The Itinerary 
The Visayas in 10 days: Cebu, Bohol and Siargao
The sardine run you snorkel to from the beach, canyoneering at Kawasan, the Chocolate Hills and tarsiers on Bohol, then Siargao's lagoons and surf. The whale-shark question answered honestly, and which months the typhoons actually fall in.
- Southeast Asia
- 10 days
- ≈ AED 3,200 / person
- Three islands, two flights, one sardine run
Before you go
The site’s Philippines in 8 days is Palawan — El Nido and Coron. The Visayas are the other half of the country, and logistically a completely separate trip: different airports, different ferries, different weather windows.
Three islands in ten days is the right number. The Philippines has over seven thousand, and every one you add costs most of a day in transfers.
You will fly twice. Cebu to Bohol is a ferry; Bohol or Cebu to Siargao is a flight, and the Siargao leg is the one that fills up.
Two of the best things here cost almost nothing. The Moalboal sardine run is a shore snorkel — you swim out from the beach into a wall of several million fish. Kawasan’s canyoneering is a day of jumping down a river in a gorge.
Figure PHP 55,000 (≈ AED 3,201) per person. March to May is the settled window; the typhoon risk runs June to November.
Before you go: the admin
Entry and money
- Many nationalities enter visa-free for 30 days, extendable in country. Check yours, and note that proof of onward travel is routinely demanded at check-in by airlines, not just at immigration.
- An electronic arrival registration is required before travel — complete it in the days before you fly, on the official government site.
- Cash country. Cards work in Cebu City and the bigger resorts; assume cash everywhere else. ATMs on Siargao are limited and run dry, especially at weekends. Draw what you need in Cebu.
- Last checked: 3 November 2026.
Typhoons, and the two monsoons
- The typhoon season runs roughly June to November, peaking August to October. The Visayas sit in the path.
- The habagat, the southwest monsoon, runs June to October; the amihan, the northeast one, brings cooler, breezier weather November to February.
- March to May is the settled, hot, dry window and is the best time for this route.
- Siargao is exposed. Typhoon Rai in December 2021 flattened much of it; it has rebuilt, but the island is the first thing weather reaches. Travel insurance that covers weather disruption is not optional here.
- Ferries are cancelled for sea state more often than flights are. Build a buffer day before any international flight home.
Whale sharks at Oslob — the honest answer
- Oslob, on southern Cebu, offers near-guaranteed whale-shark encounters because the animals are hand-fed daily to keep them in the bay.
- This is widely criticised by marine biologists and conservation organisations. The concerns are documented: altered migration and feeding behaviour, dependence on provisioning, boat-strike injuries, and animals conditioned to approach boats.
- It is not on this itinerary for that reason.
- If you want to swim with whale sharks without provisioning, Donsol in Sorsogon runs an unfed, seasonal, regulated encounter — roughly December to May, best around February to April — and it is a different island group and a separate trip.
- Your call. We would rather state the position than quietly include it.
Island transport
- Cebu to Bohol is a fast ferry, roughly two hours, several daily. Book online in advance in high season.
- Siargao is reached by air, usually via Cebu, on small aircraft with strict baggage allowances. Flights fill weeks ahead in March and April.
- Scooters are the way to get around Bohol and Siargao. You need a licence valid for motorcycles and a helmet, and your travel insurance almost certainly excludes you without the right licence class. Many visitors ride anyway; they are uninsured when they do.
- Environmental fees are charged at most sites, small and in cash.
Day by day
Day 1 — Land in Cebu, go south
- Fly into Mactan–Cebu. Do not stay in Cebu City unless your flight forces it; there is little for a visitor and the traffic is heavy.
- Go straight south to Moalboal, about three hours by van or private transfer. Leave the airport by early afternoon or the drive is in the dark.
- Stay at Panagsama Beach, which is the dive strip, or White Beach, which is the sand.
- Evening — Dinner on the water.
Where to stay in Moalboal (three nights)
- Grand: a resort at White Beach with a pool above the sand.
- Mid-range: a dive resort on Panagsama, which puts the sardine run at the end of your steps.
- Simple: guesthouses a street back, which are very cheap and perfectly good.
Day 2 — The sardine run, and Pescador
- 07:00 — The sardine run. Swim out from Panagsama with a mask — it is perhaps thirty metres offshore and five to fifteen metres down, and it is millions of fish moving as one thing. No boat, no guide, no fee. Go early, before the day boats.
- 09:30 — A boat to Pescador Island, twenty minutes out, for the wall dive or snorkel. Turtles are near-certain along the Panagsama wall on the way back.
- Afternoon — The turtles again, from the shore, or a dive if you are certified. Moalboal is one of the cheapest places in the world to learn.
