Itinerary Check Please

Normally I don't plan ahead, but the Philippines seems to be a place I need to do so to some certain extend. I'd love some tips on adjusting my itinerary.

First off, I'm a backpacker in my upper 20s. Backpacked RTW in 2016 and came home. Realized I wasn't done and the ultimate goal would be to teach English abroad, but travel for a bit first, maybe finding my home along the way. Thailand was my favorite country but I wish it had less tourist. I loved Koh Tao, but know I would've loved Koh Tao 10 years ago even more. This brings me to why I want to visit the Philippines. I want to experience island life, experience authentic Philippine culture, scuba dive a lot, eat eat eat, and meet similar free minded backpackers like me.

So my itinerary goes like this:

Manilla: Land on Jan 24
Ferry to Coron on Jan 27
Coron- 3-4 days
El Nido - 4-5 days
Puerto Princesa - 2 days
Fly from PP to Boracay on Feb 7
Boracay to Cebu Feb 14
Cebu to Vietnam Feb 22

By the time I get to Boracay, I think I'll hear enough from other backpackers to fill in the gaps, but I need to book my flights ahead of time.

Thanks for any help.

Hello! If you want cultural/historical sites you can visit Intramuros of the National Museum during your stay in Manila. El Nido/Coron will offer you a great scuba diving experience. Let's hope tourists won't be of high volume already during your stay especially in PP, EN, and Bora. Cheers!

You're going to all the iconic islands of the Philippines, espesh Palawan so thats a tick.
You can scuba dive all over Palawan, Coron is famous for its ship wrecks. Moalboal in Cebu is awesome too! Food is awesome in Philippines everywhere. When you're in Manila the streets will be filled with street food, so go try balut, isaw etc etc.

sounds like a good plan but also sounds pretty exhausting as well :) since you're an experienced traveler, i guess you should know to take into account that things can and will go off the plan, especially in countries such as the philipines, which is part of its charm. count on flight delays, possible storms delaying boats, the ride from el nido to pp delayed by 2 hrs just because the driver can't figure out where to pick everyone up etc... a bit of a pain in the start, but once you get used to it and realize there's actually nothing to rush for, you start enjoying the adventure and learning not to plan any other activity on your travel day ;)

in any case, if you're looking for info on where to go/what to do when around el nido, you're welcome to explore my in depth el nido guide, part 1 (http://gone.cooking/?p=93) and part 2(http://gone.cooking/?p=181)

enjoy the philipines! definitely one of my favorite destinations in the world!

If you would have loved Khao Tao ten years ago, you would have loved Boracay 20 or 25 years ago.
The secret of discovery is to find that paradise island or beach whilst there is a basic infrastructure but before mass tourism arrives. You still have a sporting chance of finding that place in Philippines but not now in Thailand

Agree with gwapo about Boracay. Would you consider Dumaguete or Siquijor?

I also agree with gwapo about Boracay. It's great for a party, but not for an authentic Philippine cultural experience. I'd recommend Bohol instead.

ftottawa - When in Cebu I certainly plan to visit the surrounding islands, so of course I'd consider Dumaguete or Siquijor. Honestly never heard of either, but I'll do some research.

JJ - I definitely plan to visit Bohol. I'm just contemplating whether to cut out Boracay completely and simply fly into Cebu on Feb 7 and visit the surrounding islands for 15 days til the 22nd.

Better diving from Dauin or Apo, just south of Dumaguete, than any of the other places you have mentioned. Harold's Mansion in Dumaguete has the backpacker network you may find useful. Siquijor has beaches, snorkelling and is certainly farther off the beaten track than Boracay.

Thanks so much for all the advice. I think I've decided to likely skip Boracay and fly to Cebu sometime around Feb 8-10, but wait til I get to the Philippines to book it. Either way I have to connect in Manila and flights a week out aren't but $20-30 more than flights a month out. That way if I feel I missed out on something in Luzon, I can go back.

yes - booking flights really early ahead to get lower prices, although you often hear people claiming it is a good idea is very overrated. It's not necessary at all, and prices can be not much or no different when booked a week ahead to months.

agree axe Boracay, it's not bad if you are a first timer in Asia but you're not. Forget about getting the ferry from Manila to Palawan too. There's no point in it at all. It's awkward because ferries are few and it also takes ages too. Far better to fly.

I assume you know there is no direct flight to Vietnam and you'll have to route through Manila where to be safe, we usually recommend that you spend your last night there just in case your flight up there is delayed or cancelled.

but coming in, spend the least amount of time in Manila that you can. If you arrive at say 10am, aim to get a flight out of there at about 2pm. Even you arrive late at night, it's probably best to get a crack of dawn flight out rather than spend the night there.

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