Philippines trip recommendations

[Damselfish]

Also, is two weeks enough for Malapascua + Southern Leyte? Planning to fly into Manila first and then transfer to Leyte, then Malapascua, then back to Manila... Does that seem reasonable? Open to suggestions, thanks!

I would check into flying in and out of Cebu. Closer to your destinations and generally less painful than Manila, assuming they have the domestic flights you need. Or I think you could actually do ferries.

 

[Centrals]

I know it was 10 years ago, but how has Southern Leyte recovered from the typhoon? How much did the typhoon affect the diving and/or snorkeling in the area?

Also, is two weeks enough for Malapascua + Southern Leyte? Planning to fly into Manila first and then transfer to Leyte, then Malapascua, then back to Manila... Does that seem reasonable? Open to suggestions, thanks!

I did raise the question not too long ago and one certain knowledgeable person on SB has given me an very assuring answer. Nothing to worry about.
I am arriving there very soon.

Getting to Malapascua + Southern Leyte?
It is NOT easy, expensive and time consuming.
My suggestion(same as your).
1. Fly to Tacloban, arrange transport(private or public) to Sogod Bay.
2.
a. Enquire with the resort operator about the night ferry from eg. Ormoc to Cebu City.
b. Leave early for Ormoc to catch fast ferry to Cebu City. The road journey from Southern Leyte to Ormoc is about 3hrs and the ferry is frequent. This is a better option because I do not like to travel on night ferry in this country.
3. Private or public transport to Malapascua.
4. CEB to MNL.
There are numerous daily flight between these two cities.

 

[R4GiantM]

I would check into flying in and out of Cebu. Closer to your destinations and generally less painful than Manila, assuming they have the domestic flights you need. Or I think you could actually do ferries.

I did raise the question not too long ago and one certain knowledgeable person on SB has given me an very assuring answer. Nothing to worry about.
I am arriving there very soon.

Getting to Malapascua + Southern Leyte?
It is NOT easy, expensive and time consuming.
My suggestion(same as your).
1. Fly to Tacloban, arrange transport(private or public) to Sogod Bay.
2.
a. Enquire with the resort operator about the night ferry from eg. Ormoc to Cebu City.
b. Leave early for Ormoc to catch fast ferry to Cebu City. The road journey from Southern Leyte to Ormoc is about 3hrs and the ferry is frequent. This is a better option because I do not like to travel on night ferry in this country.
3. Private or public transport to Malapascua.
4. CEB to MNL.
There are numerous daily flight between these two cities.

Thanks @Damselfish and @Centrals. I'll check into flights for Tacloban and Cebu and the ferry schedules. I appreciate the help!

 

[R4GiantM]

Considering other options for the non-divers (Malapascua might not have enough for them). Thinking Leyte + Bohol, maybe Cabilao and Balicasag or Siquijor and Apo Island could work? I would miss the threshers and Monad Shoal, but it seems like the other sites are good and transferring from Maasin seems reasonable. Would skipping Malapascua be mistake? Or are the Cabilao and Balicasag or Siquijor and Apo Island pairings worthy destinations?

 

[Centrals]

@R4GiantM
1. How many days are you going to stay in the country?
2. Southern Leyte is very isolated. Getting there is relatively easy but if you want to combine it with other places then it can be tricky.
3. All other combinations are fine but you need to find out the question on "getting there".
4. Having non divers in the group is one thing that I never had any experience.

 

[R4GiantM]

@R4GiantM
1. How many days are you going to stay in the country?
2. Southern Leyte is very isolated. Getting there is relatively easy but if you want to combine it with other places then it can be tricky.
3. All other combinations are fine but you need to find out the question on "getting there".
4. Having non divers in the group is one thing that I never had any experience.

1. About 2 weeks
2. Rough plan: fly into Cebu City, ferry to Cabilao Island, stay 3-4 days, then a few days on Balicasag Island, then ferry from Ubay to Hilongos, then spend several days in southern Leyte (Padre Burgos, Limasawa Island, Panaon Island, etc), then ferry from Hilongos to Cebu City, then fly out.
3. Still considering Siquijor & Apo Island as an alternative to Cabilao & Balicasag, so comparing the muck/macro of Siq/Apo to the healthy coral/more fish of Cab/Bali (based on what I've read).
4. Planning for a little of everything is fun, but challenging.

Also, is it worth it to stay on Balicasag Island? I've read Alona beach and Panglao Island are pretty jammed now, so I'm looking for something a little less busy. But nothing is finalized yet, so I'm open to suggestions.

 

[bmag78]

Using cebu as your hub gives you access to several places without flying.
Five hours by bus to malapascua. (IMO it's basically for one day diving there). Unless threshers hold a special place to you I might give malapascua a miss and go moalboal instead
Moalboal on Cebu is worth two days if the sardines are there.
Then ferry to Bohol. Panglao/balicasag is awesome but yes crowded. The workaround is to arrange for private trip in the afternoon. Good snorkeling too.
Then take a ride to Anda in East Bohol for a few lovely days diving and snorkeling.
From there it's a short hop to southern leyte by boat ...sogod, limasawa etc.
You can also ferry to siquijor and dumaguete if you choose that direction
Enjoy

 

[R4GiantM]

Using cebu as your hub gives you access to several places without flying.
Five hours by bus to malapascua. (IMO it's basically for one day diving there). Unless threshers hold a special place to you I might give malapascua a miss and go moalboal instead
Moalboal on Cebu is worth two days if the sardines are there.
Then ferry to Bohol. Panglao/balicasag is awesome but yes crowded. The workaround is to arrange for private trip in the afternoon. Good snorkeling too.
Then take a ride to Anda in East Bohol for a few lovely days diving and snorkeling.
From there it's a short hop to southern leyte by boat ...sogod, limasawa etc.
You can also ferry to siquijor and dumaguete if you choose that direction
Enjoy

Thanks @bmag78. We'll probably save the threshers for another trip.... Was unsure about Moalboal since I've read it's "hectic", but I'm not against crowds if the experience is worth it. I haven't heard much about Anda, so I'll have to look into it. Thanks again.

 

[Carlos Diver]

Stayed at Peters Dive resort. I can recommend it. It's a far drive from the airport, but private transportation is easily arranged through the resort. Diving set up is good, accommodations clean. food options plentiful and very cheap. Short ride into the nearby ``town'' if you want to explore, though there isn't much to explore. Still nice to get away from the hotel for an hour or so.

Historically, the area has some nice stops. The town is said to be the site of Magellan's landing and first mass in the country. Also, McArthur's landing site and National Park is just south of Tacloban City en route to the resort.

 

[Centrals]

@R4GiantM
I took Super Cat from Cebu City to Hilongos many years ago but not sure if there is any ferry from Hilongos to Cebu now.
Inter island travelling is very slow because of ferry schedule. And the schedule is ridiculously inaccurate and prone to last minute cancellation for various reasons eg. rough sea or just lack of passenger. I had experienced that few times so you better have plan B just in case.
I used to go to Alona Beach quite often but the modern development over last 10 yrs has destroyed this once tranquil place. PITY.
Balicasag is nice but you need to find out the limitation of the quota system.
Please try to avoid to cover too many places because it will eat away your precious holiday time.