Ultimate Philippines Diving Itinerary!
Content:
Check out the main page on Coron & El Nido here!
Check out the main page on Port Barton & Roxas here!
Check out the main page on Cebu/ Malapascua/ Moalboal here!
Check out the main page on Dauin & Apo island here!
A Quick Summary:
- Manila
0-1 day - Click here to book.
- Puerto Galera - Wrecks and Verde Islands
(3-4 nights) - Click here to book.
- Coron - Wreck diving
(3-4 nights) - Click here to book.
- El Nido - Reefs
(3-4 nights) - Click here to book.
- Port Barton - Small islands
(3-4 nights) - Click here to book.
- Mecaja dive resort - Wil's wreck
(3-4 nights) - Click here to book.
- Puerto Princessa
0-1 day - Click here to book.
- Cebu
0-1 day - Click here to book.
- Malapascua - Thresher Sharks
(2-3 nights) - Click here to book.
- Moalboal - Sardine Run
(2-3 nights) - Click here to book.
- Dauin/ Apo Island - Makro Heaven
(2-3 nights) - Click here to book.
First Stop: Manila & Puerto Galera.
You will likely enter the country in Manila. You can spend a day or two acclimating, however, I would move away as quickly as possible since I believe the Philippines has much more to offer than another busy city.
You can either travel by car or public bus to Batangas Pier. I recommend checking out the "Puerto Galera Page" on how to best get here.
Once in Puerto Galera, Sabang you should try to seek out "Tina's Diving" or any other dive center that you like of course. You can easily stay here for a week, or just 2-4 days. The area has a lot of dive sites available along the coast to keep you busy for a while!
Second Stop: Coron & El Nido.
You can fly to Coron next. It's a small domestic flight that will drop you off at a small airport, in the northern part of the island named Busuanga. Once landed there will be a transfer waiting, no need to arrange that in advance!
This bus will take all passengers to all major towns and stays. Just tell them where you are staying and they will drop you off. expect to pay 250-300 pesos per person.
Once in Coron, you can stroll through the village and if you move a bit towards the exit of the town you will find reggae dive center along the main road that I can highly recommend!
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Diving in Coron is not only beautiful and diverse. The landscape is stunning! For more impressions I highly suggest you check out the link below!
I suggest staying in Coron anywhere between 3 and 7 days. You can freediving, canoe, or just explore the island on your deco-days.
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From Coron, it's quite easy to arrange a transfer by boat to El Nido. You have to reserve and pay for your ticket in advance at the port of Coron. Get a tricycle or scooter there, and expect to pay 2600 pesos per person (4 hours).
El Nido is a lovely little town on Palawan island, all the way to the northern part. You can go diving in crystal clear, warm waters, with many easy-going, shallow diving, lots of macro and muck diving, and even some caverns.
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From the El Nido area, you can go straight to Puerto Princessa to catch your flight to the next stop. However, A nice "in-between" might be to stop in, for example, Port Barton or Mecaja Dive Resort, which is along the Western and Eastern Coast and makes a beautiful remote stop for 2-3 days. You could go explore the tiny island around the area on day trips!
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Third Stop: Port Barton & Roxas.
From El Nido, you can catch a tricycle to Corong Corong Terminal for 150 pesos. There you will find many vans leaving as late as 1 PM straight to Port Barton. Once in Port Barton, the van will drop you off at the terminal, from which you can arrange a tricycle to your hotel.
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Diving in Port Barton is not the main tourist attraction like it is in Coron for example. At the time of writing, 2 dive centers are operating: Easy diving & Port Barton diving center.
Book a 2 or 3-dive day-trip and discover rarely visited reefs and even a wreck nearby!
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Rizal, Roxas, Mecaja dive resort:
From Port Barton, you can grab yourself a van from the same terminal you arrived in to go to your next destination, only 1 - 1,5 hours away!
A good idea is to book in advance with Mecaja dive resort, they can arrange a pick-up for you. Tell the van driver in Port Barton to drop you off at the intersection, where the road meets the highway at San José. Mecaja dive resort will be there to pick you up and drive you to the resort in 30 minutes, more or less.
Diving in Rizal, Roxas is still very "new". Diving sites are being discovered and mapped every week. Ask Mecaja to take you to Wil's Wreck. A shipwreck I explored as the first diver with my guide Mike.
Flying from Puerto Princessa might be the best way to continue your trip to Cebu. If you skipped El Nido for example and stuck around in Coron you might be better off, flying to Cebu City directly. Puerto Princessa is actually a quite nice town. You can easily spend a night here while transferring to your next place, however, it is far from as charming as previous villages.
Fourth Stop: Cebu/ Malapascua/ Moalboal.
Once arrived in Cebu City you have a few options for going about your travels. I personally stayed the night in Cebu City which has a nice atmosphere and plenty of places to stay, eat and enjoy yourself!
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If you're heading north to Malapascua Island, the best idea, in my opinion, is to arrange a taxi via grab. It's quite the trip, but this part of your ultimate diving trip is quite essential!
You could also take public transport and either way you will be dropped off at the Maya-Malapascua Ferry. On the pier, there is a small kiosk that will take you to Malapascua Island. The island is divided into a southern and northern parts and the southern part is designed for tourism mostly.
When not diving, you can explore the northern part by walking and meet the real people living there, and perhaps even witness a festival or party while you're there among the locals!
Tip: If somehow you're stuck in Maya port, due to storms that can occur in September, don't panic. There is a small harbor just south of the port, where you will most likely find people who can transfer you. Due to Typhoons, sometimes ferries are canceled out of precaution, even when not seeming necessary. Be your own judge.
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Once in Malapascua seek out the diving centers along the eastern coastline. They will organize the famous "Thresher shark" dives, very early in the morning! Usually leaving 5.30 AM, thresher sharks come up to the cleaning stations around sunrise. These dives are usually requiring Advanced dive certifications though, be mindful.
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When leaving Malapascua Island you can travel, again by transferring a taxi or bus to Moalboal as your next stop.
Tip: It's probably best to try and share a taxi ride towards Cebu, and then take the bus to Moalboal. Ask people on the boat from Malapascua if sharing is an option and save yourself some cash.
Moalboal is famous for its "Sardine run". The dive centers are located all along the coastline and the Sardine run dive is a shore dive! Moalboal is more than just "Sardine run" though. You can do amazing night diving, close to wrecks, and see some amazing reefs during the day. Well worth it! You can also do some waterfall climbing, hiking, and cycling.
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You can easily spend a week here and I highly suggest diving the "Sardine run" at least twice.
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Fifth Stop: Dauin & Apo Island.
From Moalboal it's quite easy to get to Liloan Port all the way in the southern part of Cebu Island. Transfer to Dumaguete from here and get yourself a taxi to Dauin. Dauin is a lovely, small town situated a short ride from Dumaguete in between the main road and the ocean.
Tip: I highly recommend booking Bongo Bongo Divers. This hostel/ hotel/ dive center is one of the best I've ever experienced!
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They organize probably the best muck diving in The Philippines, and also have their own boats to organize excursion trips to Apo Island.
This type of diving is different but very interesting as you'll mostly be searching for small, incredible creatures in all colors!
You could also choose to stay on Apo Island. The island is basic and tranquil and diving is absolutely amazing, in crystal clear water among pristine coral reefs.
To travel directly to Apo Island, drive a bit further south from Dumaguete to the port of Malatapay and arrange a boat ride on one of the boats leaving multiple times a day. However, I would prefer to stay in Dauin.
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When wishing to return home, you can fly to Manila from Dumaguete or Cebu City.
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