10 Shore Excursions Tours in the Philippines Worth Booking

1.Shore excursion: Puerto Princesa Island Hopping Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 27 reviews · from $100Our pick

Spend about eight hours exploring Honda Bay from Puerto Princesa, with stops at Cowrie, Lu-Li, and Starfish islands. Swim, sunbathe, and snorkel with rented equipment, then enjoy a buffet lunch. Shared hotel pickup is included from selected city hotels. Guide Ana has earned special praise for her warm service and hands-on cooking.

“Good trip, comfortable. Enjoyed the starfish island. Guide was helpful and provided information about the islands.”

Check availability →Read our full review

2.Puerto Princesa Honda Bay Island Hopping Shore Excursion

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 16 reviews · from $173Top rated

Meet your guide at Puerto Princesa Port for a private Honda Bay outing of about seven hours. Visit Cowrie Island, Lu-Li Island, and possibly a third stop, with snorkeling gear, fees, and lunch included. If your guide is TJ Echo, expect clear English, careful safety advice, marine-life pointers, and helpful iPhone photo tips.

“We had a remarkable guide for our private tour for 6 people (we aren’t spring chickens), TJ Echo spoke perfect English (Spanish, too), stopped for what we needed, informed us of marine life, considered safety judiciously, and taught us many iPhone photo tricks. The lunch was lovely..”

Check availability →Read our full review

3.Intramuros Walking Tour by Don’t Skip Manila | Shore Excursion

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 15 reviews · from $83

Spend four to five hours exploring Intramuros from Pier 15 with guides such as Anne, Andrew, or Andrei. You’ll visit Rizal Park, Fort Santiago, the Rizal Shrine, Manila Cathedral, San Agustin Church, and Casa Manila, with transport, entrance fees, water, and a horse-drawn carriage included for groups larger than four.

“We spent several hours touring Intramuros with our excellent guide Anne... walking, riding an open bus. She gave us so much interesting information about the Spanish walled city of Manila. We saw the cell where Jose Rizal was imprisoned, Read more”

Check availability →Read our full review

4.Puerto Princesa Underground River Shore Excursion

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 12 reviews · from $200

From Puerto Princesa Port, you’ll travel by private transfer to the famous Underground River for a guided visit, Filipino lunch, and light refreshments. The tour is limited to cruise ship guests and your group, with guides such as Roman, Brian, Vel, and Xander praised for friendly, informative service. Allow about six hours.

“I really wanted to give this tour 5 stars because the people are really nice and they really go the extra mile to try and please. But…it’s not very well organised and there’s a lot of waiting around. In all honesty a cruise organised excursion may be better for cruise passengers.”

Check availability →Read our full review

5.Puerto Princesa shore excursion to Luli, starfish, cowrie island

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 12 reviews · from $60

Spend about eight hours island-hopping from Puerto Princesa through Honda Bay, with stops at Cowrie Island, Luli Island, and Starfish Sandbar Resort. You get hotel, airport, or port transfers within the city, boat transport, lunch, and a guide. Expect swimming, snorkeling, beach time, and a group boat of up to 50 people.

“Jake was a great guide. He is very intelligent and has a wonderful personality. We thoroughly enjoyed our day with him.”

Check availability →Read our full review

6.Shared Cruise Shore Excursion of Manila Old and New City Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 10 reviews · from $112

See Manila’s modern districts and historic core on a four-hour shared shore excursion from South Harbor. An English-speaking guide, air-conditioned vehicle, bottled water, and return transfer are included. You’ll visit Intramuros, San Agustin Church, Rizal Park, and the American Memorial Cemetery, with guides such as Frank praised for clear explanations and an easy pace.

“A lot to see but see it we did with an enthusiastic guide who collected us from the cruise terminal and had a car and driver with her/us throughout. The turbulent history, the beautiful buildings and the beautiful flower market. Such a lot in a short time - thank you.”

Check availability →Read our full review

7.Private Puerto Princesa Palawan Underground River shore excursion

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 10 reviews · from $130

Travel from Puerto Princesa to the UNESCO-listed Subterranean River National Park by private van, then ride a small boat through the famous underground river. The roughly eight-hour trip includes lunch, permits, entrance fees, an audio guide, and hotel pickup in central Puerto Princesa. Guides such as Mul and Anna have earned praise for their care and clear help.

“We had an enjoyable day cruising the Underground River of Palawan. However, we would like to point out that there was a mis-communication between the tour company and our tour guide: our guide and driver were not aware of the fact thaRead more”

Check availability →Read our full review

8.Private Half-Day Shore Excursion in Manila

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 7 reviews · from $125

Meet your English-speaking guide at Pier 15 at 8:30 a.m. for a private four-hour tour of Manila. Visit Rizal Park, Intramuros, San Agustin Church, Casa Manila, Fort Santiago, Quiapo, and possibly Chinatown, with guides such as Jonas, Aimee, Tony, or Manny bringing the city’s past to life.

“We had a great day with our guide Tony and driver Roy. Learnt a lot about the history of Manila and the Philippines . He was very informative and would recommend him if you are in Manila. Roy was very good given the traffic and we felt very safe with him.”

Check availability →Read our full review

9.Puerto Princesa City sightseeing tour shore excursion

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 4 reviews · from $50Best value

See six Puerto Princesa highlights in about four hours with an air-conditioned vehicle and a small group of up to 12. You’ll visit Baker’s Hill, Plaza Cuartel, Baywalk Park, Immaculate Conception Cathedral, the wildlife rescue center, and Mitra Farm. Guide Ernie has earned praise for mixing local insight with comedy, magic, and even ventriloquism when available.

“Guide was knowledgeable, saw most of the high points of the City in the shower time we were on the island.”

Check availability →Read our full review

10.Cruise Shore Excursion of Taal Volcano with Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 4 reviews · from $160

From Manila’s port, your private English-speaking guide takes you to Tagaytay for views of Taal Volcano, Museo Orlina, Peoples Park in the Sky, and Gourmet Farms. You’ll ride in air-conditioned transport, eat a local lunch with drinks, and return with timing shaped around your ship’s schedule.

“It was a cloudy day when we went to Tagaytay, so we could not see Taal Volcano very well; nevertheless, we had a pleasant time visiting a local organic farm and glass museum.”

Check availability →Read our full review