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For Batad I would stay at the bottom of the valley, Foreigners inn - they should be hooked up to electricity by now. You know I presume that you have to walk in and out of the valley? Halfway down there are a few guesthouses I just prefer to be at the bottom. You can get a porter to help carry your stuff to/from the jeepney. Make sure you are out of the valley in time to catch the last jeepney away. If you miss it you got along walk to the motorbike station.
For Donsol I would recommend stay at Amor farm resort. Better one of the cheaper options in my opinion. Just a short walk along the beach to the Whaleshark departure point. I presume you know that they are not ever present? You do not state when you will be there.
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Looking for some help planning my three week trip to the Philippines. Flying into Manilla and want to head north to the rice terraces of Banaue, Batad, Sagada and Vigan. After that I want to head to Donsol to see the whale sharks for a couple days. The last week of this trip I would like to spend in Palawan enjoying the countries finest beaches and snorkeling. Any advice how to get from one area to the other would be greatly appreciated as well as any guesthouses that you can recommend in these areas. Thank you and happy travels to all.1
For the North Luzon part, take a bus from Manila. Then fly from Manila to Legaspi and bus to Donsol. Then fly Legaspi to Cebu City and fly from there to Puerto Princesa..2
Hi,,For Batad I would stay at the bottom of the valley, Foreigners inn - they should be hooked up to electricity by now. You know I presume that you have to walk in and out of the valley? Halfway down there are a few guesthouses I just prefer to be at the bottom. You can get a porter to help carry your stuff to/from the jeepney. Make sure you are out of the valley in time to catch the last jeepney away. If you miss it you got along walk to the motorbike station.
For Donsol I would recommend stay at Amor farm resort. Better one of the cheaper options in my opinion. Just a short walk along the beach to the Whaleshark departure point. I presume you know that they are not ever present? You do not state when you will be there.
3
Thank you for the information. I am going the middle of January for a month. Are you saying that the whale sharks are no ever present? I had read good reviews that this was a good time to see them and the chances are high that we will. Yes hiking down to the bottom of Batad will not be a problem for my friend and I as we are avid hikers. Thanks again I will look into the flights that were mentioned above.4
In January the whalesharks will almost certainly be present. If thet arent just do a day trip down to Oslob on your way through transiting Cebu..6
Thank you bith for the info, I looked at the flights and they are very cheap. Seems you can fly from Manilla to Puerto Princesa direct on Zest Air. Is this a reliable airline?8
Yes, Padre Burgos is a better option than either Donsol or Oslob if you have the time..9
that may be a little close to Mindanao for our liking...isn't that an area of unrest these days? Thanks for the suggestions they are muchly appreciatated.11
Leyte is a peaceful place. For PPS, I believe you can fly from Legaspi to PPS but with stop over in Manila. No need to go to Cebu or book a separate flight for Manila since that will be more expensive. However, time duration depends on how many hours you will be stuck to Manila before your flight to PPS.12
Been to Sagada last summer. Theres a tourism office there that can assist you regarding tours i.e spelunking, trekking and visiting local tourist spots such as waters falls, hanging coffin. Its good to stay there for 3-4 days as trekking or spelunking takes almost a day. We stayed there at Alibama Inn and food is superb! :)13
Thanks for the info, have all the flights figured out because of your help. When we fly into Manila we want to head north to Banaue, Batad (for 2 nights) Sagada, stay at the tam-awan village in Baguio and up to Vigan. What is the best bus route for this? Would 6 days be enough so I can book a flight from manila to Legaspi?
