2-Week Philippines Itinerary with Kids: Bohol, Siquijor, El Nido & Boracay

Bohol is a great first stop for a family trip to the Philippines. You get a mix of beaches, wildlife and easy day trips, without having to move hotels every day.

Where to Stay in Bohol

Base yourself in Panglao. It’s the easiest area for families, with beaches, restaurants and supermarkets all nearby. We’d recommend Buenacosa Resort for its space and pool, though Henann Resort Alona Beach is a great pick if you want to stay right on the beach.

For the full comparison, including a quieter beachfront option, see our Bohol with Kids guide.

Day 1: Arrive in Bohol

After arriving in Bohol, we’d keep the first day completely free. Head to your hotel in Panglao, unpack, have a swim and get settled in. After traveling with kids, we wouldn’t plan a tour or sightseeing on arrival day.

In the evening, head to Alona Beach for dinner. We really enjoyed Coco Vida when we ate there, and it was a nice spot for a relaxed dinner with the kids.

💡 Crew Tip: One evening, when the kids were too tired to go out, we ordered dinner through Grab from Mrs. M’s Thai. It was really good and a useful option when you just want to stay at the hotel.

Day 2: Alona Beach & Henann Resort

For your first full day, we’d keep things easy and spend it around Alona Beach and Henann Resort. Our kids loved the resort, especially the combination of the pools, beach and the big lunch buffet. It was an easy way to spend the day without having to plan much.

If you’re looking for the most beautiful beach, don’t miss Dumaluan Beach. We think it’s much nicer than Alona, but for this first full day, we still chose Alona and Henann because it’s simply easier with kids.

Day 3: Bohol Countryside Tour

Spend your third day exploring the Bohol countryside, with the Chocolate Hills and tarsiers as the main highlights. A typical tour can also include stops such as Baclayon Church, the Man-Made Forest and Loboc River, where you can have lunch on a river cruise.

We’d book a private tour when traveling with kids. You can skip stops that don’t interest you and head back when everyone has had enough. We’d personally skip the church and Man-Made Forest, which we’d already visited before having kids, and spend more time at the main highlights instead.

Day 4: Balicasag Island-Hopping

For your final full day in Bohol, we’d head out on an island-hopping trip to Balicasag. Most tours leave around 6 AM, giving you the best chance of seeing dolphins early in the morning. After dolphin watching, you’ll head to Balicasag for snorkeling and a chance to see sea turtles. We were lucky enough to see both dolphins and turtles during our time here.

One thing we didn’t expect was how incredibly loud the boat was. If you’re traveling with young children, we’d bring hearing protection.

After the morning on the water, we’d keep the afternoon free for the hotel pool or beach before leaving Bohol for Siquijor the following morning.

Siquijor felt completely different from the other islands we visited in the Philippines. It has a more laid-back, local feel, with beautiful beaches, waterfalls and a slower pace of life. It’s a great island to explore with kids, although families traveling with younger children should bring some supplies from Bohol, as things like diapers aren’t always easy to find.

Where to Stay in Siquijor

Base yourself in San Juan. It’s the easiest area for families, with beaches, restaurants and plenty of accommodation nearby.

We originally wanted to stay at Coco Grove Beach Resort, but it was fully booked when we visited. Instead, we stayed at Tropical Fun Ta Sea. It was perfectly fine, although our daughters did miss having a pool.

We also spent a day at Nakabalo Guesthouse & Restaurant using a day pass and really enjoyed it. It’s a little further from the main San Juan area, but the pool and setting made it well worth the trip.

For a full comparison of where to stay, see our Siquijor with Kids guide

Day 5: Ferry from Bohol to Siquijor

We’d take an early ferry from Bohol to Siquijor. The fast ferry takes around 1.5–2 hours, depending on the service. We usually use 12Go to check the latest schedules and book tickets, as ferry times can change.

The ferry we took was large and air-conditioned, which made the journey comfortable with the kids. Once you arrive, tricycles and other local transport are available at the port, so getting to San Juan is easy.

After checking in, we’d keep the rest of the day easy: have lunch, unpack and enjoy the hotel or beach, then head to Dolce Amore Pizzeria in San Juan for dinner. We really enjoyed it and found it a great option for an easy family dinner after the ferry ride.

💡 Crew Tip: Bring a sweater or light jacket for the kids (and yourself), as the air conditioning can get surprisingly cold.

Day 6: Siquijor Island Tour

For your second full day, we’d explore Siquijor on an island tour. This was one of our favorite days on the island and, for us, a real must-do with kids.

We visited Lugnason Falls, Cambugahay Falls, Pitogo Cliff and Salagdoong Beach, where we ended the day with some time to swim and relax.

