Philippines travel guide
With an archipelago so large, numerous and disparate, the Philippines is dizzyingly diverse – come for beautiful beaches, tribal cultures and volcanic landscapes
Demand a deserted tropical beach all to yourself? Done. Want rainforests, mountains, ancient tribal villages and terraced rice paddies? No problem. Won’t leave the house for anything less than world-class diving? Sorted.
Made up of more than 7,000 tropical islands, off-the-beaten-track Philippines is the second-largest archipelago in the world and has the answer to any travel diva’s most outlandish demands.
Most journeys start at the capital, Manila, on the main island of Luzon. This is the oldest city in the archipelago, with the historic centre usefully bounded by ancient city walls in the Intramuros area, with glimpsed sea-views from stone-built churches. The world's oldest Chinatown is found in Binondo, once-infamous Malate has descended into seediness while modern Manila's commercial centre of gravity has shifted a taxi-ride away to the Makati district.
There's plenty to see on Luzon itself. Highlights include the Unesco-registered rice terraces at Ifugao, Mount Pinatubo and the picture-poscard crater of Taal Volcano. There are also plenty of beach resorts catering for city-dwellers seeking escape but if a Bounty-advert paradise is what you're looking for it's back to the airport for an internal flight, or do as the locals do and head for a port.
Ferries reach out to the main island groups. Closest is Mindoro, with low-key beach-hut resorts lining endless beaches and a jungled interior hiding indigenous tribes, but it's also got some of the archipelago's best diving, with Apo Reef internationally renowned.
Palawan stretches out across the Sulu Sea and is famous for its exotic wildlife, descendants of escapees from a zoo project that foundered in the heat, but it's also home to the Bacuit Archipelago of small islands, paradise for millionaires and backpackers alike.
Most of the central islands are known as the Visayas. This is where you'll find the famous party beaches of Borocay, consistently voted the best in Asia, the country's second city, Cebu and the humped 'Chocolate Hills' of Bohol Island.
Finally, there's Mindanao, the second-largest island of the archipelago, including the island of Camiguin, where there are more volcanoes than towns, and Samal, with bat-filled caves and atmospheric dive wrecks.
Few direct flights from Europe have kept mass tourism at bay, but that can't last forever. The time to visit the Philippines is now.
Wanderlust recommends
- Dive Wrecks. WWII naval battles played out in the seas around the Philippines, as Japan tussled with America for control of the Pacific. Countless battleships were sunk in the shallows, with perhaps the best off Palawan, the Philippines’ 'wild west' island
- Trek a Volcano. The 1991 eruption of hot-tempered Mount Pinatubo was the second-largest in the 20th century and saw villages and towns buried in mud. A trek to the hot core gives a vivid glimpse of the earth's power, and the resourcefulness of the locals, who use the mud to make plates for sale.
- Go to Church. While tribal minorities cling to animism, urban Filipinos are overwhelmingly Christian. Watch out for Saints Days and Fiestas: all are celebrated in style. San Agostin in Manila's Intramuros District is the oldest - and, perhaps, the grandest - church
- Climb the Chocolate Hills. The heart of the island of Bohol is covered in iconic limestone bumps, said to be the tears of a broken-hearted giant. It's a good excuse to visit this island as it has beaches to match any other
- Chill out on Sugar Beach. If partying's not your thing, Borocay's no good anymore. Smart backpackers with a taste for peace are better off at Langub Beach (Sugar Beach) at Sipalay
- Terraced Treasure. The Ifugao's ampitheatre of rice terraces has rightly been listed by Unesco: spreading magnificently up a valley it rivals any more conventional architectural acheivement. Best, you can explore on foot, in peace, with farmers' wives at home to offer coffee and snacks
Wanderlust tips
Standards vary widely on the live-aboard boats that take divers to the more remote diving sites. Few vessels meet required safety standards so check very carefully that the boat you board is safe and seaworthy before you part with your cash.