ElizabethWelcome to a special feature on our blog where we’re shaking things up a bit! Instead of our usual narrative style, I’m excited to present our recent family trip to the Philippines in a detailed itinerary format, complete with photos. This departure from the norm is designed to provide you with a practical, visual guide to planning your own adventure. Whether you’re plotting a family getaway or looking for travel inspiration, this comprehensive itinerary from Bohol to Coron offers a step-by-step look at our experiences, making it a perfect resource for anyone planning a family trip to the Philippines. Get ready to explore the stunning landscapes and vibrant culture of this beautiful country with us!
Day One: Narita to Pangalao
- Parking reservation at Narita:
- Follow the signs for Terminal 2 International departure, and the rightmost lane leads to the South entrance of the parking area. Take a parking ticket at the (unmanned) gate. The gate will automatically open, and you can continue into the parking area. Everything is done by license plate number.
- You walk from the parking lot to the terminal.
- 9:30 am-1:30 pm, Fly Tokyo NRT to Manila on Philippines Air
- Tickets included 2x checked bags up to 50 lbs & carry-on (7 kg)
- They will weigh and tag the carry-on bag at the airport
- The whole family was assigned window seats. This was easily changed at the check-in desk when we checked in for the flight.
- Meals were provided on the flight.
- Make sure to make any meal choices at least 24 hours in advance of your flight
- 5-Hour Layover in Manila
- Upon landing you do not have the option to enter the International Terminal. We had to retrieve our luggage and recheck it.
- A Transfer Bus to the other terminals can be arranged by checking in at the ‘Transfer Desk.’ This transfer is FREE. Watch out for people outside the door trying to get you to pay for a ride to the other terminals.
- Our connecting flight left out of Terminal 2 which had very limited services and the aircon was out during our visit. We opted to pay to visit the Mabuhay Lounge which had drinks, snacks, aircon, wifi, and clean bathrooms available. Note that you are prohibited from entering more than 3 hours before the flight.
- Layover Alternative Book a Manila Day Tour
- 10:00 pm-8:35 pm, Fly Manila to Panglao (TAG) on Philippines Air
- The hotel arranged our airport transfer
- Night in Bohol at Ocean Suites.
- Booked the Family Room w/ Ocean View. Breakfast included. 3 dbl + 1 sgl.
- A/C in room
- 2 small pools – perfect for kids
- Free transfer from the airport.
- No beach.
- Hotel Restaurant & Coffee Cafe
- Will provide beach towels for outings. Ask at the front desk.
- Primarily people from Europe & The Philippians staying here
- Rooms are indoor/outdoor so there are some ants and other bugs in the room
- Local property – adjust your expectations. If you want an American resort this is not the place for you.
- The reception desk was happy to help us make phone calls and arrangements during our stay
Day Two: Sardine Run & Firefies
- Breakfast at the Hotel
- Buffet with good selection & Egg Station
- You can order espresso drinks (for a fee) from the cafe
- Napaling Reef & Sardine Run
- What to Bring: Sunscreen, towels, and a change of clothes for after the snorkel.
- We hired the hotel-arranged driver from the airport to take us around the island for the next few days. We had him drive us to Napaling Reef.
- We arranged with Pangalo Watersports and Tours to take us snorkeling on Napaling Reef. You are required to have a guide.
- You do not need a reservation. We had the hotel call ahead so they were anticipating our arrival.
- They can provide gear; we brought our own.
- They have a shop so you can leave your non-snorkeling things worry-free
- They have showers so you can rinse off after
- They provided us with two guides and a photographer for a worry-free experience.
- They brought a float ring out with them so our kids had a place to come rest and adjust their masks. They also pulled the kids back in when the current was strong. We often snorkel without any help, the kids are great swimmers but this was such a huge help for a worry-free experience.
- There are cheaper options – you can pick up a guide at the park entrance and pay the entrance fee yourself.
- Visit Fruit Stand
- We asked our driver to stop at a fruit stand on the way home so we could pick up fresh mango and bananas.
