Weighing the opportunity cost of a 2 week itinerary in the Philippines

Good day to everyone,

I will be visiting the Philippines in Mar 2016 for the very first time and I will be traveling solo. I intend to spend 2 weeks in the Philippines, between the 2nd to 3rd week of Mar.

The highlight of the trip would be the island paradise of Palawan. I intend to sign up for an expedition with Tao Philippines, travelling from Coron to El Nido. I do not intend to omit this opportunity from my itinerary. In total, I will spend at least 7-8 days on Palawan itself.

Bearing in mind that I have only 2 weeks to spend in the Philippines, I am deciding between heading to Manila or Cebu.

Should I wish to visit Manila, I will spend 2 days exploring Metro Manila, a day hiking Mt Pinatubo and another 2 days on the road to Batad/Banaue rice terraces before heading off to Palawan.

However, I am equally keen to visit the Cebu area where I will spend a day island hopping/whale watching, a day exploring Cebu city and another day in Bohol, before heading to Cagayan de Oro for whitewater rafting.

With my limited time there, I can only choose either Manila or Cebu. Please guys, how should I decide? I am looking forward to your replies!

Before you do anything I would get a firm booking and a firm sailing date with Tao, they dont go every day from Coron to El Nido, but I believe every third day. They are very popular and fill up quickly. I would get that part sorted first, then plan the rest of your trip around those dates. Also check with the Domestic Airlines to see if there are any flights between Cebu and Coron, otherwise it will have to be via Manila. I know in the past when I have flown to Coron it has always been from Manila..

There are much more stuff to do and explore in Manila and Luzon rather than Cebu and Cagayan de Oro. White sand beaches are also within 3-4 hours drive from Manila (those are in Zambales). There's also diving, hiking, snorkelling, and much more. What you can do in Cebu and Cagayan de Oro, except for whale watching (which is not a guarantee anyway), you can also do in Manila and Luzon, so choose the former!

Cebu is the country's heart, but Manila is its' soul. That being said, culturally, you can experience the best of the Philippines in Manila, since it draws influence from all throughout the country.

whalewatching IS guaranteed in Oslob. That is the whole point about the circus controversy.

the OP is definitely trying to do too much in a limited time like most of the enquiries on here. You can take a expensive Bohol day trip from Cebu but it is all a bit much and probably not worth doing. Don't rush about too much. The CDO whitewater rafting is OK, but pretty tame. The best whitewater rafting, not just in the Philippines, but in the entire SEAsian region is the Chico River in northern Luzon http://www.chicoriverquest.com/, this would involve taking a flight up to Tuguegarao (3 times a week) from Manila and would take up almost all of your second week.

Before you do anything I would get a firm booking and a firm sailing date with Tao, they dont go every day from Coron to El Nido, but I believe every third day. They are very popular and fill up quickly. I would get that part sorted first, then plan the rest of your trip around those dates. Also check with the Domestic Airlines to see if there are any flights between Cebu and Coron, otherwise it will have to be via Manila. I know in the past when I have flown to Coron it has always been from Manila.. ( cebu pacific used to fly that route but cancelled now ,rates for mnl -coron flights are ridicolous now 3500 for 1 way without luggage even though they advertise promo rate of 1600)

What you can do in Cebu and Cagayan de Oro -have you actually been there to find out? how about visiting other parts of mindanao like illigan /bukidnon /camiguin ? where u can do all those things u mentioned in luzon and the op didnt mention wanting to do anything in cdo other than rafting

I prefer the exquisite Banaue and Batad Rice Terraces and light cave exploration in Sagada :)

Chico river in Luzon is the best whitewater rafting, not just in the Philippines, but also in the south east Asian region. By a mile. It is like the difference between the Franklin in Tasmania and the Tully in Queensland. Not even close.

WWRafting in north luzon is a limited window. Outfitter(s) will not risk running a flooded river like now. You also need to spend days in the mountains waiting for a WWR ride while the mosquito's are having a feast at you.

