If you had three weeks in the Philippines, how would you plan them?
December 29, 2015 3:10 PM   Subscribe

I know NOTHING about the Philippines and next to nothing about international travel. But my friends and I want to spend 2-3 weeks there.

I'd like to arrange a trip to the Philippines (from the U.S.) that lasts for three weeks. But most of my friends are only able to go for a subset of that time (2 weeks). How would you chunk the trip into segments so people can choose when

I'd like to visit the city of Manila, at least one volcano on Luzon, and maybe sky-diving and/or snorkeling near Cebu.
posted by jander03 to Travel & Transportation around Philippines (5 answers total) 3 users marked this as a favorite
 
I've never been to the Philippines but the episode of Anthony Bourdain's show when he goes there (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 - bad quality video unfortunately, or you can pay for a better version here) and other culinary tourism shows I've seen make it look as though the food is really good.
posted by XMLicious at 5:46 PM on December 29, 2015


I loved the Underground River on Palawan island. Very touristy but in a charming, fun way. Palawan in general is gorgeous and I remember there were just wild komodo dragons sitting around on the ground while we were waiting to get on the tour boat.

I'd say all the people going should make a list of things they want to do and hopefully it'll be clear what should happen during the 2-week span when most people can make it. Unfortunately since the country is spread over a bunch of islands, you can lose big chunks of time to inter-island travel. And traffic in the urban parts of Luzon can be insane.

Make sure you check the current malaria conditions for the islands you're visiting.
posted by town of cats at 6:06 PM on December 29, 2015 [1 favorite]


Please consider the caves of Sagada.
posted by yoyo_nyc at 2:37 AM on December 30, 2015


El Nido El Nido El Nido.

The island of Palawan is amazing. It's where Philippinos go on vacation (as opposed to the areas that cater to Westerners.) You can spend a few days in Puerto Princessa in a place like the Puerto Pension and explore from there, then head to the other side of the island and visit the marine preserve El Nido, where you can hike, snorkel, scuba or jusr hang out on the beach.
posted by Brittanie at 5:34 AM on December 30, 2015


I'm an expat who lived in Cebu and Dumaguete from late 2008 to early 2010.

If there is a friendlier people on earth than Filipinos, I haven't heard of them. Filipinos love their festivals, even the smallest ones. If I return, I'd try to plan it around one.

Look for up to date information about Palawan. Transportation on the island used to be a grim endurance test. They've built roads and airports in the last few years. Makes me want to go.

Ferries (they call them 'ships') go everywhere. Often in any weather, sometimes with disastrous results. Read the marine forecast before buying a ticket and again before boarding.

Are you going during typhoon season? Historically, Luzon gets it the worst. Palawan is hit least often. Cebu City is protected by a nearby island from large surf, the only problem is wind and rain. A typhoon risk map. You'll notice the island of Mindanao also is rarely hit. A decades long running insurrection there deters most tourists.

I'll eat almost anything and am not a picky eater, but I know what I like. I wrote a longish forum post about the food there, which starts: Prior to leaving the US, one of the things I misjudged about criteria for living in another country was underestimated the importance food would have on my quality of life. Living in the Phils has given me a new appreciation of how too much bad food can motivate prisoners to riot. The post is here.
posted by Homer42 at 8:58 AM on December 30, 2015 [1 favorite]


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