- Return to Ocean Suites
- Swim in Pool
- Visit the Convenience Store for snacks and bottled water
- Lunch at Ocean Suites
- Ordered lunch by the pool. Plenty of options on the menu and food was decent.
- 4:30 pm-9:30 pm, Evening firefly kayak tour
- What To Bring: Long Pants, Towel, Change of Clothing, Bug Spray, Water Shoes
- Pickup & Dinner Included
- The pickup was in the group van. Due to our location, we were the last to pick up and first to drop off
- Dinner was a set menu served after the conclusion of the firefly tour.
- We were in two double kayaks and one child with one of the two guides
- A completely magical experience. Photos do not do it justice. The magical moment when countless fireflies gathered around a single tree, illuminating it with their gentle glow.
- Observed the motor boat tours; our kayak option offered a quieter, more intimate interaction with nature.
- Night at Ocean Suites
Day Three: Whale Sharks, Hospital & Island Tour
- 6:30 Pickup for full day four with Amazing Bohol.
- Pick-up was originally scheduled for 6 am, but they called the night before and moved it to 6:30
- Lila Whale Shark Snorkeling
- Drie 30 min to Lila Whale Sharks, driver check you in and receive a briefing from “guides”
- Put on a Life jacket and Hop on a local row boat to go out to whale sharks.
- They have snorkel gear to borrow, we brought our own
- Whale Sharks are being fed and you float near your boat to see them
- Borderline bad experience. Whale sharks were amazing up close but there are so many people, many not following the rules.
- Showers and changing area are available for after.
- Hospital for Stitches
- The Middle Little slipped while changing and ended up requiring stitches. (You can hear the full story on this episode of Care and Feeding: The Podcast.)
- This is the first aid kit that we carry that helped us get everything under control on the way to the hospital.
- Resumed Island Tour – this is all very touristy but an efficient way to see “the highlights.”
- Lunch River Cruise
- Chocolate Hills
- Man Made Forest
- Tarsier Sanctuary
- Return to Ocean Suites Hotel for some pool time
- 5:30 Dinner Reservation at Bohol Bee Farm Restaurant
- We ended up canceling the reservation because we were exhausted and didn’t want to make the 30-minute drive.
- This restaurant recommendation came from friends who were there the week prior and said the meal was amazing.
- Dinner at Chido Cafe
- Next door to Ocean Suites. Lovely views and great food.
- Night at Ocean Suites
Day Four: SUP Tour & Sunset Sail
- Relaxing morning by the pool
- The hotel arranged a driver for us for the day to get to our prebooked activities
- SUP tour at Fox and Firefly Cottages
- 3 SUPs for our family of five
- Rope Swings into River
- Lunch at Fox and Firefly restaurant afterward (highly recommend)
- Back to Ocean Suites Hotel for some quiet time and swim in the pool
- Virgin Island Sunset Tour with Abraham Tours
- Departs from Abraham Bohol Hostel at 3pm (cute bar area with plenty of board games)
- Go by Tuk-Tuk to the “port” where you board a boat (they will provide ear plugs as the boat motor is loud)
- First Stop is snorkeling
- Next Stop Virgin Island for sunset
- Snacks and Drinks while exploring the shallow waters
- Returned to Abraham Bohol
- Dinner back at Ocean Suites
- The Littles were super tired so we ordered pizza at the Ocean Suites.
- Lots of great places to eat around Abraham Tours
- Last Night at Ocean Suites
Day Five: Repositioning Day
- 7:30 am Hotel arranged a driver to take us to the port
- 8:20 am – 10:20 am Ferry to Cebu
- Luggage must be checked and cannot be brought into the passenger cabin
- We had a small issue with someone taking our bag, it was resolved after about an hour. Luggage pick-up is not at all controlled or efficient so be aware.
- Luggage must be checked and cannot be brought into the passenger cabin
- Taxi to airport.
- This can take a while if there is traffic. We were there on holiday so there was no traffic at all.
