The Philippines is a riot of color — turquoise shallows, jagged limestone, palm-fringed coves and tiny villages where sari-sari shops and smiles are part of the welcome. Narrowing the list of “best” islands is a mercy-killing: every island has its own personality. Still, if you want a compact guide that mixes iconic sights, serious snorkeling or surfing, and a handful of secret corners (yes, including Balabac), read on.
Palawan the classic: El Nido, Coron and the wild south
Palawan keeps turning up at the top of travel lists for good reason: dramatic karst cliffs, mirror-like lagoons and a sense of scale that makes other islands feel small. El Nido’s Bacuit Archipelago is postcard-perfect; Coron is famous for its transparent lakes and world-class wreck diving. For travelers who crave emptier sandbars and pink-tinged beaches, the Balabac group at Palawan’s southern edge is an overdue reward — truly remote and delightfully raw. If you want to go off-grid, look up local operators and small-group itineraries.
Balabac the quiet miracle (and why you should consider a boat trip)
Balabac is where long white beaches meet reefs that look like they were painted. Visitors arrive by organized expeditions that run multi-day island-hopping circuits; these are the Boat Tours Balabac that take you to pink-sand pockets, secret sandbars,
