How lame am I? I bought a scratch map of the Philippines on a flight last year with Cebu Pacific Air (I also steal their inflight ‘Smile’ magazine because it’s actually quite good!). I couldn’t resist, mostly because I love maps. My husband even had a wall sized world map made for me when we lived in Nepal.
Anyway, I digress. The map. I started scratching off all the places I have been to in the Philippines, and counted that I’ve been to 30 islands. Now considering the Philippines has over 7,107 islands, this is a mere drop in the ocean (no pun intended), but to get you started here are my top 5 islands in the Philippines:
- Siargao – So I might be a bit biased here, considering Siargao is in the same Province as my mum’s home (Surigao del Norte), however you can’t go passed its surfy laid back vibe. It is still relatively untouched and I’ve got a blog post on it coming right up!
- Cabugao Island (Isla de Gigantes) – The natural and rugged beauty of this place, and its surrounding islands, made me feel all Robinson Crusoe-y. The lack of typical touristy facilities and difficulty of getting phone reception really added to the adventure. I have previously posted about it here and here.
- Palawan – despite our experience there, I have vowed to go back and conquer Palawan! That is, to go when it is not raining…
- Bohol – a special place because my grandmother and grandfather and their families were originally from here. Additionally, Bohol has so many things to do, that don’t just involve lounging on the beach.
- Boracay – you may be surprised that I included this, but like I said in my post about Boracay: despite the crowds, White Beach really is a beautiful beach.
Before we left for our end of year holidays people told me,
this hart 