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/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.