My top ten travel moments from the Philippines
I loved visiting the Philippines. It was one of my favourite countries that I visited during my year of travel in 2023. All the islands I visited were gorgeous, and the people were so friendly.
As I enjoyed it so much, I’ve created this list of my top ten moments from the Philippines. I hope it inspires you to plan your own visit!
1. Drinking milk tea in El Nido
Since my time in the Philippines, I’ve developed a slight obsession for milk tea. Sure, I had drunk my fair share of the stuff in the UK, but here prices start from around £5 ($6), so I don’t indulge as much as I’d like.
My love of milk tea really took off when I was in the Philippines, and all that began at Banana Boba, a milk tea shop off Corong Corong beach in El Nido.
Banana Boba offered an extensive range of milk tea flavours. Ube cheesecake milk tea: a dessert-like dream. Okinawa milk tea: I will dream of you forever! They were all so tasty and cost only 80 pesos ($1.40 / £1.10).
My memories of drinking milk tea on the beach at sunset will stick with me forever.
2. Paddleboarding for the first time (and holding a firefly)
Another thing ticked off the bucket list during my trip was when I went paddleboarding on a river in Bohol to see fireflies.
We headed on our paddle boards down the Loboc River as the sun set. When we stopped at a tree and our guide handed me a firefly, I was so excited. That little bug was adorable and I was thrilled when it flew off.
As it was a full moon, the fireflies were not quite as bright as I was expecting. But, even so, the whole experience was magical, and it will stay with me for a long time.
3. Trying our first hot pot in Manila
I loved the food in the Philippines. It was so fun to see how halo halo (shaved ice with all sorts of toppings) would be served at each restaurant, and anything with ube made my day.
In particular, I remember getting hot pot in Manila. It was the day we were flying home, and Lou had never had hot pot before, so we headed to the food centre at the mall to get some. I don’t know why I find hot pot so exciting, but adding all the different ingredients into the pot was so fun.
4. Sliding down a waterfall in Siquijor
There are so many waterfalls in the Philippines. We visited a lot of them during our trip, although it really was the tip of the iceberg.
My favourite of these waterfalls was Lagaan Falls in Siquijor. They had a Tarzan swing, and the waterfall was so smooth that you could use it as a slide. Best of all, it wasn’t that busy, so we could actually do all these things.
5. Finding a secret chocolate hill to climb on our own
Bohol is known for its chocolate hills (mounds covered in vegetation which turns a dry brown in the dry season), so when visiting the island of course we had to go check them out. There’s one main tourist complex, which has steps leading to a viewpoint at the stop, but it was mega busy. Imagine our excitement when on Google Maps we saw another hill with viewpoint nearby!
We headed there and with some apprehension we headed up to the top of the hill, via an uncut winding path. At the top, there wasn’t anyone else there, and we were treated to a private view of the landscape.
It’s those little moments that made our trip special!
6. Exploring a bat cave on Bohol
Whilst on Bohol, we headed a bit off the beaten track to go to Kangkaramel Cave.
This cave was crazy full with bats. I have never seen so many. It’s a good thing I don’t have a fear of bats (I actually find them quite cute) – if I had, the cave would have been terrifying.
Regardless, it was a very cool experience.
7. Snorkelling with turtles – and spotting them wherever we go
Right at the start of our trip, we went snorkelling with turtles on Apo Island.
There was a storm coming along, so the water was choppier and saltier than normal. Even so, we saw quite a few turtles. As we were getting out of the water we came so close to them, as with all the sand in the water, we couldn’t see they were right next to us.
Later on, we saw lots of turtles coming up to breathe at the coast in Siquijor. I really enjoyed sitting on the cliff at our guesthouse drinking coconut juice (which I don’t actually like, but it added to the experience) and watching them surface.
8. Staying the night on a quiet island
Our evening at Apo Island, where we went snorkelling with the turtles, is a top memory in its own right. This island often makes lists of off the beaten track places to check out in the Philippines, so we decided to go. I only wish we had more time there!
In the evening, all the day tourists had gone, making the island quiet. It was so interesting to walk around at sunset, seeing the locals go about their daily lives and having the island (almost) to ourselves.
9. Getting three meals on the plane (three!)
I had to add this one as it really caught me by surprise (in a positive way).
When going to the Philippines, we got ridiculously cheap flights from Paris to Manila with China Southern Airlines. Although I’ve flown a lot during the past year, I’m used to budget airlines, so getting three meals – two on the long haul flight and another on the three hour flight from Guangzhou to Manila – was mind blowing to me.
I was dead certain that it must’ve been a mistake on the way, so it was even more of a surprise when we got it on the way back.
10. Taking a selfie with local kids on Bohol
For the last of my top moments, let’s go back to Bohol.
Lou and I were heading back from Pangas Falls, on the way back from the Chocolate Hills. The road (really a dirt track) passed through a hamlet and, as we drove through, locals waved and said hi.
At one point, two girls, maybe nine or ten, stopped us for a selfie. It was so cute and really summarises how welcome we felt in the Philippines!
Conclusion
I’d go back to the Philippines in a heartbeat. The islands were beautiful and we saw so many stunning waterfalls and beaches. There was so much to explore, and I only scraped the surface.
I hope this list gives you an idea of how lovely the Philippines is and maybe even inspires you to visit yourself!
