The Philippines is one of the countries where you can get the city and islands all in one place. If you have finally decided to plan your trip to this Southeast Asian country, we can recommend this Philippines travel itinerary for 10 days.
Related Read: Why Visit the Philippines? 10 Reasons Why You Must!
This itinerary will help you plan where to go, where to stay, how to get there and budget ideas for your travel. But be warned – this is intense but will let you see the best of what the Philippines has to offer. So let’s start planning your trip to the Philippines!
Best Time to Visit the Philippines
The Philippines is a tropical country which means we experience only rainy and sunny season — in between typhoon season too. From June to November, you’ll expect to experience heavy and continuous downpour with typhoons coming one after another. Sunny season falls in the months of December to May which means you should visit during these months.
10 Days Philippines Itinerary: Palawan – Bohol – Boracay
If you only have 10 days in the Philippines – you will want to make the most of those days. Below is a map of the Philippines and showing the places we are recommending for you to visit in the country. Just note this 10 days itinerary is full-packed and needs you to pre-book your flights and ferries in advance.
Here’s an overview of this 10 Day Philippines Travel Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival in the Philippines (Manila/Cebu)
Day 2: Early flight from Manila/Cebu to Coron Palawan and explore Coron upon arrival
Day 3: Ferry from Coron to El Nido
Day 4: Explore and Beach Hopping in El Nido
Day 5: Fly from El Nido to Bohol (direct flight via Airswift)
Day 6: Bohol Countryside Tour to the Chocolate Hills and Tarsier
Day 7: Ferry ride from Bohol to Cebu and flight from Cebu to Caticlan, Boracay
Day 8: Boracay Island tour and beach hopping
Day 9: Relax at the beach/Beach day
Day 10: Fly out from Caticlan, Boracay to Manila/Cebu
Day 1 : Arrival in the Philippines
There are two major airports and cities you can arrive in the Philippines. The first one is in Manila – Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) or in Cebu – Mactan Cebu International Airport. Most international flights arrive in Manila and there are also many connections to all the islands in the Philippines from Manila. If you arrive in the morning, you have some time to see the city and also check out the nightlife. So on this 10 Day Philippines itinerary, Day 1 can be arrival in the Philippines, check in at a hotel near the airport and visit some of the bars in Makati, Poblacion at night.
Where to stay in Manila? Check out the best hotels to stay near Manila Airport.
Day 2 – : Fly to Coron Palawan
One of the top islands and beaches in the world are located in Palawan. Don’t just take my word for it, it’s actually in this travel and leisure list. There are many early flights from Manila/Cebu to Coron Palawan that you can take. I suggest taking the earliest 5AM flight so that you can arrive just in time in Coron for the island hopping tour that usually start at 9:30AM. You can read this guide to the best Coron Island hopping tours to help you choose your trip.
Related Read: Best Coron Luxury Resort Accommodation
After your island hopping tour, go to one of the seafood restaurants in Coron town for dinner and get a relaxing sleep. You can also read this for the best Coron tourist spots to visit.
Day 3 : Coron to El Nido Ferry / Flight
Depending on your budget, you have two options to get from Coron to El Nido. One is to take a longer 5 hour ferry ride from Coron at 6 or 7am and arriving in El Nido around noon. The fastest but more expensive option is to fly direct via Airswift from Coron which takes only 1 hour.
Upon arrival in El Nido, check in and hire a tricycle to bring you to Nacpan Beach. This is a beautiful long stretch of white powdery-sand beach about 45 minutes away from El Nido town. You can rest, have lunch and relax here for the day.
Where to Stay in El Nido? Here are 10 of the best luxury resort accommodation to choose from.
Day 4 : El Nido Island Hopping Tour
This 10 day itinerary won’t be complete without doing an island hopping tour in El Nido. One of the best beaches in the world can be found here. You have the option to book your tour online or check the many travel agencies in El Nido offering these packages. There are many types of tour they offer, I would recommend for first timers to do Island Hopping tour A for the highlights of El Nido. This is a whole day activity which includes lunch and snorkeling too.
After the tour, make sure to head out to Las Cabanas Resort or Maremeg Beach Club for sunset as this is the best area to do it. Dinner there is also great!
Day 5 : Fly from El Nido to Bohol / Optional Cebu
The best way to get from El Nido to Bohol is via a direct flight from Airswift. Although they don’t do a daily fliht, you can opt to fly also from El Nido to Cebu and take the ferry from Cebu to Bohol. Stay at one of the best resorts accommodation in Bohol to make your trip better!
