I’m curious to know….
Wait, let me rephrase that, I’m dying to know…
What’s Your Top 10 Philippine Travel Destinations?
If you like to know mine, it’s numbered 10-1:
(Note: Click the orange-colored words to redirect you to my previous post about it.)
My Top 10 PH travel destinations
10. Bacolod City, Negros Occidental. Sweet and smiling locals & gastronomic food choices; and I really like Piaya & Chicken Inasal.
Amoy pa lang, ulam na...
9. CamSur. I love wakeboarding and kinunot! Need I say more? Okay, Daruanak Island in Pasacao is not that famous. More pa? Mt. Mayon on the background is really jaw-dropping.
Daruanak Island, Pasacao
8. Northern Samar. An underrated province that surprised me! (Biri Rock Formations,Capul Island & Catubig)
Biri Rock Formation
7. Iligan City. Even KC Concepcion and Sam Milby enjoyed Tinago Falls plus Ma. Cristina Waterfalls is a childhood dream destination.
Tinago Falls, Iligan City
6. Batad, Ifugao. (Rice Terraces, Tappia Falls) You can’t experience true Filipino culture without having a trip north.
Batad Rice Terraces
5. Bohol. I love chocolates (hills) and think tarsiers are cute! Plus it’s my first solo travel. I wish I were already blogging when I visited this island.
Bohol Destinations, 2008
4. Guimaras. I was able to explore Yato Island, eat the sweetest mango in the world & found a place to stay at Guisi Beach)
Yellow Rocks, Guimaras
3. Batanes. Oh please, don’t remind me of that hellish faluwa ride to Sabtang Island.
Green hills with dots of cow by the airplane window, Welcome to Batanes!
2. Mati City, Davao Oriental. While cruising on that serpentine road, the Sleeping Dinosaur stunned me. But wait there’s more! I think that Dahican Beach will be a boom 2-3 years from now.
Sunrise at Dahican Beach, Mati City
1. Palawan is still my number 1! (Puerto Princesa City, Coron & El Nido). In fact I lived there for almost a year and calls it my second home. Oh, how I miss Palawan.
Kayangan Lake, Coron (2009)
Yes, Boracay is not in the Top 10 because is full of TRASH. Read first to get my point.
How about yours? Please, I ♥ to know….
Too lazy to think of your Top 10, Top 3 would do. Thanks in advance for sharing!
5/5 ang score ko sa top ten mo James! =)
nice! kalahati nalng. anu-ano yung 5 na yun?
nice!!!!!!!1!
nice!!!!!!!1!
This is so embarrassing pero post ko pa din. I only scored 2/10 on this. Thanks for the idea supertikoy! Chichi and I will have to work on this ASAP. We have to explore more of our country- soonest! Thanks for the reminder James!
Ung top 10 mo bro, iilan pa lang napuntahan ko! That made me think!
Thanks James! Hope to see you again my friend
time to book flights doc wends! my pleasure po, see yah soon!
walang cebu? bantayan….?hehe
nice..gusto ko yon marawi =)
hmmmm.. i think cebu city is like manila. sorry
i haven’t been to bantayan, maybe it could be on my top 10 when i finally visit that place.
i agree. except that they have lechon..hehe
but bantayan. its a different story altogether.
Nacpan in Palawan is my number one =)
Palawan is also my number one!
apir! disapir, 1/2, 1/4, 1/4, 1/2, disapir, apir! haha
fans of palawan, what’s your number 2 and 3 nie?
Hindi pa po kasi ako masyadong nakakalibot ng Pinas.
Pero yung number 2 ko po ay ILOCOS NORTE, kasi napaka-diverse po ng landscape- may white sand beach, may white rock formations, may kabundukan, may sand dunes, at mga historical landmarks.
Ung number 3 ko po siguro ay GUIMARAS. Kahit mga around 3 hours lang po kami doon, natuwa lang po ako kasi parang napaka-probinsiya pa niya, ang tahimik, parang ang kunti ng tao at parang bumagal po ang oras nung andun kami, hehe.
