Northern Philippines & Palawan — Self-Launched Adventure
17 days · Philippines
G Adventures charges £2,100
No-markup version: ~£880 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A 17-day self-launched version of G Adventures' Manila–Banaue–Sagada–Vigan–Palawan loop, rebuilt for independent travellers: overnight buses instead of private vans, jeepneys and tricycles instead of tour vehicles, guesthouses and hostels instead of hotels, and self-bookable activities (Batad rice terraces, Sagada caves and hanging coffins, the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River, and an El Nido island-hopping tour). Costs are rough backpacker estimates in GBP and exclude international flights.
Day-by-day
Arrive Manila
Manila
Land at NAIA and take the airport bus or a Grab to Malate/Ermita, the backpacker-friendly old-town fringe. Grab an MRT/LRT card, change a little cash, and do an evening wander around Roxas Boulevard and the Baywalk. Book your bus ticket to Banaue for tomorrow tonight (online via the operator site or at the terminal).
🚌Grab/taxi from airport ~£5-7; MRT/LRT journeys ~£0.30 each
🛏Hostel or budget guesthouse, Malate/Ermita (dorm or twin, ~£12-16)
- →Airport transfer to Malate/Ermita
- →Baywalk sunset walk
- →Buy overnight bus ticket to Banaue
Manila to Banaue
Banaue
Enjoy a slow morning in Manila — the free National Museum complex and Intramuros walls are an easy walk from Malate. In the late afternoon, board the overnight bus to Banaue (Ohayami Trans or Coda Lines, ~9-10 hours departing early evening). Bring a warm layer: Banaue is 1,200m up and much cooler than Manila.
🚌Overnight bus Manila–Banaue ~£12-15
🛏Overnight bus
- →National Museum (free entry)
- →Walk the Intramuros walls
- →Overnight bus to Banaue
Banaue: Batad rice terraces
Banaue
Arrive at dawn, check into a guesthouse and sleep for a couple of hours. Then take a jeepney or shared van from Banaue town to Batad junction (~£1.50), walk the steep road down to Batad, and hike the amphitheatre of UNESCO-listed rice terraces to Tappiya Falls and back. Hire a local Batad guide at the village for about £8-10 if you want the history. Evening back in Banaue town for dinner and market browsing.
🚌Jeepney/shared van Banaue–Batad junction ~£1.50 each way; tricycle hops ~£0.50
🛏Banaue guesthouse, twin room (~£14)
- →Jeepney to Batad junction
- →Batad rice terraces hike and Tappiya Falls
- →Banaue market browse
Banaue to Sagada via Bontoc
Sagada
Take a morning jeepney or van to Bontoc (~2 hours, ~£3) and stop at the Bontoc Museum of Mountain Culture (small entry fee) to learn about the Cordillera peoples. From Bontoc, catch a jeepney over the mountain road to Sagada (~1 hour, ~£1.50). Settle into a Sagada guesthouse and take an afternoon stroll to the town's viewpoints and the small cemetery above town.
🚌Jeepney Banaue–Bontoc ~£3; Bontoc–Sagada jeepney ~£1.50
🛏Sagada guesthouse, twin room (~£14)
- →Bontoc Museum of Mountain Culture
- →Jeepney over the Cordillera ridge road
- →Sagada sunset viewpoints
Sagada: caves, hanging coffins and falls
Sagada
Full day on foot. Short walk to Echo Valley and the hanging coffins at the cliff face, then on to the Sugong Hanging Coffins and the Burial Cave. In the afternoon either hike to Bomod-ok Falls (about 1.5 hours each way, entry and local guide ~£5) or, if you're feeling brave, do the Sumaguing Cave connection with a local guide (~£10). Budget for a massage in town in the evening (~£5).
