As we explain in How to plan a trip to the Philippines, we think at least 15 days is a good amount of time to travel around the country. However, it’s also possible to visit in less time, as long as you plan it well. That’s why we’ve put together this 10-day Philippines itinerary you can follow independently to make the most of your time in the country.
Of course, this is a sample Philippines route that you can adapt to your own travel style. Keep in mind that the archipelago has more than 7,700 islands and, most importantly, every traveler is different and may be looking for something different.
Key features of this 10-day Philippines itinerary
Before we break it down, here are some key features of this 10-day travel itinerary in the Philippines:
- We’ve focused on the Palawan region (which includes the island of Palawan as well as Coron) to avoid wasting too much time on transfers. Keep in mind that, in general, when planning a Philippines itinerary, you usually spend a full day in transit every time you move to a new destination. In this case, we’ve kept transfers to a minimum while still covering one of the most spectacular regions in the country.
- This is a real 10-day itinerary, meaning 10 full days in the Philippines. Depending on your international flight times, this itinerary may fit your trip more or less easily.
- This is a fairly intense Philippines itinerary. That is, there isn’t much time for relaxation here. Even so, you’ll still have time to make the most of the trip. Want a more relaxed pace? You can slow it down by dropping one destination; our advice would be to skip Coron because the landscapes are similar to those in El Nido and keeping Port Barton will make the trip more varied.
- This itinerary around the Philippines will take you to see the epic beaches you’ve probably seen whenever you’ve searched for the Philippines online. Keep in mind that you’ll be doing several island hopping trips (boat excursions from island to island), although you can also do a couple of self-guided outings.
- We’ve used Manila as the starting point for this route because international flights are usually cheaper, but you could also do it from Cebu, which also has flights to and from Coron and Puerto Princesa.
- There isn’t much time for diving on this 10-day trip to the Philippines, although you could fit in one day in Coron.
Most importantly, it’s an honest and realistic route. We’re honestly tired of seeing 10-day Philippines routes on social media that are basically marathons. We’ve been coming here and living here on and off since 2010 and the worst thing you can do is pack your itinerary with places that are far apart and that require a full travel day. It’s better to stick to well-connected destinations like the ones on this route to make the most of your time.
10-day Philippines travel itinerary
We’ll outline it first and then break it down day by day. Click on each part to jump straight to the section you’re interested in:
Day 1: Manila – Coron
Days 2 and 3: Coron
Day 4: How to get from Coron to El Nido
Days 5, 6 and 7: El Nido
Day 8: How to get from El Nido to Port Barton
Day 9: Port Barton
Day 10: Port Barton – Manila
Remember that travel insurance is essential so you don’t take unnecessary risks. In Best travel insurance for the Philippines, we explain which one we recommend and why. We’ve been using it for many years and (unfortunately) we’ve had to use it several times and it has saved us thousands of dollars in hospital bills. In addition, if you buy it through this link, you’ll get a 5% discount as a reader of our website and you’ll also help us continue creating useful, up-to-date content like this
Detailed 10-day Philippines itinerary
Here’s how to plan this Philippines travel itinerary step by step:
Day 1: Manila – Coron
We start this 10-day Philippines itinerary with one of the most beautiful places in the country: Coron. Here, unforgettable days of island hopping through lagoons, deserted beaches, and uninhabited islands await.
We’re assuming you arrived in the Philippines the day before or very early in the morning so you can catch one of the first flights from Manila to Coron. As we explain in How to get to Coron, there are direct flights from several airlines to Busuanga or Francisco Reyes Airport (IATA code: USU).
⭐ If you arrive early in the morning, it’s best to contact someone in advance to organize a private tour around Coron Island for that day. This is the so-called Ultimate Tour and, since it’s private, you can start whenever you like and, most importantly, avoid the crowds. If you’re interested, you can leave us a comment and we’ll send you our lovely guide’s contact details (thousands of travelers have already gone with him and come back delighted).
If you don’t have enough time for a full tour, you could do other activities such as snorkeling at Siete Pecados, hiking up Mt. Tapyas, or visiting the Maquinit Hot Springs, which can help with jet lag. Round off the day by watching the sunset from a terrace like the one at Hop Hostel. In Things to do in Coron, you’ll find everything you need to plan this part of the trip.
Recommended accommodation in Coron:
- Backpacker vibe: Hop Hostel
- Good value for money: Bay Area Lodge
- For a little luxury: The Funny Lion
- More recommendations on where to stay in Coron
Bulog Dos-Banol Beach-Twin Lagoon
Days 2 and 3: Coron
Following your arrival day, you’ll have two full days to enjoy Coron. In Things to do in Coron, you’ll find lots of useful information, but we recommend splitting your days as follows:
- Island hopping: Escapade Tour, which takes you to islands such as Malcapuya, Banana and Bulog Dos or Waling Waling.
