Plan Your Trip

The Visayan Islands occupy the center of the Philippine archipelago. They cover three administrative regions: Western Visayas, Central Visayas, and Eastern Visayas. The major islands include Panay, Cebu, Bohol, Negros, Leyte, Samar, and Siquijor, along with hundreds of smaller islands and islets. The diversity within this one region is considerable. A diver, a history reader,

The Philippines contains more than 7,000 islands. Most visitors reach three or four on a single trip, which means the first decision is not where to stay but where to begin. The wrong starting point is trying to cover everything. The right one is understanding what each major destination actually offers and matching that against

The first time I found Cagbalete Island, I wasn’t looking for it. I was on a bus outside Mauban in Quezon Province, talking to a man named Rolando who sold dried fish at the market. He mentioned, almost as an afterthought, that there was an island an hour offshore. At low tide, the sand went

The last time I crossed from Hagnaya to Bantayan Island, the ferry was full of locals coming back from the market in San Remigio. I was the only foreigner on board. The crossing costs less than fifty pesos and takes about an hour. I spent most of it talking to a woman named Alicia who