Best 2 Weeks in Philippines Itinerary (Travel Guide 2024)

Traveling the Philippines is complicated because the Philippines is an archipelago of more than 7,000 islands,🏝️ and to get to all the best spots you are going to have to fly✈️ or take a ferry.🚢 This 2 Weeks in the Philippines itinerary will allow you to see the absolute highlights (best 3 or 4 spots) that the islands have to offer. There will be a lot of planes and boats, but it will all be worth it in the end. ✨ 🚀

The Philippines is one of our favorite places in the world. The best spots are absolutely STUNNING, and the country has THE most friendly people we have ever met.

We have traveled around the Philippines TWICE, and have created this itinerary to help you fellow travelers out there. We’ve made a ton of mistakes, and share all of our tips and tricks here in this guide. Allow us to share with you our 2 Weeks in Philippines Itinerary…

If you have more time, check out our 3 Weeks in Philippines Itinerary🇵🇭

Table of Contents

Overview – 2 Weeks in Philippines Itinerary

Daily Breakdown ☀️

The Philippines is a bit different than other countries, in that planning for your trip here will go a LONG WAY to minimizing hassle and annoyance. Since the spots are very spread out, you are going to want to make sure you are organized and know where you are going before you get here. We recommend booking flights in advance as the prices go up the longer you wait.

🛌 Here are all your hotel options in Manila

Day 1 – Land in Manila

Pretty much all international flights will land in Manila. Manila is a HUGE and densely populated city. In fact, it is the most densely populated city in the world. We recommend you spend the least amount of time possible in Manila. If you land in Manila in the morning, fly to Coron in the afternoon/night. If you land at night then you are going to have to stay in Manila for a night. Try to stay near the airport so you don’t have to fight the awful Manila traffic getting to and from the airport!

If you’re looking for a luxury hotel to stay at in Manila, we recommend the Shangri-La in Bonifacio Global City. This is the nicest hotel we have ever stayed at – anywhere in the world. Bonifacio Global City (BCG) is a super upscale neighborhood that doesn’t even feel like the Philippines. You’ll feel like you’re in Hong Kong or Singapore when you’re walking around here.

➡️ Top 10 Things to Do in Manila

Day 2 – Manila to Coron

Fly to Coron. It’s a short flight of less than an hour. From the airport, it’s about a 30 minute drive to Coron town in a shared van. The van will drop you off right at your hotel.

Put your stuff down, then hike up Mt Tapyas to catch the sunset. The hike up should take about 15-20 minutes, so make sure you give yourself enough time to hike up the mountain. Trust us, you do not want to miss this view. This is definitely one of the coolest views we have ever seen anywhere in the world.

Once you get to the top, our suggestion is to walk to the back of the mountain where you can explore the trails and have a more peaceful view of the sunset. Most people just sit right at the top of the stairs, but this area gets pretty crowded and we found it much more enjoyable to walk around to the back where we could enjoy the sunset pretty much to ourselves!

🛏️ Book Your Hotel in Coron HERE

Day 3 – Coron

You have two full days in Coron. One should be used for island hopping, and another should be used for exploring the island on a motor bike/tricycle. If you don’t feel like exploring the island, then you could definitely do both days of island hopping as there are multiple tours to go on.

Coron island hopping is pretty impressive. Expect to be out exploring from 8 AM – 4 PM, with lunch included. Something to note when considering the price of island hopping is all the extra stuff that’s not included. When we signed up for Tour A, the price was 1100 PHP per person. But once we got to the port, we realized this did not include a kayak or snorkeling gear. Our group of 3 paid an extra 1500 PHP among us for the kayak, then 150 PHP per person for the snorkeling gear.

🛶 Book Tour A in Coron HERE

Both of these were pretty necessary as there were some people who chose not to get the kayak, and they were just sitting on the boat for an hour at some stops while we went off exploring caves and islands. We would recommend renting the kayak. Same goes for the snorkeling gear.

Since you are only Island-Hopping once in Coron, we recommend doing the Ultimate Tour. This will allow you to see everything there is to see!

⚓️ Book the Ultimate Tour in Coron HERE

Day 4 – Coron

On your final day in Coron, rent a motorbike and head to Cabo Beach. It’s about a 20 minute ride from Coron town. Cabo Beach is a beautiful beach to relax for a few hours. Make sure you have enough water as you can’t buy water or food at this beach, it’s pretty remote.

