Philippines Itinerary
Philippines is an island country of Southeast Asia . It consists of more than 7000+ islands, each one offering a rich biodiversity ranging from tropical rain forests to world class beaches, beautiful islands and diverse range of flora and fauna. Manila is the capital of Philippines. It is the one of cheapest country in the world where you can travel. Philippines currency is called Peso which is PHP, 1 Peso = 1.49 INR & 0.02 USD
We went to Philippines for our Honeymoon. This was not our actual plan as we were supposed to go to Santorini, Greece. But our visa got rejected due to local travel agency and then we planned our trip to Singapore.
Thomas Cook help us out for Singapore Visa from which one can travel to many other neighboring countries and Philippines is one of them.
We traveled in the month of April when the climate of Philippines is dry and with some rain. To get even cheaper options try to visit in off season to avoid overcrowding which is between June – Sept and best time to travel is between Dec – Feb.
There are three main islands in Philippines where travelers prefer to go
1: Palawan
2: Cebu & Bohol
3: Siargao
Philippines have many active volcanoes as well. So we wanted to include one Volcano for our trip so the route which we took was :
Day 1 : We landed Manila around 6 Pm and took a Grab Taxi to an Airbnb hotel – Admiral Baysuites which had an entire 1 BHK apartment for us and it was on the 48th floor with sea view. This apartment was very cheap compared to those in Singapore as we were coming from Singapore and Seven eleven was around the corner from where we bought Sim card.
The Sim Card which we bought was Globe Sim Card which was around 40 PHP where you need to pay more money for internet and they call it load for internet.
Manila has a lot to offer but we were not into big metro cities and many travelers like us don’t waste time and directly take next flight to some island to relax on Philippines beaches. But if you are still planning to look around Manila then there is one active volcano Taal which last erupted in Jan 2020.
We booked our next day flight tickets after confirming from locals that Mt Mayon is open and we can go and visit till top where ATV is allowed. We had our dinner in New Bombay Indian Restaurant.
legazpi
Day 2 : Legazpi is a small city which attracts adventure Tourism in Philippines mainly because of world famous Mount Mayon.
It is breathtaking to watch an Active Volcano and Mayon is visible from plane & even after landing it is visible from the runway as well. We arrived Legazpi around 2 Pm took a Taxi and went to our hotel.
Hotel in which we stayed – Embarcaderohotel
This hotel was inside a mall where we had everything along with many other accommodations facility. We stayed in Sea Side Loft Twin from which the sea and Mt Mayon was visible from our window and the room from inside was like duplex house. We even booked our ATV tour from hotel only.
Everyone comes Legazpi to get a glimpse of Mayon Volcano from the top but due to its last eruption in Jan 2018 government has banned tourist to go all the way to the top and now tourists are allowed to go till the point where trekking starts. So the end point can be reached by ATV. Mayon ATV trail is recognized as one of the best ATV Trails in the world.
You can book from – Your Brother Travel and Tours
Day 3 : A car came to pick us up around 7:30 Am and after 30 mins ride we were at “Your brother travels and tours” location where they had 100’s of impressive ATVs lined up to go for the trail. So for next 20 mins we had the briefing about how to ride and how to be safe and wear helmet & mask. We selected one big two seater ATV and were accompanied by one guide who had his own ATV.
So we started around 8:30 when the weather was still good and this was me riding ATV for the very first time and what an experience it was following the guide with my wife seating behind me to an unknown territory where Volcano has erupted 58 times. This feeling was speechless and after 20 mins of riding we reached a small town from where we have to walk on the exact trails where volcano erupted in 2018. We could see the rock formation which was all black due to lava and we were walking on it to reach the first viewing point where there was a Helipad and there it was standing tall and covered with clouds revolving around it. Seeing Mayon was an experience which cannot be described and you need to personally visit to witness it.
While returning back they had Zipline from which we came back to our ATV and started again for the second Viewing point. This time we were riding on proper inclined mountain which was actually a volcano. I have been to many mountains including highest motorable road in the world on bike but to ride ATV on this active volcano where only we were present was a different kind of experience and remember we were on our honeymoon. I was into my elements enjoying the view while riding on an active volcano from which smoke was coming out which was a mixture of water vapor, carbon dioxide & sulfur gases.
We reached the top which was the last checkpoint of ATV and from here if government would have allowed we would have trekked till the very top but never the less the view was spectacular. One side it was Mayon and other side it was Legazpi city surrounded by sea. Now we were above clouds so were able to see Mayon clearly which is always surrounded by clouds if you see it from Legazpi. This was my best day in whole trip and for the first time i went Facebook Live (click here) showing my friends Mt Mayon and bird eye view of Legazpi city.
Around 11:00 Am we started coming back where half way my wife realized that bag was missing and it has fallen somewhere from our ATV. In it I had my GoPro, Dslr and Speaker which was worth around 80-85k. I panicked and informed my guide who went up again to check while we both waited, after 20 mins he came back empty handed where we again decided to go till the very top together. But we did not found any bag and came back empty handed. I was crushed and I could not believe. The owner of “Your Brother Travels and tour” sent a team of 4 guides to check again and gave me assurance that they will find it and they sent us back to out hotel. Around 7 Pm in the evening I got a call from owner and he informed me that bag was found by the villagers where it was roll down the mountain and fallen down near a villager house. Villagers were demanding money and i agreed and next morning i went back to collect my bag. The whole night I was worried that my camera gadgets are in good shape or not and thankfully they were. I would like to seriously suggest “Your Brother Travels and tour” for your ATV tour for Mayon.
The same night I arranged a rented scooter. You can rent bikes from – BRB Motorcycle Rental. They did not take any security deposit, I only gave them one original ID Proof.
