Best of the Philippines — Self-Launched
10 days · Philippines (Manila, Palawan, El Nido)
G Adventures charges £1,180
No-markup version: ~£690 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A self-launched 10-day version of G Adventures' "Best of the Philippines": Manila's old city, street food and jeepneys, an overnight at the Mount Purro eco-reserve, then a flight south to Palawan for the Underground River, fireflies on the Iwahig, slow days island hopping out of Port Barton and finishing with the lagoons and hidden beaches of El Nido. Everything is bookable yourself — cheap domestic flights, public buses and shared vans, and island-hopping tours picked up on the pier or via Klook/GetYourGuide. Expect simple guesthouses and beach bungalows rather than tour hotels, and roughly £700-800 all-in excluding international flights, versus around £1,180 for the guided group departure.
Day-by-day
Arrive Manila — settle into Ermita/Intramuros
Manila
Land at NAIA and take a Grab (ride-hailing, ~₱300-450 / £4-6) or the airport shuttle bus to a hostel or budget hotel in Ermita or Intramuros. Afternoon to acclimatise: walk the bayfront at Rizal Park, grab your first halo-halo or a plate of adobo at a nearby eatery, and sort a local SIM (Globe or Smart tourist SIM, ~₱500 / £7 for data). Book your Palawan flight tonight if you haven't already — Cebu Pacific and AirAsia fly Manila–Puerto Princesa for roughly ₱2,500-4,000 (£35-55) one way.
🚌Grab from airport ~£5; walking + jeepney around the city
🛏Dorm bed or private budget room, Ermita/Intramuros (~£12-18)
- →Rizal Park and Manila Bay sunset walk
- →Buy local SIM and set up Grab app
- →Evening food crawl in Ermita
Intramuros by bamboo bike + Binondo street food
Manila
Do the historic core yourself: rent a bamboo bike with Bambike Ecotours (~₱1,200 / £17) or just walk the walls. Entry to Fort Santiago is ₱75 and Casa Manila ₱75; Manila Cathedral and San Agustin Church are free to enter. In the afternoon cross into Binondo, the world's oldest Chinatown — join a small-group Binondo food walk on Klook/GetYourGuide (~£20-25) or DIY it with a list of stalls for lumpia, hopia and dumplings (£8 of eating goes a long way). Finish with a jeepney ride back (₱13) for the full experience.
🚌Walking, jeepney and Grab within the city (~£5)
🛏Dorm bed or private budget room, Ermita/Intramuros (~£12-18)
- →Intramuros self-guided walk (Fort Santiago, Casa Manila, San Agustin)
- →Bamboo bike tour of the walled city
- →Binondo Chinatown street-food walk
Mount Purro Nature Reserve — indigenous lunch and forest trails
Mount Purro, Antipolo
Mount Purro Nature Reserve sits about 1.5-2 hours east of Manila in Antipolo. Book a day visit directly by email/Facebook message (day-pass with lunch around ₱1,200-1,500 / £17-21) and get there by Grab (~₱1,200 each way, split if you can) or by bus to Antipolo plus a tricycle. Hike the short forest trails, swim in the river, and have the traditional lunch cooked in bamboo — sinigang and the like. It's a community-run reforestation project, so your fee goes straight to the reserve. Head back to Manila in the late afternoon.
🚌Grab or bus + tricycle to Antipolo, ~£15-25 return
🛏Dorm bed or private budget room, Ermita/Intramuros (~£12-18)
- →Guided forest trail walk in Mount Purro Nature Reserve
- →Traditional bamboo-cooked lunch with the community
- →River swim
Fly to Puerto Princesa — fireflies on the Iwahig River
Puerto Princesa, Palawan
Morning flight from Manila to Puerto Princesa (~1h 20m). Tricycles from the airport into town cost ₱50-100. Check into a guesthouse near Rizal Avenue, then spend the afternoon on Baker's Hill (free, kitsch gardens and snacks) and Plaza Cuartel, the WWII memorial near the bay. In the evening book the Iwahig Firefly Watching tour through your guesthouse or Klook (~₱800-1,000 / £11-14) — a paddle-boat drift along a mangrove river lit up with fireflies, with a guide pointing out the constellations on the way back.
🚌Flight Manila–Puerto Princesa ~£40; tricycle around town ~£2
🛏Guesthouse in Puerto Princesa town (~£14-20)
- →Iwahig River firefly watching boat tour
- →Baker's Hill and Plaza Cuartel
- →Evening at the Puerto Princesa baywalk
Underground River, then the van up to Port Barton
Puerto Princesa → Port Barton
Book the Underground River trip through your guesthouse (₱1,500-2,000 / £21-28 including permits and boat — note permits are capped daily, so reserve a day ahead). It's a 2-hour drive to Sabang, then a short paddle-boat ride and an hour inside the cave system with an audio guide. Back in town by early afternoon, catch a shared van or bus north to Port Barton (~3.5-4 hours, ₱400-500 / £6-7; vans leave until around 3-4pm). Port Barton is a sleepy village with no ATMs — bring cash.
