The 6 best islands to visit in the Philippines

Heaven on Earth: A guide to the best islands in the Philippines

Sarah Khan

17 Jan 2017

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Boracay
With its infinite stretches of powder-white sandy beaches, great hotels and restaurants, and plenty of water sports options to choose from, Boracay is definitely the party island of the Philippines. This small island has become the top tourist attraction in the Philippines, and was named the second-best island destination in the world after Palawan by the readers of Travel & Leisure.
The island is home to 12 beaches, the most popular being White Beach and Bulabog. The dreamy White Beach is a 4-kilometre, picture-perfect stretch of sand lined with great hotels, restaurants, bars, and dive shops. It is worth catching the sunset here; come evening, live music breaks out, fire dancers twirl their batons, and the party officially begins.
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North Luzon
North Luzon, Philippines' biggest island, is a land of misty mountains where you'll find pine trees in abundance, rather than palm trees. It is mainly visited for the absolutely stunning Banaue Rice Terraces (pictured on the left) which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The 2000-year-old rice terraces stretch along plunging ravines over a 20,000km distance, and are a source of livelihood for the various tribal groups that continue to live in relative isolation in the mountains. You can opt for a tour package, which lets you trek along the rice terraces to various villages and picturesque waterfalls.
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Bohol
Located just off Cebu, Bohol's most famous tourist attraction is arguably the surreal Chocolate Hills. The landscape consists of approximately 1,268 hills that are uniform in shape, resemble giant mole hills and range between 30 and 50 metres in height. Depending on the seasons, you'll find that the hills turn either green or brown. No one really knows how the hills came into existence; they are certainly not man-made given their magnitude, and various legends exist to account for them.
Bohol is also known for being the habitat of the tarsier, the world's smallest monkey. You can visit them in their protected enclosure at the Philippines Tarsier Foundation.
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Palawan
Palawan is often touted as the most beautiful island in the world and deservedly so. With magnificent emerald waters, jungles, mountains and stunning natural landscape, it's not hard to see why.
El Nido, a jungle beach town on the northern tip of Palawan, is particularly worth a visit. Words will fail you in trying to describe the sheer beauty of El Nido, and even pictures don't do it justice. Such is its beauty that it was actually the setting in Alex Garland's novel, The Beach. The island, surrounded by turquoise waters so clear that you can see fish darting in between the corals 15 metres deep, is also a good point to explore the many islets of the nearby Bacuit archipelago.
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Siquijor
The magical island of Siquijor is both feared and revered by the locals. For most Filipinos, the island is a mysterious other-world of witchcraft and the unknown. While it is true that this tiny island province is famous for its 'mangkukulam' (or healers) who brew traditional ointments for ailments, the island today is a growing tourist destination.
Sip a cocktail and lounge on a deckchair at any of its numerous laid-back and affordable beach resorts. The island attractions include great diving spots, waterfalls, caves, hills and forests you can trek in. Just about everywhere on Siquijor is ideal for snorkelling; simply find the nearest beach and plunge right in!
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Mindoro
Mindoro Island is a lush, largely unspoiled island within relative easy reach of Manila. It is split into two provinces, the Mindoro Occidental to the west, and Mindoro Oriental to the east. Although good diving spots are a dime a dozen in the Philippines, the best scuba spots are a little more elusive. Apo Reef, two hours off the west coast of the island of Mindoro, is a 40-square kilometre reef, known amongst the diving community for its abundance of larger marine creatures like sharks, rays and sea turtles. If you're a diving enthusiast, then Mindoro is definitely the place to be.

There is so much to the Philippines than Boracay. Check out our top picks of island destinations within the archipelago to visit!

For a country with over thousands of postcard-worthy, idyllic islands – and a world-class haven for surfing and diving too, if we may add – the Philippines still remains a relatively undiscovered travel destination (compared to the more touristy traps like Phuket, Krabi or Bali, at least). And it’s a shame too, because the Philippines archipelago boasts of incredible island destinations that are virtually slices of paradise on earth.

The crystal clear, emerald-green waters of Palawan is the place to be for the ultimate tropical vacation. Here you’ll find the gorgeous beach town of El Nido, which will blow you away with its sheer beauty. (Trust us when we say words will fail you in describing the beauty of El Nido.) Or if you’re a diving aficionado, the Apo Reef just two hours off Mindoro Island is just for you. The Philippines isn’t just all strictly tropical islands, however. Visit the misty, pine-tree filled island of Luzon where you’ll find the Banaue Rice Terraces, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This breathtakingly beautiful spectacle stretches over a 20,000km distance of plunging ravines and offers a fascinating insight into the tribal groups who live in isolation there.

If you’re curious to know more about the best islands this magnificent country has to offer, we can’t blame you. Head up to our gallery above!

Sarah Khan

Photos: GettyImages

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