Islands of the Philippines on a Shoestring — Self-Launched
8 days · Philippines
G Adventures charges £1,289
No-markup version: ~£655 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
An independent, build-it-yourself version of G Adventures' 8-day Manila-to-Manila island hop — same route (Manila, Siquijor, Bohol/Panglao, Cebu City), same experiences (Chocolate Hills, tarsiers, whale sharks, waterfalls, homestay-style community stay), but booked piece by piece yourself. Filipino domestic flights and ferries are cheap and easy to book direct (Cebu Pacific, Philippine Airlines, AirAsia, OceanJet, Weesam), and the whole island chain is classic backpacker territory. Costs are rough per-person estimates in GBP and assume shared hostel dorms/guesthouse twins, eating local, and public transport. Excludes international flights.
Day-by-day
Arrive Manila — settle in and eat your way through the city
Manila
Land at Ninoy Aquino International (NAIA) at any time. Grab a yellow airport metered taxi or use Grab (the local ride-hailing app) to your hostel in Makati, Ermita or Poblacion — roughly PHP 300-500. Check in, get a local SIM (Globe or Smart, ~£5-8 for data), then head out for a low-key first evening: street food around Poblacion or a cheap meal of adobo, sinigang and lechon kawali. Book your Malate/Intramuros walking tour and your Dumaguete flight for tomorrow before bed.
🚌Airport taxi or Grab from NAIA (~£5-7)
🛏Hostel dorm or guesthouse twin in Makati/Ermita (~£12)
- →Self-arranged airport transfer
- →Local SIM card and Grab app setup
- →Evening street food wander in Poblacion
Manila to Siquijor via Dumaguete
Siquijor
Morning flight from Manila to Dumaguete (Sibulan Airport) with Cebu Pacific or PAL — book direct, often £30-55 one-way. From Sibulan airport take a tricycle to Dumaguete pier (~PHP 100), then the fast ferry to Siquijor town (OceanJet or Montenegro, ~1 hour, PHP 250-400). Settle into a guesthouse near Siquijor town or San Juan beach. Afternoon on the sand, sunset at Paliton Beach or the old balete tree with its tiny fish spa.
🚌Domestic flight Manila-Dumaguete (~£40), tricycle to pier (~£1.50), fast ferry to Siquijor (~£4.50)
🛏Beach guesthouse or hostel in Siquijor/San Juan (~£12)
- →Fly Manila to Dumaguete
- →Fast ferry to Siquijor
- →Paliton Beach sunset
Siquijor island loop — waterfalls, caves and coral
Siquijor
Rent a scooter (PHP 400-500/day, ~£6) or hire a tricycle driver for the day and loop the island: Cambugahay Falls' rope swings and turquoise pools, Salagdoong Beach cliff jumps, Larena's old church, and Cantabon or Capilay caves. In the afternoon join a snorkelling or diving trip off the marine sanctuary at Tulapos or San Juan — snorkel trips start around PHP 300-500 plus gear, intro dives ~£30-40 with local operators you can book the night before. The island is famous for its mystic folk healers — ask locally about a visit.
🚌Scooter rental or shared tricycle island loop (~£7)
🛏Beach guesthouse or hostel in Siquijor/San Juan (~£12)
- →Cambugahay Falls
- →Salagdoong Beach
- →Cantabon Cave
- →Snorkelling or introductory dive
Ferry to Bohol — homestay and community life
Bohol
Morning ferry from Siquijor to Tagbilaran or Ubay via OceanJet/Weesam (~2-3 hours, PHP 500-800; sometimes via Dumaguete). From the port take a jeepney or tricycle into the interior. Rather than a G Adventures homestay, book a community-run homestay or a family guesthouse (search Bohol countryside homestays on Airbnb/Booking, or ask at the tourism office in Carmen/Bilar) — you'll get the same farm life, home cooking and local conversation, with the money going straight to the family. Evening: home-cooked dinner and a chat with your hosts.
