Are you looking for a 3-week itinerary for the Philippines to help sort out the chaos in your head? Welcome! While we already designed a 20-day itinerary for the Philippines, that one was created to guide those traveling between June and October, when it’s the rainy season in the center and north of the country.
This 3-week route is valid all year round and perfectly complements the previous one. In fact, it includes slightly more varied destinations and some less touristy parts, so it can be a perfect starting point. Of course, it’s always a modular itinerary, since we don’t like talking about “must-sees” or “can’t-miss” places in the Philippines. The most important thing is to check whether what these destinations offer matches what you expect from your trip around the archipelago.
This 3-week Philippines itinerary suggests wonderful island hopping routes, the best hiking trails in the country with rice terraces more than 2,000 years old, spectacular sandbars, the island with the most volcanoes per square meter in the world, huge waterfalls, plenty of marine life, and lots of culture. If that sounds good, keep reading!
Got more or less time? Then check these routes:
Features of this 3-week Philippines itinerary
Before getting into it, we want you to know a few things we took into account when preparing this 3-week route around the Philippines so you can also keep them in mind and consider them if you want to tweak anything:
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- About arrival and departure days: we’ve assumed that on the day you arrive in the Philippines you’ll have time to be at Manila’s bus station around 19:00 and connect with transport to northern Luzon. Plan for the last day to be a travel day as well—in other words, you should be flying home in the afternoon.
- Choice of destinations: we selected places that connect relatively well, but you’ll still have several long transfer days that will take most of the day. If you decide to swap islands, analyze carefully how to connect them. This is just a sample itinerary in which we wanted to mix varied activities and also group places that are reasonably well connected.
- Intensity: this 3-week route through the Philippines is medium–high intensity. We believe you have the minimum necessary time in each place. If you prefer to go slower, you should skip one destination. At the end of the article you’ll find an alternative that might suit you.
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- Searching flights: we recommend starting in Manila so you have easy access to Banaue. If you find flights to the Philippines arriving in Manila and returning from Cebu at a good price, that would be ideal. However, if you don’t see anything affordable, Cebu–Manila flights can be found from $20.
- What this route includes: we always say that the key to designing an itinerary is reading a lot about the different destinations in the archipelago and seeing what fits what you’re looking for. This is a model 3-week route in the Philippines that includes a little bit of everything: island hopping, diving, hiking, snorkeling, and beach time. We think it’s a good mix of everything the country has to offer. Still, before you get going, it’s best to read what to do in the Philippines and decide according to your tastes and what you feel like doing.
- Off the beaten path: if this isn’t your first trip or you want to get off the typical trail, take a look at these uncrowded places in the Philippines. Even so, in this 3-week trip we’ve mixed in destinations that are by no means excessively touristy.
- Cost: it’s a mid-range trip. We take 3 or 4 domestic flights that are usually well priced if booked in advance. These destinations are suitable for a backpacking trip in the Philippines. If you want to estimate how much it would cost you, we recommend reading How much does it cost to travel to the Philippines?.
In addition, we want to emphasize that this is an honest and feasible route. We’re super tired of seeing 3-week Philippines routes on social media that are real marathons. As you know, we’ve been coming/living here since 2010 and we almost always see the same mistake: people overload their itinerary and end up seeing more transport than islands.
3-week route in the Philippines
Here you’ll find it summarized, and below we break it down day by day. If you click each section, we’ll take you to the specific part you’re interested in:
Day 1: arrival in the Philippines and night bus to Banaue
Day 2: Banaue/Batad
Day 3: Batad and night transfer to Manila
Day 4: flight to Coron and afternoon there
Days 5 and 6: Coron
Day 7: from Coron to Malapascua
Days 8 and 9: Malapascua
Day 10: morning in Malapascua and transfer to Cebu
Day 11: flight to Camiguin and day there
Days 12, 13 and 14: Camiguin
Day 15: from Camiguin to Bohol
Days 16 and 17: Anda
Day 18: transfer from Anda to Panglao via Loboc
Day 19: Panglao
Day 20: back to Manila or Cebu and return home
Travel safely on a 3-week Philippines itinerary
Something we never tire of reminding you—both here and in any other route around the Philippines—is the huge importance of having good travel insurance for the Philippines. In Best travel insurance for the Philippines we tell you about the one we’ve used for years and you’ll see that, in addition to health issues, it also helps in cases like theft, baggage problems, transport issues or, among many others, if you need to be repatriated. Plus, for being a Travel around the Philippines reader, you have a 5% discount if you get it from here:
Detailed itinerary for a trip to the Philippines: 3 weeks
Let’s get to work! Here we’ll tell you what you can do roughly day by day throughout this 3-week itinerary in the Philippines. This is just a brief summary and, to complete the info, you’ll find lots of much more detailed articles we’ve created over all these years of travel. Click them and plan your trip in depth.