- Here, you have two options, depending on your interests:
- Island hopping to remote islands such as North Cay, Maltatayoc, Black Island…
- A day of diving among the World War II shipwrecks in Coron. It is, after all, one of the best places to dive in the Philippines.
Above all, if you didn’t have time on day 1 to do the Ultimate tour, do it on one of these two days instead; it is the most impressive island-hopping tour of all. If you were able to do it, we recommend using another day for the Escapade Tour. Leave us a comment below and we’ll send you our recommended contacts to help make these excursions (and those in El Nido and Port Barton as well) fantastic. We’ve been taking these tours since 2010, so we know the area pretty well :)))
You’ll find everything you need and more to plan these tours in our guide Island hopping in Coron.
To make the most of the local food scene, take a look at Where to eat in Coron.
Day 4: Coron – El Nido
We continue our 10-day Philippines itinerary with one of the country’s gems: El Nido. Although it is very touristy, trust us, there are ways to avoid the crowds. In our El Nido Guide you’ll find tips from fellow travelers.
To get to El Nido, you have two options, which we explain in How to get to El Nido, but in short:
- By fast ferry from Coron to El Nido: several companies depart early in the morning. We prefer to book in advance and, if possible, with Jomalia, which has a better boat and tends to sway less.
- By flying from Coron to El Nido, although flights do NOT run daily. If the timing works, the flight is the better option, since the price is similar to the ferry and it helps you avoid seasickness.
If you manage to arrive in El Nido early, we recommend visiting Nacpan Beach, which you can reach by renting a motorbike or negotiating a fare with a tricycle driver. Otherwise, you could watch the sunset from the beautiful Las Cabanas Beach, one of the best beaches in El Nido, or, if you feel like it, you can also go to Lio Beach, which is also a lovely option.
Recommended accommodation in El Nido:
- Backpacker vibe: Frendz Hostel
- Good value for money: Bulskamp Inn
- For a little luxury: Last Frontier Beach Resort
- More recommendations for where to stay in El Nido
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Entalula Island in El Nido
Days 5, 6 and 7: El Nido
You’ll need to make the most of your time in El Nido. In our article on Things to do in El Nido, you’ll discover the best activities and island-hopping tours, but here’s what we recommend for making the most of your 10-day route around the Philippines:
- Island Hopping Tour A (although few companies offer it, you can also do a combination of tours A+C or B+D).
- Route around El Nido’s best beaches: Nacpan, Duli, Lio Beach and/or Las Cabanas. The famous zipline is at the last one.
- Island Hopping Tour C (or any combination of them). If you prefer, you can also do a kayak route.
The order doesn’t really matter, but we’ve arranged it this way to add some variety. The main thing to keep an eye on is the weather. Use the sunniest days for your island-hopping tours in El Nido.
It is VERY IMPORTANT to know that, if you want to avoid the crowds, booking a PRIVATE tour in El Nido is essential. Leave us a comment and we’ll send you the contacts you need to organize it and enjoy this impressive Southeast Asian scenery without having to elbow your way through the crowds.
At this stop on your 10-day Philippines route, you’ll find plenty of restaurants and bars. Since we’ve been coming here for many years, you’ll find our best tips in Where to eat in El Nido.
Nacpan Beach
Day 8: El Nido – Port Barton
We continue this Philippines route by heading to the charming town of Port Barton, which has been winning travelers over for years now. Its laid-back vibe, the smiles of the locals, and the chance to reach beautiful beaches on foot are the reasons we’ve included this destination in the 10-day Philippines travel itinerary.
In How to get to Port Barton, we explain everything, but we can tell you right now that the best way to go from El Nido to Port Barton is by shared van. The journey takes about 3.5 hours.
We recommend booking an early-morning van to enjoy the afternoon in Port Barton. Trust us, you’ll want the extra time.
We recommend walking towards White Beach as soon as you arrive, stopping at Coconut Beach. If you prefer, you can also go by tricycle, motorbike or boat — whatever suits you best. You can enjoy the sunset there or head back to town to see it from one of the bars on Port Barton’s main beach. These are two of the best beaches in Port Barton.