After Cabo beach, head to Maquinit Hot Springs for sunset. These hot springs are beautiful and clean and overlook the ocean. Most people head here for sunset as it’s not that appetizing to bathe in hot springs during the midday Coron heat!

☀️The BEST Things to Do in Coron – GEM of The Philippines

Day 5 – Coron to El Nido

Unfortunately almost all ferries head to El Nido at 7 AM, so you’re going to have to wake up early to catch the ferry. From Coron town, catch the tricycle to the ticket office to buy your ferry ticket. Our ferry cost 3800 PHP per person (expensive!) and the ride was 5 hours.

The ferry is very comfortable and spacious, and is by far the nicest ferry we’ve been on in the Philippines. Most riders are tourists and there’s hardly any locals on this ferry. Everyone on our ferry had a whole row to lay down and sleep in during the ride.

🛳️ Book Your Ferry to El Nido HERE

Once you get to El Nido, you can easily walk to anywhere in town from the port. You’ll dock in El Nido around 12 PM so you should be able to check-in wherever you are staying. We recommend staying near the town of El Nido for convenience. If you stay out of the town you’re going to need to worry about transportation anytime you want to eat or head to the beach or anything.

For your first afternoon/night in El Nido we recommend hanging out on the beach in El Nido, and catching the sunset in town. The other option is to hop on a tricycle and head to Corong-Corong Beach to catch the sunset. The trike ride from El Nido to Corong-Corong should be about 150 PHP.

It’s important to note that you can’t see the sun set over the ocean from the El Nido beach because the cliff blocks the view. This is why a lot of people head over to Corong-Corong to watch the sunset.

🏨 View Your Accommodation Options in El Nido

Day 6 –El Nido

Your first day in El Nido should be spent “Island Hopping”. We recommend Tour Z, which is much different from the more popular tours A-D. Tour Z is focused on avoiding the crowds of El Nido, and is much more social and relaxing. The tour is done on a big and spacious boat with tons of food and drinks.

If you’re looking to fit in and do what most do in El Nido, then do Tour A. This is by far the most popular tour and you’ll see the most popular spots.

👉 Read: What to Do in El Nido in 2024 🛶

Day 7 – El Nido

Today is your day to rent a motor bike and explore the beaches to the North of El Nido. We recommend renting a bike in town (ideally your hotel rents out bikes), and heading to Lio Beach, Nacpan Beach, and Duli Beach … in that order. We paid 500 PHP per day to rent a bike from our hotel.

The farther you get from El Nido, the less crowds you will face at the beaches, so keep this in mind.

The road to Duli Beach at the end isn’t that great, and you should probably have some confidence on a motor bike if you’re going to do this. It’s not paved and can get very rocky and/or sandy at some points. But if you’re feeling adventurous you can definitely do it! (We fell on our motorbike coming back from Duli Beach because of deep sand coming down a hill, but no injuries at all because of how slow we were going!)

If you’re not super adventurous, we would say just do Lio Beach and Nacpan Beach, then head back to Corong-Corong to catch the sunset. Duli Beach is probably for the more hard core tourists who are willing to put in the effort to get to a remote beach.

No matter what you choose you really can’t mess this day up…

Day 8 – El Nido

If you’re an adventure seeker, then this morning is your time to hike Taraw Peak (jagged cliffs behind El Nido town). If you want a complete guide to this hike, I recommend this post. You are going to need to hire a guide and you are going to need to be confident in your hiking ability as there are very sharp rocks and the hike is very steep in the El Nido humidity. You are also going to have to do this very early in the morning before it gets too hot. Good luck.

For the rest of you, we recommend you head to Corong-Corong Beach and rent a kayak. For the day, expect to pay around 500 PHP. For the afternoon, expect to pay around 300 PHP. From Corong-Corong there are tons of spots to explore on the nearby islands. There is tons of wildlife and remote beaches to explore as there aren’t too many people taking out kayaks in this area compared to all the people going off on island hopping tours!

Day 9 – El Nido to Siargao

Lucky for you, there is an airport near El Nido. A lot of people choose to take the 6 hour van ride south to Puerto Princesa because it’s a bigger airport and the flights are cheaper, but with only two weeks in the Philippines, you don’t have time to waste. Plus, the van ride is absolutely treacherous. Every traveler has a story about this van ride, trust us. Best to avoid it.

