YPT tours to the Philippines

Young Pioneer Tours are pleased to announce our Philippines tours and travel packages for 2025 and 2026.

The Philippines is an island paradise in Southeast Asia, boasting over 7,000 islands! That means there’s something for everyone – whether you’re a beach bum, a thrill-seeker, or a history buff. Considered as one of the most beautiful countries in the world, the Philippines might not strike as your classic YPT venue, but scratch beneath the surface and the Philippines has much more to offer than just the beautiful beaches (although we enjoy them too). We now offer a number of regular yearly tours to the Philippines, as well as bespoke packages.

Group Tours to the Philippines

We currently run three yearly group tours to the Philippines, our Cutud Lenin Rites Day Trip, our Extreme Philippines Tour (which can be combined with East Timor), as well as Palawan Island Hopping. All very different and unique Philippines group Tours!

Cutud Lenin Rites Day Trip – April 18th-19th 2025 – $150 / $195

Extreme Philippines Tour – April 17th – April 25th, 2025 – $1295

Ultimate Palawan Island Hopping Tour – September 26th to October 5th 2025 – $1295

Originally not what you would have called a classic, but this tour has now lasted over 10 years. It’s drinking on boats, but also with some stunning island scenery on what is known as the best island in the world.

Independent tours to the Philippines

YPT are Philippines experts, so if you require private and independent Philippines tours, then please get in touch. Asisde from our “Extreme Phlippines” example itinerary we are able to offer a number of bespoke packages designed for other parts of the country.

Therefore we also offer a number of options from which we can help design. We can prepare bespoke Philippine itinerary for single travelers, families, or groups. Prices depend on the number of people and what level of accommodation you desire, but YPT can arrange everything you need for a perfect independent trip.

Example Philippines Itinerary

Day 1 – Manila – Angeles 

Morning

• We start in Manila with a day tour of the city seeing places such as Rizal park among others.
• We then begin the journey to the party capital of Angeles

Afternoon

• On our arrival we can check into our centrally located hotel, with the early morning start it’s a good time to relax and freshen up before we head out for dinner at Rob’s Gastropub complete with its very own British red telephone box.
• For those looking to enjoy a few more drinks we’ll experience the legendary Angeles Walking Street Bar Crawl – it’s defiantly worth seeing the city of sins even if you don’t fancy a few drink!
• Overnight at Angeles City.

Day 2 – Baguio

Morning

• This morning we’ll take things more leisurely, especially after the festival. For breakfast, we have a real treat for you and when you’re in the Philippines you have to try out Jollibee!
• Next we’ll set off for the four-hour drive to Baguio – known as the summer capital of the Philippines due to its much cooler climate (you may even need a jacket at night). We’ll take breaks along the journey and take in the beautiful scenery.

Afternoon

• Once we arrive, we’ll drop our bags off at the hotel and head straight out for lunch at a quirky restaurant serving traditional
  Filipino cuisines, what makes this restaurant so fun is that you’ll be surrounded by your favourite Disney and Pixel characters.
• Once we’re ready we’ll explore the city on a walking tour, stopping for some liquid refreshments before things start to get weird.
• The Philippines is not only famous for its religious devotees but also how very superstitious they are – so let’s go on a genuine ghost- hunting tour at an abandoned haunted site.
• Our tour will lead us to a wonderful pilgrimage site high up in the city which offers stunning views of the city. Here we can relax and enjoy the sunset overlooking Baguio.
• For dinner we’ll head back to the hotel and enjoy the various cuisines they have to offer – we recommend one of the wood fired
  pizza. There’s an option to head out for drinks and enjoy the peaceful scenery.
• Overnight in Baguio.

Day 3 – Sagada: Easter Sunday

Morning

• Enjoy breakfast at the hotel, there’s a variety of items to choose from the buffet including locally sourced fresh fruits.
• We’ll set off for 5-6 hour drive to Sagada, this is one of the most famous places in the Philippines. The journey’s filled with rice
  terraces along the way and we’ll also pass through the highest highway system in the Philippines. What makes this journey so fun is that there are little remote shops selling local produce which you snack on along the way.

