Philippines itinerary: 20 days (independent travel)

by | Nov 13, 2025 | Travel itineraries | 0 comments

Philippines itinerary: 20 days (independent travel)

We know that when you start planning a trip to the Philippines, the first big confusion is which islands to choose. It’s normal, with more than 7.000, the possibilities are truly endless. Although we have to warn you that crafting a trip depends largely on the traveler’s expectations and tastes, we wanted to show you a 20-day Philippines itinerary on your own that’s perfect for a first loop around the country.

This trip will take you to some of the best islands in the Philippines, such as Siargao, Malapascua, and Palawan; but of course, it is totally adaptable and modifiable to each person’s preferences. Since we’ve been roaming the country since 2010, we’ll tell you everything about this route so you can make your decisions and tailor it to your liking.

18-day Philippines itinerary

15-day itinerary for the Philippines

3-week Philippines route

Key features of this 20-day Philippines itinerary

As we were saying, this 20-day route in the Philippines will take you to discover some of the country’s top destinations. However, before detailing it, we want to tell you some of the most important features of the itinerary so you can see how and why we’ve designed it like this:

    • Arrival and departure days: this is a trip to the Philippines of 20 REAL days, meaning we are not counting international transfers. Even so, this itinerary could be squeezed into 20 total days. It all depends on your flight arrival and departure times, so it’s important to have them booked when designing your route.
    • Transfers: we’ve taken into account the golden rule for any trip to the Philippines: “every day you move is a day of transit”.
    • Best time for a 20-day Philippines route: this itinerary works perfectly if you want to travel to the Philippines in August or in other summer months, since it’s the dry season around Siargao and the weather in Malapascua is usually fine as well. It’s true that the rest of the route would technically be rainy season, but that doesn’t mean it will necessarily rain on you. If you’re thinking of traveling at another time or want to consider other options, don’t miss our 3-week Philippines route.
    • Pace: it’s a trip of medium intensity. In other words, there’s time to enjoy the journey without rushing everywhere. Obviously, if you want to go slower, the best thing would be to remove one destination.
    • What it offers: you’ll enjoy beach areas, motorbike rides, waterfalls, diving, and boat trips or island hopping to discover epic corners of the country. In short, there’s a bit of everything! That said, the key to designing a good 20-day itinerary in the Philippines is to read a lot about the different destinations and see what fits you best. There are no absolute musts here—there’s a trip for everyone—and that’s why we’ve spent so many years exploring the country.
    • Starting point: for this 20-day trip to the Philippines it’s Manila, though it could also be Cebu. We’ve done it this way because flights to the Philippines are usually cheaper there; but if flying into Cebu works out cheaper for you, go for it! You can do the same on the way back, since from Puerto Princesa you can fly to Cebu or Manila.
  • Final stop/order: you can change the order of the route, but we recommend not finishing in Coron or Siargao. Why? Because they have small, lightly equipped airports, so if there’s bad weather, flights get cancelled and/or delayed—and your international flight is at risk. Ending in Puerto Princesa is much better.
  • Budget: this is a trip with mid-range spending. We’ll try to take as many domestic flights in the Philippines as possible to make the most of the time. If you want to save, you can do more routes by local transport and boats, but then you’ll have to skip some destinations, as you’ll take much longer. How much will it cost me? You can estimate between $60–70 per day including everything (except the international flight), but it really depends on the kind of hotels, restaurants, activities, etc. To make a better estimate, we recommend reading How much does it cost to travel in the Philippines?.

If you’ve read other routes on the site, you’ll see we really stress creating honest and feasible itineraries in which you enjoy the places rather than sprinting around. As you know, we’ve been helping travelers plan their trips for more than a decade, and we still come across crazy routes where you see more planes, buses, and boats than beaches. That’s why we emphasize how important it is to make a logical route that factors in travel days—and remember it’s already dark here by about 17:30–18:00.