- Sunset — Panagsama faces west, which is the whole reason the bars are there.
Day 3 — Kawasan canyoneering
- The day most people remember. Three to four hours of jumping, sliding and swimming down a turquoise gorge to Kawasan Falls.
- Go with a licensed operator and wear the helmet and vest they give you. People have died here, and the deaths have involved unguided jumps, low water and ignoring guidance about which ledges are safe on the day.
- You can decline any jump. Every one has a climb-down.
- Book the early slot. By eleven the gorge is a queue.
- Afternoon — Back to Moalboal, and do nothing.
- Alternative if canyoneering is not for you: Kawasan Falls from the bottom, a thirty-minute walk from the road, with bamboo rafts under the cascade.
Day 4 — To Bohol
- Morning — Transfer back to Cebu City pier, about three hours, then the fast ferry to Tagbilaran, about two hours.
- Or, if the schedule suits, the direct ferry from Argao or Bato, which is shorter but less frequent.
- Afternoon — Panglao, the island attached to Bohol by a causeway, which is where the beaches are. Alona Beach for life, Dumaluan or Danao for quiet.
- Evening — Alona, which is busy and good-natured.
Where to stay on Panglao (three nights)
- Grand: a resort on Dumaluan or Momo Beach with its own stretch of sand.
- Mid-range: a hotel a street back from Alona with a pool.
- Simple: guesthouses inland on Panglao, five minutes by scooter from any beach.
Day 5 — The Chocolate Hills and the tarsiers
- A full-day loop inland, by scooter or hired car and driver.
- 08:00 — The Loboc river and the man-made mahogany forest, a dense two-kilometre tunnel of trees.
- 10:00 — The Tarsier Conservation Area at Corella — go to the sanctuary, not the roadside operations. Tarsiers are nocturnal, extremely stress-prone, and have died from handling. No flash, no touching, no noise. They are the size of your fist and you will be whispering.
- 12:00 — The Chocolate Hills at Carmen — over a thousand symmetrical limestone mounds that turn brown in the dry season. The viewpoint is a climb of a few hundred steps.
- 15:00 — Anda or Can-umantad Falls if you have the appetite, or back for the beach.
- Note: a 2013 earthquake damaged several of Bohol’s Spanish colonial churches; some have been rebuilt and others are still in restoration. Check before making a detour for one.
Day 6 — Balicasag, or a slow day
- 06:00 — A boat to Balicasag, forty minutes out. Dolphin watching on the way, then a marine sanctuary wall with turtles and jackfish. Visitor numbers are capped and snorkelling is guided — this is a conservation measure and it works.
- Virgin Island on the way back is a sandbar at low tide and mobbed by vendors; see it and move on.
- Afternoon — Hinagdanan Cave, or the beach.
- Evening — Pack; the flight is early.
Day 7 — Fly to Siargao
- Morning — Fly from Bohol–Panglao or Cebu to Sayak (Siargao), about an hour. Baggage allowances on this route are small and enforced.
- Afternoon — General Luna, which everyone calls GL, is the base.
- 16:00 — Cloud 9, the boardwalk out to the reef break. Watch rather than paddle out unless you surf — it breaks over shallow coral.
- Sunset — The coconut viewpoint on the road inland, which is a million palms and one road.
Where to stay on Siargao (three nights)
- Grand: a boutique resort between GL and Cloud 9 with a pool.
- Mid-range: a hotel in General Luna, walkable to dinner.
- Simple: hostels and cabañas, of which GL has many.
Day 8 — The three islands, and the lagoon
- 08:00 — A boat to Naked, Daku and Guyam — a sandbar, a palm island with a lunch, and one you can walk round in four minutes.
- The afternoon alternative, and the better one: Sugba Lagoon at Del Carmen, an hour’s drive then a boat through mangroves to green water with a diving platform. Book the boat ahead in season.
- Evening — GL’s restaurants, which are better than the island has any right to have.
Day 9 — Magpupungko, and the east coast
- Time this one by the tide. The Magpupungko rock pools only exist at low tide — a large natural pool in a rock shelf, deep enough to jump into. At high tide there is nothing to see.
- The drive up the east coast is the best road on the island.
- Afternoon — A surf lesson at Jacking Horse, which is the beginner break, not Cloud 9.
- Evening — Last night.
Day 10 — Out
- Fly Sayak to Cebu, then connect. Leave a generous connection — this route cancels for weather more than most.
- If you have the morning: a last swim, and the market in GL.
Costs and practicalities
Best time to visit
March to May is the settled window. June to November carries the typhoon risk.