🚌Ferry Siquijor-Bohol (~£8), tricycle/jeepney transfer (~£3)
🛏Family homestay in Bohol countryside (~£15, incl. dinner)
- →Ferry crossing
- →Community homestay evening
- →Home-cooked Filipino dinner
Farm morning, Chocolate Hills and tarsiers to Panglao
Panglao
Spend the morning helping your hosts with whatever's in season — rice, vegetables, chickens — and cook a barbecue lunch together, the classic Filipino 'boodle fight' spread. In the early afternoon hire a tricycle driver to take you to the Chocolate Hills viewpoint in Carmen (entrance ~PHP 100) and then to the Tarsier Sanctuary in Corella (entry ~PHP 150) to see the world's smallest primates. Continue on to Panglao Island on Alona Beach and check into a beach hostel.
🚌Hired tricycle for the day (~£15 shared)
🛏Hostel or budget guesthouse on Alona Beach, Panglao (~£16)
- →Homestay farm work and BBQ lunch
- →Chocolate Hills
- →Tarsier Sanctuary
- →Transfer to Panglao
Panglao — free day, snorkelling and island life
Panglao
Free day. Options: join a shared bangka boat trip to Balicasag Island and Virgin Island for coral and turtles (~PHP 1,500-2,000 per boat, split among 4-6 people — book at Alona Beach the day before), snorkel straight off the beach, rent a scooter to explore Hinagdanan Cave and Dauis church, or just do nothing on white sand. Dive shops in Alona run Oslob whale-shark day trips in season — ask around, and check the season (roughly Nov-May, though operators run it year-round) before committing; ethical operators avoid feeding the sharks.
🚌Scooter rental or share of a bangka boat (~£10)
🛏Hostel or budget guesthouse on Alona Beach, Panglao (~£16)
- →Balicasag Island boat trip and snorkelling
- →Hinagdanan Cave (optional)
- →Whale-shark trip (optional, seasonal)
Boat to Cebu City
Cebu City
Morning ferry from Tagbilaran (or Ubay) to Cebu City — OceanJet fast craft ~2 hours, PHP 500-1,000, or the slower Weesam/ro-ro for less. Drop bags at a hostel near Colon or IT Park. Afternoon: walk the historic core — Magellan's Cross, Basilica del Santo Niño, Fort San Pedro and the 16th-century Colon Street area — or take a self-guided street-food crawl (Cebu lechon is the main event, ~£3 for a plate). If you want a guide, book a Cebu heritage walking tour via GetYourGuide or Klook (~£15-20).
🚌Fast ferry Bohol-Cebu (~£10), Grab/taxi in the city (~£4)
🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Cebu City (~£14)
- →Historic Cebu walking route
- →Lechon street-food crawl
- →Optional guided heritage tour
Fly back to Manila and depart
Manila
Morning flight Cebu to Manila (Cebu Pacific/PAL/AirAsia, book direct ~£30-50). If your onward flight is later in the day, leave bags at the airport or at a bag-drop in Pasay and squeeze in a quick Intramuros walk — San Agustin Church and the walls — or a bowl of batchoy near the terminal. Trip ends on arrival at NAIA. If you'd rather skip the extra flight, you can also fly home directly from Cebu (CEB) — usually cheaper than backtracking.
🚌Domestic flight Cebu-Manila (~£40), airport transfer (~£4)
🛏None (departure day)
- →Fly Cebu to Manila
- →Optional Intramuros wander
Self-launched vs. G Adventures
| This itinerary (self-launched) | G Adventures | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£655 | £1,289 |
| Duration | 8 days | 8 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £634 per person (49%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more G Adventures-style trips? Check them out here.~£655
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does Islands of the Philippines on a Shoestring — Self-Launched cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £655 per person for 8 days in Philippines. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with G Adventures?+
Yes — G Adventures charges around £1,289 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £655 — a saving of roughly £634 (49%) per person.
How long is the Philippines trip?+
This itinerary runs 8 days, covering 8 day-by-day stops through Philippines.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a beaches, backpacker, budget trip through Philippines, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
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