Day 1: arrival in the Philippines and night bus to Banaue
Welcome! We start this 3-week Philippines route strong, but given how tired you’ll be from the journey, you’ll barely notice you’re on a bus. After immigration formalities, buying your SIM card and changing money, take a GRAB (Southeast Asia’s Uber) to one of the bus terminals to depart for Banaue. Book your seat for the time that fits you best in advance because there’s only one bus and seats sell out.
Once in Banaue, you can stay overnight in Banaue itself or in Batad. Both are fabulous options; it just depends on what you plan to do. In any case, we explain all about transport in How to get to Banaue and in How to get to Batad.
Day 2: Banaue/Batad
You’ll arrive quite early this day, so head straight to your hotel (you’ll find recommendations below), take a cold shower and treat yourself to a hearty breakfast. Since you’ll be a bit tired, it might be better to take it relatively easy today: go to Batad, walk to a viewpoint to admire these 2,000-year-old rice terraces, and to Tappiya Falls.
Save some energy to get back to the hotel and enjoy the sunset with wonderful views.
Another option is to venture out on the 2-day/1-night excursion sleeping in a village, which we mention in What to see and do in Banaue.
Recommended accommodations:
- Good option: Lhorens Inn and Restaurant (Batad) or 7th Heaven Lodge (Banaue)
- Even better: Hiwang Native House Inn & Viewdeck (Banaue)
- More recommendations for where to stay in Batad or for where to stay in Banaue
Batad
Day 3: Batad and night transfer to Manila
Feeling more rested, you can head up to the Awa View Deck, an impressive viewpoint in Batad. After coming down, have lunch and return to Banaue to do a circuit (this time you can go by tricycle) to the main viewpoints. You could also skip the climb to the viewpoint and head back early to Banaue to visit the Hapao Rice Terraces.
This is just one idea, which we explain in more detail in Things to do in Batad. As we said, another alternative is to leave your heaviest backpack at the tourist office in Banaue when you arrive, on day 2, and do a 2-day hike linking other villages like Bangaan and Cambulo. It’s advisable to go with a guide.
Don’t forget to reserve your bus ticket from Banaue to Manila and be there at the indicated time.
Day 4: flight to Coron and afternoon there
Back in Manila, take a GRAB car. Your flight from Manila to Coron should be waiting. We suggest making it from 8 a.m. onwards, although it’ll depend on when you left Banaue. Allow at least 1 hour of traffic from the station to the airport.
You’ll find detailed info on how to get from Busuanga airport to town and much more in How to get to Coron.
How to make the most of the rest of the day? Depending on your arrival time, you’ll have more or less time to enjoy the place. If you arrive around midday, recommended plans are: snorkeling at 7 Pecados, sunset at Mt. Tapyas, and a soak in the Maquinit Hot Springs. You’ll find all of this well explained in Best things to do in Coron.
Afterwards you can go out for dinner and a drink, but above all, rest! Some of the most incredible places in the Philippines await you, along with your first island hopping of this 3-week trip around the Philippines. These are boat trips that take you through lagoons, shipwrecks, beaches and paradise islands.
Recommended accommodations:
- Good value for money: Bay Area Lodge
- For a treat: The Funny Lion
- More recommendations for where to stay in Coron
Siete Pecados in Coron
Days 5 and 6: Coron
You should devote these two days to the two best island hopping tours in the area: the Ultimate Tour and the Escapade Tour. You’ll find prices, schedules, the features of each and—most importantly—how and with whom to book them to enjoy them more in Island Hopping in Coron.
If you’ve come to dive, you could swap the Escapade Tour for a day of diving among WWII shipwrecks. If you want, we can give you the contact for a great dive shop. Leave us a comment below and we’ll tell you.