Head to the El Nido Airport (15 minutes from El Nido town), fly to Manila, then fly to Siargao. The flight from El Nido to Manila hovers around $100. The flight from Puerto Princesa to Manila hovers around $40 – $60. The flight from El Nido is definitely more expensive, but in our opinion, it’s worth it.

🚐 Book Your Van from El Nido to Puerto Princesa Here

On your first night in Siargao, we recommend catching a sunset at Cloud 9 Pier. You’ll definitely visit this pier multiple times during your time on the island.

When we came to Siargao, we stayed at the wonderful Greenhouse Siargao Boutique Apartments, which was absolutely amazing! Right on the beach, 5 minutes outside the crowds of General Luna, with an amazing on-site restaurant and very friendly staff. It was hard to convince us to leave this place!

🏨 View All Your Accomodation Options in Siargao

Day 10 – Siargao

Your first day in Siargao can be spent island hopping on the islands around Siargao. A common one is the 3 Islands Tour and usually includes hotel pick up and drop off. (lunch on one of the islands as well) Here is a comprehensive guide to island-hopping in Siargao. Expect to be out from around 8 AM until 4 or 5 PM.

🛶 Book the Famous Tri-Islands Tour HERE

Day 11 – Siargao

Rent a motorbike in General Luna (where everyone stays) and head up to the Magpupungko Rock Pools. The road to the pools takes you right through Palm Viewpoint aka Coconut Road. This is one of the most amazing sights we have ever seen, and my personal favorite spot in Siargao. Make sure you stop and take some pictures here.You can also do the Rope Swing at Maasin Secret River on your way to the Rock Pools.

🌊 Top 10 Things to Do in Siargao

Day 12 – Siargao

Spend your last full day in Siargao exploring the island. Or, head to Pacifico Beach. Or take a surf lesson at Cloud 9. (just pull up to Cloud 9 in the morning and there will be 10 Filipino dudes begging to give you a surf lesson) Siargao is a small and safe island and there is so much to be discovered by motor bike. 

Also: 👉 Check out our Top 7 Things to Do in Siquijor 👈

Day 13 – Siargao toManila

If you have time in Manila, we recommend you explore Intramuros (the walled city) built by the Spanish, then catch a sunset at Manila Bay. Manila is an awful city to visit as the traffic is horrible and the city is really dirty and polluted, but if you have time we think this is something everyone should visit once if they come to the Philippines. (However, the district of BCG within Manila is stunning – You’ll feel like your in Hong Kong or Singapore when you come here!)

🚶‍♂️Book the best Intramuros tour HERE ⬅️

We recommend you stay in the upscale neighborhoods of Makati or BGC when you come to Manila. These are close to the airport, and very nice and safe! We stayed at the Shangri-La in BGC and to this day it’s probably the nicest hotel we’ve every stayed in!

🏨 Book Your Hotel in Manila HERE

Day 14 – Manila to Home Country

Sadly your time in The Philippines has come to an end. Get to the airport and fly back to your home country. Make sure you leave enough time to get to the airport as the traffic in Manila is awful.

SEE: 👉 The Perfect 2 Week Turkey Itinerary 🇹🇷 (Our Favorite Country in the World!)

Is the Philippines Safe? ⚠️

We traveled all around the country, and not once did we ever feel unsafe. This always blows our mind when we travel. The people in the Philippines are some of the poorest (materially) we have ever seen anywhere in the world. Much poorer than Latin America. But there is almost no violence. Tourists don’t get robbed in the Philippines. The locals are welcoming. You won’t ever feel unsafe, especially in the tourist spots you’re heading to. The people in this country are our favorite in the whole world.

🍌 Is Ecuador Safe to Visit in 2024 ??

The only thing about the Philippines that you will hear from the locals is that the South Province of Mindanao is unsafe because of terrorism. We can’t comment on this as we didn’t go to Mindanao. Almost no tourists go to Mindanao.

Things to Know Before You Go – 2 Weeks in Philippines Itinerary 💭

For some more travel tips, checkout our Top 11 Philippines Travel Tips!

The Philippines is not as cheap as it should be

Nothing like Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, etc … Which is really interesting because the quality of what you get here is in many ways much worse than these other affordable countries in Southeast Asia. Food is decently expensive, especially in the touristy places. Expect to pay about $10 for a meal. Transportation (ferries, planes) can be quite expensive as well. Planes can be cheap if you book well in advance. A lot of people are shocked when they come to the Philippines and realize what a bad deal it is financially in terms of how much you pay and how little quality you get. Be prepared for this.