- March to May — the best of it. Hot, dry, calm seas, the best visibility for diving. Also the busiest and the most expensive, and Siargao’s flights fill weeks ahead.
- June to October — the habagat. Wet afternoons, rougher crossings, and the peak typhoon months are August to October. Cheapest, and surf on Siargao is at its biggest.
- November and December — typhoon risk tailing off but real; Rai hit Siargao in December 2021. The amihan brings wind.
- January and February — cooler, breezier, often lovely, with occasional wet spells. A good second window.
Travel tips
- Snorkel the sardine run from the beach before 08:00. It is free and the boats arrive later.
- Use a licensed canyoneering operator and decline any jump you do not like.
- Go to the tarsier sanctuary, not a roadside cage. No flash, no touching.
- Check the tide before Magpupungko. It does not exist at high water.
- Draw cash in Cebu. Siargao’s ATMs run dry.
- Book Siargao flights and Sugba boats well ahead in March and April.
- Do not ride a scooter without the right licence class — your insurer will not pay.
- Buffer a day before your international flight home.
- Reef-safe sunscreen, and do not stand on coral.
What this trip actually costs
Two people, 9 nights, mid-range throughout, international flights excluded:
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Hotels and resorts, 9 nights | PHP 36,000 (≈ AED 2,095) |
| Domestic flights and ferries, two people | PHP 24,000 (≈ AED 1,397) |
| Food and drink, 10 days | PHP 22,000 (≈ AED 1,280) |
| Canyoneering, diving, island hopping, Sugba | PHP 18,000 (≈ AED 1,048) |
| Scooters, transfers, environmental fees | PHP 7,000 (≈ AED 407) |
| Extras | PHP 3,000 (≈ AED 175) |
| Total for two | PHP 110,000 (≈ AED 6,402) |
- Roughly PHP 55,000 (≈ AED 3,201) per person for ten days, which makes this one of the cheapest trips on the site per day.
- The internal flights and ferries are the second-biggest line and the least compressible — three islands means moving three times.
- Food is very cheap outside resort restaurants, and the carinderias and the market in GL are better anyway.
- Diving in Moalboal is among the cheapest in the world, which is why people come here to certify.
- Hotel picks here are chosen on location, not on commission — always check prices and recent reviews before booking.
What to pack
- A mask and snorkel of your own. Rental ones leak and you will use these daily.
- Reef shoes for Siargao’s coral shelves and the rock pools.
- Reef-safe sunscreen and a rash vest — the sun here is equatorial and a vest beats reapplying.
- A dry bag, for boats and the canyon.
- Motion-sickness tablets for the ferries.
- Cash in small notes, drawn in Cebu.
- Insect repellent for Bohol’s interior.
- A Type A or C adapter, 220V — the plug is American-shaped but the voltage is not.
Part of a bigger trip?
- The Philippines in 8 days is Palawan — El Nido and Coron — and the two together make a very good three weeks.
- Add Donsol for an unfed, seasonal whale-shark encounter, roughly December to May.
- Cebu connects widely across Asia, so this pairs naturally with a stop in Singapore, Hong Kong or Taipei.
FAQ
Should I do the whale sharks at Oslob? We have left it out. The encounter is near-guaranteed because the animals are hand-fed daily, and that provisioning is widely criticised by marine scientists for altering migration and feeding behaviour and for boat-strike injuries. If swimming with whale sharks matters to you, Donsol in Sorsogon runs an unfed, seasonal, regulated alternative — a different island group and a separate trip.
Is the canyoneering dangerous? It has killed people, and the deaths have involved unguided jumps, low water and ignoring the day’s guidance about which ledges are safe. With a licensed operator, a helmet and a vest, and a willingness to climb down rather than jump, it is a managed risk and the best day on Cebu. Book the early slot; by eleven it is a queue.
Do I need to fly, or can I ferry everywhere? Cebu to Bohol is a comfortable two-hour fast ferry. Siargao effectively requires a flight — the sea route involves a long bus and a crossing that is frequently cancelled. Build a buffer day before your international departure either way, because weather cancels boats here more often than planes.
Is ten days enough for three islands? Yes, and it is close to the minimum. Each move costs most of a day once you count transfers, so a fourth island would mean a day less somewhere else. If you only have a week, drop Siargao and give the time to Moalboal and Bohol — they are joined by one ferry rather than a flight.
When is typhoon season, really? June to November, with the real weight in August, September and October. The Visayas sit in the usual track, and Siargao is the most exposed point on this route. March to May is the settled window. If you travel in the risk months, insure for weather disruption and keep your schedule loose.
Prices and entry rules change, and what you need depends on your passport; last checked 3 November 2026, so confirm with the embassy or your airline before booking.
