Ultimate 2 week philippines itinerary: best for epic activities and relaxation

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Have you considered traveling to the Philippines?

I recently spent 2 weeks traveling through the Philippines on a solo trip, and I can confidently say it is an underrated destination.

I had two priorities on this trip: experience the most epic adventures and visit the most stunning beaches.

In this 2 week Philippines itinerary, I’ll walk you through exactly how I planned my trip (and why), then give you alternative routes at the end.

This itinerary is a mix of adventure and relaxation. It balances waterfalls, world-class diving, limestone cliffs, and remote island life without feeling rushed. It also includes one of the most unique experiences in the country: a multi-day island-hopping expedition between Coron and El Nido.

Here’s exactly how to do it.

Overview of This Philippines Itinerary

Day 1: Fly into Cebu, head straight to Moalboal (Panagsama Beach)
Day 2: Moalboal
Day 3: Back to Cebu
Day 4: Fly to Coron
Day 5: Coron
Day 6: Coron
Day 7: Ferry to El Nido
Day 8: El Nido
Day 9: El Nido
Day 10-12 : Lincapan Island Hopping
Day 13: Fly to Cebu
Day 14: Fly home

For this 2 week Philippines Itinerary, I booked two flights:

Round-trip from the USA (Seattle) to Cebu
Round-trip Cebu to Coron

This was the most cost-effective option that also gave me the amount of time in each location I wanted to spend. This itinerary was also built knowing that flight delays happen, and I tried to minimize the risk of missing flights/ transportation by planning to get to a destination one day earlier than my flight.

Stop 1: Cebu → Moalboal (Panagsama Beach) (2–3 Days)

After landing in Cebu City, skip the city (unless you have extra time) and head straight to the Panagsama Beach area of Moalboal. Moalboal is a laid-back beach town known for some of the best adventures in the country!

👉 Read my full 2 day Moalboal Itinerary

How to Get There

You have three options: private driver, drive yourself, or take the public bus.

Regardless of your transportation, you should plan on 3-4 hour drive from Cebu City.

I would highly encourage you to take the public, air-conditioned bus. It’s the cheapest option and quite comfortable. You won’t get to Moalboal much faster using a private driver.

To take the bus, head to the Cebu South Bus Terminal (CSBT), which is 30 mins from the Cebu-Mactan airport, and the cost is 200-210 PHP (about $3 USD).

You will get off at Jollibee’s in Moalboal. Then take a tuk-tuk to Panagsama Beach. The cost should not be more than 150 PHP, but they will attempt to charge you 400 PHP or more.

On the way back, you will need to pay with cash because you’ll be picked up at a bus stop (not a bus station).

Activities in Moalboal

Sardine Run
Thousands of sardines are moving in unison just offshore. You can swim into the school directly from the beach. It’s recommended to go early morning to avoid crowds – BUT, I went around 1-2 pm and had a great time.

If you’re not a great swimmer or want someone to help take photos and videos for you, I do recommend a guide.

Kawasan Falls Canyoning
Head to Kawasan Falls for bright turquoise water and jungle scenery. You can either visit casually (only the end is accessible) or do a full canyoneering experience (highly recommended!).

👉 Book a combo of sardines and canyoning experience for a full day of adventure!

Slow Beach Time
Moalboal feels like a place you can slow down, enjoy the sunsets, snorkel, and relax by the water. White Beach is close and a popular option!

I was actually only able to stay one night in Moalboal due to a plane delay, so I didn’t get a chance to go here. That being said, if you skip out on this, don’t worry – there are plenty of beaches to enjoy on this trip!

Hiking
If I were to stay another day in Moalboal (like I planned to), I would do the Osmena Peak hike. It’s a 20-minute hike to the tallest peak on Cebu Island – best for sunrise or sunset!

How to Plan Your Moalboal Activities:
How you’ll plan these activities is based on when you arrive at Panagsama Beach. If you have a full day, I recommend either jumping into the water and swimming with the sardines or heading to White Beach. Snorkeling with the sardines is easily accessible here, so you can do this multiple times. In the evening, consider doing the Osmena Peak hike.

