What is traveling to the Philippines in January like? Am I going to be cold? Is it going to rain all the time? These are very common questions from travelers who want to escape the European winter and enjoy a pleasant holiday in warmer lands. Although we’re going to go into detail to answer these questions, here’s a heads-up: traveling to the Philippines in January is a great idea and it’s one of our favorite times to do it for two reasons. The first is because the weather tends to be quite good across most of the archipelago and the second is that, after New Year’s, it’s low season, which translates into better prices and fewer tourists.
In this article we’re going to tell you everything about traveling to the Philippines in January: weather, prices, events, and tips that will be useful for planning your adventure. If you have any questions, we’ll read you down in the comments.
Can you travel to the Philippines in January 2026?
Yes! Without any problem. You can travel to the Philippines normally and have been able to for a long time. Even so, it doesn’t hurt to read a bit more in our article Requirements for traveling to the Philippines.
Our advice is to come as soon as you can and make the most of it because it’s a country that’s increasingly in vogue and you’ll want to find it as untouched as possible. Not only that, the exchange rate of the Philippine peso against the euro and the dollar is more favorable than ever, so traveling will be much cheaper for you.
On the other hand, it’s extremely important that you travel with a good travel insurance for the Philippines. By clicking this link you have a 5% discount for the one we’ve been using for more than 10 years and that works great for us.
What is the weather in the Philippines like in January?
In our article When to travel to the Philippines you can read a lot of information on this topic, but to give you a quick idea, you can expect 2 seasons or periods:
- The rainy season: from June to November, approximately..
- The dry season: from November to May. The dry season is also divided into 2 more: the cooler one (from November to February) and the hotter one or summer (from March to May).
However, you should also consider that the Philippine archipelago is large and these “seasons” do not occur uniformly throughout it. In fact, you can distinguish 4 or 6 climate zones in which these seasons occur at different times of the year and more or less pronounced. Therefore, in the south (Mindanao, including the famous Siargao) and the southeastern coast (Leyte and Samar) the weather is usually different from what we mentioned above. That is, the rainy season tends to run from November to May (with the rainiest months being December and January), while the dry one is more or less between June and October.
If you notice, we always say “usually” because in the Philippines the weather is not as stable as in Spain or other European countries. In Spain it’s quite rare for it to rain several days in a row in summer, but in the Philippines, even in the dry season, you can get a downpour or have very bad luck and a tropical depression arrives and it rains several days in a row. The same the other way around—during the rainy season it may not rain a single day. You never know! Therefore, it’s better not to lose your mind.
Even so, January tends to be a fairly calm month with little rain in Luzon, the Central Visayas (on islands like Bohol, Siquijor, Malapascua…) and Palawan. Skies tend to be clear and it’s not common to have typhoons or strong low-pressure systems. What you may find is that on some coasts of the country the wind blows stronger than usual; the “Amihan” (the northeast monsoon”) doesn’t calm down until March. If you want our opinion: nothing you should really worry about.
On the other hand, it is the rainy season in the south, especially on the southeastern coast. That is, it’s not a good time to travel to Siargao and Dinagat. In fact, the rainiest months for these islands are December and January. With this, we’re not telling you not to go, but it’s true that there’s a higher chance of rain than in other parts of the country.
Is it cold in the Philippines in January?
If what you’re looking for is to escape the cold, traveling to the Philippines in January is going to delight you. Even so, keep in mind that in mountainous areas such as Banaue or Batad, minimum temperatures can sit around 14ºC, which will have you grabbing a sweatshirt at night. Although January is the coldest month in the Philippines, in the rest of the country it would be rare for you not to sweat during the day, since maximum temperatures hover around 30ºC and minimums around 21ºC. The high humidity also helps the perceived temperature feel higher.
When you get into the water, you’ll be able to stay soaking for a while without getting cold. The sea temperature in the Philippines in January ranges between 25ºC and 29ºC. In short, you’ll be able to swim at the beaches and go snorkeling and diving without any problem.
In these tables you can compare the weather in the main tourist destinations in the Philippines in January and August:
Typhoons in the Philippines in January—are there any?
Because of its geographic location, the country is one of the most exposed to typhoons. Normally they come from the east, affecting the eastern area of Luzon and the Visayas. Although they can happen at any time of the year, the month with the highest likelihood of typhoons is August and the lowest is May. Typhoon season is considered to run roughly from June to October, so typhoons in January in the Philippines are rare.
Specifically, if you’re thinking of traveling to the Philippines in January, there isn’t much risk of typhoons. A tropical depression can occur, which could give you a day of rain or wind that ruins a day of island hopping, but it’s not as frequent as in other months.
What we do to stay up to date is follow the PAGASA Facebook page, the official meteorology agency of the Philippines. Here you can know the trajectories of these natural phenomena a little more than a week in advance, so it’s very rare for a traveler to be seriously affected by a typhoon. Even so, don’t even think about traveling without travel insurance for the Philippines and take shelter in accommodation with good infrastructure if a significant typhoon is forecast. We also post alerts on our WhatsApp channel.