🚌Underground River tour transfer + shared van to Port Barton ~£10
🛏Beach bungalow or guesthouse in Port Barton (~£12-20)
- →Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park (Underground River)
- →Mangrove paddle-boat boardwalk at Sabang
- →Sunset on Port Barton beach
Port Barton island hopping
Port Barton
The classic Port Barton boat trip covers German Island, Turtle Spot, Starfish Island, Exotic Island and a couple of snorkelling reefs, with a grilled fish and rice lunch on the boat. Book at the beachfront the day before — boats leave around 9am and cost ₱1,200-1,500 (£17-21) per person with lunch. Bring reef-safe sunscreen and cash for the small environmental fees (₱50-100 per island). Back by 4pm for a beer on the sand; dinner is grilled fish at one of the beachfront kitchens for £5-7.
🚌None needed — tour boat departs from the beach
🛏Beach bungalow or guesthouse in Port Barton (~£12-20)
- →Port Barton island-hopping boat tour with snorkelling
- →Turtle and starfish spotting
- →Beachfront seafood dinner
Sibaltan heritage village, then on to El Nido
Port Barton → El Nido
Take a morning shared van or the local bus/minivan north to El Nido (~4-5 hours via Roxas, ₱500-700 / £7-10). Break the journey at Sibaltan, a fishing village with the oldest heritage house in Palawan, where a community tourism group runs short visits and a cooking demonstration with local women (~₱600-900 / £8-13, arranged through El Nido community tourism or your guesthouse). Continue to El Nido and check into a guesthouse in town or at Corong-Corong rather than the pricier Lio Beach resort strip. Book tomorrow's island-hopping tour tonight.
🚌Shared van Port Barton–El Nido with Sibaltan stop ~£10-13
🛏Guesthouse or budget hotel in El Nido town/Corong-Corong (~£14-22)
- →Sibaltan heritage house and fishing village visit
- →Cooking demonstration with local women's group
- →El Nido sunset at Corong-Corong beach
El Nido Tour A — lagoons and Hidden Beach
El Nido
Book Boat Tour A (Small Lagoon, Big Lagoon, Secret Lagoon, Shimizu Island, Seven Commandos Beach) directly at the El Nido booking office near the pier or through Klook — ₱1,200-1,600 (£17-22) including lunch, with the eco-tourism development fee (₱200) paid once. Boats leave 8-8.30am and return around 4pm. Get in the water early at the Small Lagoon to beat the crowds — kayak rental inside the lagoon is around ₱300. If you'd rather have less company, pay a little extra for a private boat and leave at 7am.
🚌Walking/tricycle to the pier (~£2)
🛏Guesthouse or budget hotel in El Nido town/Corong-Corong (~£14-22)
- →El Nido Island Hopping Tour A (Big and Small Lagoon, Secret Lagoon)
- →Kayaking in the Small Lagoon
- →Snorkelling at Shimizu Island
El Nido choose-your-own: Tour C, Kuyawyaw Falls or Mt Taraw
El Nido
Pick based on energy. Tour C (Hidden Beach, Matinloc Shrine, Talisay Beach, Helicopter Island) is the other classic boat day, ₱1,400-1,800 (£19-25) with lunch. Or hire a scooter (~₱500/day / £7) and ride north to Nacpan and Calitang twin beaches, continuing to the base of Mt Taraw for the 1-1.5h scramble to the viewpoint (₱300-500 guide fee, steep and slippery — don't do it in flip-flops). Kuyawyaw Falls is a half-day tricycle/scooter trip south (~₱1,000-1,500 with a local guide). Evening: beach bars in town.
🚌Scooter hire ~£7, or shared boat trip
🛏Guesthouse or budget hotel in El Nido town/Corong-Corong (~£14-22)
- →Optional El Nido Tour C
- →Nacpan and Calitang twin beaches by scooter
- →Mt Taraw viewpoint hike
- →Kuyawyaw Falls day trip
Last swim and departure from El Nido
El Nido
Morning swim or a lazy breakfast overlooking Bacuit Bay before heading out. Fly out of El Nido Lio Airport (AirSWIFT to Manila, ~₱5,000-7,000 / £70-100, book early) or take a van back to Puerto Princesa (~5-6h) for a cheaper flight. If you're continuing in the Philippines, the fast ferry to Coron (2.5-4h, ~₱1,800 / £25) is an easy onward step.
🚌AirSWIFT flight El Nido–Manila ~£85 or van to Puerto Princesa ~£10
🛏—
- →Final swim at Corong-Corong
- →Souvenir shopping along El Nido's main street
Self-launched vs. G Adventures
| This itinerary (self-launched) | G Adventures | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£690 | £1,180 |
| Duration | 10 days | 10 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £490 per person (42%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more G Adventures-style trips? Check them out here.~£690
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.
Customise with Tour BusterCreated by
Travel Crew
0 trips
Frequently asked questions
How much does Best of the Philippines — Self-Launched cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £690 per person for 10 days in Philippines (Manila, Palawan, El Nido). 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 £1,180 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £690 — a saving of roughly £490 (42%) per person.
How long is the Philippines (Manila, Palawan, El Nido) trip?+
This itinerary runs 10 days, covering 10 day-by-day stops through Philippines (Manila, Palawan, El Nido).
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 adventure, culture, beaches trip through Philippines (Manila, Palawan, El Nido), 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?
Drop your comment below — if you've done a similar route, tell us what worked, what you'd add, or what you'd skip.
No comments yet — be the first to share your take.
Sign in to leave a comment.