In our Coron guide you’ll find much more info about this part of the Philippines, including restaurants, hotels and much more.
If you’d like our trusted contact, leave us a comment and we’ll write you with all the info!
Escapade Tour in Coron
Day 7: from Coron to Malapascua
Transfer day! This is possibly one of the tougher days of this 3-week Philippines route.
First things first: look for the earliest flight from Coron to Cebu. Once there, follow all the steps we outline in how to get to Malapascua from Cebu.
If you arrive later than around 17:30–17:40, when the last boats to Malapascua depart, don’t worry! You can stay overnight in Maya port. This hostel is a great option.
Recommended accommodations:
- Backpacker: Malapascua Budget Inn
- Good value for money: AABANA Beach&Watersport Resort
- For a treat: Tepanee Beach Resort
- More hotels in Malapascua
Gugma Beach in Malapascua
Days 8 and 9: Malapascua
In this 3-week Philippines itinerary, we suggest you make the most of our “little darling,” Malapascua. A diving paradise, it’s essential that you do a thresher shark dive in Malapascua. You’ll be back on land around 13:00, so you’ll have the afternoon free. Our suggestion for these two days is something like this:
- Tour the island’s different beaches, spending more time on the northern ones. You can also snorkel in front of the Tepanee Hotel, where there are lots of “baby” sharks.
- Day trip to Kalanggaman from Malapascua.
Check Things to do in Malapascua to plan your route around the island
If you’re very keen on scuba diving, you can skip the latter excursion and spend a day diving at Gato Island or other Malapascua dive sites.
If you’d like to dive with our trusted dive center, leave us a comment and we’ll write you with all the info!
If you don’t dive, no worries—Malapascua is one of the most special islands in the country and is well worth it either way.
Day 10: morning in Malapascua and transfer to Cebu
On this day, you can make the most of Malapascua and head to Cebu after lunch or, if you’re curious, you can also leave early and visit a few places in the city. Read Things to do in Cebu to see what fits you best.
Recommended accommodations:
- Night in Cebu near the airport: Amaris Bed and Breakfast
- Night in downtown Cebu: Red Planet Cebu
- More options on where to stay in Cebu
Day 11: flight to Camiguin and day there
Search flights from Cebu to Camiguin in advance to get a good price and go to the airport a couple of hours early. Once you arrive on the island, you’ll just need to take a motorela to your accommodation, as we explain in How to get to Camiguin.
Depending on your arrival time, you’ll be able to make more or less of the day, but typically you’ll arrive around lunchtime. That way, you’ll still have time to do a little something. Our advice is to rent a motorbike for all the days you’re there (you can ask us in the comments for the most affordable place on the island) and at least go today to the Sunken Cemetery to snorkel and enjoy a wonderful sunset.
After that, let yourself be tempted by one of the restaurants in Camiguin and rest—beautiful days are coming in your 3-week Philippines itinerary.
Recommended accommodations:
- Backpacker: Shey’s Travelers Inn
- Good value for money: Mountain View Cottages
- For a treat: Balai sa Baibai
- More options where to stay in Camiguin
Days 12, 13 and 14: Camiguin
Camiguin is, in our opinion, one of the most beautiful islands you’ll visit on your 3-week route around the Philippines. Besides being stunning in terms of scenery, it’s a very varied place with plenty of activities.
In Things to do in Camiguin you have all the options to explore it to the fullest. A good distribution for these 3 days could be:
- Motorbike loop: Katibawasan Falls, The Walkaway Old Volcano, Sunken Cemetery, and Ardent Hot Springs.
- Motorbike loop: Tuasan Falls, Bura Soda Water Swimming Pool, Sto. Niño Cold Spring, Moro Tower, and Giant Clams Sanctuary.
- Mantigue Island + White Island.
If your legs are strong and you’re up for it, you should hike the island’s most beautiful volcano. We tell you everything in Trekking to Hibok Hibok Volcano. And if you want to dive, don’t miss the chance! The island has very interesting dive sites, including Mantigue Island, full of sea turtles.
Day 15: from Camiguin to Bohol (Anda)
Going from Camiguin to Bohol is very easy: just take the Super Shuttle ferry from Balbagon port to Jagna. They depart daily at 9:30 and you can book here.