Also bear in mind that routes are just a model. Since we know so many places, we try to build a balanced route considering the destinations people tend to like most, including islands that offer a bit of everything and making sure they’re reasonably well connected. Even so, the Philippines has more than 7.700 islands and we’re not all the same. So our advice will always be to read a lot about the different destinations (you’ve got the most in-depth guides on our site) and see what matches what you’re looking for. In any case, at the end of this article you’ll find alternatives.

20-day Philippines itinerary

Below you’ll find a quick outline of the itinerary we’ve put together. If you keep reading, you’ll see the 20-day route through the Philippines step by step. However, if you want to jump straight to a section, just click it and we’ll take you there:

Day 1: How to get from Manila to Siargao

Days 2, 3, 4 and 5: Siargao

Day 6: How to get from Siargao to Malapascua

Days 7, 8 and 9: Malapascua and Kalanggaman

Day 10: How to get from Malapascua to Coron

Days 11 and 12: Coron

Day 13: How to get from Coron to El Nido

Days 14, 15 and 16: El Nido

Day 17: How to get from El Nido to Port Barton

Days 18 and 19: Port Barton

Day 20: How to get from Port Barton to Manila

Travel insured on your 20-day Philippines itinerary

Something we always insist on—both for a 20-day itinerary in the Philippines and any other—is the huge importance of having travel insurance that has your back from start to finish. In our guide to the Best travel insurance for the Philippines we talk about the one we’ve been using for many years and how, besides covering all health matters, it also covers cases such as theft, baggage issues, transport incidents and, among many more, repatriation if necessary. It has saved us many times.

Plus, as a Travel around the Philippines reader, you get a 5% discount if you book from here:

discount travel insurance

Detailed 20-day Philippines itinerary

After all these details, here we’ll walk you through the 20-day Philippines route step by step. You’ll find lots of specific guides linked where we dive into hotels, restaurants and, above all, the activities available in each place. This is just a short summary.

Day 1: Manila – Siargao

We kick off this 20-day Philippines itinerary with one of the archipelago’s darlings: Siargao.

Located in the south of the country, its charm has already reached travelers all over the world. Even so, it still preserves its authenticity and, except for some areas in the south of the island and at specific times, it’s far from overcrowded. There are many things to do in Siargao: motorbike rides along roads lined with endless palm groves, top‑level surfing (it’s the most famous place to surf in the Philippines), exploring nearby islands with white‑sand beaches, enjoying the nightlife…

For getting from Manila to Siargao we explain everything in detail in How to get to Siargao, but here’s the short version: it’s as easy as booking a flight. If it’s direct, the trip takes barely 2 hours. If you’re starting from Cebu, you’ll also find flights from Cebu to Siargao, or you can do a boat route to Surigao and then on to Siargao.

Our tip is to book the first flight of the morning to make the most of the day. Once you land in Siargao, take one of the vans that, for 300 pesos, will drop you at your hotel.

You’ll likely arrive around midday, so after refuelling at one of the restaurants in Siargao, in the afternoon you can roam the beaches of General Luna, Malinao and Santa Fe, and watch the sunset from the Boardwalk or Secret Beach.

Recommended stays:

Landscapes of Siargao

Coconut Road – Magpupungko Rock Pools – Naked Island

Days 2, 3, 4 and 5: Siargao

You’ve got 4 full days in Siargao, which is the time we consider you should devote to this island. So if you want to take things slower or surf a lot, our advice is to give it at least 1 or 2 more days of your 20-day Philippines trip and trim somewhere else.

Even if it seems like many days, you’ll see you’ll make the most of your time. In our Siargao Guide you’ll find all the details for your stay, but this can be a good trip plan:

    1. Day for your first island hopping (boat trips between islands) to the 3 islands (Daku, Naked and Guyam) + Mam’on. Read Island hopping in Siargao for all the info.
  1. Day to tour by motorbike or tricycle through the north of the island: Magpupungko, Alegría, Tak Tak Falls and other Siargao beaches. In Things to do in Siargao you’ve got a route mapped out—even with a map.
  2. Trip to Sugba Lagoon, Kawhagan and Pamomoan from Del Carmen.
  3. Island hopping day to Sohoton or Corregidor Island, or a surf day.
Mamom Island

Mamom Island

Day 6: Siargao – Cebu – Malapascua

This day of your 20-day trip to the Philippines is for transfers, so there’s nothing for it but to be patient.

