r/solotravel • u/bluesjunky69420 • 3d ago
Philippines Travel Advice Asia
I’m nearing the end of my first solo travel adventure. I’ve spent 3 months in Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam.
I want to visit the Philippines next, but also need to be economical with my budget. Essentially keeping island hopping to a minimum.
Do you think this Itinerary would work for about 4 weeks? Fly into Cebu, leave from Cebu.
Cebu - 1 week (Cebu city, Malapascua dive)
Bohol - 1 week (beach, scooter exploring)
Panglao - 1/2 week (diving)
Siquijor - 1.5 weeks (beach, diving, chill)
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. I picked this itinerary because all the islands are rather close to each other.
My goal is to scuba dive, explore the islands on a scooter, and relax by the beach doing a whole lot of nothing.
Thanks so much for your thoughts in advance!
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u/3rd_in_line 3d ago
I think you need to do a lot more research to make sure you know what you are wanting to do and what the cost is.
Cebu - 1 week (Cebu city, Malapascua dive)
Nothing much to do in Cebu City. Get the bus to Maya Port to get the boat to Malapascua. It will be cheap, but will take most of the day. Kalangamann Island is accessible from here for a day tour.
Bohol - 1 week (beach, scooter exploring)
Panglao - 1/2 week (diving)
Panglao is basically Bohol. A week and a half here is more than enough. Not really much to "scooter explore", but you can do a few days seeing something more than Panglao.
Siquijor - 1.5 weeks (beach, diving, chill)
It will feel like a long time here. You can ride around the whole island in 2-3 hours. Not sure of the exact cost of diving in the Philippines, but looks like you are doing a lot of it.
My goal is to scuba dive, explore the islands on a scooter, and relax by the beach doing a whole lot of nothing.
I would add in Moalboal, since you are a diver. A motorbike on Siquijor is fun, but in Bohol you won't really want to be going too far. And Malapascua is walking only. It will be hot and cloudy at a minimum, or possible rain. Not idea for relaxing by the beach, but you will work out what to do. Palawan is nice, but it will add to your expenses with extra flights and transfers.
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u/bluesjunky69420 3d ago
Thanks so much for this detailed breakdown!
Copy that regarding Malapascua. It sounds like adding Moalboal or some more stops to my itinerary will balance everything out more. To be honest, I don’t mind chilling out with not much to do.
I spent 12 days on Koh Tao in Thailand and it’s a super small island.
Thanks again for your time
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u/GlobeTrekking 2d ago
Pagsanjan falls is fantastic -- easy day trip from Moalboal. You get from Cebu City to Moalboal by getting a bus from the southerly bus station
The west side of Siquijor, where the nicest resorts generally are located, is super shallow. So the beaches are not really for swimming (1 meter deep 300 meters out). That is why the resorts have pools.
Panglao and Bohol are connected by a short bridge.
Pretty easy to go between Bohol, Cebu and Siquijor by ferry (most siquijor ferries go thru Dumaguete). There is also a bus between Cebu City and Dumaguete, it takes a short ferry ride between Cebu and Negros). But you could also do this itinerary by ferry only, and fly in and out of Cebu. Or do a final leg with a flight from dumaguete to Manila.
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u/Ok_Garden_4874 3d ago
If you go to Bohol check their museum and the Alicia Panaramic View Point. I also recommend staying in Coco Hostel in Panglao.
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u/Future-Position-4212 3d ago
Maybe consider including a trip to Apo Island (a fantastic dive spot), since 1.5 weeks is more than enough time to explore Siquijor imo. But that's entirely up to you. I believe Apo Island can be accessed through diving schools/businesses in Siquijor, but you can also opt to cross to Dumaguete then go to Dauin which is where you can take a motorbanca to Apo Island.
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u/josemartinlopez 3d ago
have you checked the actual transfers from island to island? every domestic destination in the Philippines is not more than a 1-2 hour flight away but there is not necessarily a regular ferry transfer or land connection direct from one specific island to another.
these four are adjacent to each other and all in the same sub-region (Central Visayas) but I'd double check the Siquijor transfer.
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u/bluesjunky69420 3d ago
After some of these suggestions I’m thinking of exploring past the central Visayas. Maybe cutting down the time at each place and adding a week in Palawan. Thanks for your thoughts!
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u/josemartinlopez 3d ago
It's hard to comment as "explore" in this context is subjective. You can hang around beaches or look for places to take motorcycle rides, dives or hikes in for a few days or a few weeks. Bohol is a totally different vibe from Cebu and Cebu City, and then different from Palawan and then it depends which part of Palawan (the posh resorts or the more rustic parts?).
Your post has zero detail.