We did the tour by tuk-tuk, which is easy to arrange through your hotel. If you prefer to have everything organized before you arrive, you can also book a private Siquijor island tour in advance.

If you want to see more of the island and get our tips for visiting these stops with kids, see our full Siquijor with Kids guide.

💡 Crew Tip: If you’re traveling with kids, consider booking a car instead. We found a full day in a tuk-tuk with the kids quite cramped, especially with everything you need to bring for a day out.

Day 7: Paliton Beach & Nakabalo

Spend your final full day in Siquijor at Paliton Beach, which was our favorite beach on the island. Our kids loved playing in the sand and shallow water, so we recommend to keep this day slow and easy.

In the afternoon, head to Nakabalo Guesthouse & Restaurant for a day pass, sunset and dinner. It’s a lovely way to finish your time on Siquijor.

Of all the places on this itinerary, El Nido is the one we’d make sure not to miss. The dramatic limestone cliffs, hidden lagoons and turquoise water make it feel completely different from the other islands. And despite spending full days on a boat, our kids absolutely loved it.

Where to Stay in El Nido

Lio Beach would be our first choice with kids. It’s spacious, relaxed and easy for families. We stayed in El Nido Town ourselves, but looking back, we found it quite busy and would choose Lio Beach with kids instead. It’s a more relaxed base, with a beautiful beach, restaurants and family-friendly accommodation nearby.

A swimming pool is also worth prioritizing. After a full day on the water, it’s great to have somewhere to cool off and let the kids play.

Two good options are Seda Lio and Huni Lio. For a full comparison of Lio Beach, Corong Corong, Las Cabañas and El Nido Town, see our El Nido with Kids guide.

Day 8: Travel to El Nido

Day 8 is a full travel day. From Siquijor, we’d travel back to Bohol and fly to El Nido. Flight routes and schedules can change, so check the options for your dates rather than planning around one specific connection.

We often use Traveloka when booking flights in Southeast Asia, as it can show local airlines and routes that don’t always appear on larger booking sites. For ferries and other connections, we use 12Go.

If there’s no convenient route via Bohol, it’s also worth checking connections via Cebu or Dumaguete.

Once you arrive in El Nido, keep the rest of the day free. Check in, have dinner and get an early night before your first day on the water.

Day 9: Private Tour A + C

For your first full day in El Nido, we’d book a private Tour A + C. These tours take you to some of the most spectacular lagoons, beaches and snorkeling spots around El Nido.

With kids, going private is definitely worth it. It gives you much more flexibility with the timing and stops, and you don’t have to wait around for a larger group.

Our kids especially loved kayaking through the lagoons, which was one of the highlights of the day. We booked our private boat through The Couch El Nido and had a fantastic experience. The guides were incredibly friendly, the food was well organized and the whole day worked surprisingly well with our kids.

Day 10: Beach Day

After a full day island-hopping, we’d make Day 10 a proper beach day.

Spend the day at Lio Beach if you’re staying nearby. It’s spacious, relaxed and easy with kids. If you’re staying around Corong Corong instead, spend the afternoon at Las Cabañas Beach and stay for sunset.

Nacpan Beach is another option if you want to see one of Palawan’s most famous beaches, but we personally preferred Lio and Las Cabañas.

💡 Crew Tip: We spent an afternoon at El Nido Bayview Resort with a day pass. The pool was great with the kids and the views are beautiful, especially towards sunset.

Day 11: Private Tour D

For your final full day in El Nido, we’d book a private Tour D. After doing Tours A and C on the first day, it gives you another full day on the water without simply repeating the same route.

Going private is especially useful with kids, as you can set your own pace and spend longer at the stops your family enjoys.

The island-hopping days were some of our favorite memories from El Nido, and our kids handled the boat trips surprisingly well.

For a full breakdown of the different El Nido island-hopping tours and how to choose between them, see our El Nido with Kids guide.

💡 Crew Tip: Keep an eye on the water conditions and ask your boat crew about jellyfish before swimming. We encountered quite a few during our time in El Nido, so it’s worth checking before letting the kids jump in.

After the beaches, waterfalls and island-hopping earlier in the trip, Boracay makes an easy final stop. With beautiful beaches, calm water and plenty of restaurants and things to do, it’s a place where you can enjoy the last few days without having to plan every moment.

Where to Stay in Boracay

We’d stay along White Beach, preferably around Station 1. We stayed in Diniwid Beach ourselves and loved how peaceful it was, but for this itinerary we chose Station 1 instead. You’re right on the beach, close to restaurants and cafés, and within easy walking distance of everything you need.

For family-friendly hotels, we’d look at The Lind Boracay, Discovery Boracay or Ambassador in Paradise. For a full comparison of Station 1, Station 2, Station 3 and Diniwid Beach, see our Boracay with Kids guide.

