Self-Launched Island Hopping Adventure in The Philippines

Arrive at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (MNL) and make your way independently to your guesthouse in the Malate or Ermita district — both well-connected, traveller-friendly neighbourhoods close to Intramuros. Grab a metered taxi or use Grab (the local ride-hailing app) from the airport for around £5–8. Spend the evening wandering Rizal Park or head to a local carinderia (Filipino canteen) for your first taste of Filipino food — try sinigang or adobo. A welcoming dinner solo or with fellow hostel guests sets the tone for the adventure ahead.

🚌Grab taxi from MNL airport to Malate (~£6)

🛏Wanderers Guest House or Kabayan Hotel, Malate — budget double/dorm from ~£12–18pp

• →Arrive at MNL — use Grab app for airport transfer (~£6)
• →Check in to budget guesthouse in Malate/Ermita
• →Explore Rizal Park on foot
• →Welcome dinner at a local carinderia — try sinigang or adobo (~£4–6)

Start your morning with a Bambike eco-tour through the cobblestone streets of Intramuros — bookable directly at their office on Real Street or via GetYourGuide (~£18pp). Ride past Fort Santiago, Manila Cathedral and colonial plazas on a handcrafted bamboo bike. After a Filipino lunch in the walled city, head to the domestic terminal at MNL for your afternoon flight to Puerto Princesa (book ahead with Cebu Pacific or AirAsia, typically £25–45 one way). On arrival, take a shared van or bus north to the laid-back village of Port Barton (~3.5hrs, ~£8). Grab a fan room at one of the village''s beachside guesthouses and settle into island time.

🚌Grab to MNL domestic terminal (~£5); budget flight to Puerto Princesa (~£35 avg); shared van to Port Barton (~£8)

🛏Elsa''s Beach Cottages or Summer Homes, Port Barton — fan room from ~£12–15pp

• →Bambike eco-tour of Intramuros (~£18pp, book direct or via GetYourGuide)
• →Lunch in Intramuros (~£4–6)
• →Fly Manila to Puerto Princesa — Cebu Pacific/AirAsia (~£30–45)
• →Shared van Puerto Princesa to Port Barton (~£8, ~3.5hrs)

Join one of the daily island-hopping bangka (banca) boat tours departing from Port Barton beach — easily arranged through your guesthouse or directly from local boatmen the evening before (~£12–18pp). Tours typically visit Twin Reef, Exotic Island, Maxima Island, Starfish Island Sandbar and the Turtle Sanctuary, with snorkelling gear included. Bring your own snacks or ask to be included in a packed lunch. Kayaks can often be rented from your guesthouse (~£5/half-day) for an evening paddle back into the bay at sunset. Return to the village for a cheap seafood dinner on the beach.

🚌Boat tour included in day activity

🛏Elsa''s Beach Cottages or Summer Homes, Port Barton — fan room ~£12–15pp

• →Island-hopping banca boat tour from Port Barton beach (~£12–18pp, arrange via guesthouse)
• →Snorkelling at Twin Reef and Starfish Island Sandbar (gear usually included)
• →Optional kayak hire for sunset paddle (~£5)
• →Seafood dinner on the beach (~£5–8)

Rise early and hire a tricycle to the Pamuayan Falls trailhead (£1–2 each way). The well-marked jungle trail winds through bamboo groves and streams for about 2hrs return, ending at a 30m cascade with a cool swimming pool at its base — free to enter or a small donation. Return to Port Barton for a late breakfast/early lunch before boarding your shared van north to El Nido (~4hrs, £8–10). Alternatively, some travellers take an outrigger banca along the coast — more scenic but slower (~£15). Arrive in El Nido in the afternoon, check in and explore the main strip before dinner. El Nido town has dozens of budget guesthouses and is very walkable.

🚌Tricycle to trailhead (~£2); shared van to El Nido (~£9)

🛏Spin Designer Hostel or Harbour Lights Guesthouse, El Nido — dorm/budget double from ~£10–18pp

• →Tricycle to Pamuayan Falls trailhead (~£2 return)
• →Jungle hike to Pamuayan Falls — free/donation
• →Swim in the falls pool
• →Shared van Port Barton to El Nido (~£8–10, ~4hrs)
• →Explore El Nido town on arrival

El Nido''s island-hopping tours are some of the best-value self-bookable experiences in Southeast Asia. Book Tour A or Tour C directly from any of the tour operators on El Nido''s main street the night before (~£12–15pp), or via Klook. Tour A covers the Secret Lagoon, Big Lagoon, Small Lagoon, Shimizu Island and Seven Commandos Beach — exactly the highlights of this route. Bring your own snorkelling gear (hire ~£3) or it''s often included. A Filipino lunch of fresh grilled fish and rice is typically part of the package. Kayaks are available at the lagoons for paddling through narrow rock openings. Return to El Nido town by late afternoon for sunset drinks on a clifftop bar.