Hopefully makabuo na din po ako ng top10 balang araw! =P
ang ganda talga ng guimaras noh. saka off-the-beaten path talga. im excited to read your top 10 SOON!
gusto ko nga rin mapuntahan yung sand dunes sa ilocos norte and try sandboarding. thanks for sharing nie!
my top 3
1. jolo-sulu island
2. palawan
3. batanes
thanks for sharing jan!
wow, jolo and sulu, i want to go there rin nga. any tips?
astig nga! i find northern samar fascinating from your previous post. it sure deserves a spot in your top ten.
palawan, batanes and batad! astig
your posts encouraged me din. sana mapuntahan ko na ang calaguas this sept
bohol, guimaras, dahican and iligan, i’m 4 out of 10. i still got a long way to go james. i will make my own list soon.
yeah, please tag me when the list is already published. hope to see you and kuya bon kapag napunta ulit ako ng bukidnon or cdo.
Well, 1 out of 10 ako sa adventures mo =) Haha. Will follow your Samar and Batanes quest, soon =)
wow, that was so encouraging sir vic.
anu yung pala ung 1 na napuntahan nyo na?
Palawan sir!
6 out of 10 ako…hehehe!. hope to the other 4 soon!
here’s my top 10 favorite (so far…)
10. Basilan
9. Davao City and Davao del Norte
8. Negros Occidental
7. Albay
6. Ilocos Norte
5. Palawan
4. Aurora
3. Occidental Mindoro
2. Guimaras
1. Marinduque
Try batanes
sana po soon… but with the very high airfares ng SEAIR, si pa ngayun, pag iipunan ko pa… hehehe!!!
nice mervs! i wish i can visit marinduque this month. anu palang maganda sa aurora?
i agree with ryan, visit batanes!
aside from surfing, check out ditumabo water falls and also don’t forget to try the ensaladang pako… ‘luv et!!!
and of course, the people of Aurora are really awesome! I met a group of environmentalists there…
ahh talaga.. cge will check out your blog posts on that. i remember reading it sa PTB e. thanks mervs!
Scored 5/5. But I would most def include Donsol in my list. Will never grow tired of those butandings!
i wish i can experience donsol and the butandings the soonest… i think it would also be on top10 by next year.
i’m a fan of you tita lili! continue blazing new trails/
Try also to visit Ticao Island just across donsol sorsogon. If you remember in our History class the Sto. Cristo de Burgos Galleon sunk here and so you will see the people living in this area are all mestizos and mestizas. Here also you will thru diving the manta ray because manta bowl is present…and a kind of falls(from the top of the mountain going down to the sea)….check it out.
i will definitely consider that.. thanks for a bit of history
i’m surprised mati ranked #2 on your list.
yes, i think maybe because of the locals and simplicity of life there. plus its a surfing site and the ecosystem is well-preserved.
hats-off to the amihan boys spearheaded by sir jun plaza!
Mt. Pinatubo
Bohol
Batad and Sagada
nice chyng! talagang in-love ka kay mt.pinatubo ha.
Give some pictures of Batanes
just updated the post with your request ryan.
i love batanes!
Konti pa lang napuntahan ko sa top 10 mo and I say your top 1 Palawan is the best choice. It is one of the best Philippine travel destination that I hope to visit someday too… kahit Puerto Prinsesa ok lang pero ang ganda din ng El Nido at Coron – truly exceptional places to see in our country.
Well Boracay is trash sometimes but sometimes not… it depends. And since konti lang sa Top 10 mo yung napuntahan ko I will just give my top 3 Philippine Travel Destination…
3. Davao
2. Tagaytay
1. Bohol – I say the best place of Pinas I’ve been so far… =)
another palawan fan, nice to know ian. yup, yung puerto princesa, el nido, coron panalo! wala pa yung tubattaha reef dyan ha.
sorry about the boracay thing.
thanks for sharing your top 3. ganda ng bohol.
Hopefully I get to visit and explore Palawan soon…
i know you will! and its coming soon!
I wish I could visit those places too.. with of course a JourneyingJames budget as well
happy travels sir
wow, journeyingjames budget! i like that! haha
i know you will definitely set foot on the 80 provinces of the PHils.
