Cover The Chocolate Hills in Bohol are named after their chocolate drop-shaped hills extending to the horizon. The color of the hills becomes brownish in the dry season, too. (Photo: John S Lander/LightRocket via Getty Images)
The Chocolate Hills in Bohol are named after their chocolate drop-shaped hills extending to the horizon. The color of the hills becomes brownish in the dry season, too. (Photo: John S Lander/LightRocket via Getty Images)
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Discover underrated Philippine destinations offering authentic experiences beyond the crowds of Boracay and Siargao
Relatively underrated and often overlooked as a tourist destination, the Philippines is a vast archipelago, with 7,641 islands, some uninhabited, others more than ready for visitors to explore. While Boracay and Siargao remain favourites among foreigners and locals, there are lesser-known Philippine destinations that provide a deeper connection to the country’s diverse culture, history, and landscapes. For those willing to look beyond the hype or are simply over their wild, partying phase, these places offer a quieter, more cultural experience far from the crowds and the clichés.
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1. Catanduanes
Catanduanes sits off the radar—geographically and figuratively. Known among surfers for the powerful waves at Puraran, the island offers more than just a solid break. Inland, expect winding mountain roads, secluded waterfalls, and pockets of dense forest where eco-tourism is only beginning to take shape. The province is also one of the few in the Philippines where traditions like pantomina folk dances and handwoven textiles are still part of daily life. It’s a destination best suited to travellers who value quiet, space and staying present. Infrastructure is modest, but that’s part of its appeal: Catanduanes moves at its own pace.
2. Pampanga
Pampanga’s reputation as the Philippines’ culinary capital is well earned, but there’s more to unpack beyond its signature dishes. The province is a study in heritage and reinvention, from Spanish-era churches and ancestral homes to contemporary dining led by a new generation of Kapampangan chefs. Culinary traditions remain strong, but so does experimentation. Festivals, craft industries, and post-eruption landscapes in towns like Bacolor add depth to a visit. Beyond food, Pampanga also offers a lens into Filipino resilience, evident in towns rebuilt after the catastrophic eruption of Mt Pinatubo in 1991.
3. Bicol
Bicol’s defining image is the perfect cone of Mayon Volcano, but it’s the region’s intensity, both natural and cultural, that leaves a lasting impression. Volcanic terrain gives way to black sand beaches, geothermal springs, and fertile fields that fuel the local spice-driven cuisine. Bicol is also known for its cuisine, anchored by coconut, chilli and deep flavours, and for its intense expressions of faith, from the Peñafrancia Festival to centuries-old stone churches. It’s a place of ecological richness: whale sharks in Donsol, hidden coves in Caramoan and mangrove-lined rivers winding past rural communities outside of the sleepy town centres.
4. Ilocos Norte
Ilocos Norte is striking in its contrasts. Spanish colonial churches sit alongside wind farms, and parched desert-like sand dunes face a coastline that stretches for miles. In between: towns like Paoay, where history is embedded in architecture, and Burgos, where the Cape Bojeador Lighthouse still guides seafarers. It’s a region shaped by resilience, geographically and politically, with layers that invite deeper reading. Travelling here means navigating a landscape shaped by legacy, wind, salt and stone.
5. Bohol
Bohol is known for the Chocolate Hills and its famously wide-eyed tarsiers. But beyond those well-known icons lies a province with surprising range. Head to Anda for quiet white-sand beaches with far fewer crowds than Panglao. Explore centuries-old churches that have withstood—or been reshaped by—earthquakes. Cruise down the Loboc River or hike through the Rajah Sikatuna Protected Landscape. Bohol offers not just beauty but a sense of continuity: between land and sea, tradition and adaptation, the familiar and the overlooked.
6. Coron
Coron often plays second to El Nido in name recognition, but it holds its own, especially for those who favour exploration over spectacle. Known for its exceptional diving, Coron is home to well-preserved WWII shipwrecks and thriving coral reefs. Above water, its limestone cliffs, hidden lakes, and island-hopping routes offer a more rugged, less commercialised experience. While development is creeping in, much of Coron still feels grounded in local life, with fishing villages and quiet coves just minutes from town. It’s not undiscovered, but it’s still unspoiled, if you know where to look.
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