Philippines

General Info

Last visited

November 1992

Climate

Humid, tropical

Food

Asian and international. There's quite a number of expats who own restaurants and prepare excellent and cheap dishes of their own country.

Transport

Jeepneys are collectivos moving passengers from anywhere to anywhere. Foreigners might have difficulties in boarding the correct car. Taxis shouldn't be expensive. Make sure the taxameter is switched on or agree on a fixed fare in advance.

People

Philippinos are friendly and open-minded. Most of them are catholic. Crime and theft are more common than in other Asian coutries.

Hints

The Philippines, a bunch of islands is a top beach holiday destination, clean and clear water, beautiful and pristine beaches. Resorts mostly consist of bungalows and small houses, hardly any concrete buildings. Ideal for snorkeling and scuba diving.

Manila

Manila is good to organize your onward trip.

Puerto Galera / Sabang Beach

It's 2hrs by bus from Manila followed by a short ferry transfer to Puerto Galera from where you can take a jeepney to Sabang beach. Sabang is a small village with quite some bungalows, restaurants, bars and discos. You get a wake-up call at 4 am by the cock. And there's some power outages in the evening hours but nobody cares. Travellers spend the day on one of the swimming rafts where they get served with cold drinks and take a swim from time to time.

Boracay

Boracay is a wonderful little island having a 6 km long white sand beach and a coral reef along the beach. You get there by plane from Manila to Kalibo, take the bus to Taticlan from where you transfer by catamaran to the island. Be prepared to get your legs wet. Bungalows, restaurants, bars and discos are scattered along the beach. Take care not to get hit by a falling coconut. When you go out at night, don't forget your flash-light.

Boracay

Boracay

Sabang Beach - Puerto Galera

Boracay