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This isn’t a list of the “best” islands to visit in the Philippines. I haven’t visited them all. Instead, this article explains how we decided which island to visit in the Philippines based on our travel style, the time we had, and what we actually wanted from this trip. If you’re planning your own itinerary, I think this approach is far more useful than chasing a one-size-fits-all ranking. Here are some tips to help you!
Start with what you’re looking for (not what’s trending)
When people ask which island to visit in the Philippines, the answer really depends on a few key things:
- How much time you have
- How you feel about moving around, including internal flights and ferry transfers
- Whether you’re more into beaches, diving, hiking, culture, cities or nightlife
- Your tolerance for crowds and touristy places
We had two weeks in the Philippines, were travelling as a couple, and wanted to prioritise nature, underwater experiences, and staying active. We also wanted to avoid spending a big chunk of our holiday in transit and visiting destinations that are highly focused on partying. Keep this in mind when you read more about our choices for our itinerary.
Why Cebu made sense for our trip
A direct flight from Brisbane
The biggest deciding factor was logistics. There’s a direct flight from Brisbane to Cebu, which means we would save time by reducing domestic connections. Even short flights eat into your day once you factor in early airport arrivals, queues, potential delays and baggage waits. It all adds up quickly. Flying internationally from Cebu meant we could enjoy our last day of the trip properly, without stressing about connections or backtracking.
An easy hub for nearby islands
Cebu also works well as a hub. From there, it’s easy (albeit still long) to reach other islands by ferry or boat rides, which was ideal for us as we wanted to minimise flights.
A good fit for nature lovers and active travellers
Cebu Island and its surrounding region offered exactly what we were looking for:
- Excellent scuba diving and snorkelling, with marine life like the sardines we don’t often see and impressive coral walls
- Waterfalls, hills and hiking opportunities
We’re not big on resort-style holidays or long beach downtime, and Cebu – or should I say Moalboal as this is where we based ourselves when on Cebu Island – is a destination where you can stay active while still enjoying beautiful scenery.
That said, it’s a popular region. If you’re actively trying to avoid touristy destinations altogether, Cebu probably wouldn’t be my first recommendation. For us, the balance still worked.
Why we chose Malapascua
We chose to travel to Malapascua because scuba diving was a major priority for our trip, and it’s one of the very few places in the world where you can reliably see thresher sharks. We were happy to commit a few days to a quieter island with limited activities, knowing that diving would be the main focus and that early starts were part of the experience. Malapascua worked well for us as a short, purpose-driven stop rather than a place to slow down for a full week, although it can also suit travellers who want to relax on the beach. While it’s not difficult to reach, getting there does take time, with a long drive followed by a boat transfer. That said, it’s a well-established route from Cebu or Moalboal, and transfers are easy to organise – you can use 12Go or ask your accommodation or dive centre.
Not sure which destinations to include in your Philippines itinerary? These comparisons might help you decide: Bohol vs Moalboal (Cebu), Moalboal vs Malapascua and Moalboal vs Oslob. You can also check out my article Which island to visit in the Philippines? How to choose.
Why we chose Bohol
We chose to travel to Bohol because it fit our itinerary and travel style perfectly. It sits between Camiguin and Cebu, which helped us avoid unnecessary backtracking, and it’s easy to reach by ferry. More importantly, Bohol offers a great mix of inland scenery and underwater experiences on one island. In a short amount of time, we could go hiking, visit waterfalls, rice terraces, see tarsiers and the iconic Chocolate Hills, and then switch to scuba diving. While Bohol is more touristy than some other islands in the Philippines, that also makes it easy to organise, which mattered to us given our limited time.
Adding a less touristy island: Camiguin
Even with limited time, we wanted to include at least one island that felt quieter and less visited. That’s where Camiguin came in.
We flew from Cebu and, after our visit, could take a ferry from Camiguin to Bohol, which helped avoid backtracking and kept the itinerary efficient. Camiguin ended up being one of the highlights of the trip.
What we loved about our three days in Camiguin:
- Dramatic volcano views dropping straight into turquoise water (from White Island)
- A volcano hike reaching around 1,200 m with stunning views (Mount Hibok Hibok)
- A marine-protected island (Mantigue Island) with beautiful turtles
- Fewer people, while still being touristy enough to easily organise activities and fill our days
Places we knew we’d skip straight away
Some destinations were ruled out very early in our planning stage.
- Oslob | Even though it’s a popular stop on Cebu Island, swimming with whale sharks there is widely known to be unethical. That alone was enough for us to skip it entirely.
- Boracay | Yes, the beaches are beautiful. But the party vibe and heavy crowds are not our thing, especially as we were travelling over the festive season.
- Manila | For this trip, we wanted to focus on nature rather than cities. Manila also has a reputation for heavy traffic and being overwhelming, and we weren’t interested in spending time in a large city on a short holiday.
Islands we considered (but couldn’t include)
We spent a lot of time researching before locking in our route. These places were all tempting, but didn’t quite fit this trip.
Coron, Palawan
Very appealing for wreck dives and Barracuda Lake, but it required additional flights, which we wanted to avoid. We’re keeping it for a future trip outside the busy season.
El Nido, Palawan
Another one that required additional flights. The scenery looks incredible, with limestone cliffs and turquoise lagoons – exactly what many people picture when they think of the Philippines. However, our research showed the experience is more focused on boat tours and downtime. Diving is also not as strong, and it didn’t match our active travel style for this trip.
Siquijor
Known for its quieter beaches and relaxed vibe, with nice snorkelling too, it was very tempting and I genuinely tried to make it fit in our itinerary without wasting too much time in transit, as it’s just south of Bohol. In the end, adding another couple of trips on an island ferry felt too risky with limited time and additional ferry logistics.
Camotes Islands
They sounded like a beautiful, relatively untouched escape with caves, white sand beaches and diving, and they’re accessible by ferry from Cebu. They ticked all our boxes, but we didn’t want to drop Camiguin or Malapascua, and Bohol made more sense logistically.
Siargao
Often recommended for surfers and travellers looking for a younger, laid-back vibe. It didn’t suit our priorities for this trip and was too far, but it’s worth considering if that’s your travel style.
South Leyte
Leyte is near Bohol and we read there offer seasonal whale shark snorkelling, so of course we wanted to add it to our itinerary. But travel time to get to South Leyte – where the whale sharks visit – is long, and logistics were too complex to nicely fit in a short two-week trip.
So, which island should you visit in the Philippines?
After planning this trip, my biggest takeaway is this: there’s no single answer to which island to visit in the Philippines. Trying to cram in as many “top islands” as possible is often a mistake when time is limited. Travel time and logistics matter a lot in this country.
Cebu (Moalboal), Malapascua, Bohol and Camiguin were the right choice for us because we had limited time, wanted to minimise flights and time in transit, and prioritised active travel with scuba diving, nature and hiking. For a first trip, we were also happy to stick to relatively touristy islands for an easier experience – although, in retrospect, Camiguin was the one we enjoyed the most.
If your priorities are different, your ideal islands will be too.
My advice is to work backwards from your travel style and constraints, not from a list of “top islands”. Remember that some destinations may not feel as perfect as Instagram shots once you factor in crowds or time to get there. You’ll get far more out of your trip by choosing places that genuinely suit how you like to travel.
Have you visited the Philippines? What were your favourite islands? Share your experience in the comments below!
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