Travel to the Philippines is to embark on an adventure that offers more than 7,000 paradises to get lost in and enjoy gorgeous beaches, corners brimming with nature, history, and countless amazing experiences within your reach. Each of these 7,107 Philippine islands offers a spectacular array of possibilities for your trip and, although we still haven’t had the pleasure of getting to know them all (much as we’re still trying), we’re going to show you the ones that, for us, are the best islands in the Philippines.
These are the ones we believe you should include in your trip to the Philippines without fail.
8 best islands in the Philippines
1. Siquijor
Located right in the heart of the Visayas, Siquijor is one of the best islands in the Philippines to include on a route through the country if what you’re after is having a wide menu of possibilities within easy reach. The island of Siquijor offers you waterfalls like Cambugahay Falls for a refreshing dip, huge caves to explore and even a centuries-old tree that people say can cure illnesses. Ok, surely, generally speaking, Siquijor isn’t the island that stands out the most when it comes to beaches. But if you explore a bit, it can surprise you with some like Kagusuan Beach, Monkey Beach or Paliton Beach. We nominated the latter in our list of the best beaches in the Philippines and, of course, of the beaches of Siquijor.
Have you heard of hilots? Well, Siquijor is an ideal island where you can still find one of these healers and let yourself be treated with the ancient traditional Filipino therapy. We were able to try it and we can assure you we floated out.
2. Bohol
The island of Bohol is very top and, for that reason, it usually appears in most itineraries for a trip to the Philippines. If you’ve already been reading a bit about the country or have dropped by the Bohol Guide you’ll know what we’re talking about. Endless waterfalls of all sizes, cruises along the lush Loboc River, or the increasingly popular Anda area are good reasons to visit. But if you want to know our 3 main reasons for being so fond of it and for including Bohol among the best islands in the Philippines, here they are:
- The diving in Balicasag is truly unique. The spectacular biodiversity, the great visibility and how accessible it is make it a must if you’re interested in diving in the Philippines. In addition, it’s an ideal place to get your Open Water course in the Philippines.
- The Chocolate Hills are something totally unique in the world. These beautiful hill formations create landscapes you can’t miss. There’s a viewpoint from which you can get lovely views, but we encourage you to rent a motorbike and get lost along the paths between the hills.
- The third reason is totally personal. We met in Bohol, so you could say that Travel Around the Philippines was born there ❤
3. Malapascua
Our beloved Malapascua Island. We’re not lying when we tell you that, if we could, we’d drop by for at least a week every year. Malapascua runs at a different speed. Once the bangka drops you off there, you can put your watch away and simply flow with the Malapascua vibe. If you like diving, one of the most beautiful animals we know awaits you, as you could say Malapascua is the mecca of diving with thresher sharks. Every dawn the boats head to Monad Shoal hoping to see how this wonderful shark approaches the cleaning stations. You’ll also remember epic dives in Malapascua at Gato Island or Deep Slope. We were so smitten that we kept coming back; in fact, we even decided to get our dive master certification there.
But don’t be fooled, there’s much more to do in Malapascua besides diving! The beaches of Malapascua in the north meet Claudia’s quality standards (which are not exactly low), you have cliffs to jump from or to enjoy a tremendous sunset. Plus, from here you can go to one of the most spectacular sandbars in the Philippines on the excursion to Kalanggaman island.
4. Palawan
It would be a crime not to talk about Palawan in a list of the best islands in the Philippines—especially when it was named the best island in the world three years in a row by Travel and Leisure. It’s rare to go to Palawan and not come away in love with it. One of the most common gateways to the island is via Puerto Princesa. Although this city doesn’t exactly stand out for its beauty or for epic beaches (although nearby Nagtabon isn’t bad at all…), here you have a unique shot of adrenaline: you can swim with whale sharks. Along with Padre Burgos and Donsol, this is one of the three ideal places to do this—far from the circus and the complete lack of respect shown for whale sharks in Oslob.
As you head north through Palawan, the Philippines will keep offering new gifts. In the little town of Port Barton you’ll find a unique atmosphere, spectacular beaches like White Beach, a variety of island hoppings in Port Barton that will take you among turtles and crystal‑clear waters, or you can cool off at Pamuayan Falls. There’s much more to do in Port Barton than it may seem!
Keep going up through Palawan and you’ll reach the two crown jewels: Coron and El Nido. The battle over which destination is better is a classic, but really both are true paradises well worth a visit. From here depart the different island hopping tours that take you to discover the Bacuit archipelago and the bay of Coron with its different islands, beaches and spectacular karst limestone pinnacles. Without a doubt, this is one of the country’s most famous scenes and a direct pass to any selection of the best islands in the Philippines.