🚌All on foot; optional tricycle hops ~£1
🛏Sagada guesthouse, twin room (~£14)
- →Echo Valley and hanging coffins walk
- →Sumaguing or Kiltepan cave visit with local guide
- →Bomod-ok Falls hike
Sagada to Vigan
Vigan
Long travel day: jeepney/van back to Bontoc or directly to Cervantes, then a bus down to Vigan through the Cordillera foothills (~8-9 hours in total). Arrive in Vigan in the evening and check into a guesthouse in or near Calle Crisologo. Cheap and cheerful: a bowl of Vigan's famous empanada and a wander along the cobbled street under lantern light.
🚌Jeepney/Van Sagada–Bontoc ~£1.50; bus Bontoc/Cervantes–Vigan ~£7-9
🛏Vigan guesthouse near Calle Crisologo (~£15)
- →Cordillera road journey
- →Evening stroll along Calle Crisologo
Vigan heritage day
Vigan
Rent a bike or take a calesa (horse-drawn carriage) tour through the UNESCO-listed Spanish colonial grid (~£4-5 for an hour). Visit the pottery workshop in Pagburnayan and the handweaving centres in Camangaan, then see the World Heritage-listed Santa Maria Church (a short bus ride outside town) or stay local for the Plaza Salcedo dancing fountain in the evening (free).
🚌Bicycle hire ~£2; calesa ~£4; local buses ~£1
🛏Vigan guesthouse (~£15)
- →Calesa tour of the heritage district
- →Pagburnayan pottery workshop
- →Santa Maria Church day trip (optional)
Vigan to Pagudpud/Laoag and flight south
Manila
Take an early bus north to Laoag (~2 hours) to see the World Heritage-listed Paoay Church (cheap tricycle ride), with an optional stop at Paoay Lake or the Bangui windmills if time allows. Fly Laoag–Manila in the afternoon on Cebu Pacific or Philippine Airlines (~£30-45 booked ahead), then check into a Malate hostel.
🚌Bus Vigan–Laoag ~£2; tricycle ~£1.50; one-way flight Laoag–Manila ~£30-45
🛏Manila hostel, Malate/Ermita (~£12-16)
- →Paoay Church visit
- →Bangui windmills (optional)
- →Domestic flight to Manila
Manila: Intramuros and museums
Manila
Slow city day. Do a self-guided Intramuros walk — Fort Santiago, Manila Cathedral, San Agustin Church — or join a GetYourGuide Intramuros walking tour (~£20) for the history. In the afternoon, the Ayala Museum (Gold of Ancestors collection, ~£6) or the free National Museum of Anthropology. Eat your way along Binondo for Chinese-Filipino food in the evening (~£6).
🚌Jeepney/tricycle hops ~£0.30; Grab across town ~£3
🛏Manila hostel (~£12-16)
- →Intramuros self-guided walk or GetYourGuide tour
- →Ayala Museum
- →Binondo food walk
Manila free day, fly to Puerto Princesa
Puerto Princesa
Morning free for the markets (Quiapo and Divisoria are a full sensory experience) or Greenbelt for air conditioning. Afternoon flight to Puerto Princesa (~£30-45 booked ahead, ~1h20). In the evening, hire a tricycle driver for a short city loop — Bakers Hill for the views and bread, Baywalk for dinner.
🚌Grab to airport ~£4; one-way flight Manila–Puerto Princesa ~£30-45; tricycle city tour ~£5
🛏Puerto Princesa guesthouse/hostel (~£12)
- →Manila markets or Greenbelt
- →Flight to Puerto Princesa
- →Tricycle city loop and Baywalk
Subterranean River day and night bus to El Nido
El Nido
Morning trip to Sabang for the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park — book the paddle boat entry permit online in advance (~£10-12 plus ~£2 park fee); shared shuttle from Puerto Princesa to Sabang ~£6-8 each way, or join a GetYourGuide day tour (~£35) if you want it organised. Back in town, take the evening Roro bus or van north to El Nido (~5-6 hours, ~£8-10).