Once there, to reach Anda, you can wait on the road for any bus or van going directly there, or take one heading to Ubay and ask the driver to drop you at the intersection to Anda. There, you can take a tricycle (more expensive) or wait for one of the shared motorelas heading to town. It’s all explained in How to get to Anda.
Normally you’ll arrive around mid‑afternoon, so you can enjoy the wonderful town beach in Anda or visit one of its cenotes. In Things to do in Anda you have what you need to plan.
Recommended accommodations:
- Backpacker: Rd Bed and Breakfast
- A little luxury: Casa Amihan
- More options in Where to stay in Anda
Can-Umantad Falls
Days 16 and 17: Anda
Beautiful Anda is an area of the island of Bohol that’s still uncrowded, so most travelers leave delighted. In addition to pretty, quiet beaches, you can enjoy good diving and snorkeling (it’d be rare not to see a turtle) and dips in quirky cenotes. Not only that, Anda is a good base to visit the wonderful Can-Umantad Falls and the nearby rice fields, which are not far behind Bali’s.
We think two days is more than enough to enjoy this area. If you’re left wanting more waterfalls, you can take another excursion to a couple near Dimiao. You can see more in Waterfalls in Bohol.
Day 18: transfer from Anda to Panglao via Loboc
Do you want to make the most of your 3-week Philippines itinerary? Our advice is that, even if it’s more expensive, for this day you hire a car with driver (we can give you the contact if you leave us a comment) and, on the way to Panglao, stop at the most interesting spots in Bohol’s interior. You can stop in Loboc and its river, the Chocolate Hills, the Man-made Forest… Take a look at Best things to do in Loboc to see what suits you best.
If Loboc doesn’t interest you or you want to save money, you just need to take a bus or van to Tagbilaran and then a tricycle, a taxi or a jeepney to Panglao. Since you have time, we suggest staying in the Alona Beach area.
Recommended accommodations:
- Cheap: Unk’s House Homestay
- Good value for money: Alona42 Resort
- For a treat: Bohol Beach Club
- More recommendations for where to stay in Bohol and where to stay in Panglao
Chocolate Hills
Day 19: Panglao
Panglao is an island attached to Bohol by a couple of bridges and is also the most touristic part of the province. Alona Beach is the liveliest area and also a nice beach for sunset, dinner or a beer.
For this day of your 3-week trip around the Philippines, we suggest:
- Snorkeling trip to Balicasag and, on the way back, a visit to Dumaluan Beach (one of the best beaches in Bohol) or a swim with the sardine school at Napaling.
- A full day exploring Panglao. See things to do in Panglao to organize everything.
- Diving in Balicasag or diving in Panglao and a free afternoon or doing some activity.
Whether for diving or snorkeling in Balicasag, we have the contact for the dive center we’ve been diving with for 10 years. You can leave us a comment below and we’ll send it to you.
Dumaluan Beach in Panglao
Day 20: back to Manila or Cebu and return home
The good part is over… This 3-week Philippines route ends in Bohol and, from there, you can take a flight from Panglao to Manila or a ferry from Bohol to Cebu. Remember to allow a 4–6 hour buffer for the connection with your international flight just in case.
If you have time left, make the most of your trip by visiting historical places in those cities. In Manila, don’t miss Intramuros; in Cebu, you can visit the Basilica del Santo Niño and the ancestral houses Yap Sandiego and Casa Gorordo at least.
Head to the airport with enough time and start dreaming of your next trip to the Philippines because this 3-week trip to the Philippines has just been a small appetizer.
Accommodation recommendations:
- Night in Cebu near the airport: Amaris Bed and Breakfast
- Night in Manila near the airport: Savoy Hotel (connected to T3 by a walkway)
- You’ll find even more tips in Where to stay in Cebu and Where to stay near Manila airport.
Fort Santiago (Manila)
Map of the 3-week Philippines route
To make it a bit clearer, here’s a map of the 3-week itinerary around the Philippines. We’ve also marked the accommodations we’ve been recommending.
Tips to enjoy this 3-week trip to the Philippines
To make everything go much better, here are some additional tips for your 3-week trip to the Philippines:
- Best time of year to do this 3-week trip in the Philippines: since the 20-day route around the Philippines was also designed with the idea that it could be done in July/August, this one is geared towards those traveling between December and June. You can read much more about this in When to travel to the Philippines?