To get from Siargao to Malapascua you’ll need to do the following:

  1. Take a flight from Siargao to Cebu, the earliest one you can find so you reach Malapascua in good time, due to the boat schedules.
  2. Go from Cebu to Malapascua. You’ll find lots of information in How to get to Malapascua, but basically you have 2 options:
  • Go by public transport: taxi to the North Bus Terminal + bus/van to Maya + boat to Malapascua
  • Go by taxi: taxi to Maya + public or private boat to Malapascua — this shortens the travel time. We have a contact in case you’d like to do it this way. Leave us a comment and we’ll send it to you.

✈️ Everything is explained in How to get from Siargao to Malapascua

You’ll probably reach Malapascua a little before sunset, so you can head to Bounty Beach and enjoy a tasty mango margarita while soaking up the island’s relaxed vibe.

Recommended stays

Malapascua on a 20-day route through the Philippines

Days 7, 8 and 9: Malapascua and Kalanggaman

Whether you dive or not, Malapascua is a very special spot to include in your 20-day Philippines route and we’ve been visiting it for 10 years without getting tired of it.

This Visayan island will slow your pulse and win you over with its simplicity and local vibe. In Best things to do in Malapascua you’ll find everything you can do, but here’s a well-rounded plan:

  1. Excursion to the island’s northern area: the lighthouse, Lapus Lapus, Langob Beach (one of the best beaches in Malapascua) and the “abandoned resort”. If you’re diving, you could head to Gato Island in the morning and then go north.
  2. Beach chill on Bounty Beach or a day of diving with the thresher shark at Kimud Shoal—the must-do for diving in Malapascua. If you don’t have a diving certification, you can do a try dive, or go snorkelling with the reef sharks in front of the Tepanee hotel.
  3. Day trip to the epic Kalanggaman, which has one of the best beaches in the Philippines.

By the way, if you’re not a certified diver, you could take the opportunity to get your certification during your stay on the island. Doing the theory online, you could get certified in this number of days.

Whether you have your Open Water or not, leave us a comment and we’ll send you the contact for the island’s best dive center, where you’ll feel at home and, most importantly, very safe.

Langob Beach in Malapascua

Langob Beach in Malapascua

Day 10: Malapascua – Coron

After those wonderful, relaxed days in Malapascua, today a long journey to Coron awaits. To do it, you’ll need to:

  1. Boat from Malapascua to Maya. If possible, take the first boat, which leaves around 7:00.
  2. From Maya to Cebu by bus/van or private taxi. If you go by bus, once at the North Bus Terminal, you’ll need to take a taxi to Mactan Cebu Airport.
  3. Flight from Cebu to Coron. It’s very important to allow plenty of time to make it from Malapascua. It’s common to take a flight around 14:00 so you’re not rushed.
  4. Van from the airport to your hotel (about 30 minutes). You can reserve your seat here.

You can read much more about all of this in How to get to Coron.

ALTERNATIVE OPTION: If, for whatever reason, you can’t find Cebu–Coron flights that fit your dates because of the schedule, one idea is to leave Malapascua on day 9 on the last boat (around 16:30), overnight in Cebu (we recommend this hotel near the airport), and the next morning (day 10) fly early to Coron. That way you could also make good use of the day in Coron—your call!

You’ll likely arrive in Coron late, but if you have time you could go for a soak in the Maquinit Hot Springs or watch the sunset from Mt. Tapyas or from the rooftop of Hop Hostel, our favorite spot. You’ll find all these plans in detail in Things to do in Coron.

