Expert travel storyteller Jordan Adkins, founder of InspiredByMaps.com, brings a decade of adventures across 101 countries and 450+ UNESCO sites into rich, off-the-beaten-path narratives, melding ecological expertise with genuine, seasoned travel insights. His full bio can be found here.
Imagine being in one of those castaway islands, feeling the sun on your face, swimming languidly in emerald waters, or lying on a white sand beach with the fineness of talcum powder, and sipping a just opened coconut for its refreshing juice.
This is the freedom and joy many of the best Philippines tours can provide you…
On these islands in the n the eastern rim of the Asiatic Mediterranean, you look up and get blinded by clear blue skies, but thankfully the swaying palm leaves above shield you from getting completely toasted. You see fallen dried ones by the coconut trunk, thinking they are the perfect material for a bonfire by the beach at dusk.
And you would be right. You’d be amazed by how versatile the coconut tree is, and a crackling fire as the horizon blazes orange-red is just one of its many utilities.
Sounds like a dream, right? Thankfully this is an experience that many tours of the Philippines can provide you -you just have to figure out where to go out of the more than 7,000 islands in the Philippines. You can try to visit them all, of course, but that could take a lifetime, and the best Philippines tours will help you curate the best of the best.
Boracay, of course, is the safest bet: It’s well-connected to Manila, the country’s capital, and boasts a clutch of 5-star beachfront accommodations with all the comforts you could find in a big city. The star of the island, however, is its 2.5-mile White Beach, so named because its sand is talcum powder fine and white. The contrasting cerulean waters make for a social media-worthy shot.
If you’d like your beach quieter but no less beautiful, Palawan’s beaches make a better destination. After all, El Nido to the north has been on the list of the world’s most beautiful, and the less-trodden Coron farther up is simply breathtaking for its placid lagoons and towering jungle-clad limestone cliffs. Their secluded beaches are where some travelers’ ‘Survivor’ fantasies come to life.
But the way the most alluring islands are scattered about presents a logistical challenge if you do it all by yourself. A time- and money-saving alternative? Go on a group tour of the Philippines as it allows you to skip the hassle of travel planning and booking, and lets you save precious dimes and time whilst giving you a chance to meet some new friends along the way.
Especially if you want to do the El Nido – Coron circuit, an on-the-ground facilitator will make it easier for you to make the connections and maximize your time spent where you need to be: unplugged, waist-deep in warm waters, mind blank except for what’s to have for dinner.
Of course, by now, the 7,000 islands just compound your travel dilemma. Can you have a little bit of everything, or would you be better off staying put in island groups a week at a time? Someone with extensive local knowledge and a network in the industry would come in handy. Not only do they speak the language to eliminate misunderstandings, but they’re also better placed to get you to nooks and crannies not mentioned in travel guides.
And then there’s the gradual discovery that the Philippines is a cultural and culinary fusion of East and West, something you wouldn’t have realized until you heard Filipino family names that sound very much Spanish or Chinese.
No wonder that old church would look at home in a Mexican zocalo, or that some of the most well-loved Filipino eats are named batchoy, lumpia, pancit, to say nothing of adobo, that marinated meat dish with regional variations and even iterations from one household to the next.
Looking past the idyllic tropical stereotypes, you also come to learn that coastal plains gently roll into hills and then into mighty mountains brimming with waterfalls, dense jungles, peaceful lakes, and curious but colorful flora and fauna.
These upland regions are home not just to wildlife, but to adaptive cultures that have learned to reshape their natural landscape to sustain their needs and remain extant to this day. And beneath it all, when you look closer, or up, you either see tribal skin art on wrinkled skin, or coffins hanging off cliffs.
Can’t make up your mind yet where to wander off in the Philippines? If travel planning is what holds you back from packing your swimwear and SPF30, let travel experts do the legwork for you while you get your passport and vaccine shots in order.
Get started with any of the best Philippines tours below, and simply make travel adjustments as you go along.
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Cebu & Bohol Discovery 5D/4N
Bamba
Details
- Location: Central Philippines
- Itinerary: Cebu – Bohol – Cebu
- Group Size: 20
- Age Range: All age groups
- Physical Activity: Low
- Length: 5 Days
What to Expect
An independent to a Partially guided tour of the Visayan Islands groups with a focus on cultural heritage and historic and religious sites. A helping of nature and a brush with wildlife make this taster tour ideal for the outgoing backpacker eager to meet plenty of new friends.
