Backpacking Philippines
7 destinations for backpackers. Currency: Philippine Peso (PHP).
Bohol
Philippines
Bohol is a nature-rich island famous for its Chocolate Hills — over 1,200 symmetrical cone-shaped mounds that turn brown in the dry season — and the tiny Philippine tarsier, one of the world's smallest primates. Panglao Island (connected by bridge) adds white-sand beaches and affordable diving. Bohol is easy to combine with Cebu-Moalboal via a short ferry crossing.
Coron
Philippines
Coron is the wreck-diving capital of Southeast Asia, with a dozen Japanese WWII shipwrecks sitting in warm, shallow waters. Beyond the wrecks, Coron offers stunning limestone lagoons, volcanic lakes, and island-hopping tours that rival El-Nido. The town is small and laid-back, with a growing backpacker scene centered on rooftop bars and dive shops.
El Nido
Philippines
El Nido is the crown jewel of Palawan and one of the most spectacular island-hopping destinations in the world. Towering limestone karsts rise from crystal-clear lagoons, and the Bacuit Archipelago's 45 islands offer hidden beaches, secret lagoons, and pristine coral reefs. The town itself is compact and walkable, with a solid backpacker infrastructure of hostels, dive shops, and beachfront bars.
Manila
Philippines
Manila is chaotic, sprawling, and often overlooked by backpackers rushing to the beaches — but it rewards those who give it a chance. The historic walled city of Intramuros, buzzing nightlife of Poblacion, and some of the cheapest hostels in Asia make it a worthy stop. As the Philippines' main international gateway, most travelers pass through at least briefly.
Moalboal
Philippines
Moalboal is a small beach town on Cebu's southwest coast that punches far above its weight for marine life. It is home to the world's second-largest sardine run — a permanent bait ball of millions of sardines visible from shore — plus reliable sea turtle sightings and some of the Philippines' cheapest dive certifications. The Panagsama Beach strip is the backpacker hub, lined with hostels, dive shops, and beachside bars.
Siargao
Philippines
Siargao is the Philippines' surf capital and one of Southeast Asia's hottest backpacker islands. Famous for the Cloud 9 wave, it has evolved from a surfer-only destination into a full-blown paradise for digital nomads, backpackers, and adventure seekers. General Luna is the main hub, but the island's lagoons, rock pools, and palm-lined roads make it worth exploring well beyond the surf breaks.
Siquijor
Philippines
Siquijor is a small, laid-back island in the Visayas, roughly 25 km across, an hour's ferry ride from Dumaguete. Filipinos long knew it as the "mystic island" for its folk healers, but backpackers come for turquoise waterfalls, quiet white-sand beaches, easy reef snorkelling and one of the best social hostel scenes in the central Philippines. Almost everyone stays around San Juan on the west coast, near Paliton and Solangon beaches, and explores the rest of the island by scooter on the coastal ring road. It slots neatly into a Visayas island-hop between Cebu-Moalboal and Bohol, and it's a natural base for snorkelling with turtles at Apo Island. Since 2024 Siquijor has been part of the new Negros Island Region (it was previously in Central Visayas).