5. Apo Island
There are no roads on Apo Island. Apo Island is a very tiny island in the Philippines that you usually reach from Dumaguete if you’re looking to spend a few days there. If, due to lack of time, it doesn’t fit into your trip to the Philippines, don’t worry—you can book a day trip from Siquijor. But why is Apo Island among the best islands in the Philippines? Two words: diving and turtles. If you’re not interested in either of these two things, cross Apo Island off your list and move on to the next point.
If you like diving, this island is surrounded by different dive sites where you can see a ton of different kinds of corals, reef fish and the odd manta. It’s no coincidence that we include it among the best diving spots in the Philippines.
Don’t dive? No problem—if there’s one place where it’s easy to swim with turtles in the Philippines, it’s here. Put on your snorkel mask and you’ll see dozens of them go by. You can even easily spot them from the shore as they come up to breathe!
Read all about it in our Apo Island Guide.
6. Siargao
When Claudia discovered Siargao in 2015 she fell head‑over‑heels instantly. Years later—and with a movie in between called “Siargao,” which turned the island into the place to be for Filipino tourism—this little piece of land in the south of the country still keeps its essence. Siargao is the best island in the Philippines for surfing, thanks to the reef that surrounds the area and the famous Cloud 9 wave that attracts surfers from all over the planet. In short, if you’re looking for where to surf in the Philippines, you “have no choice” but to pick it.
But there’s much more to do in Siargao besides surfing. In the Magpupungko natural pools you can take a dip when the tide goes out and enjoy unique rock formations. On the opposite side of the island awaits a tour that will take you through extensive mangroves and white‑sand beaches to reach one of Siargao’s top spots, the large crystal‑clear lagoon Sugba Lagoon.
Does all this seem too little? Well, you still have the island hopping in Siargao that takes you to Naked Island, Guyam Island and Daku Island, the Tak Tak Falls waterfalls, or you can enjoy the wide variety of options for eating in Siargao. You’ll never get bored here!
7. Camiguin
What if we told you that the place with the highest volcano density in the world is here? No fewer than 12 volcanoes await you on Camiguin Island. If you’re a hiking lover, this is one of the best islands in the Philippines to enjoy a good trek, as the views it offers are simply spectacular. If you’re up for climbing the 1.330 meters to the summit of Hibok Hibok (one of the best volcanoes in the Philippines), you’ll enjoy panoramic views that, on clear days, let you see Mindanao, Bohol or Siquijor. And, of course, near a volcanic area, hot springs are a must. At Hibok Hibok Ardent Hot Springs you can treat yourself to a well‑deserved rest and recharge after a day of hiking. Take a look at our Camiguin Guide and be amazed at the variety of plans waiting for you.
What’s more, if you’re looking for little‑touristy places, Camiguin is your spot. With good hotel and restaurant infrastructure, it’s one of the few islands in the Philippines that has minimal tourist development yet is still not very well known among foreign travelers.
It goes without saying that, being the Philippines, you also won’t be short of beautiful beaches and tours to other nearby islands. That’s guaranteed!
8. Romblon
On our last trip to the Philippines we had the pleasure of discovering Romblon, and quickly placed it on our list of best islands. Romblon is still light‑years away from the tourist development of the other islands in this article, and that ensures you can enjoy it almost without running into other travelers. But why go to Romblon? We can think of endless reasons, but…
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- It has one that, for us, is already among the best beaches in the Philippines: Bon Bon Beach, with a spectacular sandbar that reaches a small islet.
- Getting lost by motorbike around Romblon is a great plan that will take you to discover still‑unknown beaches in the north and east of the island—even for the island’s own inhabitants.
- For 1.500 pesos you can have a private island hopping for two people that will take you to the nearby islands of Cobrador, Alad and Lugbung.
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- It has dive sites for every taste: macro diving or incredible snorkel spots like the San Pedro Marine Sanctuary.
- Romblon Town, the island’s capital, is a place you can get a lot out of. Cathedral of San José, Fort San Andrés, or Belén Fountain await you along with more than 40 colonial buildings where you can dig into the history of the Philippines.
- It also gives you the chance to get close to another of our favorite islands: Cresta de Gallo…
These are the 8 chosen, but there are 7.099 islands left to travel the Philippines. Which is your favorite? Tell us in the comments!
