Philippines Itinerary: 2-weeks diving and Traveling
In this post, I’ll be taking you through my amazing Philippines itinerary for a two-week trip. We’ll start with a few days in Cebu, then head to Moalboal for diving and canyoneering. From there, we’ll visit Oslob before flying to Puerto Princesa and making our way to El Nido. Finally, we’ll hop over to Coron by ferry for some advanced diving before ending our trip by heading to Kuala Lumpur. Each of these destinations offered unique experiences, and I’ll share what worked well and what I’d do differently.
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Why I went on this Philippines trip
This trip to the Philippines was more than just a vacation for me—it was a mission to develop a new hobby and push myself to go outside and try new things. As someone who was struggling with depression, I wanted to find an activity that could help me overcome it. That’s what inspired me to pursue a diving course in the Philippines, which has been a game-changer for my mental health. Learning to dive in the Philippines was a strong catalyst in my depression recovery journey.
Day-by-Day Breakdown of Our Philippines ITINERARY
Day 1: Arrive in Cebu
Our adventure began on January 2nd when we landed in Cebu. The first day was all about relaxing and unwinding around our Airbnb. It was essential to have a day to acclimate and recharge before starting our long-anticipated diving course. I highly recommend taking it easy on your first day to adjust to the new environment (and time zone!)
Day 2 & 3: Open Water Diver Course
Next, we embarked on the Open Water Diver PADI course with SiDive in Cebu. The visibility was fantastic, and the ocean was warm and calm, making it a perfect spot for beginners. The dive shop and instructors were amazing—patient, kind, and excellent in English. The easy dives without any currents helped us grasp the basic concepts effortlessly.
A tip: If your schedule allows, consider adding a day or two to your Philippines Itinerary to visit Malapascua for the unique experience of diving with thresher sharks, which we, unfortunately, missed due to our pre-booked hotel in Moalboal.
Day 4: Head to Moalboal
Because we could not find many interesting activities in Cebu, we took a taxi to Moalboal and spent the night exploring the city. Moalboal had a charming coastal touristy vibe with travelers from around the world. We enjoyed meeting new people, trying out restaurants, and checking out potential dive shops.
Day 5: Diving in Moalboal
We went diving with Amigos Dive Center, which offered the best prices and fantastic facilities.
We did one shore dive (with the famous Moalboal Sardine Run) and one boat dive. This was another highlight of our trip, and the underwater scenes were absolutely mesmerizing.
Day 6: Canyoneering Tour
Canyoneering was one of the things that we consider a must-do for any Philippines Itinerary. We had high expectations, so we shopped around a lot to find the best tour. After realizing that prices were government-regulated and consistent everywhere downtown, we headed early in the morning to Kawasan Falls by Tuk-tuk in the hopes of finding a more affordable tour there. We did not have any success and just booked a random private tour near Kawasan Falls.
Three lessons learned when it comes to canyoneering tours:
- Do not shop around for canyoneering tours.
- Consider booking a private tour. When booking at a shop near Kawasan Falls, we found a private tour to be about the same price as the group tour! By having it be private, you can arrive extra early and beat the crowds, which is extremely worth it. We often had the paradisiacal waterfalls to ourselves, and rarely had to wait in line to do the jumps.
- If you are not an active person, book this tour before some relax-only days. The intense physical activity left me sore for the next two days, making it hard for me to enjoy the other activities we had booked.
Day 7: Day trip to Oslob
Our visit to Oslob was a major letdown. We’ve dedicated an entire video and blog post about why this experience didn’t live up to our expectations, check them out!
In short, I do not recommend adding Oslob to your Philippines itinerary. Use this day to have fun around Moalboal!
Day 8: Puerto Princesa relax day
We flew to Puerto Princesa due to a booking mistake, we ended up here instead of heading straight to El Nido. Accidentally getting to Puerto Princesa turned out to be a blessing in disguise as we got to take the day to relax in our hotel for a much-needed activity break.
Day 9: Tour from Puerto Princesa to El Nido (stopping at the Underground River)
We booked a van transport from Puerto Princesa to El Nido that included a stop at the Underground River. While I’m not a big fan of caves, the river and its surroundings are one of the 7 natural wonders of the world and are worth seeing at least once. We arrived in El Nido at night and found the restaurant scene to be fantastic, with plenty of delicious and affordable options.
Day 10: El Nido relax day
We spent the day working and relaxing at a cute beach café in El Nido before heading to the marina to book an island-hopping tour. After shopping around, we negotiated a private island-hopping tour for 8300 pesos (~140 USD) with Gracias Travel and Tour. This was extremely worth it, as we had a big boat with 4 crew members just for the two of us!
Pro Tip: Negotiate! We shopped around a lot for this tour and saw lots of inconsistencies in price. Be aware that there is tons of room to negotiate the island-hopping tour!
Day 11: El Nido Island Hopping Tour A
Our private island-hopping tour was incredible (we chose tour A as it seemed to be the most fun for us!).
We left the pier early and had many paradisiacal spots to ourselves.
Day 12: Ferry to Coron
We took a ferry to Coron, which was quite the experience due to delays and confusing bureaucracy. Once in Coron, we found Reggae Dive Center to be the best choice for our advanced diving course, despite their cost being higher than the competition. Reggae Dive Center‘s professionalism and facilities were top-notch.
Day 13-15: Advanced diver course in Coron
We spent two days doing the advanced diving course with Reggae Dive Center. The experience was phenomenal.
We’ve detailed this experience in this post, check it out!
Day 16: Departure
On January 16th, we said goodbye to the Philippines and flew to Kuala Lumpur. Reflecting on this trip, there were many highs and a few lows, but overall, it was an enriching experience.
I hope that you will enjoy your trip to the Philippines as much as I did! Subscribe to my YouTube channel to stay up to date on all my travel content!