Recommended accommodation:
- Backpacker vibe: CocoRico Hostel
- Cheap and clean: Hashtag Tourist Inn
- Good value for money: Parrots Boutique Resort
- More recommendations in Where to stay in Port Barton
Day 9: Port Barton
You have this whole day to discover the islands around Port Barton, which are just as stunning as El Nido’s. Although you won’t find El Nido’s dramatic karst landscapes here, you can enjoy paradise islands, fabulous snorkeling and, above all, peace and quiet, as Port Barton is much less visited than its northern Palawan sibling.
You’ll find all the details in our Port Barton Guide, but we suggest organizing your island-hopping tour in Port Barton the day before. It usually costs around 1,500 pesos and you’ll love it.
If you don’t feel like doing more tours, you can also spend your time exploring other places to see in Port Barton such as Pamuayan Falls and the aforementioned Coconut Beach and White Beach, and you can also add Pamuayan Beach to the list.
White Beach
Day 10: Port Barton – Manila
Although we’re a bit sad to give Port Barton so little time, you can still make the most of the morning before taking a van from Port Barton to Puerto Princesa Airport. The trip takes about 3 hours. If you didn’t go the day before, you can fit in a visit to Pamuayan Falls.
Try to book the last afternoon flight from Puerto Princesa to Manila to make the most of the day.
Once in Manila, why not see it from above at one of our favorite bars? Head for dinner in the lively Poblacion neighborhood (you’ll find plenty of tips in Best restaurants in Manila) and toast to an epic 10-day trip to the Philippines on the rooftop at the I’M Hotel or Dr. Wine Poblacion.
As always, we recommend being in Manila at least the day before your international flight departs. If you have time in the capital, you can follow the route we suggest in Things to do in Manila or take the opportunity to do some shopping with the help of the tips we give you in Best things to buy in the Philippines.
Recommended accommodation:
- In Poblacion: Lub d Makati
- Near the airport: Savoy Hotel Manila
- You’ll find many more options in Where to stay in Manila or Where to stay near Manila airport
Makati skyline-Shopping-Binondo Church
Map of the 10-day route around the Philippines
Here’s a map of the 10-day itinerary around the Philippines to make everything a bit clearer. We’ve also marked the accommodations we recommend.
For this and any other route, travel insurance is essential. In Best Travel Insurance for the Philippines we tell you which one we’ve been using for years and which also has extensive coverage for things like theft, baggage issues, transport incidents, diving, and, among many others, repatriation if necessary.
As a Travel around the Philippines reader, you also get a 5% discount if you buy it through this link:
Alternatives to this 10-day Philippines itinerary
If this itinerary feels too intense for you or you’re perhaps looking for something different, here are several alternatives for a 10-day route in the Philippines:
1. Skip Coron
Skip Busuanga Island (Coron) and add one more day to Port Barton and El Nido. If you feel you have one day to spare, you can use it to visit Nagtabon Beach in Puerto Princesa, visit the Underground River in Sabang with this tour or spend a day in Manila, which also offers interesting possibilities.
Why skip Coron? Because, as we mentioned above, the landscapes of Coron and El Nido are similar, so keeping Port Barton makes your trip more diverse.
2. Add the expedition between Coron and El Nido
Have you heard of the expeditions from Coron to El Nido (or vice versa)? These are multi-day trips between the two destinations, usually lasting 3–4 days, and let you discover paradise-like islands along the way, sleeping in simple huts on remote islands, which makes the experience feel much more complete and turns it into a highlight for many travelers.
The expeditions, however, don’t include any of the stops from the El Nido tours and only include some stops from Coron’s Escapade Tour (not the Ultimate), so skipping Coron and El Nido and replacing them with the expedition isn’t what we’d recommend. However, you could do something like this:
- Day 1: transfer to Coron + Ultimate tour first thing (as soon as you arrive)
- Days 2, 3 and 4: Coron–El Nido expedition
- Days 5 and 6: El Nido (tours A and C or one tour day and another for nearby beaches)
- Day 7: transfer to Port Barton
- Days 8 and 9: Port Barton
- Day 10: return to Manila or Cebu
We prefer the 4-day expedition, but we think the 3-day one fits better in this case. For this option, we recommend THIS COMPANY. With the code TRAVELPHILIPPINES you’ll get a 1,000-peso discount per person.
3. Try to fit in the whale shark tour in Puerto Princesa
As we tell you in Where to swim with whale sharks in the Philippines, whale shark season runs from April to October, and the experience is completely natural, with no feeding or mistreatment like in Oslob. If you’re really excited to try, always keeping in mind that this is wildlife and you might not see them, you could give it a try in Puerto Princesa at the end of the trip.
