We have visited 4 different islands (stopovers not calculated) during our journey. The islands we’ve visited are:

• Siargao

• Bohol

• El Nido

• Coron

BOAT EXPEDITION
The TAO expedition cruises from El Nido to Coron, or the other way around. Both places are also worth staying a few days. Read more about this expedition later in the blog!

SIARGAO

Siargao is one of the islands of the Philippines that you should not miss. Many mention this island as a favorite and since we have been there ourselves, we completely understand why. From the plane you can already see the many palm trees and the beautiful blue sea that surrounds the island. We recommend to stay at least 5 days in Siargao to discover the whole island and to get used to the relaxing island vibes.

What to do in Siargao?

• Surfing, surfing, surfing
  Siargao is all about surfing and Cloud 9 is known as one of the best surfing spots in the Philippines! And because the place is so good for surfing, it can get very busy. We preferred Cloud 9 to watch the surfers from the beach and went to Ocean 9 to surf ourselves as it is a lot less busy.

• Go island-hopping
  A very popular activity in Siargao is to go island-hopping around Siargao. The most famous option is the 3 island tour which takes you to Guyam Island, Pansukian or Naked Island (a sandbar), and Daku Island. This day is all about relaxing on the beach and chilling in the water.

• Watch the sunset at Catangnan Bridge
  This is a full late afternoon activity because not only can you watch a beautiful sunset from here, the bridge is also full of skateboarders practicing their tricks. At the beginning of the bridge you will also find a small ‘market’ to buy street food and souvenirs.

• Go shopping in the main street
  The main street of General Luna is full of surfing shops where you can not only buy surfing equipment but also clothing and shell necklaces.

• Rent a scooter and discover all the palmtrees of the island
  General Luna is very vibrant and popular but as soon as you drive out of this town, you will be surrounded by palmtrees and nature. Along the way you can stop at the Coconut Trees View Deck, cross Coconut Road and join the locals for a game of basketball.

• Make a boat tour on the Maasin River
  We were here in April 2024 but unfortunately the famous bent palm tree with swing was not there anymore. But there was a platform you could jump from and the boat tour itself was also beautiful!

Food, drinks and accommodations in Siargao

Best food we had in Siargao:

• Shaka Café (breakfast)

• Kermit (lunch)

• La Carinderia (dinner)

For drinks, we recommend checking out the popular hostels where there are parties throughout the week.

We stayed at Happiness Beach Resort/Hostel. They provided good service, nice food and lots of activities each day. A big recommendation when in Siargao.

Bohol is an island of the Phillipines where it's more about the inland activities rather than the beach and sea, making it unique among the Philippino islands. You can reach Bohol by airplane from Manila or Cebu, or take the ferry from Cebu. Most accommodations can be found on the southern part of Panglao (small island connected to Bohol). The activities and sights that Bohol has to offer are a few hours' drive away, but you are close to the beach with several restaurants. If you want to stay a little closer to the sights, the accommodations located on the Loboc River are the better option. You will sleep in the middle of mama nature and both the activities and the beach are only an hour's drive away with the motorbike or tuktuk. We rented our own motorbike for our stay in Bohol and this was a really easy way to get around.

What to do in Bohol?

• Go (evening) supping on the Loboc river
  You can rent a sup board at most of the accommodations located near the river. If you want to make it more special we recommend an evening tour where a guide can show you secret spots full of fireflies when it gets dark.

• Visit the Chocolate Hills
  To be honest, this is a very touristy spot and we were not blown away by the view. But it’s like visiting the Eifel Tower in Paris, seeing these hills is something you can’t miss when you visit Bohol.

• Go tarsier watching
  You can spot the tarsiers in various parks around the island. Don't expect a whole zoo, it's just a small park for small, cute animals. And it's fascinating to see them in real life instead of as a photo!

• Rent a scooter and drive to the waterfalls
  There are a few waterfalls located near each other. We were told by locals that Pahangog Falls is one of the most beatiful.

• Spent the day at Oceanica Resort
  For those who deserve some relaxing time after all the activities that Bohol has to offer. The entrance is free and the beautiful beach is cleaned all day with a tractor. You do have to pay for the pool if you want to enter and the menu is everything but cheap. Still we had an amazing relaxed day here on the beds!
  

  Food, drinks and accommodations in Bohol

  Best food we had in Bohol:

  • Overgrown Café and Bar (breakfast)

  • Oceanica (lunch)

  • Food & Fables (dinner)

  For drinks, we recommend grabbing a beer at a local shop and drinking it somewhere along the Loboc River.

  We stayed at Water to Forest Ecolodge. This is in the middle of the nature, where you literally sleep in a tree. The location was amazing, but if you prefer more luxury, we recommend Fox & the Firefly.

The Palawan region boat expedition

There are several companies that organize a multi-day boat trip in the Palawan region. Most companies offer expeditions of a minimum of 3 days to a maximum of 6 days. We booked the tour with TAO expeditions and spent 5 days and 4 nights on a small ship from El Nido to Coron (the other way around is also possible). This was one of the most unique experience we ever did during our travels so don’t let the price stop you from booking this trip, this is something you don’t want to miss.

El Nido

This might be the beginning or the end of your boat expedition. El Nido is a small little village with plenty of restaurants and shops. There are some really cool hostels in town where you can meet a lot of other backpackers. We would recommend to stay a few days in El Nido to take your time in the village, go for a night out and explore one (or more) of the A, B, C or D island hopping tours (We did C).

Food, drinks and accommodations in El Nido

Best food we had in El Nido:

• Taste (breakfast)

• The Food Truck (lunch)

• Bella Vita (sunset dinner)

For drinks, we recommend the accommodation we stayed in, Frendz. This hostel has a rooftop where you can enjoy a drink while looking at the sea. They have a swimming pool on the roof and provide lots of activities. It is kind of a party hostel, but there’s enough space to do your own thing.