Filipino food is not good

Sorry, but you’re not going to want to eat the local food when you come here. It’s not like other Asian countries. Which means you’re going to have to spend more to get international food when you’re. here. Most local Filipino food involves a ton of highly processed, fatty meats, a fried egg, vegetables loaded up with vinegar, and a cup of Coke.

Pack light.

When you fly domestically in the Philippines, it’s really hard to get your big backpack on the plane. Meaning there is someone waiting outside of security who tells you that you have to check your bag. The planes are small here, and it’s hard to get away with bringing your big bag on the plane. You’re going to have to pay $30-40 extra every time you fly to check your bag. We recommend you pack lightly so you don’t have to pay this extra fee the 3-4 times you fly domestically while you’re in the Philippines. It will also be a lot easier for walking around if you only have one backpack to carry.

👕 We highly recommend getting some Merino Wool for your trip!

A lot of places on the islands don’t accept card.

Make sure you carry enough cash with you. I always try to use my Capital One Venture X Travel Credit Card when I go abroad, but most places outside of Manila were cash only. (or charged an extra fee to use card)

💸 Our Favorite Travel Credit Cards

If you’re American, I always use my Fidelity Cash Management ATM card to get money out of the ATM. (they reimburse all ATM fees) Another one that people talk about a lot is the Charles Schwab Debit Card. You definitely want to make sure you’re not paying fees!

💳 The Best Debit Card for Foreign Travel.

You are going to have to drive a motor bike if you want to experience the islands to the fullest.

Renting a motor bike on your own allows you to be free and see sights at your own pace. Also, taking a trike/taxi to all the spots you want to see on the island simply isn’t feasible. You’re going to need to be ok driving a motor bike in the Philippines.

In most places, English will not be a problem.

Most Filipinos in the touristy areas speak English. Technically English is an official language of the country, although this does not mean everyone will actually be able to speak English.

Transportation within cities and towns is pretty cheap.

In all the touristy places there a ton of tricycles everywhere you go, and you can get pretty much anywhere with this. Expect to pay anywhere from 50 – 200 PHP for a ride. We found these to be very affordable.

Pretty much everywhere in the Philippines adds on a bunch of useless fees that make no sense.

An example would be when you take a ferry between islands, you have to pay a ‘terminal fee’ on top of your ticket price just to enter the terminal. It’s also common to have to pay an ‘environmental fee’ anywhere you go somewhere new (like Coron immediately when you leave the airport), or when you visit the touristy spots in El Nido. The Philippines is the king of adding useless bureaucracy to things that don’t need it. (which is why this country is much more expensive than it should be)

Notable Places Not Included in 2 Weeks in Philippines Itinerary 💎

Bohol – Bohol is quite different than other places you visit in the Philippines, as the attractions are inland here, as opposed to on the beach. There is the famous Chocolate Hills, the Man-Made Forest, and Targier Sanctuary, as well as a bunch of amazing waterfalls to visit.

👉 Check out our Top Things to Do in Bohol 👈

Siquijor – This is a small island south of Cebu. This was one of our favorite places to visit as there is one road on the island, and you can take your motorbike around it in a day. This island is much cheaper and less touristy than Siargao and Palawan. For 2 weeks in the Philippines, you just don’t have time to come here.

**Bohol and Siquijor are included in our 3 Weeks in Philippines Itinerary**

Luzon – Most travelers don’t travel North of Manila as this part is not as touristy as Siargao and Palawan. Luzon is very large and spread out, but if you have time there are some amazing things to see here such as Sagada and the Banaue Rice Terraces.

👉 Check out our Is Sagada Worth Visiting in 2024? 👈

Boracay – This is the most traveled to island in the Philippines for tourism. We’ve never been here as we’ve heard Siargao and Palawan are more beautiful, and Boracay is just a very touristy party beach. This island has had a lot of problems with over tourism in the past.

Summary – 2 Weeks in Philippines Itinerary

The Philippines is a place unlike any other in the world, and we are sure you will have an unforgettable experience on the islands! In our opinion, everyone should visit The Philippines once in their life. It is very different from the rest of Southeast Asia.

Enjoy your trip, we’ll answer any questions in the comments!