Dalawa pa lang napuntahan ko hahaha. Will write a similar post kung marami-rami na
anu ung dalawan any yun mica? excited to read what you will write!
here’s my list (napuntahan ko na)
1. Palawan
2. Cagayan de Oro (water rafting)
3. Bohol
4. Davao
5. Camiguin
6. Bukidnon (dahilayan)
7. Cebu
8. Guimaras
9. Bagiuo
10. Tagaytay
siguro nga 11 yung CDO ko because of the rafting. thanks for sharing dyey!
since your in cdo visit mo na rin camiguin island and bukidnon okey din yun.
yep, i did that route, including iligan city
as of now my 10 most favorite destinations are:1. Coron palawan.2.panglao island,bohol.3. samal island in Davao.4. Cagbalete in Quezon 5. Bamboo cove in nasugbu 6.anawangin cove inZambales.7. Boracay in aklan. 8.Pandan island in Mindoro 9. Honda bay in puerto princesa. 10. Dakak in Dapitan city
i want to visit cagbalete and dakak soon. haven’t heard of bamboo cove, is that a private resort? how much is the entrance fee? thanks jim for sharing your top10!
3 palang napupuntahan ko na nasa list mo. Haha. And shux, di pa ko nakakapuntang Palawan. T.T
TOP 5:
5. Malapascua, Cebu (White sand and thresher shark–although wala akong nakita dahil di ako marunong mag scuba-dive. haha)
4. Hundred Is, Pangasinan (Ang saya tumalon from a cliff! Pero di naman ganun kataasan yun =P)
3. Cam Sur (Super fun island hopping sa Caramoan and yes, masarap ang kinunot!)
2. Mt. Pulag (Ganda ng sunrise. Haha)
1. Iligan-Cagayan de Oro- Bukidnon – Camiguin
Weee~ Gusto ko talaga i-attempt yung matulog sa hammock sa tabi ng beach. Haha. I need to learn martial arts first, and besides, ang arte maging babae. >___<
inggit naman ako sa malapascua, caramoan at mt.pulag mo. mga pangarap ko puntahan yan.
thanks for sharing your top 5, punta ka na ng palawan. now na! hahaha
enjoy matulog sa hammock, di rin ako marunong mag martial arts.
got 6/10 from your list. Which could als]o enter my number 10 with Marinduque and Cagayan Valley and I’ve to think about another 2.
I wanna visit Mati next time I visit Davao
great, taas ng score mo marky!
i haven’t been to marinduque and cagayan valley. i guess your other too would be cebu and honda bay?
hi
this is great
id like to share ur page thanks
thanks arianne! please do share!
1.bohol
2.sagada
3.cdo
4.bicol
5.laguna
thansk for sharing jc! why laguna? im intrigued!
dami maganda sa laguna!pagsanjan, majayjay, paete, liliw,san pablo,etc
to tell you honestly sir, i havent explored laguna that much. loser me noh?
I have been searching for reviews on places in the philippines and thank you for this james. Now what i need is some budget haha anyway Im from batangas at sana makapunta ka sa anilao batangas there are lots of diving spots and beautiful sceneries there!
yep, i have yet to experience diving at anilao.
thanks for the invite!
camsur-wakeboarding. (kneeboarding -that is).caramoan-kulapnit cave.bohol-the chocolates and tarsiers.hundred islands-the cave and the top view, and my first ever boat ride.ilocos/cagayan-kapurpurawan.boracay–is not in my list too. sorry. & in my bucketlist? batanes,palawan,cdo,ifugao, your blog is so inspiring,james!
thanks heiz! you started blogging again, do write more ha!
thanks for sharing your adventures. visit palawan na!
stumbled upon your site looking for suggestions for iloilo-guimaras trip suggestions.
nice top 10! still have places to visit from your list.
my personal top picks:
1. Sagada (unforgetable due to my misadventures while spelunking)
2. Batanes (i totally love this place and the people)
3. Siquijor (if you have not been here you should definitely try this)
4. Coron (haven’t been to El Nido, but Coron had me going WOW! more than Puerto Princesa)
5. Donsol (Butanding!)
wow jonathan! you’ve been to a lot already. inggit ako sa butanding encounter mo.
i hope the iloilo-guimaras guide helped you.
more travels to come!
