5 guides, each rated 1 to 5 with the reason — and two lists per place, where you are comfortable and where to pay attention. Nowhere is called dangerous; the specific thing is what helps.
Safe, and heavily policed since the 2018 closure — drinking on the sand, smoking, and building sandcastles for tips are all banned and fined. The undertow on the west side gets strong in the monsoon months, and the jellyfish season follows the rain.
Comfortable: White Beach · Station 1 and 2 · D*Mall · Puka Beach · Bulabog
the water on the west side in the monsoon — the undertow gets strong and the beach is unpatrolled
drinking on the sand — banned and fined since the island reopened, along with smoking and littering
jellyfish after the rains — the season follows the monsoon and the stings are painful
Safe and small. The reef is the hazard: Cloud 9 breaks over shallow coral and beginners get cut on it, the rock pools are only there at low tide, and scooters plus sand plus rain is how most visitors get hurt. Typhoon Odette flattened the island in 2021 and the rebuilding is visible.
Comfortable: General Luna · Cloud 9 boardwalk · the palm road · Dapa
Cloud 9 for beginners — it breaks over shallow reef and the cuts get infected fast in the tropics
scooters on wet sand and gravel — the commonest way a trip here ends at the clinic
Magpupungko at the wrong tide — the pools only exist at low water and the rocks are sharp
the typhoon season — Odette flattened the island in 2021 and the rebuilding is still visible
Very safe. The hazards are the paths and the weather — the terrace walls are narrow, wet and unrailed, the drop is real, and the road in from Manila is landslide-prone in the wet months. Guides are arranged in Banaue and are worth having.
Comfortable: Banaue town · Batad · Bangaan · the marked terrace paths
the terrace walls — narrow, wet, unrailed, and the drop is the whole point of the view
the road from Manila in the wet months — landslides close it and the night bus stops where it stops
walking to Batad without a guide — the paths fork and the villages are further apart than they look
the cold at night — it is 1,500m and the guesthouses are not heated
Palawan is relaxed and crime against visitors is rare. The real risks are on the water: boat safety is inconsistent, life jackets are sometimes an afterthought, and tours go out in weather they should not. Look at the boat before you board. Typhoon season runs June to November, and jellyfish are seasonal on some beaches.
Comfortable: El Nido · Coron · Port Barton
Island-hopping boats in bad weather, which go out anyway
The road between Puerto Princesa and El Nido at night
Power cuts, which are routine and which stop the water pumps too
Cebu and Bohol are comfortable and used to visitors. The hazards are water and roads: canyoneering at Kawasan has killed people who went with unlicensed guides, motorcycle accidents are the most common tourist injury, and boat operators sometimes sail in poor weather. Check that any canyoneering or diving operator is properly accredited. Typhoons run June to November.
Comfortable: IT Park, Cebu · Lahug · Mactan · Alona Beach
Colon Street — the downtown area after dark
Canyoneering at Kawasan without a licensed guide, which has killed people
Habal-habal motorbike taxis on the mountain roads
The ratings are this site's own, from the guides' authors and the corrections readers send in; they are not an index. Read the general advice in travel safety tips.