WWRafting in CDO is ALL YEAR ROUND. Amenities like shops, hospitals, mall, banking, etc is just a short 45 minute ride. Access to Basic and Advance WWR runs all via concrete roads. CDO is also the hub of Northern Mindanao. Camiguin (volcano, hiking, scuba, etc), Bukidnon (Dahilayan, Camp juan, try the best steak at Delmonte, etc), Iligan (at least 24 waterfalls within the city boundary, etc), Mis. Or. (duka, alibuag, white island, etc), Mis.Occ (dolphin island, dakak, etc), and even Siargao, and Agusan Sur( Britannia, Enchanted, Tinuy-an, Lanuza surfing, etc)

@callippo : have you tried the Tignapoloan run? There are upper sections in CDO that are difficult to WWR run

@divadmsp : if you haven't been to CDO, just STFU about CDO.

@surfboy Thanks for the heads up, I'm currently in the confirmation process.

Cebu is the country's heart, but Manila is its' soul. That being said, culturally, you can experience the best of the Philippines in Manila, since it draws influence from all throughout the country.

@divadmsp Thanks for the advice! I'll bear your wise words in mind while I plan for my trip

@callippo @big_jim @bisayadako
Thank you for the valuable advice. I do understand the risks involved in the sport and I will assess them while planning for the trip. With regards to the quality of the rapids, I can only say that I know next to nothing about the sport. Thank you for pointing the technicalities out, very much appreciated.

@velysia Agreed! However with the time I can spare, I will probably just drop by Sagada as it is more convenient (direct bus compared to getting to Batad) and also the numerous activities the Sagada offers over Banaue/Batad. Thank you for the tips!

What you can do in Cebu and Cagayan de Oro -have you actually been there to find out? how about visiting other parts of mindanao like illigan /bukidnon /camiguin ? where u can do all those things u mentioned in luzon and the op didnt mention wanting to do anything in cdo other than rafting

Yeah. Like I said, most of the things you can do in Cebu and CdO are doable in Luzon, and I dare say, cheaper, since it involves less plane flights, boat rodes, etc.

2 weeks are the OP's time frame. The nicest beaches may be in the Visayas, but there are many beach options in Luzon that reach the standards of those as well. Also, by staying in Luzon, OP can do more stuff, instead of waiting in the airports. I believe North Luzon and Manila are doable in 2 weeks, even with a leisurely trip.

WWRafting in north luzon is a limited window. Outfitter(s) will not risk running a flooded river like now. You also need to spend days in the mountains waiting for a WWR ride while the mosquito's are having a feast at you.

WWRafting in CDO is ALL YEAR ROUND. Amenities like shops, hospitals, mall, banking, etc is just a short 45 minute ride. Access to Basic and Advance WWR runs all via concrete roads. CDO is also the hub of Northern Mindanao. Camiguin (volcano, hiking, scuba, etc), Bukidnon (Dahilayan, Camp juan, try the best steak at Delmonte, etc), Iligan (at least 24 waterfalls within the city boundary, etc), Mis. Or. (duka, alibuag, white island, etc), Mis.Occ (dolphin island, dakak, etc), and even Siargao, and Agusan Sur( Britannia, Enchanted, Tinuy-an, Lanuza surfing, etc)

@callippo : have you tried the Tignapoloan run? There are upper sections in CDO that are difficult to WWR run

@divadmsp : if you haven't been to CDO, just STFU about CDO.

Huh? So why the hate? If you have better options/replies to the OP then just simply type them here, OK?

And anyways, It's true. Most of what you can achieve in Cebu and CDO (Ok, I've been there) are easily achievable in Luzon. Most doesn't mean ALL, but with only two weeks to spare, its better for a Manila and Luzon tour. More variety and more places to see in a less expensive itinerary and a less hurried travel.

If you are joining Tao, then you have to allow 7 for it (1day before the trip, 5days for Tao, 1day to get out of Palawan). As previously advised, slots filled up quickly, thus your other itinerary depend so much on the sked youll get from Tao.

Hi everyone,
Sorry for jumping into this topic but it seems the most active topic about Palawan at the moment. Have any of you had any experience with Palawan Explorers? We are planning to book an El Nido to Coron overnight trip with them, but I can't find any reviews of their performance. Neither here nor on Tripadvisor. Have you heard of them at all? Thanks in advance for any tips or recommendations.

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