3/10 plang ako, hehe…
Geez, excited more for Batad.
you going to batad soon?!!! weeeee!
enjoy the breath-taking views. malamiiiiig….
Top 1 na lang? haha
Favorite ko Sagada. Was able to visit the Pongas 7 Falls last weekend lang, was opened to tourist three months ago lang, super breath-taking!
i envy you Cai! haven’t been to sagada… i want to see that pongas 7 falls. you got photos?
planning a trip to the north real soon
Yes we got photos!!! Wait I will post sa FB hihihi
Balikan kita kapag posted na 
Ipopostprocess ko muna hihihi
Ay James, san yang Yellow rock sa Guimaras? I was at Guimaras two weeks ago, si manong tricycle driver/guide ko walang sinabi na may ganyan palang kagandahan dun! AMF haha
di talaga sasabihin ni manong drayber yang yellow rocks na yan bec its in yato island, very far from the usual travel path.
you can find yellow rocks here: http://journeyingjames.com/2010/08/unexplored-beauty-of-yato-island/ i dont even know how locals call it coz im the one who coined “yellow rocks”
Shucks sayang sana nakita ko to dati
Ohwell, now I got a reason to go back there. Ganda eh! HAHA
ano ba yan nakaka inggit namn kayo Im palnning to visit guimaras…any suggestions for a propose budget going there?
here’s the article i wrote for Mabuhay magazine: http://journeyingjames.com/2011/01/iloilo-guimaras-travel-guide-on-mabuhay-magazine/ might help you
10. baguio (cool people, colder weather)
9. hundred islands (it amaze me seeing hundreds of islands in front of you)
8. potipot (calming)
7. la union (se-her-fiiing)
6. tagaytay (near the metro, i can just go here anytime i want)
5. davao (clean and green. bow)
4. aurora (sherfing and gray to white sand beaches)
3.puka beach (quiet part of bora)
2. socksargen (rich in agri, cleanest fish port ive seen and tourist should try swimming with the hundreds of fishes @ Shell Rock in koronadal)
1. samal island (speechless….)
my next trip is palawan and pagudpod. wawa naman baguio and hundred islands mwawala na sila sa top 10 ko…
i wanna go to batanes!!!! mahal kasi ng fare. =/
wow! you’ve been to a lot of places already! props to you!
i wish i can really ride the wave so easily. medyo hirap ako tumayo sa surf board eh or baka palagi akong napupunta sa bigger waves.
go for palawan and pagudpod!
thanks for sharing your top 10.
kung marami sakin, anu pa yung sayo….
i wish nasa full recovery stage kana pag nag try ka mag surf..
=)
1/10 ako sa toplist mo but at least yung top 1 mo pa.been to Palawan last year. my top places i visited are Sagada, Pagudpud, Cagayan de Oro, my hometown Surigao del Norte (where Siargao belongs…) and my second home Davao City.hope I can go to these places mentioned in your list next time I travel. God bless and have a safe travel always!
i believe you will be able to visit those places!
thank u so much blue_lassy!
Since I love my own, top of my list would be Davao City!
It is safe, lots of activities to do and cheap fruits and veggies..
Been to a couples places too…
*DUMAGUETE
*BOHOL-i consider it my second home
*MATI, DAVAO ORIENTAL- it has falls and hot springs too…
*GEN. SANTOS CITY- love their tuna
*BUKIDNON-try going to RR water resort and WAIG..very cold there and you’d appreciate nature
*CDO-the home of pastel! yummy yema filling..
*KIDAPAWAN- it’s like baguio of North Cotabato…it has a hot spring also..
things in my bucket list;
*balot island- it was featured on it..daddy used to want to tag me along there..
*camiguin island-for the famous sunken cementary
hi fadela! its nice that you mentioned nice places in mindanao. i really am a fan of mindanao.
my personal fave is mati city.
i also wish i can visit balut island.
Hi James. Can you give me suggestions on how i can best discover/enjoy/routes to take/people to contact/accommodations/transportation for a palawan tour? I would like to be able to explore el nido, coron and puerto princesa in 8 days. Thank you so much for any help you can extend.
