El Nido, Palawan

Best time to travel: Jan-May, Nov-Dec
Ease of travel: Moderate
Cost ($-$$-$$$): $

  • Municipality in the province of Palawan, it is a managed resource protected area, and is known for its white-sand beaches, coral reefs, limestone cliffs and as the gateway to the Bacuit archipelago

Chocolate Hills, Bohol

Best time to travel: Jan-May
Ease of travel: Moderate
Cost ($-$$-$$$): $$

  • Geological formation in the Bohol province, with at least 1,260 hills, but there may be as many as 1,776 hills spread over an area of more than 20 sq miles
  • They are covered in green grass that turns brown during the dry season
  • The Chocolate Hills are featured in the provincial flag and seal to symbolize the abundance of natural attractions in the province

Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, Palawan

Best time to travel: Jan-May, Nov-Dec
Ease of travel: Moderate
Cost ($-$$-$$$): $

  • Protected area located in the Saint Paul Mountain Range, on the coast of the island of Palawan, and contains the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River
  • The park has a limestone karst mountain landscape

Banaue Rice Terraces

Best time to travel: April-May, Oct-Nov
Walk difficulty: Moderate
Ease of travel: Hard
Cost ($-$$-$$$): $$

  • Terraces that were carved into the mountains of Banaue, Ifugao, by the ancestors of the Igorot people
  • It is commonly thought that the terraces were built with minimal equipment, largely by hand
  • The terraces are fed by an ancient irrigation system from the rainforests above the terraces
  • Rice is an ancient ancestral crop of the Philippines, having been carried by Austronesian migrations into the islands since at least 1500 BCE

Malapascua

Best time to travel: Jan-April, Dec
Ease of travel: Hard
Cost ($-$$-$$$): $

  • Malapascua is an island known for its wide white sand beach, and its coral gardens, coral walls and local dive spots

National Museum of the Philippines, Manila

Best time to travel: Jan-April
Ease of travel: Easy
Cost ($-$$-$$$): $

  • Umbrella government organization that oversees a number of national museums in the Philippines including ethnographic, anthropological, archaeological and visual arts collections
  • The National Museum operates the National Museum of Fine Arts, National Museum of Anthropology, and the National Museum of Natural History, all located in the National Museum Complex in Manila

Rizal Park, Manila

Best time to travel: Jan-April
Walk difficulty: Easy
Ease of travel: Easy
Cost ($-$$-$$$): $

  • Historic urban park located in Ermita, Manila, it is considered one of the largest urban parks in Asia
  • The park plays a significant role in shaping the history of the Philippines
  • The execution of Filipino patriot José Rizal in 1896, fanned the flames of the 1896 Philippine Revolution against the Kingdom of Spain
  • The park was officially named in his honor, and the monument enshrining his remains serves as the park’s symbolic focal point
  • The declaration of Philippine independence from the United States was held here on July 4, 1946, as well as later political rallies