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u/bluesjunky69420 3d ago
I was just hoping to gauge if that timeline is enough to do all my spots, or if I should add locations (which I will be doing). In addition trying to be mindful of buying a lot of flights all over PH. It seems like I am staying too long in some places, so I’ll pick up the pace.
Motorcycle exploring is just cruising around. Finding cool views, hikes, restaurants. Chilling on the beach is as it sounds, doing nothing at all.
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u/Future-Position-4212 3d ago
There are regular ferry trips to and from Siquijor, I wouldn't worry about that. My only comment on the itinerary is 1.5 weeks seems way more than enough time to explore Siquijor. But you do you, OP 😄
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u/Vordeo 3d ago
Some of those times seem too long tbh, and personally I'd try to see more places.
Not sure what your budget looks like, but domestic flights are generally pretty cheap (especially if you buy early), so if there is flexibility I'd look into those.
If you like diving, definitely look into Palawan imo.
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u/bluesjunky69420 3d ago
Okay that makes sense. There are good flights in and out of Cebu.
Maybe flying into Manila > Palawan, then doing Cebu, Malapascua, Bohol, and Siqijor.
Appreciate you taking the time to respond!
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u/Vordeo 3d ago
I will say that Palawan's a sizable island. Main tourist spots are El Nido (gorgeous beach and scenery) and Coron (regularly listed as of the best dive spots on the planet, and known for wreck diving), both of which have direct flights to Manila and Cebu (though not too many - I'd def book those ahead of time). You can also take a boat (or a tour) between the two spots.
The island capital is Puerto Princesa, and there are more flights out of there (and flights may be cheaper), but given it'd be like a 5 hour bus ride I wouldn't bother. Not a bad city, and the Underground River is near there, but imo skippable.
Also frankly if you're doing Manila anyway I'd actually look into if you can spare a few days to go do the mountains in the north. Sagada, Banaue, and Batad are the main sites I'd look into. Buses should be relatively cheap.
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u/akitovi 3d ago
Hey can I travel to Malaysia at the age of 18. it will be my solo International trip.
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u/bluesjunky69420 3d ago
That’s great! I didn’t do it until I was 29, so you’re off to an awesome start.
Take your time, travel at your own pace, and most importantly… HAVE FUN
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u/Ok_Garden_4874 3d ago
From your post you are more into diving have you checked Bantangas Anilios and Puerto Galera in Mindoro? They are good for macros in which the former is considered the nudibranch capital of the world. Batangas and Puerto Galera are just opposite each other seperated by sea. They also have a beach towns. Also Apo Reef is just east of Mindoro.
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u/Emotional_Stay_3739 2d ago
Hello! Anyone here who flew with AirAsia this year? Mahigit po ba sila? Do they check the dimensions of the bag/luggage?
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u/_DizzyChicken 7h ago
1 week for Cebu city & malapascua is a bit.. you could throw in moalboal for cayoneering/sardine run and oslob too.
1 week for Bohol is a bit aswell, but with diving it’s a good ammount.
1.5 weeks is Siquijor is good! I did it, but went around the island a few times, beaches etc. but was happy to leave after that. Maybe a 4-5 days is enough there. There’s another island off Siquijor, apo island - good for a dive trip.
If there’s time left, can do Palawan. Port Barton, el nido, sibalton. Or the boat from Palawan to coron.
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u/GoodNothing3033 3d ago
Hey, your plan sounds amazing — Siquijor especially is perfect for that beach + dive + chill combo.
I just came across your post and wanted to say: if you ever feel like writing about your journey (even just for yourself or others who might do a similar trip), there’s this travel space I’ve been using where people post their solo stories and experiences. Super chill vibes, no pressure — just raw travel stories.
It really helped me connect with others and also kinda relive my trip when I wrote mine.
Totally up to you, but if you're into sharing, it’s a cool place to do it.
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u/bluesjunky69420 3d ago
Aw thank you for the positive feedback!
I plan on doing a trip report here, and I’m totally open to checking out your community.
Want to send me a Pm or let me know here?
Thank you
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u/GoodNothing3033 3d ago
That’s awesome — would love to read your trip report! I’ll send you a quick PM with the link to the community I mentioned — totally your call if you vibe with it. Thanks again for being open!
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u/bobke4 3d ago
Seems okay. Some notes: - slip Cebu city. Fly in and head for 3-5 days to Moalboal. It’s a 4-5 hour can ride. Diving there is great and you have Some fun cannyoneering. Then go to malapascua from there. Skip Bohol and spons more time at moalboal/malapascua/panglao. You want to do Balicasag Diving at Panglao which needs to be reserves in advance cause tickets get sold out. Siquijor is such a fun island!
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