Private Custom · Philippines Grand Loop

10-Day Highlights Loop · Palawan + the Visayas

Routing logic: ten days, two signature faces only — Palawan’s world-class island hopping and the seas and culture of the Visayas (Cebu/Bohol), with no detours. All island moves are linked by domestic flights (there is no direct ferry between Palawan and Cebu, so flying is the most efficient choice), keeping your precious leave on scenery rather than transit.

Leg 1 · Manila Arrival (Day 1)

• Day 1: Arrive Manila, private transfer to hotel. Flight time permitting, tour Intramuros, Fort Santiago and a Manila Bay sunset to warm up.

Leg 2 · Palawan Island Hopping (Days 2–5)

• Day 2: Manila to Coron (~1 hr). Sunset at Mount Tapyas, then a soak in the Maquinit seawater hot springs.
• Day 3: Coron’s classic hop — Kayangan Lake (often called the cleanest lake in the Philippines), the Twin Lagoons, Hidden Lake and coral gardens.
• Day 4: Transfer to El Nido (Coron–El Nido fast craft ~3.5–4 hrs, or via Puerto Princesa by air — your advisor picks the best option for weather and schedule).
• Day 5: El Nido Tours A/C — Big Lagoon, Small Lagoon, Secret Beach and glass-clear waters, Palawan’s most iconic scenes.

Leg 3 · Visayan Seas & Heritage (Days 6–9)

• Day 6: Palawan to Cebu (direct or via Manila, about half a day). On arrival, visit Magellan’s Cross and the Santo Niño Basilica.
• Day 7: Swim with whale sharks at Oslob (seasonal), plus Tumalog Falls and Sumilon sandbar.
• Day 8: Cross to Bohol (Cebu–Bohol fast ferry ~2 hrs). Chocolate Hills, the tarsier sanctuary and a Loboc River lunch cruise.
• Day 9: Bohol — Balicasag wall diving/snorkelling and Virgin Island sandbar; return to Cebu in the evening.

Leg 4 · Departure (Day 10)

• Day 10: Cebu back to Manila for your international flight, or fly home directly from Cebu.

Who It Suits · Pace

Best for: first-time deep-divers into the Philippines, around two weeks of leave, couples, families and small groups of friends who want the island highlights in one go.
Pace: medium-fast — dense islands and solid highlights, but with multi-night hotel stays so you are not packing up every day.

Highlights

• Two world-class hops: Coron + El Nido
• Seasonal swim with whale sharks
• Chocolate Hills and tarsiers
• Spanish colonial heritage

20-Day In-Depth Loop · Luzon to the Visayas

Routing logic: twenty days afford the luxury of going "from mountain to sea." We first head overland into northern Luzon — the millennia-old Banaue terraces and the Spanish colonial town of Vigan — then drop south for Palawan’s world-class hopping, and finish with an unhurried sweep of the Visayan islands. Overland in the north, flights between island groups: motion and stillness in balance.

Leg 1 · Luzon Mountain Culture (Days 1–6)

• Day 1: Arrive Manila, private transfer, Intramuros warm-up.
• Day 2–3: Drive north to Banaue / Batad (~9–10 hrs with rest stops). Explore the 2,000-year-old Ifugao rice terraces, the "eighth wonder of the world," breathtaking amid the morning sea of clouds.
• Day 4–5: On to Vigan, a UNESCO World Heritage town — the cobbled Calle Crisologo, a kalesa ride through the Spanish-era old quarter, with north Luzon coastline en route.
• Day 6: Vigan back to Manila (by air or private car) to connect with the southbound flight.

Leg 2 · Palawan’s World-Class Hopping (Days 7–11)

• Day 7: Manila to Coron, Mount Tapyas sunset + hot springs.
• Day 8: Kayangan Lake, Twin Lagoons, the WWII Irako/Lusong wreck snorkel, and Calauit Wildlife Park.
• Day 9: Transfer to El Nido.
• Day 10: El Nido — Big and Small Lagoons, Secret Beach, glass-clear hopping.
• Day 11: Overland south to Puerto Princesa for the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park (UNESCO World Heritage, New 7 Wonders of Nature) and the mangroves.