- ‘Church’-hopping and historical sites
- River cruise and endemic wildlife
- Optional dolphin and whale-watching tour
- Interisland ferry trips
What the Experience Is Like
You’ll start the tour in Cebu, which is a regional hub for air travel from Asia. Otherwise, make the connecting flight from Manila and settle into your hotel accommodation in Cebu. Spend the second-day seeing sites Cebu is famous for: the history behind the Spanish conquest of the Philippines.
This means a visit to the Mactan Shrine, where the Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan met his death at the hands of a local chieftain, and a look around the ‘basilicas’ that the Spanish colonizers put up to spread Catholicism among the natives.
(Did you know that the Philippines was ‘discovered’ in Cebu? Find out more on this 5-day tour.)
A ferry ride on the third day connects you to Bohol, where the iconic rounded limestone ‘Chocolate Hills’ turns into a familiar American confection during hot, dry months. A visit to another historic centuries-old church rounds out your ‘church hopping’ experience.
Lunch is served aboard a river cruise before an up-close meeting with a tiny primate. Then you go home for the day in a hostel located on a popular stretch of white beach. Consider going on dolphin or whale-watching tours on your free day before returning to Cebu.
Bamba started as a hop-on/hop-off bus operator, so it understands the frustration of making travel connections when you want to travel independently. So if you want to go on a taster tour of the Philippines with a focus on heritage and history, this tour is for you.
In a nutshell
Skip the hassle of booking your own transport connections and accommodations in this short and sweet 5-day taster tour.
Philippines One Life Adventures – 10 Days
One Life Adventures
Details
- Location: Palawan
- Itinerary: Manila – Puerto Princesa – Port Barton – El Nido – Puerto Princesa
- Group Size: 16-22
- Age Range: 18 to 49
- Physical Activity: Highly active
- Fully Guided: Yes
- Length: 10 Days
What to Expect
Action-packed, island-hopping adventure with plenty of local flavor and color that takes you to one of the consistently voted best beaches and island groups in the world, Palawan, and one of the Philippines’ UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the Underground River.
- Exploring the Underground River
- Island-hopping and swimming with sea life in El Nido
- Beachfront camping on a remote island
- Riding in iconic “jeepney” and tricycle
What the Experience is Like
After arriving at, and spending a day (and maybe a wild night) in the frenetic capital, Manila, you’ll fly to Puerto Princesa for the Underground River tour. Days of digging your toes into pristine white sand or cooling off in the clear emerald waters of El Nido while surrounded by its soaring limestone cliffs follow. Camp under the stars on another secluded beach, snorkel with turtles and gaze at colorful coral reefs, and if you’re up for it, zip above the waters across two islands.
But this group adventure, one of the best Philippines tours on offer, requires more than just a heart: it has a soul. One Life Adventures has made it its mission to offer tours that are not only adventure-filled, but also transformational, both for its guests and the less-visited communities they are given a chance to learn from (like how to cook “adobo” and how to weave coconut palm fronds).
(Want to swim with turtles or camp in some remote beach “Survival” style? Book the tour now!)
True to One Life’s mission, some days, you snuggle in the comfort of a well-cushioned dorm or hostel bed, while for a few days, you get to experience rustic accommodation in a native bungalow (the traditional Filipino home) or a beachfront tent.
Internal flights and transportation throughout the tour are included. Expect to have your own motor boat or private van to let you explore surrounding areas or fishing villages, but also brace for the experience of riding in open-air public transportation like the ‘jeepney’ and the tricycle that locals use in their day-to-day grind. You’ll come away with a better appreciation of air-conditioned cars even if you stew in traffic.
In a nutshell
Does a more authentic cultural experience appeal to you? Book the Philippines One Life Adventures – 10 Days tour today!
Wanderlands Philippines
Wanderlands Travel
Details
- Location: Cebu and Palawan
- Itinerary: Manila – Moalboal – Port Barton – El Nido
- Group Size: 16
- Age Range: 18 to 40
- Physical Activity: Adventurous
- Fully guided: Yes
- Length: 12 Days
What to Expect
A whale(shark) of a time: ‘Sardine run’ meets Ko Phi Phi vibe meets “Cliffhanger,” on a smaller scale but on a long-enough timeline. Fully guided tour with beachfront accommodation all throughout.
- Swimming with whale sharks
- Witnessing a ‘sardine run
- Kayaking, canyoneering and jungle-trekking
- Chasing waterfalls and sailing
- Beachfront accommodation
- Sunset drinks and beach parties
What the Experience is Like
After arriving in Manila, you’ll get some time to explore nearby sites. Then it’s a short flight to Cebu the next day for a ‘sardine run’ experience in Moalboal. The real topper of this tour is a swim with the gentle giants of the (not so) deep, the whale sharks. They are as big as a bus but eat plankton and small shrimp, so you’re safe. What may be riskier but worth the adrenaline shot is to dive off a waterfall cliff. Otherwise, paddle your way through caves.