On your full day, do the Kawasan Falls tour. Option to do the sardines early morning, before canyoning too! Best if you book the combo tour for this.

You can head back to Cebu at any time. You could go back early and visit the Temple of Leah or Magellan’s Cross (book a half-day tour), or you can hang out longer in Moalboal. Or maybe you’ll end up like me – and do the Kawasan Falls tour before you head out (due to a 12-hour delayed flight…).

Stop 2: Cebu → Coron (2 Days)

Fly from Cebu to Coron. When you arrive in Cebu, you will need to pay 200 PHP in cash for the environmental fee. If you do not have hotel pickup, you can take a public van for 250-300 PHP. This is a SET price, and there is a sign outside the airport that you can verify.

Activities in Coron

Island Hopping Tour (Must Do)
This is the highlight of Coron. Expect stops like Kayangan Lake, lagoons surrounded by limestone cliffs, and incredible snorkeling. I booked my tour through Klook, and I had a fantastic experience.

👉 Book your Coron Super Ultimate Tour

Mt. Tapyas Sunset
Climb the stairs for panoramic views over Coron. The views were gorgeous! I knew it would be beautiful, but I enjoyed the views even more than I thought I would <3

Maquinit Hot Springs
The saltwater hot springs were soooo beautiful. It’s very popular in the early evening as it’s HOT in the Philippines, but I ended up going right when it opened around 8 am, and it was perfect.

Scuba Diving
I highly recommend scuba diving in Coron! It’s world-class ship wreck diving, and the reefs were gorgeous too.

👉 Not scuba certified? Check out this Discover Scuba experience

Important: If You Plan to Scuba Dive

Scuba diving in Coron is incredible – especially the famous shipwreck dives – but it requires some planning.

Remember, after diving:

You should not hike (including Mt. Tapyas)
You should avoid hot springs like Maquinit Hot Springs
You cannot fly for 18–24 hours, depending on your dive profile
- A dive watch can give you a more accurate timeline on your fly time, but 24 hours is always a safe bet

For more on how to plan out these activities 👉 Steal my 3 day Coron Itinerary

Stop 3: Coron → El Nido

Take the fast ferry (about 4–5 hours) to El Nido.

👉 Book this at least TWO days in advance!!

You will need to arrive at the port one hour early (0600). I boarded 45 minutes before departure (but we departed on time). You will have to pay an additional 20 PHP for a port fee. Also, make sure to bring coffee and snacks if you need them; there is not much to buy on board.

The town of El Nido is more tourist-friendly than Coron, and it offers a wider variety of beaches. Read more about Coron versus El Nido.

Activities in El Nido

Island Hopping Tours (A, B, C, or D)
Each tour explores different lagoons and beaches. Tour A and C are the most popular. I really wanted to see the Big Lagoon, so I booked tour A!

Nacpan Beach
Voted the best beach in the Philippines! A long, palm-lined beach about 45 minutes from town – perfect for a slower day.

I took the shuttle bus provided by H Hotel. I recommend booking your shuttle the day prior by visiting the hotel, which is right downtown. Personally, I had a hard time using the website, and I also found they had a few more time slots available at the hotel desk. It i

Vanilla Beach Sunset
One of the best sunset spots in El Nido, with an optional zipline! I enjoyed the vibe of the beach. It was a little busy, but plenty of restaurants, bars, and sand to spread out. I was able to witness baby turtles hatching here!! <3

Stop 4: 3-Day Expedition (El Nido → Coron)

Instead of flying or ferrying back, take a 3-day, 2-night island-hopping expedition from El Nido to Coron. Although this will be your biggest expense, you CANNOT miss this.

What It’s Like

Sleeping in rustic huts on remote beaches
No WiFi, limited signal
Fresh meals cooked by your guides
Relaxing boat rides
Snorkeling gorgeous reefs

This is easily one of the most unique experiences in the Philippines and a major highlight of this itinerary.

