Jul-Aug trip, help with itinerary

[ffuser1]

I'm headed solo to the Philippines (first time) from July 20 - Aug 15 and am looking for some advice regarding my proposed itinerary. This all gleaned from this board (thanks!) and tripadvisor. Planning on staying at more budget friendly places.

Manila
--> Anilao x 4 days
--> PG x 2 days
--> Manila --> Cebu --> Malapascua x 7 days
--> Oslob or Moalboal x 3 days (or should I do both?)
--> Cebu --> Toclaban to Sogod Bay x 7 days
--> Manila then to some area north for non-diving stuff (banue, caves, etc)

Maybe 7 days is too long in Malapascua and/or Sogod bay (includes transport time, so actually 5 days and 2 half days)? I had wanted to add Dauin +/- Siquijor, but I'm not sure I'll have time factoring in 2x 18-24h before flights. Maybe I could snorkel for a day. Or maybe I should spend more time in PG?

Anything worth seeing in Cebu?
Any changes due to possible rain / weather in Jul-Aug?

If you have any suggestions I'd appreciate it.
Thanks

 

[Tippytoes12]

I have been to most of these areas......but not PG and many people I have met were not too enthused about it.

Malapascua and Sogod Bay are wonderful areas and definitely warrant 5to7days each. Maolboal and Anilao we also loved , an extra day or two Anilao would be good if you can. Tyr to go to Oslob on a weekday....very very early.

Personally I would not bother with non diving stuff but plenty of people enjoy this. If you don't Apo Island is wonderful.

All these areas have fab diving and you can always go back.

Have a great trip.

 

[xrcjdx]

you are on a tight schedule to cover this ground. skip oslob. skip moalboal - it's the least of your destinations unless you absolutely positively must see the sardines. if traveling solo consider skipping anilao unless you just can't live without the extra macro. there are many threads on the board not only about the great macro on offer, but about the pricing structure that often makes it a challenge for solo travelers on a limited to moderate budget. contrary to tippytoes i'd spend more time in pg. there is some incredible, diverse diving - from beginner to expert, shallow and way deep, gentle and monster current, rec and tec, and critters large(ish) and small - to be found there. as far as i'm concerned it is scuba diving central, se asia. it gets a bad rap mainly because it can get a little lively in sabang at night. if it turns you off stay in little or big lalaguna. you have extra time in malapascua. you have extra time in s. leyte, even though i am usually a big advocate of the place. july/august isn't high season, and it is wise to check there are other divers staying while you plan to be there. in a pinch you can get the flavor in 4 dive days. avoid the flight into tacloban and take the ferry across to maasin (most convenient arrival, but inconvenient times), hilongos, or even as a last resort ormoc. fly into tacloban only if your jumping off point is manila.
others of course will disagree. no matter what you decide, you will enjoy.

 

[Centrals]

First time in the country so you have plenty to learn, good and bad, about the place.
My opinion:
1. Anilao is great for macro BUT (i) getting there is tedious by public transport(dirt cheap though) but expensive by private(>US$100.00 one way)!!! (ii) Questionable pricing structure.
2. PG is a all rounder ie. bit of everything from under to above water and if you use Si Kat transfer from City State Tower Hotel in Manila then the one way fare is around P800.00(<US$20.00), private transfer is about US$130.00.
3. Malapascua and Sogod Bay are great but a bit time consuming to get to.
4. Moalboal is fine for couple pf days. Unless you really want to see whaleshark in a funny way otherwise I would give Oslob a miss.
5. If you have been to Anilao then the macro in Dumaguete is NOT that attractive.
6. There is nothing to see in Cebu City. You only go there because of the ferry or plane.
7. Connecting all these places is difficult and time consuming. And the weather can play havoc in your plan as July/Aug is the infamous typhoon season. So Plan B is highly recommended. Incidentally, July/Aug is low season so you might be able to get away for not paying deposit unless you insist on private transfer.
8. You will need a lot of pesos to pay for the bills so where to change money is important. It is very difficult outside the big city if not damn right impossible. ATM is another option.

 

[ffuser1]

Thank you guys for your input! Much appreciated.

I'm modifying my trip to make things simpler, reduce transfers, and allow flexibility in case of weather issues.

New plan: Full day for transfer between locations. Sogod Bay x7 days, Malapascua x7 days, and then will split 10 days between Anilao and Puerto Galera. That should be a decent balance.

Now to figure out if I should get vaccinated for Japanese encephalitis.

Thanks again

 

[xrcjdx]

a heads up on malapascua - there is a large ship grounded on monad reef/shoal at the moment, and it appears to have caused extensive damage. you might want to stay current on this and decide if malapascua is in your future at all.

 

[ffuser1]

it's unfortunate that according to the news i read there was damage to about 0.5km of reef and diving is suspended in that area. no oil spill yet thankfully. i still plan to go there for the other sites but will keep up on this

 

[Tippytoes12]

Guys : on FB there have been some posts from Malapascua saying that just one part of the reef was damaged , but that this is not the cleaning station area visited every morning by the threshers and the divers. There are also photos from this morning's dive of some very beautiful healthy relaxed thresher sharks. As we all know typhoons break large parts of reefs and have done so for centuries , but it is of course infuriating when an avoidable incident like this occurs.

I know that everybody wants to help with information, but before speculating , please please please bear in mind that Malapascua and the thresher sharks depend for survival on visiting divers. Tourism, the majority of it dive tourism, provides an economic lifeline for this beautiful island. If divers do not visit , then the destructive fishing practices might well start again.

We are off to Malapascua at Christmas and would not change plans based on this. Malapascua should be part of any divers trip to the Philippines IMVHO. I hope that nobody else will change plans as a result.

 

[eagerbeaver]

Guys on FB there have been some posts from Malapascua saying tab tone part of the reef was damaged , that this is not the cleaning station area visited every morning by the threshers and the divers. There are also photos from this morning,s dive of some beautiful sharks. As we all know Typhoons break large parts of reefs and have done so for centuries , but it's infuriating when an avoidable incident like this occurs.

I know that everybody wants to help with information, but before speculating , please bear in mind that Malapascua and the thresher sharks depend for survival on visiting divers. Tourism , the majority of it dive tourism , provides an economic lifeline for the island.

We are off to Malapascua at Christmas and would not change plans based on this.

Nicely put.

Diving is fully operational and there is no effect to any dive sites or the animals.

 

[MV Dive]

I have been to most of these areas......but not PG and many people I have met were not too enthused about it.

Malapascua and Sogod Bay are wonderful areas and definitely warrant 5to7days each. Maolboal and Anilao we also loved , an extra day or two Anilao would be good if you can. Tyr to go to Oslob on a weekday....very very early.

Personally I would not bother with non diving stuff but plenty of people enjoy this. If you don't Apo Island is wonderful.

All these areas have fab diving and you can always go back.

Have a great trip.

Interested to hear more about you friends opinion on Puerto Galera and why they are not enthused about it?