Recommended stays:

20-day trip to the Philippines, Coron

Bulog Dos-Banol Beach-Twin Lagoon

Days 11 and 12: Coron

You’ve got 2 full days to enjoy Coron—the minimum time to get to know the area, but enough to leave you delighted. In Best things to do in Coron you can read loads of information, but our advice is to split the days as follows:

  1. Island hopping: Ultimate Tour, which will take you to the most beautiful spots on Coron Island. This is the basic one. If you don’t do it, it’s like not having been to this part of the Philippines.
  2. Here you can do two things, depending on your tastes:
    • Escapade Tour, which takes you to islands like Malcapuya, Banana and Bulog Dos, Coco Beach or Waling Waling.
    • A day of diving among Coron’s shipwrecks. It’s no coincidence this is one of the best places to dive in the Philippines.

We strongly recommend doing the PRIVATE Ultimate Tour to avoid running into lots of tourists. Leave us a comment and we’ll send you our trusted guide’s contact details in Coron. Also, don’t miss our article Island hopping in Coron.

Coco Beach

Coco Beach

Day 13: Coron – El Nido

We move on to one of the most renowned tourist spots in the Philippines: El Nido. In How to get to El Nido you’ll find all the information, but we can already tell you that you can take a fast boat from El Nido to Coron. Cebu Pacific Air also offers flights between the two destinations, but not daily. You’ll need to see if they suit you in terms of price and schedule.

Book your tickets from Coron to El Nido

When you arrive in El Nido and drop your things at the hotel, you’ve got several options. The most relaxed is to head to Las Cabañas Beach, one of the best beaches in El Nido, for a lovely swim and one of the best sunsets in the Philippines. If you have more time, you can use this day to go to Nacpan Beach, Duli Beach or Lio Beach, a bit farther away.

Recommended stays:

Days 14, 15 and 16: El Nido

The next days of your 20-day Philippines itinerary are for discovering much of what El Nido has to offer. In Best things to do in El Nido you’ll see the best island hopping tours and other sights in detail, but here’s a short day-by-day summary:

  1. Island hopping A (although you can also do tour combos like A+B or C+D).
  2. Motorbike or tricycle loop along the beaches of Nacpan, Duli, Lio Beach and/or Las Cabañas.
  3. Island hopping C (or any combo). If you prefer, you can also do a kayaking route.

The order doesn’t have to be exactly this, but we recommend checking the weather forecast and choosing a sunny day for the tours. Read our article Island hopping in El Nido to discover it all. We also suggest doing a private tour so you don’t feel herded around and can go at your own pace. If you leave us a comment, we’ll send you all the info about our trusted agency—we’ve been doing these trips with them for years.

NOTE: If you want to treat yourself on this 20-day trip to the Philippines, El Nido is your best bet. Go ahead and splurge on a night in an overwater-bungalow resort in the Philippines like El Nido Resorts Miniloc Island.

Philippines trip 20 days , El Nido island hopping

Small Lagoon-Cadlao Lagoon-Paradise Beach

Day 17: El Nido – Port Barton

The last stop on the route is Port Barton, a little town that doesn’t have the spectacular limestone scenery of El Nido and Coron, but whose relaxed vibe wins over most travelers. It’s a great grand finale to unwind, enjoy beautiful beaches, epic sunsets and, if you feel like it, one last island hopping.

In How to get to Port Barton you’ll find all the information, but we can already tell you that you can take one of the vans from El Nido to Port Barton. Try to do it as early as possible to make the most of the day. The trip takes about 3,5-4 hours.

Book your tickets from El Nido to Port Barton

For the free afternoon, you could go to White Beach and Coconut Beach or hike to Pamuayan Falls. You can also catch a sunset from one of the bars right on the town beach and then have dinner at one of the places we recommend in Best restaurants in Port Barton. You’ll find all of this and more in Things to do in Port Barton.

Recommended stays:

The magical sunsets of Port Barton

Days 18 and 19: Port Barton

We’ve allocated 2 full days of your 20-day Philippines itinerary to this great corner of Palawan.

