Getting Around the Philippines

A quick little post about our journey so far, any changes we’d make and recommendations for exploring the beautiful Philippines!

Flight London - Abu Dhabi - Manila

This layover was long and although we survived, I would recommend finding a better-timed flight. We stayed near the airport in Manila for the night before heading back for our next flight:

Flight Manila - Siargao

A quick way to hop over the thousands of islands below: you pay more for this flight as it’s so far, but beats the 14-hour ferries that would be involved any other way. We did discover, however, that CebGo and Cebu Pacific won’t check in any surfboards over 6ft long (annoying, as we based our long-haul flight on bringing longboards with us,) and PhilippineAirlines charge you per foot, per kg. So, be aware: travel with boards can be expensive! The ferry is the only sure-fire way to get around with your beloved boards.

Flight Siargao - Cebu

Needing to renew our visas, we hopped on a plane leaving the beautiful island of Siargao for the hustle and bustle of Cebu. I wasn’t a fan, and felt quite overwhelmed by the size of the city after such a tiny island. However, needs-must, and at least we got our visas extended in less than two hours.

Bus Cebu city - Oslob

Heading south from the south bus terminal in Cebu, the journey to Oslob took around 5 hours. We chose a small guesthouse to stay in only 5 minutes from the whale sharks, arriving at 8pm: just enough time to get some food, sleep, and wake up at 4am to go whale-watching.

Ferry Oslob - Siquijor

Managing to see the whale sharks in record time, we grabbed some breakfast (tapilog, the joys!) got changed and headed to Lorena Port to get the ferry to Siquijor. We bumped into a couple of friends we’d previously met in Siargao, and this passed the beautiful smooth journey relatively quickly.

Siquijor - Bohol Tagbilaran

A fast commuter ferry, this made our passage to Camiguin less painful (although it is long in total!) - no regrets.

Bus Tagbilaran - Jagna

Walking from the port to the bus terminal took around 40 minutes, and we stopped to find food at the Bohol Bee Buzz cafe on the way. Very simple to find the right bus, which took us almost to the door of our guesthouse for the night and was only 15 minutes walk from Jagna port.

Ferry Jagna - Camiguin

We found some great local food at Jagna port market, then boarded the long and windless ferry to Camiguin. Funny story: we actually only decided to look into Camiguin because it looks like the word ‘penguin’ (yes, really!) but it was fully worth the long journey! A little quiet if you were travelling along, but perfectly romantic for a four day break with your friends or loved ones.

Flight Camiguin - Cebu

We were amazed to find that such a small island had an airport, with such reasonably priced flights. The airport itself was a bit of a security nightmare, having us repack our bags in the tiny checkin area, but totally worth it versus the 12 hour ferry back to Cebu via Bohol.

Flight Cebu - Coron

After one evening in Cebu (we stayed near the airport this time, which saved so much time and money!) we got up early to fly to Coron. We won the prize on the CebGo flight which made me super happy - it’s the little things - and arrived in Coron to a pickup from our super cheap guesthouse. Considering this is the other end of the Philippines, this flight was a little more expensive but much cheaper than heading to El Nido or Puerta Princesa.

Flight Coron - Clark / San Juan

Fab luckily knew that Clark Airport was around 2 hours closer to La Union than Manila, and it was just a bonus that the flight was so much cheaper too. We were under the impression that Clark would be tiny, but outside there is a full-on shopping area with plenty of food and a whole coach station with helpful guides.

Bus Clark - Manila

The only way home: a 7 hour coach journey. We were lucky and boarded the bus in San Fernando, timing it perfectly for a first class coach (air-conditioning and good leg room) for only 200 pesos more. The time passed pretty quickly, and the coach actually stopped far closer to our hotel in Manila than we anticipated. We used Grab for the rest of the trip, getting around Manila quickly and efficiently.

Do you have any hints, tips or changes you would have made to your travels around the Philippines? If so, get in touch - we are always looking for ways to make our journeys more efficient, carbon neutral and enjoyable!