🚌Banca boat included in island-hopping tour

🛏Spin Designer Hostel or Harbour Lights Guesthouse, El Nido — dorm/budget double ~£10–18pp

• →El Nido island-hopping Tour A or C — book direct from main street or via Klook (~£12–15pp)
• →Kayak through Secret Lagoon and Big Lagoon
• →Snorkelling at Shimizu Island coral gardens
• →Lunch on the boat (usually included)
• →Sunset drinks at a clifftop bar in El Nido town (~£3–5)

This is the most adventurous day — and the one that requires the most independent planning. Book a multi-day banca tour from El Nido to Coron through a local operator in town (~£50–70pp for the 2-day passage including overnight camping). These tours depart El Nido in the morning and pass through the Linapacan island group, stopping at remote beaches, caves (including Seniora Cave), an old Spanish fortress and lesser-visited islands like Magransing and Kakayatan. Snorkel gear is usually provided. By late afternoon the boat moors at a deserted beach or island for an off-grid overnight camp. Bring a headtorch, power bank, and any snacks you want. Meals are prepared by the boat crew. Stargaze from the beach — one of the most memorable nights of the whole trip.

🚌Banca boat El Nido to Linapacan (included in 2-day tour)

🛏Wild beach camping on a remote island — bedding/mat provided by boat crew (included in tour price)

• →Multi-day El Nido to Coron banca tour — book via local El Nido operators (~£55–70pp for 2-day passage)
• →Snorkelling Linapacan reefs
• →Visit Seniora Cave and old Spanish fortress
• →Beach camping overnight on a remote Sulu Sea island
• →Stargazing with zero light pollution

Wake to the sound of the ocean and a simple breakfast of fruit and eggs prepared by the boat crew. The second day of your banca passage continues north through some of the clearest waters on the planet — stop for morning swims and snorkelling from the boat at untouched reefs. The journey to Coron takes around 6 hours of total travel, with regular breaks at deserted beaches along the way. Arrive in Coron town by late afternoon. This relaxed, laid-back coastal town is a diver''s paradise and a great base for the next two nights. Check into your guesthouse, explore the night market and grab a cold San Miguel to celebrate making it across the Sulu Sea.

🚌Banca boat Linapacan to Coron (included in 2-day tour price from Day 6)

🛏Sea Dive Resort or Funny Lion Coron — budget room from ~£15–22pp

• →Morning island breakfast and swim from the beach camp
• →Banca cruise north to Coron with snorkelling stops (~6hrs)
• →Arrive Coron — explore town on foot
• →Night market and local dinner (~£5–7)

Explore Coron town on foot this morning — browse the local market and grab a cheap breakfast at a roadside turo-turo (point-point eatery). Then tackle the 700 steps up to the Mount Tapyas viewing deck for sweeping panoramas over Coron''s iconic karst landscape (free entry). Back in town, hire a tricycle south to Maquinit Hot Springs (~£5 return), one of the few saltwater hot springs in the world, heated by an underwater volcano. Entry is around £3–4. Spend the afternoon soaking and relaxing. Back in Coron, the afternoon is free — consider booking a scuba dive through one of the town''s many dive shops (WWII wreck dives start from ~£35), or simply relax at a café.

🚌Tricycle to/from Maquinit Hot Springs (~£5 return)

🛏Sea Dive Resort or Funny Lion Coron — budget room ~£15–22pp

• →Explore Coron market and grab a local breakfast (~£2–3)
• →Hike 700 steps to Mount Tapyas viewpoint (free)
• →Tricycle to Maquinit Hot Springs (~£5 return) — entry ~£3–4
• →Optional: WWII wreck scuba dive through local dive shop (~£35–45)
• →Free afternoon in Coron town

Book a Coron island-hopping tour the evening before through a local operator or via Klook (~£18–25pp). The classic tour covers Kayangan Lake (the Philippines'' cleanest lake), Twin Lagoons, Skeleton Wreck snorkelling, and Calachuchi Beach for lunch. A short uphill hike leads to the iconic viewpoint over Kayangan Lake''s emerald waters before you swim in them — one of the most photographed spots in the Philippines. SUP boards are sometimes available at the lagoons for hire (~£5). Skeleton Wreck is perfect for snorkelling — a Japanese WWII ship now carpeted in coral and teeming with fish, accessible without scuba gear. Round off your final night in Palawan with a group dinner at one of Coron''s waterfront restaurants and swap stories with fellow travellers you''ve met along the way.

🚌Banca boat included in island-hopping tour

🛏Sea Dive Resort or Funny Lion Coron — budget room ~£15–22pp

• →Coron island-hopping tour — book via Klook or local operator (~£18–25pp)
• →Hike to Kayangan Lake viewpoint and swim in the lake
• →Explore Twin Lagoons (surface swim through the hidden lagoon)
• →Snorkel over Skeleton Wreck WWII shipwreck
• →Lunch at Calachuchi Beach (often included)
• →Farewell dinner at a waterfront restaurant in Coron (~£8–12)

Early breakfast and check-out. Take a shared tricycle or van transfer to Busuanga Airport (Francisco B. Reyes Airport), around 20km from Coron town (~£5–8 shared, or ~£15 private). Catch your flight back to Manila''s Clark Airport or Ninoy Aquino (book ahead with Cebu Pacific or AirAsia, ~£30–45). On arrival in Manila, take the airport bus or Grab to NAIA Terminal 1, 2 or 3 for your international departure. Budget at least 3–4 hours between your domestic arrival and international flight. End of the adventure — bags a little sandier, memories very much full.

🚌Shared van to Busuanga Airport (~£6); budget flight to Manila (~£35); Grab to international terminal (~£8)

🛏N/A — departure day

• →Early breakfast and check-out
• →Shared van/tricycle to Busuanga Airport (~£5–8)
• →Fly Busuanga to Manila Clark or NAIA — Cebu Pacific/AirAsia (~£30–45)
• →Grab/bus transfer to international departure terminal (~£6–10)