- Philippine Air Cebu to Coron (Busuanga, USU) 1:20 flight.
- The airport is small. No reason to arrive super early.
- Arrive Coron
- You must pay an arrival fee in cash upon landing
- Must have proof of lodging upon landing
- Sangat Island Dive Resort arranged pickup at the airport
- Have to drive across the Island to get on a boat to go out to the resort
- The drive was long and windy so take any car-sickness prevention you may need
- Night at Sangat Island Dive Resort
Days five through eight we stayed at one of the best hotels /resorts we’ve ever been to. The Sangat Island Dive Resort was perfect for our family. It’s a bit rustic, but the island is full of adventure and the kids could run around freely.
The only way on or off the island is by boat.
Meals are provided on the island. All meals are buffet. They also set out an afternoon snack. There is also a bar that does daily happy-hour specials. Happy hour was a great time to catch up with other guests and get a chance to talk to the dive master.
We booked one of two air conditioned cabins. There is one aircon unit and it took the edge off but never made it cold. The air-conditioned cabins are closest to the main area which was very nice. Expect plenty of bugs as you are on an island in a raised hut.
Our family of five fit into one cabin. They added a floor bed for us and that worked perfectly.
Did I mention the monkeys?
Day Six: Around the Island & Intro Dive
- Half-Day Kayak Rental (made a reservation the night before)
- Hot Springs – kayak through a mangrove forest to get there
- Amazing Snorkeling
- We also got a guide for the day.
- He paddled one of our kids
- He also led the way which turned out to be important as it was confusing
- He also would have been able to call the speed boat to come get us. We made it home but a few of the other tours needed a pickup as the wind picked up.
- Big Little did an afternoon discovery dive & Little Little did a bubble maker dive
Day Seven: Island Hopping
- Private Island Hopping Boat Tour
- The resort had three tours you could choose from which they book for you. You can book private or allow other people to join with you to lower the price. We decided with the kids private let us set the pace and how long we wanted to spend each place
- Lunch was loaded on board and cooked along the way, so we had the chance to eat a delicious lunch in a beach pavilion when we were hungry.
- We visited two different snorkeling locations (including a shipwreck) and a white sand beach. It was a great use of a day.
- We were back at Sangat Island Dive Resort in time to enjoy afternoon snacks and play some games in the big house.
Day Eight: House Reef & Follow On Dive
- AM Paddle Board Rental
- Used this as a jumping-off point for snorkeling the house reef
- Amazing snorkeling just off the beach from the resort. We could have easily just done this snorkeling our whole time.
- PM Big Little went for a follow-up dive with Jeff to a shipwreck
- Evening: Kids had made friends by this point and they would run around the island playing while we enjoyed some quiet time with other adults at the rock bar.
Day Nine: Goodbye Philippines
- The hotel arranged a breakfast for us before our early departure
- The hotel arranged a boat to van back to the airport
- 9:35 am-11:05 am, Fly Coron (Busuanga, USU) to Manila, Cebu Pacific
- Transferring terminals in Cebu is a bit of a mess. The airline will arrange your free transfer. You have to go back through security though.
- 1:55 hrs layover in Manila
- Several lounges you can enjoy with Priority Pass
- 1:15 pm-6:50 pm, Fly Manila to Tokyo Narita, Cebugo flt 5J5056.
Our trip to the Philippines truly stood out as one of those rare vacations that managed to be both exhilarating and genuinely relaxing. Packed with our favorite activities, from diverse water sports to fascinating animal observations, each day brought new adventures that were perfectly in tune with our family’s love for nature and the outdoors. For a visual journey through our unforgettable experiences, be sure to check out all the photos and videos on my Instagram.
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We used GetYourGuide to find a few standout experiences during our time in the Philippines and it made planning so much easier. As a GetYourGuide affiliate, I may earn a small commission if you book through the links or widget below (at no extra cost to you). Here are some fantastic activities and tours around the Philippines you might want to consider!
