If you are wondering where to travel next, let us suggest you to travel to Philippines. You can either take a guided tour or travel independently to Philippines. In case you decide for the later, we will like to tell you that there are actually 2 beautiful itineraries that you can follow to do a trip of The Philippines in 6 days only! The Philippines is a beautiful island nation to explore for your next vacation! It has the most amazing beaches, pristine white sands and a hospitable, tourist-friendly culture. And there is lots to do in the Philippines. And all this comes at a really low college budget that anyone can afford. You can easily do a trip around Philippines with just your backpacking essentials if you pack like a pro, since, Philippines is a hot destination and you need only light cloths to pack.
Although there are other great places to visit in South East Asia. We totally loved spending 2 weeks in Thailand, and a family trip to Vietnam is high on our bucket list. But you often need good amount of time to do justice to these places. So, if you are short on time and have only a few days to spend, here are two possible itineraries broken down for you. So that you can see the best of the Philippines without wasting any time. While Option 1 covers El Nido and Boracay. At the same time, option 2 covers Cebu and Bhol. So, before you set out to plan your trip, take a look.
El Nido and Boracay – The most classic vacation to Philippines in 6 days
Day 1: Getting to Boracay
You can travel to Boracay by landing in Caticlan or Kalibo airport from Manila. From Kalibo, it takes 2 more hours on a bus and Caticlan is only 15 minutes away via ferry, but the flights there are more expensive. (However, here’s some tricks to help you find cheaper flights )
The day you land, just take it easy and rest. The beaches are quite lit by nightfall, so go get some braids and henna tattoos done! If you reach before sunset, you can even go for a sunset boat cruise, locally called Paraw which takes you into the sea for a glorious sunset view. Or, you can explore the beaches of Boracay like Baling Hai beach, Bulabog beach, Liig Ligan and Diniwid beach. You can take an organized beach hopping trip to make the most of your time.
Don’t forget to book your accommodation in advance. You can book it at one of the best rates with one of our trusted partners here at Booking-Boracay Homepage or here at Agoda – Boracay Homepage. Also, if you have more time in Manila, you can add an adventure trip to Puerto Galera in your itinerary. And don’t forget to visit the Sunday Night Market in Manila. Which houses some of the finest arts and crafts of Philippines.
Day 2: Boracay sight-seeing
Boracay is big on water sports like Aquanaut diving, deep sea scuba diving, parasailing, kiteboarding, water-walking, a banana boat ride (which is a must try) and the like. Your morning can begin with one of these, and it should take no more than a third of your day. You can do a helicopter tour around the island (10-minute ride), visit the Puka shell beach and White Beach and go for an island-hopping tour which should leave you on the main Boracay island around sunset. Go for beach parties or a candlelight dinner on one of the beach restaurants. It is not a big shopping place or having too many handicrafts. But you can definitely pick up some local souvenirs.
Day 3: Further Exploring Boracay
You can catch up on remaining activity in Boracay today. Like the Malumpati blue lagoon tour which is a one-day excursion. Try local food and milkshakes too. Later, you can visit DeMall and the Motag Living Museum tour. And you can do a cultural tour too, experiencing life of the local tribes. Once done with that, enjoy the rest of the day at the beach.
Day 4: Arrive at El Nido and explore
Take a day flight to El Nido from Boracay’s Caticlan airport. Stay at a beach resort in El Nido to enjoy the amazing blue and clear waters of the place. Spend some relaxing time at the beach near Las Cabanas. There are plenty of food and drink options and great waters to swim in. And then there is also a zip line that takes you across the island and offers great views. This can be done in the afternoon or evening.
Day 5: sightseeing in El Nido
Today, try the discovery dive and fun dive in the ocean for colorful underwater life scenes. Sunset at Las Cabanas is famous and should not be missed but if you are looking for a quieter experience try the Nacpan Beach. Spend the evening eating and drinking at the happening beach of Las Cabanas. You can as well do island and beach hopping. In case you will like to be an explorer for a day and find some hidden beaches and shrines that many don’t, take this instead.