Afternoon

• On our journey to Sagada we’ll stop and have lunch, our local restaurant serves traditional Filipino dishes while you wait, check
  out next doors thrift store which have plenty of second hand retro/antique items.
• Once we arrive to Sagada we’ll be met by our local guide, we’ll head out for the day of hiking around this historic city, with the main focus being on witnessing and picturing the Hanging Coffins, which are unique to this part of the Philippines. Our local guide will give a full explanation and answer any questions we might have – this is one of three places in the world where you can see hanging coffins.
• We’ll also visit the Church of St. Mary the Virgin which was built by American missionaries in the 1904 before we explore the small town – this is a perfect opportunity to buy gifts or just relax in the coffee shop which serves local wine.
• Dinner in Sagada at our favourite restaurant – Yoghurt House, it serves more than just yoghurt!
• After a busy day we’ll check into our rural homestay, with the cooler climate we’ll enjoy some of the locally produced wine in the
  courtyard and share our favourite travel stories.
• Overnight in Sagada.

Day 4 – Banaue Rice Terraces

Morning

• Breakfast at homestay
• Leave for for the approximately 3 hour drive to the 2000 year old Banaue Rice Terraces often referred to as the 8th wonder of the world
• We will be stopping lots on the way at numerous picture stops
• Stop at our hotel in Banaue for a chance to freshen up before we head out

Afternoon

• Lunch in Banaue
• Now we had to the Banaue Rice Terraces our Principe reason for being here! We will see lots of sites still in use today as well as
  get a detailed explanation from our local guide
• Visit the Museum of Cordilleran Sculpture which has over 1000 year old historical artifacts
• We then head to the famous viewpoint for what should ideally be a perfect sunset
• Dinner and of course drinks in the Banaue town
• Overnight in Banaue

Day 5 – Currimao

Morning

• Breakfast at the homestay before we head off for the next part of our trip: the 5-6 drive to the beach paradise of Currimao. This is one of the most scenic journeys we take, with us making lots of picture stops to see the rice terraces and mountain scenery, we’ll even stop off for a break at Vagina Falls!

Afternoon

• In the afternoon we’ll stop off in Vigan and sample some of its famous street food this where you can try out a variety of local
  dishes.
• Vigan is an UNESCO World Heritage Site with its Spanish colonial era churches and streets, we’ll have a short walking tour –
  depending if our favourite local guide is available. We recommend exploring the old town at your own pace there’s plenty of shops selling local produce and gifts and we’ll make Calle Brewery our meeting point, enough time to have a refreshing beverage.
• Once we’re ready to leave, we’ll head off to Currimao and check into our beachside huts, these are not fancy, but the pure nature and access to the beach make it more that worthwhile.
• After a busy day, we’ll head to the beach and have dinner at our favourite BBQ spots and enjoy some locally produced rum.
• Even late in the evening you’ll find plenty of locals enjoying the beach under the stars.
• Overnight in Currimao.

Day 6 – La Union

Morning

• We’ll take the morning to relax and enjoy breakfast before heading off to Batac.
• Once we arrive we’ll do a city tour of Batac – this beautiful city has an interesting former resident for the Philippines as it’s the
  birthplace of Ferdinand Marcos, a powerful dictator who ruled until he was deposed in 1986.
• Our visit wouldn’t be complete without visiting the Marcos Museum about Ferdinand and Emelda. Unfortunately his embalmed body is no longer here, but it is fascinating and insightful nonetheless.
• Batac is famous for its local sausages and empanadas and we know the best market spot to enjoy some.
• We’ll also check out a few other places such as the Marcos
• University and Malacanang Palace of the North – the former home of the Marcos family. Ferdinand is still regarded very high, hence the city name “home of great leaders”.

