With over 7,600 islands scattered across the Philippine Sea and the South China Sea, the Philippines packs an absurd amount of variety into one archipelago. You can free-dive with whale sharks in the morning and eat grilled squid on a plastic stool by 8 p.m. The following ten experiences represent the country at its most distinctive — not generic beach photos, but the specific things that make this destination worth the long flight.
Island-Hop Through El Nido’s Lagoons
El Nido, on the northern tip of Palawan, is built around limestone karsts that rise straight out of turquoise water. Boat tours here are organized into lettered routes (A, B, C, D), each hitting a different combination of lagoons, beaches, and snorkeling spots. Route A includes the Big and Small Lagoons, where you’ll paddle a kayak through a narrow rock opening into a hidden pool ringed by cliffs. Book a private tour if you can afford it; the shared boats get crowded by midday.
Swim Alongside Whale Sharks in Oslob
Oslob, a small town in southern Cebu, offers something almost nowhere else does: near-guaranteed encounters with whale sharks in shallow water. Local fishermen have fed the sharks small amounts of shrimp for years, keeping them close to shore each morning. Critics raise valid concerns about the ethics of feeding wild animals, so if that gives you pause, consider Donsol in Sorsogon instead, where whale shark interactions happen through natural migration patterns rather than feeding.
Trek the Banaue Rice Terraces
Carved into the mountains of Ifugao province roughly 2,000 years ago, the Banaue Rice Terraces are often called the eighth wonder of the world by local guides, and it’s not much of an exaggeration. The terraces climb to elevations of nearly 5,000 feet and were built entirely by hand using tools rather than machines. Batad, a nearby amphitheater-shaped terrace cluster, requires a 20-minute hike from the road but rewards you with a view largely untouched by modern construction.
Explore the Chocolate Hills in Bohol
Bohol’s Chocolate Hills consist of more than 1,200 symmetrical, cone-shaped mounds spread across roughly 20 square miles. They turn brown during the dry season, which is how they got their name, and green again once the rains return. The Chocolate Hills Complex in Carmen has an observation deck with the best vantage point, though renting a scooter to drive the surrounding roads gives you a more textured sense of scale.
Surf the Breaks of Siargao
Siargao, off the northeastern coast of Mindanao, has become the country’s surf capital, anchored by Cloud 9, a reef break known for its barreling waves. The break gets serious during the amateur and pro season from September through November, but beginner-friendly waves at Jacking Horse and Quicksilver make the island workable for first-timers too. Beyond the water, rent a motorbike and explore Sugba Lagoon and the Magpupungko rock pools, which fill with clear water at low tide.
Wander the Walled City of Intramuros
Intramuros, in the heart of Manila, is what remains of the walled city the Spanish built starting in 1571. Fort Santiago, San Agustin Church, and Casa Manila give a concentrated look at colonial-era architecture that mostly disappeared elsewhere in the city after World War II. Horse-drawn calesas still clip-clop along the cobblestone streets, and while they’re aimed squarely at tourists, they’re a genuinely practical way to cover ground in the heat. San Agustin Church, completed in 1607, is the oldest stone church in the country and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Dive the Wrecks of Coron Bay
Coron, in northern Palawan, sits above a cluster of Japanese shipwrecks sunk during a U.S. air raid in September 1944. At least a dozen wrecks are accessible to divers, ranging from beginner-friendly depths around 60 feet to technical dives past 130 feet. The Irako and the Okikawa Maru are two of the most photographed, both largely intact and covered in coral growth after eight decades underwater. Several dive shops in town run day trips that include multiple wreck sites for both certified and beginner divers on the same boat.
Sample Street Food in Cebu and Manila
Philippine street food rewards anyone willing to try something outside the usual tourist meals. Balut, a fertilized duck egg, gets most of the attention from nervous travelers, but isaw (grilled chicken or pork intestine skewers) and taho (a warm soy pudding sold from buckets each morning) are easier entry points. Cebu’s Larsian food park and Manila’s Quiapo district both offer dense concentrations of vendors within a few blocks of each other. If you’re arranging tours in Philippines destinations through a local operator, ask about food-focused walking routes — many now build entire itineraries around street markets rather than just monuments.
Relax on the White Sand of Boracay
Boracay’s White Beach stretches nearly four kilometers and remains one of the most photographed shorelines in Southeast Asia despite a six-month government-ordered closure in 2018 for environmental rehabilitation. Station 1 has the widest, whitest sand, while Station 2 concentrates most of the restaurants and nightlife. Puka Beach, on the island’s northern tip, sees far fewer visitors and is worth the tricycle ride if you want a quieter stretch of coast.
Climb an Active Volcano Near Manila
Taal Volcano, in Batangas province about two hours south of Manila, sits inside a lake that itself sits inside an older, larger crater. It’s one of the smallest active volcanoes in the world and has erupted more than 30 times in recorded history, most recently in 2020. Boats from Talisay take visitors across Taal Lake to the volcano island, where a short hike leads to the crater rim overlooking a sulfuric green lake below.
Pick two or three of these that pull you in the most rather than trying to force all ten into a single trip. The Philippines rewards travelers who slow down in one region instead of racing between islands, and local guides in each area can point you toward the smaller, less-photographed spots that never make it into standard itineraries.