Hi James,
Wow, hats off to you! Been following your blogs and like you, exploring Philippines is my priority than going to other countries. Nakakahiya nga eh kase dayuhan tayo sa ating sariling bayan. Anyhow, been to some of the places you’d featured here and my top 10 are:
1. Davao (City and Samal) – simply the best
2. Bohol – need I say more?
3. Surigao Sur – top 3 spots:britannia islands, enchanted river and hinatuan falls
4. Camiguin – fell in love with white and mantigue islands
5. Saranggani – make sure you drop by Glan
6. Lake Sebu (So. Cotabato) – had one of my best morning views here, plus the 7 falls is better appreciated hanging on a zipline
7. CDO and Bukidnon – the longest zipline in the Phils. is in Dahilayan, Bukidnon, water rafting. Must-try: road trip from davao-bukidnon-cagayan-butuan-tagum-davao route!
8. Mati and Sigaboy – simplicity is beauty. dahican is a great find
9. Iligan and Dapitan – for tinago and maria cristina and the beach of Dakak
10. Leyte and Tacloban -very raw, esp the southern part
Visited Dakak but for the long land trip and the expensive fees, not worth it…If you have kids, try going to Subic for Ocean Adventure, they will definitely enjoy a close encounter with dolphins, sea lion, zoo animals.
Bucket list for 2012:
1. Palawan
2. Batanes
3. Mt. Apo
4. Sagada
5. Camotes and Bantayan Islands, Cebu
6. Anawangin Cove, Zambales
Thank you for sharing your trips james and I’m with you in encouraging fellow Filipinos to explore and enjoy the beauty of Philippines. For a start, Mindanao is truly a land of promise.
Keep it up,
charma
wow, that was a comprehensive list! glad that all are from mindanao (except 2 and 10). i love to visit surigao sur and explore britannia.
hope you tick off your bucket list.
btw, regarding ocean adventure, im not a fan of “caged” dolphins, sea lions etc. i would love to see them in their natural habitat. hope you understand
spend less, travel more charma!
thank you so much for sharing your list.
good day charma…..nice list too…i agree with you sa cdo-bukidnon-camiguin……grabe ang zip line =)…..sa davao naman grabe din ang white water rafting nila sa davao river….expert ang category…………..i read that for 2012, you have plans for sagada and anawangin cove…..for sure you will enjoy sagada….hanging coffins, sumaging cave, echo valley, danum lake, kiltepan rice terraces, burial caves, pongas falls…………..and sa anawangin cove…………this february were on sched sa bantayan island…….happy trips for you.
yes, i will visit sagada soon!
good day brad…..nice list…pero sad to say ni isa wala pako napupuntahan dyan hehehe…..pero sana mapuntahan din……..i’ve been to ilocos (laoag and vigan)….cagayan de oro (white ater rafting)….camiguin (lanzones and white island)…..bukidnon (del monte pinapple farm and dahilayan nature park and 850 meters zipline)…….davao (eden nature park-zip line-white water rafting)……baguio……..and my most favorite….sagada!……………this february were planning to go to bantayan island……hoping it will be full of fun and adventure…………im from cavite and tagaytay is always all time favorite………….happy weekend brad….
hi james,
i also love to travel, and my number 1 is coron, will be in PP this august.
nice place yang coron! cant wait to be back. thanks for sharing your number one.
nasali pa ang hometown kong iligan.. this made me think on the places i’ve been. since i’m from mindanao (and i consider my land as beautiful in an untamed way), my eyes and soul are searching for different places in the phil. just disregard cities because im not into them: “you see one, you see them all”. but there’s a difference in going to not-so-commercialized places. the beauty of its land and its people is somewhat raw. Now, these top 9 (iligan not counted hi hi hi) will be on my list..
Naghahanap ako ng info tungkol sa Northern Samar.. Lumabas site mo from Google Search
Anak ng! Napaka dami din pala pinoy travel blogger, nalilito ako kung kaninong blog uunahin kong basahin.. Yung mga travel blogs mo ang inuna ko. haha! Astig!