Afternoon

• Lunch at a local restaurant overseeing the Malacanang Palace, what’s great about this location it’s near Ferdinand very own private abandoned golf course, we can attempt to explore the abandoned golf club.
• Next we’ll head to Paoay town for a break – the beautiful town boast Spanish era architecture including the Paoay Church, a
  UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• Once we’re ready we’ll head to the beach, for those inclined, we offer optional ATV driving on the Sand Dunes (extra charge).
• We then take the next part of our journey, the 4-hour journey to the surfing beach town of Urbiztondo in La Union; we’ll make breaks along the way.
• Our hotel will be located with our very private beach, so we’ll make the most of it and have a BBQ.
• Overnight in La Union.

Day 7 – Manila

Morning

• For those early risers you can go for a swim in the sea followed by breakfast before we head out for our final leg of the journey – the 4- 5 hours journey back to Manila, we’ll make stops along the way to stretch our legs and pick up supplies.

Afternoon

• Along the journey we’ll have lunch at a popular local buffet restaurant they have a great variety of Filipino dishes and can cater
  for any dietary needs.
• Manila might well be the centre of wealth, business and government in the Philippines, but it is very much a tale of two cities, with the slums that culminate in the rubbish collectors of Smokey Mountain living in abject poverty. We take a very sobering slum tour of Manila with our local guides, who will give a very in-depth explanation
  about their lives.
• Following the visit to the slums we take a short drive that almost takes us to another universe by visiting the Manila Hotel – the
  oldest and most deluxe hotel in the city – that also happens to serve great coffee and cocktails.
• We’ll check back into the Garden Lotus Hotel, where our journey began – there’s time to relax and freshen up before we head out for dinner.
• On our last-night we’ll have dinner in Burgos Street followed by a trip to Ringside bar to watch midget boxing, capping off a truly extreme day in the Philippines – please note this is subject to availability.
• Overnight at Garden Lotus Hotel.

Day 8 – Manila

• Relaxing breakfast at the hotel.
• End of tour, with YPT able to offer further transport services, or for those heading onto the next part of the trip, transfer to the airport.

Bespoke Philippines tours

Below are some example of our independent travel to the Philippines packages and suggestions.

Extreme Philippines Tour – Our benchmark Philippines Tour, this takes us from Manila, all around Luzon and then back again. A trip that can be done all year round.

Palawan Island Hopping Tour – Palawan is constantly voted the best island in the world, and we can see why. We can arrange all facets of island hopping here, as well as other fun things that can be done on Palawan.

Philippines Political Tours – We can arrange trips hat go into the Muslim region governed by the Moro Islamic Front, as well as that ruled by the New Peoples Army. Tours of this nature are sedative and need to be arranged in advance.

World War Two Tours to the Philippines – YPT can run tours to the Philippine themed around World War 2 and the battles fought here. Get in touch for more details.

Countrywide Philippines Tours – YPT can arrange trips to the Philippines pretty much anywhere and everywhere. This can be to a specific place, or quite literally to the whole country – let us know what you want to see in the Philippines and we will do the rest.

Manila Sum Tour – YPT can arrange exclusive entry into the main slum of Manila, Smoky Mountain. This is not done in a safari fashion, but to give donations and to learn what life is actually like here.

Cockfighting in the Philippines Tours – While we neither condone nor oppose cockfighting, it is a cultural part of the Philippines. Want to see it? We can arrange it.

Philippines Party Tours – If you want to let your hair down in the Philippines then let YPT arrange your party for you

Tattoo at Whang-Od – Do you want to get a traditional tattoo from a 107 year old woman on a mountain? YPT can arrange that for you! Trip can easily be combined with Sagada and the Banuabe rice terraces.

Private Island Tours in the Philippines – YPT can arrange stays on privaye islands in the Philippines from deluxe to simple camping. Believe us, we know a thing or two about private islands.

Filming in Romania – Through our media arm Pioneer Media, we can make arrangements for productions, journalists, or others, to film within the Philippines from big budget to guerrilla productions. We can also arrange meetings in country, as well as correct visas for journalist wishing to do projects within the country.

Frequently Asked Questions about travel to the Philippines

The following are some of the most asked of the most asked questions by people wishing to travel the Philippines. If your question is not here then get in touch with one of our Philippines travel experts for more information.

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