograph and impossible to forget.
The fireflies (Pteroptyx tener) that create this display are a specific species that synchronise their flashing — a communication behaviour unique to certain firefly populations in Southeast Asia. The rivers around Honda Bay and the mangroves near Puerto Princesa hold large, stable populations. The boat journey typically lasts 90 minutes to 2 hours, moving slowly through the mangrove channels as the guide cuts the engine and lets the boat drift in silence through the light show.
Most firefly tours depart from Puerto Princesa City in the late afternoon and return by 9–10pm. They can be combined with a sunset bay cruise to Honda Bay or a mangrove forest kayak in the afternoon. The firefly display is best in calm, dry weather — rain reduces sighting quality. Year-round viewing is possible, with November to May offering the most reliable dry conditions.
Palawan's island hopping — by traditional wooden outrigger bangka boat through the limestone karst archipelagos of El Nido or Coron — is the quintessential Philippines experience and one of the most beautiful things you can do in Southeast Asia. The karst towers rise sheer from the water, enclosing secret lagoons only accessible through low arches at the water line; the snorkelling reefs in the channels between islands are vivid with colour; the empty white beaches where the boat stops for lunch are backed by jungle. The light on the water in Palawan is unlike anywhere else on Earth.
El Nido has four standardised island hopping tours (A, B, C, and D) that cover different island groups — Tour A hits the Big Lagoon, Small Lagoon, Secret Lagoon, and Shimizu Island reef; Tour C reaches the most remote islands with the fewest visitors. Most travellers do at least two tours. Coron's island hopping covers different terrain — Twin Lagoon (two lagoons separated by a limestone wall you swim through), Kayangan Lake (the clearest water in the Philippines), and the sea between the islands where WWII wrecks lie in the shallows.
El Nido is more dramatic — the lagoons are enclosed by higher karst walls and the variety of landscape on each tour is greater. Coron is calmer and less crowded, with a more wilderness feel and the added dimension of the underwater wrecks. Both are worth visiting. Flying into Puerto Princesa and overlanding north to either (or both) is the most common route.
Manila's street food culture is one of the most vibrant and most underrated in Southeast Asia — a living culinary tradition that draws on centuries of Chinese, Spanish, Malay, and American influence to produce a street food scene that is distinctive, generous, and extraordinarily good value. The Master Siomai dumplings topped with chilli oil and calamansi (Philippine lime), the kwek-kwek quail eggs in orange batter, the fishballs on skewers with sweet and spicy dipping sauces, the halo-halo shaved ice desserts layered with ube, coconut, leche flan, and sweet beans — Manila street food is a genuinely world-class culinary experience that costs almost nothing.
A guided street food tour takes you through the city's best food districts — Binondo (the world's oldest Chinatown), Quiapo, and the streets around Ermita — visiting vendors who have been making the same dishes for generations and explaining the history and cultural mixing that produced each one. Binondo's Chinese-Filipino food in particular is extraordinary — the pancit lomi, the tikoy, the pork dumplings, and the deep-fried sesame balls filled with red bean paste are all available from small stalls that have barely changed in a century.
Balut — a fertilised duck egg with a partially developed embryo, eaten warm from the shell with salt and vinegar — is the Philippines' most famous food challenge. It is genuinely eaten by millions of Filipinos daily and tastes, if you can get past the idea, remarkably like a rich egg custard with soft bone. Most street food tour guides will offer it; trying it is entirely optional but culturally interesting.
The Philippines has two distinct seasons. Planning around them makes a significant difference to your experience.