Leg 3 · A Slow Sweep of the Visayas (Days 12–19)

• Day 12: Puerto Princesa to Cebu, heritage and a city breather.
• Day 13: Oslob whale sharks (seasonal), Kawasan Falls canyoneering (optional).
• Day 14–15: Cross to Bohol — Chocolate Hills, tarsiers, Loboc River cruise, Balicasag wall diving, Virgin Island.
• Day 16: From Bohol or Cebu to Siquijor, the "island of mystery and magic" — luminous water, ancient balete trees, cliff jumping at Cambugahay Falls.
• Day 17: Circle Siquijor — white beaches, cliff jumps, swimming with sea turtles.
• Day 18–19: On to Boracay (via Caticlan/Kalibo) to finish on the world’s top-voted white-sand beach — watersports and a sailboat sunset.

Leg 4 · Departure (Day 20)

• Day 20: Boracay back to Manila for the international flight.

Who It Suits · Pace

Best for: travellers with about three weeks who want heritage towns, world-class islands and diving together — honeymooners and slow-travelling couples.
Pace: unhurried — overland depth in the north, multi-night island stays in the south, with two-plus nights in many places to leave room to do nothing and to dive.

Highlights

• 2,000-year Ifugao terraces + UNESCO Vigan
• Coron + El Nido + the Underground River — all of Palawan
• Bohol, Siquijor and Boracay, each its own mood
• Whale sharks, sea turtles, wall diving

30-Day Full Circle · Luzon → Palawan → Visayas → Mindanao

Routing logic: a true "every-corner" Philippines. Thirty days let us draw one complete arc across all three island groups, north to south: from Luzon’s ancient terraces and Spanish towns, through the world-class islands of Palawan and the Visayas, and finally into Mindanao — the surf mecca of Siargao and the garden-city of Davao, places few group tours ever reach. Flights connect the island groups; a private vehicle takes you into the interior. A flagship for travellers with time who want the whole picture.

Leg 1 · Deep North Luzon (Days 1–7)

• Day 1: Arrive Manila, Intramuros and a bay sunset.
• Day 2–4: Drive north to Banaue / Batad, immersing in the 2,000-year Ifugao terraces, with the option of trekking into a village and staying a night.
• Day 5–6: West to the UNESCO town of Vigan — Calle Crisologo, kalesa rides and colonial streetscapes.
• Day 7: Return to Manila and regroup for the south.

Leg 2 · All of Palawan (Days 8–13)

• Day 8: Fly to Coron, Mount Tapyas + hot springs.
• Day 9: Kayangan Lake, Twin Lagoons, WWII wreck, Calauit Wildlife Park.
• Day 10–11: Transfer to El Nido, Tours A/B/C/D — lagoons, secret beaches, glass-clear seas.
• Day 12: Overland to Puerto Princesa, the Underground River and mangrove fireflies.
• Day 13: A rest day in Puerto Princesa, then fly to the Visayas.

Leg 3 · Jewel Islands of the Visayas (Days 14–22)

• Day 14: Arrive Cebu, heritage and city.
• Day 15: Oslob whale sharks (seasonal), Kawasan canyoneering, Tumalog Falls.
• Day 16–17: Bohol — Chocolate Hills, tarsiers, Loboc River cruise, Balicasag wall, Virgin Island.
• Day 18–19: Siquijor, the magic island — Cambugahay Falls, cliff jumps, swimming with turtles, ancient trees.
• Day 20: Via Dumaguete, optional diving at Apo Island.
• Day 21–22: Boracay white sand to close the Visayan leg — sailboat sunset and watersports.

Leg 4 · Into Mindanao (Days 23–29)

This is the south most agencies will not take you — and we go in with a Chinese-speaking leader at your side throughout.

• Day 23: Fly to Siargao, the surf capital of the Philippines (via Cebu or Davao).
• Day 24–25: The Cloud 9 surf boardwalk, the Sugba Lagoon, the Magpupungko rock pools and coconut-road drives.
• Day 26: Fly to Davao, Mindanao’s largest and one of the country’s most orderly cities.
• Day 27: Views of Mount Apo (the Philippines’ highest peak), the Philippine Eagle Center and the Eden mountain resort.
• Day 28: Davao’s bounty — durian markets, a pearl farm and a cacao estate.
• Day 29: A flexible / buffer day in Davao for shopping and rest.

Leg 5 · Departure (Day 30)

• Day 30: Davao back to Manila for the international flight — a fitting finale.

Who It Suits · Pace

Best for: seasoned travellers with a full month, retirees chasing an island-circling dream, and anyone who wants to cover the entire Philippines in one go rather than in fragmented repeat trips.
Pace: alternating — slow on culture, multi-night on islands, with buffer days in Mindanao; deliberately paced for the stamina a long journey requires.