In this case, our advice would be to skip Port Barton and go straight from El Nido to Puerto Princesa and spend the night there (you have accommodation recommendations in Where to stay in Puerto Princesa), do the tour the next morning (it’s from about 7:00 to 14:00) and fly to Manila that same afternoon.
If you need tour company recommendations for spotting whale sharks, you can leave us a comment and we’ll happily share our contacts.
4. Drop Coron and choose to visit the beautiful rice terraces of Banaue and Batad
This is a great way to add more variety to the trip. You can add it before or after Palawan.
The buses from Manila to Banaue run overnight (you can read more in How to get to Banaue), so you can make the most of your time as follows:
- Take the night bus to Banaue, head to Batad and do a hike in the area. You can read more in Things to do in Batad.
- Stay in Batad to wake up to a spectacular sunrise.
- Visit a nearby village and take the bus back from Banaue to Manila.
You’ll find more information in Things to do in Banaue.
Tips for enjoying this 10-day route around the Philippines
To wrap up, here are some tips that will help you plan your 10-day Philippines trip more efficiently:
- What is the best time of year to do the 10-day itinerary in the Philippines? In this case, the best time would be from November to May, the dry-season months in Palawan. Even so, this doesn’t mean you can’t do it from June to October. Just because it’s the rainy season doesn’t mean it will rain every day. That said, if you’re worried about the weather, you could stick to an itinerary in areas where it’s currently the dry season, such as Siargao, Camiguin and Dinagat. You’ll find much more information on this topic in When to travel to the Philippines?.
- If it works better for you, you can do the route in reverse, that is, starting in Puerto Princesa and finishing in Coron. Even so, we don’t recommend it. Why? Because Coron’s airport is tiny and surrounded by mountains, so if there’s heavy rain or it’s windy, flights are delayed or canceled and your international flight could be at risk. This is less likely to be an issue at Puerto Princesa Airport, which is much better equipped.
- The value for money of accommodation in Coron and El Nido is honestly among the worst in the Philippines. This is especially true in high season. Even if you’ve traveled around other Southeast Asian countries and improvised (and it worked out well), things are different here. We strongly recommend booking in advance.
- For the transfer from Coron to El Nido, choose the Jomalia ferry or, if prices are good, fly. Why? Jomalia’s boats are newer and larger, so the ride tends to be a bit smoother, and the crossing can be tough for anyone who gets seasick. If you can take a motion-sickness pill, you’ll be glad you did. You can book tickets for both here.
- One of the keys to enjoying this 10-day route in the Philippines is to do the tours privately. These are destinations with lots of visitors, and the way to enjoy their magnificent spots is with a boat that takes you there when the spots aren’t packed with people. Seriously, take our word for it. If you need contacts, we’ll be happy to share the ones we trust — just leave us a comment below.
- If you want to save money, don’t bring too much luggage. You really won’t need warm clothes (except for transport days) and you’ll find laundry services everywhere, so try not to have to check bags on domestic flights. Almost all domestic airlines in the Philippines charge for checked luggage and carry-on luggage is limited to 7 kg.
- You’ve probably noticed that you’ll find all the information you need for your trip on our website, but the following articles are especially useful: Recommendations and tips for traveling to the Philippines and our Philippines Guide.
Malcapuya Island (Coron)
Frequently asked questions about a 10-day trip to the Philippines
We hope we’ve answered all your questions, but before wrapping up, we want to cover the most common questions we receive about 10-day trips to the Philippines:
How many days are needed to see the Philippines?
The country has more than 7,700 islands, and that’s one reason we’ve been exploring it for more than 15 years… That said, our advice is that, if you can, you spend at least 20 days here. Otherwise, with 15 days you can do a very varied route, and with 10 days, you can focus on one region, as in this Palawan-focused route.
What is the best 10-day Philippines route?
Since transfers can be quite demanding, in our experience, the best 10-day route around the Philippines is one focused on exploring the Coron/Palawan region. In other words: Coron–El Nido–Port Barton.
What other 10-day Philippines route do you recommend?
If you don’t want to focus only on the Palawan area, another option would be to visit Port Barton and El Nido and, from there, fly to Bohol, as there are direct flights. You could also swap Coron for a route around the Banaue and Batad area and enjoy the breathtaking landscapes of the rice terraces. Finally, you could join the fabulous expedition between Coron and El Nido.
What is the best time of year for a 10-day route in the Philippines?
Because of the route’s location in Palawan, it’s best to do it from November to May, which is the dry season. That said, it can be done at any time of the year.
Did you find this 10-day Philippines itinerary useful? Have a question? Let us know in the comments!