Midway through your trip, you’ll fly to Palawan, with many parts still untouched by tourism. Wonderlands Travel specializes in small group tours aimed at a young demographic that balance comfort, intrepid travel and a splash of a ‘groupie’ vibe, so expect to wander off the usual tourist map without needing to rough it.
(Go on a ‘groupie’ tour with Wanderlands Travel in this 12-day Philippine whale shark adventure.)
You land close to a small fishing village off the main Palawan tourist artery. Hop on your private sailing boat for a cruise around hidden coves, or lace up your boots for a trek into an inland jungle and a refreshing time in the waterfalls.
Take the last leg of your trip by bus. Explore the Small and Big lagoons of El Nido and chase colorful reef fish. Or opt to climb up a rock and fly head-first into the beach below on a ziplining adventure. The trip then winds down by the white sandy beach for a chance to simply soak up the moment and the sun.
Wonderlands Travel has a thing for beachfront hotels with smack-dab sunset views, so you’ll snuggle comfortably at the end of each day and have drool-worthy pictures to share on social media.
All internal flights and transport during the tour are covered by the ticket price, so there is no need to do separate bookings to connect one island to the next.
In a nutshell
So if whale sharks – or sardines – are on your list, this 12-day Philippine tour will get you close to these non-human eater wonders of the deep.
Philippines: See & Experience It All-In 14 Days
CharlieTheTraveler
Details
- Location: Visayas Island Groups and Palawan Island Groups
- Itinerary: Manila – Bohol – Dumaguete – Apo Island – Cebu – Boracay – El Nido – Coron
- Group Size: 8
- Age Range: All age groups
- Physical Activity: Active to Adventurous
- Fully guided: Yes/with a free day
- Length: 14 Days
What to Expect
One of the best Philippines tours with a small group and a long itinerary to really take it all in. Back to back to back excitement. Customizable as a private tour. Includes headline tourist spots like Boracay, Cebu and El Nido. Wildlife-watching and watercraft adventures are front and center of this tour, with the white sand beaches simply there to catch your attention.
- Inter-island ferry trips
- Swim with a range of marine wildlife
- Meet up close endemic wildlife
- Explore historic sites and natural formations
- Island-hopping
- Optional activities and a free day in Boracay
- Diving license required
What the Experience is Like
Manila is the hub of all Philippine travel, but you’ll just breeze through here for a trip down to Central Philippines in time to catch a firefly river cruise at dusk and meet a tiny primate before leaving Bohol. Over the next few days, you’ll be making inter-island trips to swim with whale sharks, turtles, parrotfish, and a variety of marine life. In between are sprinklings of trips to historical spots and natural formations unique to the islands.
From Cebu, fly to Boracay island, where the 2.5-mile White Beach rivals any of the Caribbean’s in color and texture. Spend a day here on an alcohol-fuelled bender, or an adrenaline-filled adventure with jet-skiing, windsurfing and parasailing as optional activities.
Enjoy some free time in Boracay before flying to El Nido. Once there, your calendar will be filled with day trip excursions to island groups, beaches, lagoons and historic sites. There’s plenty of time to snorkel, swim or simply laze in the sun.
Finally, you’ll take the ferry to the endpoint of your trip, Coron, a few hours north of El Nido but across the sea. Coron receives fewer tourists than other Palawan sites, benefiting those who make the journey here and discover its pristine lagoons, coral formations, and war-time wrecks.
Hotel accommodation can be expected all throughout the tour. There’s a free day halfway through, but otherwise, a guide accompanies the group the rest of the time. Getting from one destination to the next entails a flight-bus-ferry connection, but only land/ferry transport is included in the price of the tour. You will need to book domestic flights separately.
CharlieTheTraveler specializes in offering multi-day tours packed with activities suitable to all age groups. If you feel there is more than enough to do in a day, you may customize this tour to suit slow travel with fewer, personalized activities for an in-depth experience. Otherwise, the tour offers great value for money if you want to see as much and do as many things as possible without the hassle of planning it all out for yourself.
In a nutshell
If you have the time to go on a once-in-a-lifetime Philippine adventure packed with activities but have no patience to plan it all out, then this 14-day tour is perfect for you!