Highlights

• North Luzon World Heritage: ancient terraces + Vigan
• All of Palawan: Coron, El Nido and the Underground River
• Four Visayan islands: Cebu, Bohol, Siquijor, Boracay
• Mindanao discovered: Siargao surf + Davao garden-city
• Three island groups, north to south — the whole Philippines

The Philippines Grand Loop · Three Island Groups, One Journey

The Philippines is made up of 7,641 islands across three great regions — Luzon in the north (Manila, millennia-old rice terraces, Spanish colonial towns), the Visayas in the centre (Cebu, Bohol, Boracay, Siquijor and a string of jewel islands), and Mindanao in the south (the surf paradise of Siargao, the orderly garden-city of Davao). No bridges link these islands; everything is stitched together by domestic flights and inter-island ferries — which is exactly where a Grand Loop demands real planning craft, and where private custom travel earns its value.

Three Loops · Three Depths

• 10-Day Highlights Loop: the two signature faces of the Philippines in one trip — Palawan’s world-class island hopping plus the seas and heritage of the Visayas. A measured pace for travellers with limited leave who still want it all.
• 20-Day In-Depth Loop: from Luzon’s mountain rice terraces all the way south through Palawan and the Visayan islands — culture, beaches and diving in balance, unhurried, ideal for slow-travel enthusiasts and honeymooners.
• 30-Day Full Circle: Luzon — Palawan — Visayas — Mindanao end to end, from the ancient terraces and Spanish towns of the north to the surf of Siargao and the bounty of Davao. A flagship few agencies dare to run — to genuinely cover the entire Philippines.

Every Loop Includes

• Private vehicle throughout — no sharing with strangers; bags in, and you set the clock.
• A dedicated Chinese-speaking tour leader — guiding, translating, ordering, handling the unexpected.
• All domestic flights and ferries arranged — cabins, terminal fees and inter-island connections sorted; you simply enjoy the view.
• Fully editable — weather, energy, a sudden whim; the itinerary flexes for you anytime.

This is not a fixed group schedule — it is a draft to be rewritten around you. Treat it as a starting point and leave the rest to our advisors.

Booking Notes · Keeping the Grand Loop Seamless

On Connections

• Domestic flights: island groups are linked mainly by air; we book the best cabins and times. Philippine domestic baggage allowances are often small (mostly hand carry), and your leader advises on packing in advance.
• Ferries / fast craft: for sea legs such as Coron–El Nido, Cebu–Bohol and Cebu–Siquijor, we arrange tickets, terminal fees and connecting transfers; schedules flex with weather and season.
• Private vehicle: overland legs (e.g. Manila–Banaue–Vigan) run with a dedicated car and guide — bags in and go.

On Weather & Flexibility

• Southeast Asian weather is changeable and sea trips are safety-first; your leader reorders hops to suit the day’s sea state, and if a sailing is cancelled for weather, related boat fees are handled as agreed.
• The Grand Loop is fully editable — energy, mood, last-minute additions; just talk to your leader.
• We recommend buying overseas travel insurance against delays and other force majeure.

Travel Tips

• Bring: sunscreen, sun hat, sunglasses, swimwear, sandals, a waterproof phone case; snorkel gear can be provided.
• Mountain legs (Banaue/terraces) are cool morning and night — pack a light jacket.
• A passport valid for 6+ months is advised; YIXING can also assist with visas and paperwork.

Tailored Just for You · One-to-One Planning

The itineraries above are reference frameworks, not fixed group tours. We do not run cookie-cutter coach tours. Every Grand Loop is re-composed by a senior advisor around your group size, budget, holiday length, pace and interests — from flight cabin class and hotel category to the rhythm of each day, everything stays editable.

Pricing is fully bespoke. A Grand Loop spans multiple domestic flights, inter-island ferries, private vehicles and hotels of varying categories; the cost moves with season, party size and standard, so we do not publish a fixed total here. Contact our Chinese- and English-speaking advisors directly for your personalised plan and an exact quote.

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YIXING Travel — your one-stop travel and visa specialist in Manila. We look forward to crafting a Philippine journey that is truly your own.

Private custom trips have no fixed package price — tailored by days, group size, hotel tier, car & guide, and season.

Usually included: private car & driver-guide, a Chinese-speaking tour leader throughout, itinerary planning and booking support, hotel and attraction tickets, local transfers.

Usually excluded: international and domestic flights, personal expenses, visa and insurance (we can arrange these too).

For pricing, see the "Booking notes" tab to reach a Yixing advisor — we prepare a one-to-one plan and quote.