🚌Shared van Puerto Princesa–Sabang ~£7 each way; van/bus Puerto Princesa–El Nido ~£9
🛏Overnight bus/van to El Nido
- →Sabang Underground River paddle boat tour
- →Shared shuttle to Sabang
- →Night bus to El Nido
El Nido arrival and town beaches
El Nido
Arrive in the early hours; check in and sleep. Spend the afternoon swimming at Las Cabanas or Corong-Corong beach and arrange your island-hopping tour for tomorrow through your guesthouse or Klook (Tour A is the classic: Big Lagoon, Small Lagoon, Shimizu Island). Sunset at Las Cabanas zipline or just from the sand.
🚌Tricycle hops ~£1
🛏El Nido guesthouse (fan or basic aircon, ~£14)
- →Las Cabanas / Corong-Corong beach
- →Book island-hopping Tour A
- →Sunset on the bay
El Nido island hopping — Tour A
El Nido
Full-day shared banca boat island-hopping tour (~£22-28 including lunch and entrance fees, booked via Klook or directly at the pier). Big Lagoon kayaking, Small Lagoon, Shimizu and Seven Commandos beaches. Most tours include a beach barbecue lunch — this replaces the operator's included snorkelling tour and beach BBQ. Bring reef-safe sunscreen and your own mask if you have one (rentals ~£2).
🚌Boat tour pickup on foot/tricycle
🛏El Nido guesthouse (~£14)
- →Big Lagoon kayaking
- →Small Lagoon and Shimizu Island
- →Snorkelling and beach barbecue lunch (included in tour)
El Nido — optional diving or Tour C
El Nido
Either take a second island-hopping tour (Tour C: Matinloc Shrine, Secret Beach, Helicopter Island, ~£25) or do an intro dive/discovery dive around Bacuit Bay (~£45-55 with a local PADI shop). Alternatively rent a kayak or a scooter (~£8/day) and explore Nacpan Beach, 45 minutes north on rough roads.
🚌Tricycle to Nacpan ~£4 return; scooter hire ~£8/day
🛏El Nido guesthouse (~£14)
- →Tour C island hopping or intro scuba dive
- →Nacpan Beach by scooter or tricycle
- →Bacuit Bay kayaking
El Nido slow day and transfer south
Puerto Princesa
Morning free for a final swim or a long breakfast. Take an afternoon van or bus back to Puerto Princesa (~5-6 hours, ~£9). Check into a guesthouse near the airport for an easy final day.
🚌Van/bus El Nido–Puerto Princesa ~£9
🛏Puerto Princesa guesthouse (~£12)
- →Final beach morning
- →Van transfer to Puerto Princesa
Puerto Princesa — Iwahig and a slow day
Puerto Princesa
Visit the Iwahig Penal Colony and farm, an unusual open-prison community where inmates sell handmade crafts (~£3 tricycle or shared jeep), plus a stop at the Palawan Heritage Center for local culture. Afternoon free; eat at the Baywalk night market where grilled seafood is cheap (~£6).
🚌Tricycle/jeepney hops ~£1-3
🛏Puerto Princesa guesthouse (~£12)
- →Iwahig Penal Colony visit
- →Palawan Heritage Center
- →Baywalk night market dinner
Fly back to Manila and depart
Manila
Fly Puerto Princesa–Manila (~£25-40 booked ahead, ~1h20) and connect onward internationally, or spend one last night in Manila if your flight is late. Allow a 4-hour buffer between internal and international flights.
🚌Flight Puerto Princesa–Manila ~£25-40; airport transfer ~£5
🛏None (departure day) or one extra Manila night ~£14
- →Domestic flight to Manila
- →Onward international departure
Self-launched vs. G Adventures
| This itinerary (self-launched) | G Adventures | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£880 | £2,100 |
| Duration | 17 days | 17 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £1,220 per person (58%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more G Adventures-style trips? Check them out here.~£880
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does Northern Philippines & Palawan — Self-Launched Adventure cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £880 per person for 17 days in Philippines. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with G Adventures?+
Yes — G Adventures charges around £2,100 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £880 — a saving of roughly £1,220 (58%) per person.
How long is the Philippines trip?+
This itinerary runs 17 days, covering 17 day-by-day stops through Philippines.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a adventure, culture, hiking trip through Philippines, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
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