How would you spend 3 weeks in March in Philippines/Indo?

[moto88]

Hi All! My name is Jon and this is my first post on the forums! In mid-March I'll be flying into Manila with my wife and we are looking for recommendations on how to spend the 3 weeks we have in the area.

Top priority, of course, is the diving and we're willing to travel a bit (just not on a live aboard) to get to the best places. In terms of what we like, we were recently in Palau and were blown away by the abundant marine life and pristine reefs. While we are interested in doing some muck diving, especially considering how famous the region is for it, we mainly enjoy the kind of diving we did in Palau. We'd like to spend about half of our time diving and the other half hiking/kayaking/relaxing. Nightlife isn't a big need for us although having a few local bars and some good food would certainly be plus.

From reading these boards and doing some research it seems like Raja Ampat and Komodo are two great options and we were also thinking about Palawan and Anilao. Would love to hear how you all would spend your 3 weeks and if there are other locations or tips we should consider. Thanks!

 

[Centrals]

Anilao + PG
1. Anilao is the macro capital in Philippines. But you dive, eat and sleep from the same resort.
2. Puerto Galera across the channel has more to offer in terms of diving, food, lodging etc etc.

Visayas(not including Mindanao)
Bohol(Alona Beach, my least favourite place in the country), Dumaguete(Apo Island, Dauin, Siquijor Island), Malapascua(isolated), Moalboal, Sipalay(very isolated) and Southern Leyte(very very isolated).
It is very easy to connect Bohol, Dumaguete and Moalbaol by public transport.
Malapascua has thresher shark and the corals in Sipalay and Southern Leyte is one of the best.

For the first time visitor you can't do wrong with either Anilao + PG or Dumaguete + Malapascua + Moalboal. You need a domestic connection to fly from Manila to the Visayas. So you will lose couple of days in transfer and no fly penalty.

Easter holiday starts in late March so reservation is highly recommended if travel around that period.

 

[moto88]

Thanks for the response and the great information Centrals! Will do more research and maybe come back with a rough itinerary for folks to comment on.

 

[MV Dive]

Puerto Galera is one of the best all round dive destinations in the Philippines. We have a great mixture of amazing coral reefs, wrecks, muck dives, deep sea mounts and of course Verde Island and Anilao are around a one hour boat ride. I can also help you with a short 4 night dive safari to Apo Reef which is one of the best places to see the big stuff like sharks, rays and large schools of Barracuda and Jacks. You can PM me if you would like some more information.

 

[dirtfarmer]

You mentioned Indonesia, I prefer Indo to the PI and doing both would be a lot of traveling. You should pick one country then build your itinerary.
In the PI my favorite spots top down are Anilao/PG, Dauin, and Sipalay.
In Indo my faves are Raja and Komodo.

 

[moto88]

@MV Dive: thank you for the info! will do more research and get back to you if we decide to do a dive safari.

@dirtfarmer: very helpful comment and agreed. Did some quick research and looks really tricky to get to Raja or Komodo especially given that our flights are in and out of Manila. Will probably stay in the Philippines this trip and come back in the future to really focus on Indonesia.

 

[moto88]

How is the diving in Palawan? Planning to do some exploration throughout the island especially in the north and curious to hear what you all think.

 

[Centrals]

I have done Honda Bay(Puerto Princesa) and El Nido many yrs ago. They were NOT in the same league as most other places in the country. There are others eg. Port Barton and TayTay.
The wrecks in Coron are actually in Busuanga Island which is several hrs of sailing distance(local standard) north from Palawan. Those wrecks are excellent if you like wreck diving.