Coron Bay, Palawan
Panglao Island, Bohol
White Beach, Boracay
Honda Bay, Puerto Princesa
General Luna, Siargao
Dive Tubbataha Reef Natural Park
Swim Kayangan Lake, Coron
Surf Cloud 9, Siargao
Kayak the Puerto Princesa Underground River
Trek the Chocolate Hills, Bohol
Palawan
Boracay
Cebu
Siargao
Bohol
The dry season from November to May brings the calmest seas and least rainfall, with December through February the coolest and most comfortable stretch. Avoid the wet, typhoon-prone months from June to October where possible, particularly in northern and central regions exposed to the Pacific typhoon belt; Palawan and the far south see noticeably less typhoon activity and can work as a more reliable year-round alternative.
Most charters begin in Manila, served by Ninoy Aquino International Airport (MNL) with direct flights from across Asia, the Middle East, North America and Australia, or Cebu’s Mactan-Cebu International Airport (CEB) for charters based in the Visayas. Palawan-based itineraries typically connect through Puerto Princesa (PPS), a short domestic hop from Manila, with smaller airports at El Nido and Busuanga serving specific island groups.
Coron Bay in northern Palawan combines sheltered water with dramatic limestone cliffs and several accessible wartime wreck dives. Honda Bay, off Puerto Princesa, strings together small sandbar islands ideal for a short stop. Further south, Panglao off Bohol and General Luna on Siargao both offer good holding and easy access ashore, though the real draw of a Philippine charter is usually the remote, less-visited coves reached only by boat.
A week is enough to explore one region properly, Palawan’s northern islands or the Visayas around Cebu and Bohol, without long transit days between anchorages. Ten to fourteen days allows a more ambitious route combining two regions, though the distances involved usually mean flying or repositioning the yacht between them rather than sailing the whole way, since the country’s island groups are spread across open Pacific and Sulu Sea waters.
Palawan, home to El Nido and Coron, suits guests after dramatic limestone scenery and the clearest water in the country. The Visayas, centred on Cebu, Bohol and Siargao, mixes diving, surfing and easier inter-island logistics thanks to more frequent flights. Luzon, around Manila, works best as a cultural add-on rather than the main event. Combining more than one region in a single charter usually means a domestic flight or a yacht repositioning, so most guests pick one and go deep.