Far less visited than other parts of the island (though no longer unknown), you’ll love Port Barton’s vibe, the spectacular White Beach, and its island hopping that’s good, beautiful and cheap. In Best things to do in Port Barton you’ll find everything you need for your days there. We suggest splitting them like this:

    1. Excursion to Coconut Beach, White Beach and Pamuayan Beach—the best beaches in Port Barton. Don’t forget to include Pamuayan Waterfall, close to the latter.
  1. Day of island hopping in Port Barton and an epic sunset.
island hopping tour in Port Barton

Island hopping in Port Barton

Day 20: Port Barton – Manila

It’s time to wrap up this wonderful 20-day trip through the Philippines…

Depending on how your return flight is scheduled, you’ll need to consider which flight to buy from Puerto Princesa to Manila. To reach Puerto Princesa from Port Barton you just need to take a van to the airport, which you can easily book on this platform. Remember to leave buffer time for the flight.

When you get to Manila, take the opportunity to see it from above at one of our favorite bars. We encourage you to go out for dinner in the lively Poblacion neighborhood and toast to a fabulous 20-day trip to the Philippines on the rooftop of I’m Hotel. If you’ve got more time to explore the capital, follow the route we propose in Things to do in Manila.

Of course, if your flight out of the Philippines departs from Cebu, you can also fly from Puerto Princesa to Cebu. In Cebu you can visit the Basilica del Santo Niño, Casa Gorordo or Fort San Pedro. In Things to do in Cebu we tell you everything.

Recommended stays:

Map of the 20-day Philippines route

To make it a bit clearer, we’ve created this map of the 20-day itinerary through the Philippines. We’ve marked both the destinations and the different accommodations we’ve mentioned:

Tips for enjoying this 20-day Philippines itinerary

Besides all the information we’ve given you, here are a few more tips so you can keep planning your 20-day trip to the Philippines and make it perfect:

    • You could also do this route in reverse. You’d just need to double-check the flight schedules so everything lines up. Perhaps the trickiest point is the transfer from Malapascua to Siargao, as flights to the latter from Cebu are usually in the morning—so you might need to overnight in Cebu. The key is always lining up all transport for your dates.
    • Use Remitly to withdraw cash and forget about ATMs. It might sound strange at first, but it’s what we constantly use here to get cash and minimize fees. We explain how to handle money in Money in the Philippines.
    • If you’re thinking of a backpacking trip in the Philippines, for your back and to save money, don’t bring too much luggage. You won’t need warm clothes and there are laundries everywhere. Almost all domestic filipino airlines charge for checked baggage, so try not to check a bag.
  • Do private tours in Coron and El Nido—trust us, you’ll be grateful. The experience is totally different. Plus, with our contacts, you’ll enjoy it even more.
  • We’ll stress it again: don’t leave Coron or Siargao for the end, as they have small airports where flights are easily cancelled or delayed. If you really want to, make sure you return the day before your international flight—and as early as possible.
  • It’s essential to take out travel insurance for the Philippines that responds well to any mishap, medical or otherwise. Unfortunately, we’re experts at using insurance in the Philippines and we can (proudly) say we’ve always come out unscathed from the bills. Here’s a 5% discount on the best travel insurance for the Philippines.

travel insurance discount

Alternatives to this 20-day Philippines itinerary

As we said above, we’re not all the same—on a 20-day trip to the Philippines you could do something very different. To make things easier, here are a few alternative routes you can consider:

1. Include the Coron-El Nido expedition

Have you heard of the Coron to El Nido expedition (or vice versa)? It’s normal—they’re increasingly popular and almost everyone who does it falls in love with it. In case you’re not sure what it is (it’s all explained in the guide we linked above), it’s a 3- or 4-day tour exploring the islands between the two destinations, sleeping on deserted islands, snorkelling and, ultimately, having a very different kind of experience.

Bear in mind that these expeditions do not cover the regular El Nido or Coron tours, only a few stops from Coron’s Escapade Tour (not the Ultimate). Therefore we don’t recommend skipping Coron and El Nido entirely and replacing them with the expedition. However, to fit it into this 20-day Philippines route, you could shave off 1 day from Siargao, 1 from Coron and 1 from El Nido, ending up with something like this:

  • Day 1: How to get from Manila to Siargao
  • Days 2, 3 and 4: Siargao
  • Day 5: How to get from Siargao to Malapascua
  • Days 6, 7 and 8: Malapascua and Kalanggaman
  • Day 9: How to get from Malapascua to Coron
  • Day 10: Coron
  • Days 11, 12, 13 and 14: Coron-El Nido expedition
  • Days 15 and 16: El Nido
  • Day 17: How to get from El Nido to Port Barton
  • Days 18 and 19: Port Barton
  • Day 20: How to get from Port Barton to Manila

If that doesn’t convince you, you could also remove 1 day in Port Barton and add 1 more in Siargao. Same with Malapascua (though we’re less keen on that). There are lots of possibilities—it all depends on how you want to adjust it.