Ifugao Villages Trek
Uncharted Philippines
Details
- Location: Northern Philippines
- Itinerary: Manila – Banaue
- Group Size: 7
- Age Range: 18-80
- Physical Activity: Active
- Fully guided: Yes
- Length: 4 Days
What to Expect
Culturally immersive mountain trekking through the villages that built the Banaue rice terraces. Short and ‘sweat.’
- Mountain trekking through Ifugao rice terraces
- BYOB (bring your own backpack)
- Cultural immersion
- Village stays
What the Experience Is Like
You’ll take a public bus from Manila for an overnight trip to Ifugao, a mountainous and landlocked province some eight hours north of the capital. After a long drive on winding roads, you arrive early in the morning in Banaue, a small town that is home to UNESCO-listed rice terraces.
The next two days are spent trekking through terraced mountainsides to reach four villages a few hours apart. You will need to carry your own supplies on your hike. Sleep in a village inn and connect with locals, most of whom are descendants of the terrace builders.
UNESCO inscribed the rice terraces in Batad and Bangaan for their engineering ingenuity that allowed the indigenous settlers of this mountainous area to landscape nature to address their survival needs. An excursion into a nearby waterfall breaks the unending views of rice paddies. Dinner and drinks are enjoyed in Banaue before the overnight bus trip back to Manila.
In a nutshell
Want to get your blood pumping while taking in lungfuls of cool mountain air and filling your eyes with incredible scenery? This 4-day Ifugao trek might be what you need.
North Philippines Explorer
Explore!
Details
- Location: Luzon Island
- Itinerary: Manila – Tagaytay – Taal Volcano – Laoag – Vigan – Sagada – Banaue Rice Terraces – Mt. Pinatubo
- Group Size: 16
- Age Range: 16-85
- Physical Activity: Adventurous
- Fully guided: Yes
- Length: 13 Days
What to Expect
A beneath-the-surface tour of the northern Philippine landmass through contrasting landscapes of a teeming megacity, volcanoes, mountains and white sand beaches punctuated every now and then by visits to cultural and heritage sites left by the ancient builders of the rice terraces and the Spanish conquistadores.
- Spanish fortifications, churches and colonial towns
- Volcanic treks and crater lake boat ride
- Hikes through Banaue rice terraces
- Sagada hanging coffins
- Kalesa rides in Vigan and a bus tour of Old Manila
- Sandy beaches and sand dunes (optional)
What the Experience Is Like
A bus tour of the historic sites of Manila takes you to the walled city of Intramuros, the oldest Chinatown in the world, the oldest Catholic church in the Philippines, and the leafy park where the national hero was executed by the Spaniards.
Drive the morning after to a nearby province for a rafting ride on a lake before an overnight stay in Tagaytay. From there, a short drive to Taal Volcano sets you up for a trek to the crater, where you can soak up panoramic views. A boat ride on the crater lake takes you to the island in the center.
Back in Manila, take a flight to Laoag in the northernmost part of the Philippines. This leg of the journey makes it easy for you to go on optional tours of the nearby sand dunes and sandy beaches before going on a ‘kalesa’ or horse-drawn carriage and walking tour of Vigan, a well-preserved Spanish colonial town.
From the cobblestone streets of Vigan, you drive south and up to the landlocked mountainous region of Sagada to see hanging coffins and burial caves. Then it’s on to the Banaue rice terraces some three hours away by ‘jeepney’ to see how the indigenous Ifugao carved rice fields out of mountainsides. Hiking to certain spots gives you better views.
As the trip winds down, the 4WD drive to the trailhead of Mt. Pinatubo, some two hours north of Manila, takes you closer to the volcano’s crater. While the two-hour hike each way is relatively easy, a few stream crossings in ankle-deep water entails getting your footwear wet. A dry bag will keep your important gadgets out of harm’s way.
Explore! has decades of experience setting up tours for all traveler types but specializes in providing experiential travel off the well-trodden path that leans closer to what’s authentic in the context of local traditions. It strives to balance comfort and location, so you get to enjoy standard hotel accommodation for the duration of the trip, even if you’re far from the city.
On this tour, go on a bus-boat-4WD combo. A certain level of physical fitness is needed as hiking may be up to four hours at a time with an average of 300m gain in elevation.
In a nutshell
Do you have the time and the dime to explore the Northern Philippines and really get under its skin? Then you deserve to book this 13-day tour today.
If none of these tours work for you in the Philippines, please do not worry. There is a wide variety of tour options in the country, and we are confident that there will be something that fits your needs and interests.
Take a look at all the group tours in the Philippines now, which you can sort by private or group, maximum sizing, budget, dates and much (much more). The team at TourRadar is also always more than happy to answer any questions, provide further information or assist in any way in finding the perfect tour for you.