Note : If you are Vegetarian and want to survive in countries where there are limited options then always travel with packed food which needs hot water for cooking. Or eat pizza sometimes even if they don’t have veg Pizza you can tell them to add only cheese and serve.
Day 4 : Today was a leisure day so we took our rented scooter and went around Legazpi city to check out what it has to offer us other then Volcano. So first we went to Legazpi sign board from where Mayon was visible. Actually Mayon was visible from every corner in this city. Later we went to Busay Falls which was 23 Kms from our hotel. The route was scenic as we were surrounded by sea. When we arrived at waterfall, we were the only tourist present there and rest all were locals. It even started rainy and we got wet while coming back to city.
We had our lunch at Indian restaurant called – Chachi’s Kitchen
Note : Always find places/restaurants/activities on internet which interests near you area and go explore it. Always keep your plans flexible.
We had a flight to Cebu around 5 Pm which takes 1.5 Hrs. So we reached Cebu booked our hotel near Airport called – Amaris Bed and Breakfast. After freshning up we went to nearby Indian Restaurant – Taj Indian Restaurant. The owner of this restaurant was a Sardar so we asked him where to go next. We were confused between Cebu or Bohol as we only had 3 days left and wanted to explore the island on bike. He suggested us to go to Bohol as Bohol had more adventure activities compared to Cebu.
In Cebu you must do Whale shark diving in Oslob which is situated at south most part of Cebu Island. I wanted to do it but my wife was afraid of water so we decided to skip it and go Bohol.
Bohol
Day 5 : We took a 10 AM ferry from Cebu which takes around 2 hrs to reach Bohol. You must take your own packed food before boarding because it is quite costly inside ferry. We stayed in a very cozy hotel called – Casa Genaro Bed and Breakfast on the edge of south Bohol which had it’s own small separate island known as where you can do a round-trip on bike within 40 mins. This hotel was 15 mins away from the port and was in a posh area of the city.
Without wasting anytime I went to nearby shop to rent a bike. I rented Honda XR150 which is my favorite touring bike. I even rented the same bike when I did a Road Trip from North to South of Vietnam (Read Here). After renting bike finally on day 5 in Philippines it was time for us to enjoy our first proper sunset at the beach. We went to Panglao Island which was surrounded by beautiful beaches all around. If you want to stay in Panglao Island then stay in Tawala which is the most happening place on this island.
You can rent bike from – Rent ME
Adventure with Tarsier & Chocolate hills
Day 6 : It was time to explore Bohol on the bike which included a visit to Tarsier Century & Chocolate Hills. Tarsiers are very shy animals that prefer to stay away from human contact. They are on a verge of extinction and only less than 10000 are left around the world. They are found in Southeast Asia including Philippines. They are only 3.6 – 6 inches long and we had the perfect opportunity to have a close look at them today.
From our hotel, it was a 130 km round trip to chocolate hills which included great adventure activities on the same route. Our first stop was Baclayon Church for a quick photo session. This Church was situated at the edge of the road which had a sea view and the route till here was right beside the sea which made bike riding experience even better. The next stop was Xzootic Animal Park and Butterfly Garden. Though I am against animal cruelty, I was interested in seeing butterflies so we entered this zoo. There were many Python snakes along with few other animals kept in poor condition. The only best part was Butterfly which was taken care of.
Our next stop was Loboc Ecotourism Adventure Park which included Flying Fox adventure over a river. We both did this adventure together on the same Flying fox setup and that too on a Honeymoon Trip. The view while doing it was scary and spectacular which had a river flowing below us and we were flying from on Hill to another Hill. On the same river, there were many small cruises and boats taking travelers around the corner of this beautiful small hill station.
Next, it was time for Tarsier Conservation Area and we were mind blown from what we saw. Their Hands were just like small human babies, they had big eyes and were so tinny that at first, we were not able to spot them but guides around you do help to spot them in trees branches. This was a total silence zone and Tarsier is very sensitive to human noise and they might even commit suicide. So this made us extra careful and we were very delighted in seeing them.
Now, it was time for Chocolate hills for which we chose Bohol against Cebu. Bike ride during Tarsier conservation till chocolate hills was a perfect biker paradise that was surrounded by hills. The hills were so unique that we already fell in love before reaching our last point. There are as many as 1776 chocolate hills around 50 square kilometers. They are conical shaped hills that have grass on it but that grass turns brown during the dry season that is why they are called Chocolate Hills.
We did one more activity while returning back which I advise you should never do on your Honeymoon. Philippines also has one unique adventure to offer in which you can go from one part of the hill to another on a Bicycle and they call it – The Rush Bike Zipeline. This is an experience which you should not miss. Even if you are afraid of heights then also you should try it to overcome your fear. I am still not able to Bungee jumping but this I was able to do & YES it was scary but worth it. My Wife also did it after I forced her to do it. Later she was shivering like anything and I got what I deserved from her.
Island Hopping
Day 7 : This was our last day in Philippines so we made sure that we catch the sunrise at the beach in Panglao. We went to Alona Beach which is one of the famous beaches in Bohol due to its white sand and the rocky cliffs. There are many boats available which take you to a nearby island Balicasag. We took a boat for around 1500 PHP which takes around 25 mins to take you to Baliasag. It’s a small island which is a bit submerged in the sea but still, you can walk on it. This was a great last day experience where you get to enjoy food and drinks on the same island.
Note : There is a mall called Island city mall around 3 Kms from the hotel which we booked. Here you can get vegetarian Pizza.
So this was our experience and how we traveled on our Honeymoon in Philippines doing great adventures which we will remember all our life. If you have any questions then do contact me.