Get a 5% discount on your travel insurance to the Philippines here
Malapascua
Are there parts of the Philippines in January with no risk of rain?
As you can see in the tables above, in January the rainiest area is the south, that is, in Siargao. Meanwhile, in January they receive more rainfall in the north (Luzon and Banaue) and in the center (El Nido, Boracay…). Therefore, if you travel to the Philippines in January and want to be cautious and avoid rain as much as possible, it’s better to focus on those areas and avoid the south and the Eastern Samar area.
Even so, this is not an exact science. It may be that in January you end up getting some rain in destinations that are theoretically drier without this translating into a spoiled trip.
What is it like to travel to the Philippines in January?
The weather is more or less stable this month, but what is traveling to the Philippines in January like in other respects? In terms of prices, although it’s not a very rainy month, it’s not a time when Filipinos travel a lot, so it’s considered low season. This means that the value for money of accommodation and flights is much better than at Christmas or April–May. In addition, even in the most touristy places (think El Nido or Boracay) you won’t see as many people, so you’ll enjoy it much more.
Culturally, it gets even better. Some of the best festivals in the Philippines take place in January. Especially important is Sinulog in Cebu, although if you’re going to be near Boracay, the Ati-Atihan in Kalibo is also spectacular. In Manila, the massive procession of the Black Nazarene stands out, held every year on January 9.
Other important festivities are Biniray Festival (Romblon), Vigan Fiesta & Longanissa Festival (Vigan), Ati-Atihan (Kalibo), Dinagyang (Iloilo), Apribada Festival (Donsol) and Bagoong Festival (Lingayen).
Finally, as we tell you in Swimming with the whale shark in the Philippines, January is a good month to enjoy this wonderful animal both in Donsol and in Pintuyan/Padre Burgos. It’s also a good time in general to go diving in the Philippines.
Sinulog Festival (Cebu)
Our experience in January in the Philippines
As we told you above, January is, along with February, our favorite month to travel around the country. Since we like to enjoy places without a lot of people, it’s ideal for us and, in addition, cheaper than doing it in April–May and even July–August.
As for the weather, in general, the Januaries we’ve spent in the Philippines (and there have been quite a few) have been calm. It’s true that we’ve had cloudy days and had to stay a day without being able to do island hopping in Coron or Romblon because of the wind, but nothing we remember so badly as to rule out this month.
As a curiosity, we took all the photos in this article in different Januaries in the Philippines.
Tips for traveling to the Philippines in January
If you’re thinking of traveling to the Philippines in January, don’t miss these tips that we’ve drawn from our experience:
- To avoid rain, it’s better to skip Mindanao and nearby Siargao. It’s not a good month for Dinagat either, but it is for doing the Coron – El Nido Expedition, which is top.
- The weather tends to be good in January but, as we always tell you, the longer and more flexible the trip, the better. That way you won’t get frustrated if it rains one day. You need to keep in mind that the Philippines is so beautiful because it has a tropical climate and there are more or less regular rains.
- In January you can trust the weather to be more stable than, for example, in August or September, but it’s worth making use of free cancellation on hotels. We always use Booking.com’s, which has good customer service. The same goes for flights—keep in mind that the earlier you book them the cheaper they’ll be.
- The most reliable page for knowing the weather is the PAGASA satellite. It’s not very easy to interpret, but you’ll be able to get an idea of where it’s going to rain by looking at the red or yellow “blobs.” In addition, PAGASA is the one that indicates the paths of typhoons or tropical depressions. Much more intuitive and also reliable is the Windy app. That said, you have to check it by area and only pay attention 3–4 days out. Don’t pay attention to other mobile apps because they’ll always tell you it’s going to rain. Another very good source is this meteorologist.
- Please don’t leave home without good travel insurance. It will not only be there for you in case something happens because of the weather, but also in health terms. Get a 5% discount on your policy.
Frequently asked questions about travel to the Philippines in January
To finish, we answer the questions you most often have about the weather this month:
Which Philippine island is best to visit in January?
You can travel throughout the country, but it’s the dry season across all of Luzon (Manila, Banaue, Sagada…), the Visayas (Bohol, Siquijor, Malapascua…) and Palawan (El Nido, Coron, Port Barton…). So any of these islands are great to visit in January.
What is the weather like in the Philippines in January?
It’s considered the dry season across Luzon, the Visayas, and Palawan. It’s a month with mild temperatures, so it’s not as hot as in April and May. It’s better to avoid the south and southeast of the country, that is, Siargao and Dinagat, since it’s the rainy season there.
What is the best month to go to the Philippines?
It’s possible to travel all year round, but the best months are considered to be from December to May.
Is it cold in the Philippines in January?
No, temperatures are around 24–30ºC. It’s true that in mountainous areas minimums can drop to around 14ºC.
If you still have doubts about the right time to visit this wonderful country, we have more information about other months:
Traveling to the Philippines in February
Ready to travel to the Philippines in January? If you have any questions, we’ll be happy to answer you in the comments.