- The order doesn’t matter too much: you could do this route in reverse perfectly. Perhaps what would “bother” you most would be the Camiguin–Cebu flight schedules when it comes to arranging transport to Malapascua, but in that case, sleeping in Maya port would be enough.
- Do private tours in Coron. You’ll really appreciate it because you’ll avoid the crowds.
- Savings: try to travel with carry-on luggage because almost all Philippine airlines charge for checked bags, and the maximum permitted carry-on is 7 kg. Remember you can get laundry done for little money. In Packing list for the Philippines we tell you the essentials.
- Don’t miss our Recommendations and tips for traveling to the Philippines and our Philippines Guide; they’ll help you plan the route even more.
- Use Remitly to withdraw cash and forget about ATMs. It may sound odd, but it’s what we constantly use to get cash here and minimize fees. We explain how to handle money well in Money in the Philippines.
- It’s essential that you take out travel insurance for the Philippines that responds well to any mishap, whether medical or otherwise. Unfortunately, we’re experts in using insurance in the Philippines and we can “proudly” say we’ve always come out unscathed by the bills. Here you have a 5% discount on the best travel insurance for the Philippines.
Alternatives to the 3-week Philippines route
We warned you already: this is just a model 3-week route through the Philippines. You can modify it from top to bottom or add the tweaks we suggest here. In fact, we highly recommend that you tailor it to your taste according to the activities you want to do, obviously always bearing in mind the transfers, which, as you’ve seen, are not short.
1. Remove the Anda section and spend all your Bohol time in Panglao or Loboc
As you’ll have noticed, the Panglao section is a bit short, so an alternative is to cut Anda. Then you’d just go directly from Jagna to Tagbilaran and, once there, take transport to Panglao or, directly, take private transport from Jagna to Panglao. From this area you can rent a motorbike or take a tour into Bohol’s interior for one of the days and spend the rest relaxing in Panglao.
If you prefer the interior, instead of basing yourself in Panglao, you can base yourself in Loboc. To get there from Jagna, take any bus heading to Tagbilaran, get off in Loay and wait for another ride to Loboc. In Where to stay in Loboc you’ll find accommodation recommendations, but if you want something very special, then you have to book here (where the photo is).
Loboc River
2. Remove Anda, give one more day to Panglao and another to Coron
As above, you can remove Anda and split those 2–3 days between Panglao and Coron. This way you’d also have time to go diving or do more island hoppings in Coron. This is particularly interesting if you’re a diver, since in Coron you have WWII wrecks and diving them is incredible.
3. Swap Coron for El Nido
We know that for many it’s a sin to travel to the Philippines and not go to El Nido, although Coron is stunning and a bit less touristy. Therefore, if it really pains you, another idea is, after Batad, fly from Manila to El Nido, spend 3 days there, and then fly from El Nido to Cebu and continue with the rest of the route. Keep in mind these flights are quite a bit more expensive, as they’re only operated by Air Swift (now owned by Cebu Pacific) with small aircraft.
In our El Nido Guide you have all the information to plan this part of your 3-week trip around the Philippines.
Cadlao Lagoon in El Nido
Frequently asked questions about the 3-week trip around the Philippines
To wrap up, here we answer the questions travelers who want to spend 3 weeks in the Philippines usually ask us:
Are 3 weeks in the Philippines enough?
From our experience, 3 weeks is a perfect amount for a first trip to the Philippines, since you’ll be able to enjoy the destinations without being overwhelmed by too many transfers, which take a long time here.
What is the best 3-week trip to the Philippines?
The important thing is to read a lot and decide the places you want to visit based on your tastes and the activities you want to do, also considering distances. That said, we’ve put together a very varied route that includes places like Banaue, Coron, Malapascua, Camiguin and Bohol.
How many destinations to visit in 3 weeks in the Philippines?
We recommend not covering more than 5 places and making sure they’re well connected.
What’s the budget for 3 weeks in the Philippines?
This depends a lot on the type of hotels, activities and the number of domestic flights you take. That said, excluding international flights, you could estimate about $70–80 per day for a mid-range budget.
Did you like this 3-week route in the Philippines? Do you have questions? Tell us in the comments!
Remember you’ll find many more in our Philippines travel itineraries section