You can book an accommodation in El Nido at one of the best rates with our trusted partners here at Booking-El Nido Homepage.
Day 6: Island hopping and head back home
Island hopping takes nearly the entire day so plan accordingly. They serve lunch on the tour so that’s not a worry. If you are through with island hopping experience from Boracay, maybe you can skip it in El Nido and go for small lagoon, big lagoon or secret lagoon kayaking, go snorkeling at Shimizu Island and catch some sun before you take the flight back home! There are no less than 4 different options for Island hopping tours in El Nido but tour A is the most recommended as it includes all the locations mentioned above.
Follow this above itinerary to do a classic trip to the Philippines in 6 days.
Cebu and Bohol suggested itinerary to Philippines in 6 days
Day 1: Reach Cebu
Land in Cebu by air and after freshening up, head out to explore the city. You can pre-book this airport transfer in Cebu. Hire a bike or rent a car, or simply go around using public transportation or your own two feet! For the first day, cover Temple of Leah, Cebu Taoist temple and Mactan Shrine. You can also visit the Shangri La beach which is connected to Shangri La Mactan resort and maybe even have dinner there. You can also take a half day city tour of Cebu.
Day 2: Cebu tour
You can either visit an array of touristy things to do in Cebu like churches and Upside-down world and the like or go to Moalboal, the mecca of snorkelling and diving in Cebu. You can see Pescador Island, Basdaku beach and then push off to Kawasan falls. These are the most famous waterfalls in the Philippines ideal for a picnic. Oslob is nice and offers novelty of swimming with whale sharks but it isn’t the best thing to do for ecological reasons.
You can book an accommodation in Cebu at Booking-Cebu Homepage or here at Agoda – Cebu Homepage
In case you would like to self drive while here, INTERNATIONAL DRIVERS ASSOCIATION can help you obtain an international driver permit for it.
Day 3: Cebu sightseeing and move over to Bohol
Magellan’s Cross, Fort San Pedro and then the Alcoy beach and Monastery of the holy Eucharist around Oslob would take up a good part of your day. Make sure you have appropriate clothing to enter the monastery. Later, you can catch the ferry to Bohol – the tickets need to be bought standing in a line at the ticket counter rather than online because their systems are not quite up to date or reliable. But you can go with tour operators and book online – like this online ferry booking from Cebu to Bohol.
Day 4: Bohol countryside
Dimiao Twin Falls and the Chocolate hills must be the highlight of today and also, the jungle cruise which meanders through the best of lush forests in Bohol on the Loboc river. The butterfly garden, hanging bridge and the manmade mahogany forest are some beautiful destination to cover on this day. The Hinagdanan caves are an underground cave system which is like another world altogether! You can also visit the Can-Umantad Falls which are a little off the usual and quite pristine.
Day 5: hire a bike and explore Bohol
You can see the Tarsier Sanctuary today, where the native nocturnal animal tarsier lives in natural habitat. You can next go to Bohol Bee farm which can be an interesting escapade off the beaten track. Then there are the shell museum and the many and scenic beaches on the island of Bohol.
You can book an accommodation in Bohol at Agoda – Bohol Homepage. When booking your accommodation look for free cancellation options with breakfast included, for the best possible deal.
Day 6: Back to Cebu and head home
You can come back to Cebu today and finish up the remaining items off the list like Heritage Monument, shop in Colon Street and buy souvenirs and maybe step into the 1730 Jesuit House for a quick trip into history. Then you can take a cab to the airport and head out of the Philippines.
Although there are many other trips that can be done to the Philippines. But, the above two are the best ones to do a trip to Philippines in 6 days. So, if you are limited by time, you can take these trips and enjoy the best that the country has got to offer. Philippines also makes for one of the best places to visit in May, which is a shoulder season for this country, just like couple of months before the peak summer season to visit Dubai ! Before the wet monsoons season sets in, it makes for an ideal time to visit here.
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