You can do 4-day/3-night expeditions (our top recommendation) and book it HERE. Using our link and the code FACEBOOK10 gets you 10% off. If you prefer the 3-day/2-night trip, we recommend THIS COMPANY. With the code TRAVELPHILIPPINES you get 1,000 pesos off per person.

Coron-El Nido Expedition, 20-Day Route, Philippines

2. Skip Coron

You can take things more slowly if you skip the days in Coron and redistribute them among Siargao, Malapascua or Palawan. This is especially interesting if you want to get your Open Water Diver (diving certification) in Malapascua, the place we recommend in the best places to dive in the Philippines.

Why do we advise skipping Coron and not El Nido? Not because we like it less, but because the landscapes are very similar and, since you’re going to visit Port Barton, this way you won’t lose so much time on transfers.

To do it this way, from Malapascua head back to Cebu and there you can take a direct flight to El Nido. You also have the option of going via Puerto Princesa. You’ll find all the details in How to get to El Nido.

3. Replace Siargao with Camiguin

Many travelers come away smitten with this small yet very complete island in Mindanao. If you decide to include it in your 20-day Philippines itinerary, you won’t go wrong—just give it at least 3 full days. Discover everything you can do there in Things to do in Camiguin, though we can already tell you many call it “Little Hawaii” or “the Hawaii of the Philippines” for its volcano and waterfall scenery.

Camiguin is also far less visited than Siargao and has beautiful reefs, so it’s a great option if you want to add more snorkelling or diving to your trip.

If you decide to include it, just look for a flight from Manila to Camiguin (with a stop). Afterwards, from Camiguin you can fly to Cebu and continue the route through Malapascua as planned.

Mantigue Island and Camiguin

Mantigue Island and Camiguin

4. Replace Malapascua with Bohol

If you can’t imagine a trip to the Philippines without seeing the famous Chocolate Hills or diving in Balicasag, you can swap Malapascua for Bohol. In the Bohol Guide you’ll find all the information to plan this part of the trip. To see the connections, read How to get from Siargao to Bohol. To go from Bohol to Coron, you can return to Cebu by boat and fly directly to Coron—it’s straightforward.

The Chocolate Hills in Bohol

The Chocolate Hills in Bohol

Frequently asked questions about the 20-day Philippines route

We’ll wrap up by answering the most common questions we get from travelers who want to spend 20 days in the Philippines:

What route to do in the Philippines in 20 days?

The best thing is to build an itinerary to your taste by choosing destinations that sound good for the activities they offer, since we’re not all the same. That said, we think a very varied route you might like for a first trip is Siargao–Malapascua–Coron–El Nido–Port Barton.

What’s the budget for 20 days in the Philippines?

It totally depends on the type of hotels you choose, whether you dive or not, restaurants… That said, not counting international flights, you could estimate about $60-70 per day.

How many places to visit on a 20-day trip to the Philippines?

In our opinion, no more than 5 and reasonably well connected. If you want to visit somewhere more remote, we wouldn’t include more than 4. It’s important to consider that roughly every time you change destination, it’s 1 “lost” travel day.

Are 20 days enough in the Philippines?

From our experience, 20 days is an ideal amount for a first approach to the Philippines. Obviously, if you could stay much longer, even better, but with 20 days you’ll enjoy a lot without feeling too rushed and you’ll feel you’ve made the most of that (possibly long) international flight you had to take.

Did you like this 20-day self-guided Philippines itinerary? Got questions? Tell us in the comments!

If you’d like more suggestions, you can read them on the Philippines travel itineraries page.

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