5-Day Philippines Itinerary

Day 1

🌿 Nature & Outdoors

4 places

El Nido

Limestone karst cliffs rise straight out of water so clear you can count the fish from a kayak. The lagoons, Big and Small, are surrounded by walls of jungle-covered rock that block out everything except the sound of water dripping off stalactites. It gets crowded by midday but the 6am boat tours are still almost empty, and that's the only way to do it properly.

Also nearby

Intramuros

Banaue Rice Terraces

San Agustin Church

Day 2

🌿 Nature & Outdoors

4 places

natural

Chocolate Hills

Over 1,200 grass-covered limestone mounds spread across 50 square kilometres, turning brown in the dry season and earning the name. The viewing deck at Carmen gives the best panorama but the real trick is renting a scooter and riding through the hills at ground level where the scale actually hits you. They're geological oddities, coral deposits lifted by tectonic activity, and they look completely unreal.

Also nearby

Magellan's Cross

Siquijor Island

Kawasan Falls

Day 3

🌿 Nature & Outdoors

4 places

natural

Cloud 9

A reef break that puts out one of the most consistent right-hand barrel waves in the Pacific. The wooden boardwalk tower is the viewing spot even if you don't surf, watching the locals thread through hollow waves at dawn is free entertainment. The island itself has transformed from a fishing village into a surf-and-coconut scene but hasn't lost its edge yet. General Luna town has the food and the nightlife.

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Also nearby

historic

MacArthur Landing Memorial

Hanging Coffins

Batan Island

Day 4

🌿 Nature & Outdoors

4 places

natural

Puerto Princesa Underground River

An 8.2-kilometre navigable underground river that flows directly into the South China Sea. The cavern system has cathedral-sized chambers with stalactites and stalagmites formed over millions of years. The boat tour covers about 4 kilometres and the guides use spotlights to point out formations shaped like horses and mushrooms. You need a permit, book through the tourist office a day ahead because daily entries are capped.

Also nearby

Rizal Park

Coron Island

White Beach

Day 5

🌿 Nature & Outdoors

4 places

natural

Mount Apo

The highest peak in the Philippines at 2,954 metres. The two-to-three day climb passes through rainforest, sulphur vents, and mossy boulder fields before reaching the summit with views across Mindanao. You need a climbing permit and a registered guide, the mountain is sacred to the indigenous Bagobo people. The hot springs at Lake Agco on the eastern approach are a good staging point and a reward on the way back down.

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Also nearby