The 5 Philippine Islands You Probably Haven’t Heard Of

While everyone else is queueing for the same beach in El Nido. Biliran has other ideas.

This small island province in Eastern Visayas packs waterfalls, hot springs, rice terraces and smaller islands into a very tidy patch of the Philippines. Tinago Falls hides in the rainforest near Caibiran, while offshore Sambawan Island brings clear water, hiking trails and a hilltop lookout over a string of rugged little islets.

There are waterfalls scattered all over Biliran, too. Ulan-Ulan, Recoletos, Bagongbong, Kasabangan – you could spend an entire trip getting progressively wetter. Sounds like a lotta fun.

Guimaras has a claim to fame and it’s delicious.

The island is synonymous with its Carabao mangoes, which became the first Philippine product to receive a geographical indication registration in 2023. Mangoes here aren’t relegated to fruit salad either; they’ve found their way into jams, juice, tarts, sauces, pickles and literally anything else locals can make it into.

Once you’ve eaten your body weight in them, there are beaches, coves, mangroves, marine reserves and small offshore islands to explore.

One little piece of advice between avid travellers, come hungry.

Siquijor has spent centuries accumulating a reputation for magic, mysticism and folk healing. And that’s already enough to get us on the ferry.

Known historically as Isla del Fuego (Island of Fire), the island remains an important centre for traditional healing. During Holy Week, healers gather around Mount Bandilaan to prepare herbal remedies as part of the island’s Healing Festival.

The supernatural reputation comes with a very earthly collection of ridiculously good beaches, forests and waterfalls. Cambugahay Falls is the big hitter, while the island’s coastal road makes a scooter one of the better ways to disappear for the day.

A couple of hours by ferry from Cebu and the volume knob gets turned right down.

The Camotes Islands (primarily Pacijan, Poro and Ponson) sit off Cebu’s northeast coast with pale beaches, freshwater caves and a pace best described as “we’ll get to it eventually”.

Swim inside Timubo and Bukilat caves, kayak on Lake Danao, jump off the rocks at Buho or do very little at Santiago Bay. A trip here is the ultimate relaxation vacay.

Bantayan sits off Cebu’s northern tip and has miraculously scored the white sand and clear, shallow water without quite inheriting the same international fame as the Philippines’ heavyweight beach islands.

Around Santa Fe, days revolve around beaches, scooters and boats. Kota Beach has a shifting sandbar, Obo-ob has mangroves to explore and the surrounding islets bring snorkelling into the equation.

It’s roughly four to five hours from Cebu City by road and ferry, which is just inconvenient enough to convince you to book a flight, right?