Destination: Philippines

LONELY PLANET'S OFFICIAL ITINERARY INFORMATION

Itinerary: North–South Traverse

ONE TO TWO MONTHS

If you’ve got time and want to see a lot of the Philippines, start at the northern tip of Luzon and travel down to Mindanao, with the option of skipping Mindanao and exploring the eastern Visayas. You’ll cover between 2000km and 3000km; the route takes from one to two months.



Manila is the obvious place to start. After a couple of days exploring the capital, make your way north, to the Ilocos region. Heading south from here, you could hit the Cordillera region, stopping in Banaue to see the famous rice terraces, and Sagada to enjoy the cool mountain air. From Luzon, you can hop down to Puerto Galera on the island of Mindoro. If you don’t already have it, you could get your diving certification here, opening up a whole range of underwater possibilities for the rest of your trip.

From Puerto Galera, you could make your way across Mindoro and down to Boracay, for a few days of tropical indulgence on the white-sand beach there. From Boracay, you can make your way across Panay, hop to Negros, and then plunk down in Cebu City for some modern comforts. Cebu is a good jumping-off point for Bohol, with its famous Chocolate Hills, and the lovely islands of Malapascua and Bantayan.

From Cebu or Bohol, adventurous travellers can head south to Mindanao to check out the great diving and outdoor activities there. Off the coast of Mindanao, Camiguin Island is a great spot to while away a few sun-filled days. If you don’t want to visit Mindanao, you could head from Bohol to the eastern Visayas, starting in Leyte and then working your way up the scenic west coast of Samar. Finally, you could cross the San Bernardino Strait, which would bring you back to the main island of Luzon. Here, if the season is right, you could see the whale sharks off Donsol. Otherwise, you could check out Mt Mayon, a 2462m volcano near Legaspi, before heading back by bus to Manila.