Bossing tanong kolang para sa exact details sana sa naging accommodation mo sa Biri Island. Homestay yun? Magkano? May contact number ka nila? salamat ah – jayjayc
sa biri, home stay lang… check http://journeyingjames.com/2011/07/northern-samar-series-summary-and-expenses/ and http://journeyingjames.com/2011/07/secrets-of-northern-samar-spectacular-biri-rock-formations/
Bossing salamat. May number kaba ni Ate Glo? Or kilala ba yun dun sa Poblacion? Para lang sana alam namin kung san hahanapin. o ma-contact sana bago puntahan.
San accommodation mo sa calbayog?
From calbayog, nag van ka papunta Catubig (ilan oras yun? nakita ko sa mapa magkalayo yung dalawa)?
Salamat ah..
check the post i linked… all the infos are there.
van to catubig nga- 2hours din yung travel. dude, you should read the series. all infos are there
Of your top 10 I have visited Palawan,Bohol,Guimaras,Camsur and Bacolod. The other 5 I will try to visit one of these days.Its very interesting.
wow! thats a feat already
thanks for sharing that
Wow, Batanes. Planning to go to Iligan in the future. Heard they got amazing waterfalls there.
you heard it right! amayzing fals in iligan
It’s great to know that your list is a very unique one worthy of visiting by not-so-frequent backpackers out there. Batanes will always be in that list and yes i agree with you with the Faluwa haha. All the best in your blog. Cheers! – Phoenix Pathfinder
Here’s my take on Batanes:
http://phoenixperience.blogspot.com/2008/12/i-got-married-to-bunch-of-paddlers-in.html
thanks rachel for the warm words. i love your photos of batanes.
8 out of ten. My top 1 is palawan (I live in busuanga) 2 is Batanes and 3 is siquijor.
you live in a very beautiful place. miss busuanga, where exactly?
cant wait for my siquijor trip
I need to do more traveling so that I’ll have more comparison
But my top three as of the moment are:
1. El Nido, Palawan (will be going to Coron and Puerto Prinsesa by first quarter next year)
2. Siquijor Island
3. Davao
I’ll add some of your top destinations in my bucket list
thanks for sharing your top 3.
hope you visit more of the Philippines amrie!
I love travelling also, try apo reef in sablayan mindoro. Carabao island romblon and fish sanctuary in looc romblon.
yep, i wanna visit that place. someday will go to the places you’ve mention.
8 out 10 for me… 9 if we count crossing the San Juanico Bridge from Tacloban under Samar
) Hope to be doing blogging as well, the Accountant’s way.. Would readers love to see numbers in a travel blog? Hehehe… Anyway here’s my list.
1. Sagada – 1st on the list because of the adrenalin rush during the cave connection..done spelunking on my 1st visit and was crazy enough to try cave connection in my 2nd..
)
2. Calamian Group of Islands (Coron, Busuanga & Culion) – of lakes, (vanishing) wildlife safari and history
3. Puerto Princesa, Palawan – still planning to drop by (for the 4th visit) in transit to El Nido
4. Banaue – was able to hike Batad on my 2nd visit.
5. Bohol – from churches to beaches
6. Ilocos Region – from Pagudpud down Vigan
7. Bantayan Island, Cebu – the laid-back way of life.. serenity at its best
8. Baguio – for the cool weather during summer…nothing more
9. Camiguin – hot and cold springs
10. Bacolod – my very own…for the FOOD
Hope to tick from my bucket list this year.
1. El Nido
2. Zamboanga
3. Batanes
4. Tawi-tawi (?)
Such a long comment eh?! Keep safe.
thanks for the looong comment, enjoyed reading it ching! i hope you tick off the four including tawi-tawi
Hello po, invite po namin kayo na bumisita po dito sa Ilocos Norte. Sisiguradohin namin na kayo ay mag-enjoy. Its more fun in the Philippines, Its more more fun in Ilocos Norte
i can’t think of a top ten, beauty for me is relative. Pero, no. 1 talaga ang Palawan. But I do have a top 7 MUST SEE PLACES, just because I want to experience them:
7. I want to experience crossing south Palawan to Sabah (haha)
6. In one roadtrip -Kalinga, Apayao, Paoway- Pagudpod, La-Union (surfing?)
5. (one trip lang hehe) Tubataha, Apo and Anislao Reefs
4. Camarines Norte (there are great sharks to be seen there)
3. Mt Apo
2. Caramoan
1. Batanes