Upon arrival in Bohol, hire a tricycle to bring you to Hinagdanan Cave in Panglao. This is a beautiful underwater cave which is very child-friendly and accessible. Then dinner at Bohol Bee Farm after.
Related Read: Ultimate Travel Guide to Panglao Island Bohol
Day 6 : Bohol Countryside Tour to the Chocolate Hills
One of the best places to visit in the Philippines is Bohol. It combines tropical island feel to eco-tourism and nature. You’ll be seeing the world’s smallest primate – Philippine Tarsier, have lunch aboard a floating restaurant while floating along emerald-green waters of Loboc River and finally get to see one of the wonders of the world – the Chocolate Hills.
This is a whole day activity and you’ll be back at your hotel in Panglao after a few hours. Make sure to go to Alona Beach for dinner and sunset also.
Day 7 : Ferry ride to Cebu and fly out to Caticlan, Boracay
Enjoy your last morning in Bohol and then head out to Tagbilaran Port to take the ferry from Bohol to Cebu. This will take about 2 hours to get to Cebu and then fly out from Cebu to Caticlan, Boracay.
If you take an afternoon flight from Cebu to Caticlan, Boracay. You will arrive just in time for sunset. Make sure you stay at one of the best beachfront hotels in Station 1 of White Beach to make the most of your Boracay trip.
Day 8 : Island Hopping/Island Day Tour
On the 8th day of this 10 day Philippines itinerary, get up earlier than usual. Wake up to the beauty of Boracay by going on an early walk and choose to either go on an island hopping tour or a land tour of the island of Boracay. I suggest to do the land tour and go beach hopping to some of the many beautiful beaches on the island. There are also many Boracay water activities you can do after the beach hopping and just take in the island at its finest.
Day 9 : Free Day
Enjoy your day by sunbathing, swimming and just relaxing along the beach and have food at some of the best restaurants on the island.
Day 10: Fly out of Boracay
Final day of your 10 day Philippine itinerary. Caticlan airport has daily flight connections to Manila or Cebu so you’ll be able to choose your departure time easily.
So there you are, our best 10-day Philippines travel itinerary for you to make the most of your trip to the country. Of course, you can rearrange this itinerary to fit your needs but we definitely recommend going to these 3 places.
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD ULTIMATE 10 DAY ITINERARY PDF GUIDE
Have you ever been to the Philippines? Which is a must visit place for you?
| GO AROUND PHILIPPINES USEFUL TIPS AND LINKS |
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| BOOK YOUR FLIGHTS To travel around the Philippines, there are 3 local commercial airlines. Cebu Pacific Air, AirAsia and Philippine Airlines. Smaller airlines called AirSwift (El Nido, Boracay) and Royal Air also fly to limited destinations. Book your local flights here. For international flights, I found Kiwi and Trip.com have cheaper flight options to the Philippines. |
| BOOK YOUR ACCOMMODATION There are many choices of hotels, hostels, apartments and guesthouses to stay in the Philippines. Book through AGODA for the cheapest options and Booking.com. I also use Hotelscombined to see all prices from different websites to choose from. |
| BOOK YOUR BUS/FERRY/VAN/CAR The Philippines can be difficult to go around because many buses, ferries and even private vehicles are offline. The best websites to book them are through Bookaway.com and 12GoAsia – they have many partners in different destinations and you can purchase tickets online. Car rentals are also available for you to choose from here. |
| BOOK YOUR PACKAGE TOURS If you don’t know where to go and just want a hassle free trip to the Philippines, you can find package trips to different destinations with Klook – I recommend them for local tours and activities or Get Your Guide. |
| DON’T FORGET YOUR TRAVEL INSURANCE |
| It is very important to be safe and ready whenever accidents happen, especially in the Philippines where some places don’t have quality hospitals and clinics. I use Safety Wings for whenever I travel in the Philippines or abroad. |
| Have you got any questions about traveling to the Philippines? Join our Philippines Travel Planning FB Page to get your answers. Don’t know how to start planning your Philippines trip? You can start here. |
Angie is a travel consultant and blogger who has started by writing her travel memoirs on her blog and then got published on international travel sites. She’s now focused on creating in-depth travel itinerary and articles about planning trips to the Philippines.