Day 12: Travel to Boracay

Day 12 is mainly a travel day. Fly from El Nido to Caticlan, then take the ferry across to Boracay.

The journey involves a few separate transfers, but it’s easier than it sounds. For the exact steps from Caticlan Airport to your hotel, including the shuttle, ferry and e-tricycle, see our Boracay with Kids guide.

Once you arrive, check in and head to White Beach. After the travel day, we wouldn’t plan anything else. Have a swim, watch the sunset and find an easy family dinner nearby.

Day 13: White Beach

For your first full day in Boracay, keep it simple and enjoy White Beach. The water is calm and shallow, and our daughters loved spending hours playing in the sand and swimming.

There’s no need to fill the day with activities. Have a slow morning on the beach, take a break at the hotel and head back to White Beach in the afternoon for another swim and sunset.

For dinner, we loved Aplaya the Beach Bar & Italian Food for pizza right on the beach. Mayas Filipino & Mexican Cuisine was another family favorite, especially because the kids’ menu included chicken tenders.

💡 Crew Tip: Shade can be limited around midday, so taking a break from the beach during the hottest part of the day works well with young kids.

Day 14: Beach or Island Hopping

For your final day, keep things flexible. If everyone is happy simply playing on White Beach, do exactly that.

If you’d like one last activity, consider an island-hopping tour. It’s fun with kids and gets you out on the water one more time, although it’s worth knowing that Boracay’s island hopping is much less spectacular than El Nido. It’s more about swimming, relaxing on the water and visiting a few different beaches.

After three busy islands, that flexibility is exactly why we like ending the itinerary here. You can have one last beach afternoon, watch the sunset and finish your trip without rushing from one activity to the next.

We chose this route to combine some of our favorite places in the Philippines with a pace that still works well when traveling with kids. Bohol, Siquijor, El Nido and Boracay each add something different, while keeping the itinerary manageable in two weeks.

Why Four Destinations

For a two-week trip with kids, we’d rather see a few places properly than spend the whole holiday moving between islands. Bohol, Siquijor, El Nido and Boracay give you plenty of variety while keeping the number of hotel changes manageable.

There are still some longer travel days, but overall this route gives you enough time to enjoy each destination without trying to fit too much into two weeks.

Why We Keep Manila Short

Most international trips to the Philippines start or end in Manila, but we wouldn’t add extra days here for this itinerary. We mainly use Manila as a gateway to the islands and try to keep our time in the city as short as possible.

If you need to stay overnight, we’d choose a hotel close to the airport. Sheraton Manila Hotel and Hilton Manila are both convenient options for an overnight stop before an early flight.

💡 Crew Tip: If you’re staying in Manila for longer, visit SM Mall of Asia. It’s huge, air-conditioned and has plenty of shops, restaurants and entertainment for kids.

Boracay or Coron?

Coron is probably the most obvious alternative to Boracay on this itinerary. It’s a natural combination with El Nido, and its lakes, lagoons and limestone scenery are every bit as impressive, and in some ways even more spectacular.

We’ve actually visited Coron before having kids, so we already knew how beautiful it is. For this particular itinerary, though, we chose Boracay. After several days of island-hopping in El Nido, we liked the idea of ending the trip somewhere that is easier to relax with younger kids. Coron Town also isn’t the easiest place for a relaxed family stay with little ones.

With older kids, we’d seriously consider swapping Boracay for Coron. You get another spectacular Palawan destination and avoid adding another flight, while the El Nido and Coron combination makes a lot of sense.

The Philippines can be a very affordable family destination, especially for accommodation, local food and everyday transport. Domestic flights and private tours can add quite a bit to the budget, though. The prices below are rough estimates based on our own trip and can vary depending on the season, booking time and travel style.

• Accommodation: around $50–150+ per night for a family room or apartment, depending on the island and hotel.
• Food: around $40–80 per day for a family of four if you mix local restaurants with a few nicer meals.
• Getting around: around $5–10 per day for tricycles, tuk-tuks, taxis and short transfers.
• Ferries: roughly $10–30 per person depending on the route and ferry company.
• Domestic flights: around $30–150+ per person. Some routes are very affordable, while flights to or from El Nido can be considerably more expensive.
• Bohol tours: around $40 per person for a shared countryside tour or $70 per person for a private tour.
• Bohol island hopping: around $30 per person for a shared trip or around $70 per person for a private boat.
• Siquijor island tour: around $30 for a tuk-tuk or up to $150 for a private car for the day.
• El Nido island hopping: shared tours are around $75 per person. Our private Tour A + C cost about $280 for the whole tour, while private Tour D was around $220.
• Boracay island hopping: around $60 per person for a shared tour or $100 for a private option.

