Tips and Information Philippines

If you would like to familiarise yourself with the Philippines before your vacation, we have put together some tips and information on the Philippines and especially on the islands of Cebu & Bohol to give you a first impression.

Lapu-Lapu is the name of the small island you will land on when you fly to Cebu. Lapu-Lapu, with Mactan airport, is offshore from the main island of Cebu and connected to it by two bridges. You will probably take a cab from Mactan airport to your hotel. Ask the cab driver for the fare before you start your trip or make sure that the cab meter is turned on.

You are well advised to book a hotel before you start your trip. You can book right away on Lapu Lapu. Lapu Lapu is a typical tourist island, most of the hotels have a high standard. The beaches in front of the hotels offer palm trees, white sand and blue sea.

When you leave your hotel, you will find yourself in a well developed tourist area. You will find restaurants, cafes and bars. As soon as you cross one of the two bridges that connect Lapu-Lapu with Cebu City, a bustling city with large malls and many opportunities awaits you. Public transportation in Cebu City is limited to cabs, tircycles and jeepneys. Jeepneys are the typical Filipino buses, one of which you can see in the photo above. If you're adventurous, you should definitely ride one of these buses. There are stops everywhere - you can just hop on. Pass a few coins to the front of the driver and enjoy the ride. You don't have to worry about getting lost. The buses stay in the city and you can always take a cab or tricycle back to the city center or your hotel in case of emergency.

We wish you nice first days on Lapu-Lapu and in Cebu City. After that we would like to invite you to join our tour and take you to the interior of the two islands, Cebu and Bohol, for seven days. Foreigners are rare in the interior and there are no big hotels anymore. On our tour we will visit new hotels every day which are much more simple than the big hotels in Cebu City or Lapu Lapu. But these hotels are more authentic and some of them are also located directly at the sea. You can already lie in the sun in the morning and enjoy the sea. You also don't have to do without a certain basic standard. You will always have your own air-conditioned double room with private bathroom and breakfast.

You notice, we leave the typical tourist areas. Instead we drive our scooters along the coast through the province. Here we meet the real Filipino world and get closer to the locals and their way of life. Sometimes you will feel transported back to another time. Some women wear small sunshades to avoid getting a tan. White skin is popular. Everything is more rural and simple. It is also easy to make contact. We automatically get into conversations.

Outside the big cities, life is cheap. It has to be, because the average monthly income of a Filipino is about PHP 14,000 (about €240). Filipinos thus have one of the lowest incomes in Asia. The Philippine Peso is weak compared to the Euro, so everything you want to buy on the road is very cheap. This is good for your travel budget.

Of the 7,641 Philippine islands, only about 880 are inhabited. Pretty much each of these islands has its own language. On Cebu and Bohol, Cebuan is spoken. The common official language of all islands is English. Most Filipinos speak very good English.

In 1521, the Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan discovered the archipelagos. Later they were named after the Spanish king, Phillipp II. You will find many Catholic churches in the Philippines. This is the main religion. There are a number of other religions there, so the southern islands of the Philippines are also under Islamic influence. There were (there still are in some cases) travel warnings for these islands. We stay on the safe islands, Cebu and Bohol. Here you will experience what we show on our photos: the carefree life, the sun, the warm blue sea and breathtaking landscapes. We wish you a lot of fun on our tours .

Travel Recommendations:

1. If your travel itinerary includes Berlin, you probably should fly with Scoot to Asia. Scoot is certainly not the most luxurious airline but you can get a flight to the Philippines with only one stopover in Singapore. Singapore is one of the most beautiful airports in the world, with its own pool (Terminal 1) and many gardens. If you have a longer stay in Singapore, you could take a taxi to East Coast Park, 10 minutes away, and start your holiday early relaxing in the warm sea. You will automatically receive a visa for Singapore when leaving the airport.
   
2. For departure airports other than Berlin, we can recommend a few other airlines .
3. Check with your country's embassy to see if you need a visa for the Philippines. Visitors from 157 countries are permitted visa-free entry for periods ranging from 14 to 59 days. As a citizen of the EU, Canada, or United States, you will automatically receive a 30-day visa at the airport.
   
4. We recommend that you book a hotel in Cebu City or Lapu-Lapu at least for your arrival day and the day before your departure. Lapu-Lapu has the best beaches. It is best to book through European providers such as booking.com . You can book the same hotel you booked for your arrival day also for the days after our tour. In this case, your hotel will store your heavy luggage for you free of charge, so that you can travel light on the motorbike tour. The hotels during our tour are already booked by us and included in the tour price.
5. You will need to bring flip-flops or better beach shoes for our tour. The Philippines are made of volcanic rock, so not all of the entrances to the sea are sandy. For some boats you have to walk through the sea on stony ground. This can be painful without appropriate footwear.
6. You might be able to use your phone in the Philippines to make calls and send texts, but you'll only have internet access in the hotels with WiFi. So save everything that is important beforehand through screenshots. You should also download street maps in advance as offline maps. We recommend you get a Philippine sim card as soon as you get here and our tour guide can help you purchase a short term internet connection. This internet connect with be slow but you'll have 24/7 access.
7. Food and drink : Filipino dishes are generally simple and you will get to experience a number of small restaurants with similar menus. Lunches will often be at McDonalds or some place similar. It is very important that you drink plenty of water, but never from open vessels or water pipes . It is much better to buy bottled water and isotonic drinks like Gatorade in a sealed bottle.
8. Tips for smokers . There are many smoking areas at Singapore Airport. These can be hard to find at other Asian airports. In Hong Kong, for example, there are none. Public smoking is prohibited in the Philippines, but it is not necessarily clear what is "public?" So within a city, you should always stand away from others and look for designate areas, but outside cities, this smoking ban does not seem as important, and smoking is often done anywhere.
9. As a driver of a scooter or motorcycle you will need a driver's license with you! 
   
10. We have prepared an amazing vacation for you with as much adventure and adrenaline rush as you desire. On top of this we know the area well and can often fulfill any spontaneous wish you might have. Tour with us and we promise you: adventure awaits!