You’ll arrive back in Coron (you may need to pay that 200 PHP fee again) at the port. Go outside the entrance gate to get better tuk-tuk deals into town. I paid 50 PHP to get to the port from town, but they wanted to charge 400 PHP to drive us into town. Another girl and I were able to haggle down to 100 PHP per person to get into town.

You should have an evening to relax. If you missed Mt. Tapyas or Maquinit Hot Springs, consider checking those out (if you have the energy).

Stop 5: Coron → Cebu → Home

I booked an afternoon flight from Coron – Cebu, to give myself a little more grace time for any travel disruptions.

I ended up going to Maquinit Hot Springs in the early morning (I had missed it my first time in Coron!).

After staying in hostels for the majority of the trip, I decided to splurge a little and booked a stay at Bluewater Maribago Beach Resort. It was about a 20-minute drive from the airport, costing around 300-400 PHP via Grab. They do have a beach area, although you are NOT in Palawan any longer.. but the rooms were very clean and nice. My only regret is not being able to stay two nights, to get the most out of what they had to offer!

After spending one night back in Cebu, book your flight for the next day home (and always use Grab instead of the hotel shuttle service to save money!).

How Many Days Do You Need?

For this 2 week Philippines Itinerary, the ideal trip length is 14 days. This doesn’t consider international flight time.

If you have less time, I highly recommend you reconsider and add more time – BUT, you consider skipping Cebu Island and instead, fly into Busuanga (Coron) or El Nido (you’ll likely have some sort of layover).

Alternate Route (If You Can Avoid Backtracking)

This 2 week Philippines itinerary is structured as a round-trip through Cebu because it was the most affordable flight option for myself.

However, if you’re open to one-way flights, there are several other efficient routes.

airports

You have a few airport options. The two major hubs will be Manila and Cebu. I highly recommend flying into Cebu, because I think Moalboal is an epic trip that is worth your time!

Flights between Coron and Cebu are daily. I personally flew with Philippine Airlines, but multiple airlines fly this route.

At the time of my booking, flights between Cebu and El Nido were only offered on certain days of the week. They also needed a layover at Clark, which is why I didn’t choose this option for my trip.

But some exciting news: Cebu Pacific recently launched direct flights between Cebu and El Nido!

If a flight to Cebu doesn’t work out for you, you can fly between Manila and Palawan and increase your time there.

Flights between Manila (NAIA) and El Nido (ENI) have been moved to Clark Airport. There is a shuttle between Clark and NAIA, but anticipate at least a 2-hour drive to move between airports (I’ve heard upwards of 5 hours during traffic).

Additionally, you could fly into Puerto Princesa and spend a night or two in Port Barton on your way to El Nido. For this, you’d need to skip Cebu Island altogether 🙁

Final Thoughts on this 2 week Philippines Itinerary

This was my first time in the Philippines, and when you’re traveling halfway across the world, there’s always that question in the back of your mind – will I ever make it back?

That’s exactly why I wanted an itinerary that truly captured the best of the country. This ended up being the perfect two-week introduction, and now that I’ve experienced it, I’m already thinking about everything I want to see next.

If you’re looking for a trip that blends adventure, incredible scenery, and once-in-a-lifetime experiences, it’s hard to beat this route.

The Philippines can take a little extra effort to plan – but once you’re there, it delivers in a way few places do.

Between the marine life in Moalboal, the limestone cliffs of Coron and El Nido, and the off-grid island experience in between, this itinerary gives you a little bit of everything that makes the Philippines unforgettable.

Hi, I’m Amber —

A Michigan native now living in Washington with a deep love for travel and the outdoors. What started with church mission trips and years of traveling across the U.S. as a nurse has grown into a passion for exploring destinations across Asia and America through hiking, scenic landscapes, local food, wildlife encounters, and underwater adventures. Sometimes I’m joined by my goldendoodle, Millie, but I’m always traveling with my camera. My goal is to help you feel inspired and confident that travel is possible — no matter where you’re starting from.