Every family is different, so the best itinerary depends on the age of your kids, how much traveling you are comfortable with, and what you want to see and do. With younger kids, we’d choose fewer islands. With older kids, you can add more adventure.

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Travel Activity Book for Kids

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With a Baby

With a baby, we’d keep it to three destinations at most. Bohol and Boracay are both easy choices, with plenty of amenities, family-friendly accommodations and places to eat. El Nido can work too, but keep in mind that many of the highlights involve spending several hours on a boat.

Siquijor is beautiful, but some of its waterfalls and other sights are less accessible with a baby. It can be done, but it takes more planning.

Some easier combinations are:

• Bohol + Mactan Island + Boracay
• Bohol + El Nido + Boracay

With Toddlers

This itinerary works really well with toddlers. Our kids were 3 and 5 when we traveled this route, and they loved the beaches, pools, boat trips and island adventures.

With Older Kids

With older kids, we’d seriously consider swapping Boracay for Coron. As we mentioned earlier, El Nido and Coron make a great combination, with spectacular lagoons, lakes, snorkeling and plenty of adventure.

For families who want to see more and spend less time relaxing on the beach, El Nido + Coron is hard to beat.

These tips are particularly useful for this route. For more general advice on traveling around the Philippines with kids, see our Philippines with Kids guide.

• Book domestic flights early: Flights to and from El Nido can be considerably more expensive than other domestic routes.
• Leave some buffer time: Ferry and flight schedules can change, so avoid planning activities immediately after arriving on another island.
• Use 12Go for ferries: We found it useful for checking schedules and booking ferry tickets, but always check the current schedule before traveling.
• Pack light: You’ll be moving between several islands, and carrying less makes ferry and airport transfers easier.
• Bring some cash: Cash is still useful for smaller restaurants, tricycles, entrance fees and local tours.
• Consider private tours: With kids, having your own boat or vehicle gives you more flexibility, especially in Bohol and El Nido.
• Keep travel days free: Day 8, from Siquijor to El Nido, is a full travel day. We wouldn’t plan anything else for that day.
• Bring baby supplies with you: If you’re traveling with younger children and need diapers, baby food or other essentials, stock up in larger destinations such as Bohol before heading to smaller islands like Siquijor. You’ll have fewer options once you get there.

If you have more than two weeks, you can either add another island or simply spend more time in the places already on your route. We’d choose based on the age of your kids and how much travel you want to add.

Add Destinations

If you have a few extra days, these destinations could be added to this itinerary:

• Coron: We’ve visited Coron ourselves before having kids, and think it’s one of the most natural additions to this route. It pairs beautifully with El Nido, with spectacular lagoons, lakes, snorkeling and island-hopping. It’s especially appealing for families with older kids.
• Moalboal: A great choice for families who enjoy snorkeling and marine life, especially for the famous sardine run.
• Siargao: We’ve also visited Siargao before having kids and loved exploring the island by scooter. It has beautiful beaches, coconut palms and a laid-back atmosphere. We’d consider it a particularly good option for families with older kids, although adding it means another flight.
• Mactan: An easy option if you want a few beach days without adding too much adventure. It’s also convenient if you’re flying through Cebu. We ended up staying at JPark Island Resort & Waterpark after a flight change forced us to skip Moalboal. We were disappointed to miss it, but the kids were thrilled with the water park!

Stay Longer on the Islands

You don’t necessarily need to add another destination. With younger kids especially, adding a few extra nights to Bohol, Siquijor, El Nido or Boracay can be a great way to enjoy the trip without adding more travel days.

For more ideas on where to go in the Philippines, see our Philippines with Kids guide.

A two-week trip through the Philippines with kids does involve some travel, but we think the variety is what makes this route so special. Bohol, Siquijor, El Nido and Boracay each offer something different, from wildlife and waterfalls to incredible beaches, island-hopping and plenty of time to relax.

We wouldn’t try to squeeze much more into two weeks. If anything, we’d add a few extra nights to one of the islands rather than adding another destination. The Philippines is a place where some of our favorite family memories came from simply having time to enjoy where we were.

We hope this itinerary helps you plan your own family adventure in the Philippines. If you want more detailed information about each stop, check out our Bohol with Kids, Siquijor with Kids, El Nido with Kids and Boracay with Kids guides.

Planning a different Philippines trip? Our Philippines with Kids guide covers the best family-friendly destinations, alternative itineraries and practical tips for planning your trip.

Where to Next?

• 🇹🇭 Thailand with Kids
• 🇮🇩 Indonesia with Kids
• 🇲🇾 Malaysia with Kids
• 🦧 Borneo with Kids

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The Little Passport Crew