traveling around the Philippines

Awesome site. Thank you!

My questions are:

1. I love adventure and especially outdoor non-touristy culture experiences. I will be near Tagatay and was wondering what options there are for my 2 days there?

2.Then whats the best way to travel between towns, bus or jeepney? How much will my trip from Batangas to Manila cost roughly?

3. I am planning to visit Puerto Princesa and am looking for the same aadventures, any suggestions beside Honda Bay and subterranean River? (steering clear of crowds!)

4. Whats the standard charge rate per km for a jeepney?

5. Are there any cultural gestures that the locals would appreciate?

6. whats the average price for a simple night accommodation (i.e hostel)?

Thank you so much! your answers will be so much appreciated!

Cheers,
Deanna

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by: Brett

Hi Deanna,

Thanks for your compliment about the site, I'm glad we can help. In response to your questions:

1. Tagaytay can be covered within a day. The main activities that I can recommend are visits to Lake Taal and Taal volcano.

They are frequented by tourists, but they are worth a visit. A mid-week trip would find Taal much quieter than the weekend.

You can find more details about these places at the following links below:

Lake Taal
Taal Volcano

2. The best way to travel around the Philippines is by Buses, Jeepneys and tricycles.

These modes of transportation represent the cheapest way to move around in the Philippines and form the backbone of the transportation network in the Philippines.

From Manila to Batangas by bus, the fare is around 120php. And from Batangas to Anilao in Mabini by jeepney, the fare is less than 50php.

From Anilao to the resort area by tricycle, the fare will cost around 150php as you need to charter an entire tricycle. Further details can be found in our upcoming downloadable in-depth guide on Anilao.

3. The Underground River is in Sabang, which is about 3 hours from Puerto Princesa.

There is a jeepney that leaves at around 7:00am and a bus that leaves around 9:00am. It is well worth a visit, a very beautiful area of the Philippines.

Honda Bay is very scenic as well, with lots of small islands to visit.

I'm not sure how much time you have but other things to do out of Puerto Princesa include, dolphin watching tours, snorkeling and if yor a scuba diver a visit to the UNESCO World heritage site of Tubbataha Reef Marine Park would be a must.

Outside of Puerto Princesa traveling north towards El Nido and beyond up to Coron would be classified as an adventure in themselves!

4. The minimum fare for any jeepney ride is 7Php valid for the first 4 kilometers.

Thereafter, each additional kilometer is 50 centavos. Most fares however, are not based on ?kilometers? but rather charged according to your destination or where you are closest to the nearest landmark destination.

5. Generally just be polite and not be arrogant. Most locals tend to view foreigners as being "mayabang"(proud and arrogant).

If you are visiting some local friends, it's good to give them some "pasalubong" (any token gift, this can be fruit, food or anything that you wish to give).

6. This will depend very much on the places that you are visiting.

They can range from 500php per night to over a 1000php per night.

It is best that you check the rates with the hostel that you intend to stay at before checking in. Some unscrupulous operators tend to charge a different rate for locals and foreigners.

Enjoy your trip!

...Brett

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