When is the best time to visit the Philippines?

Quick answer by priority

• Best weather: January to April across Luzon, Palawan and the Visayas.

• Best for island hopping in El Nido and Coron: about January to May, when seas are calmest for outer-island tours.

• Fewest crowds with decent weather: late January to early March, between New Year and Holy Week, and November, as the rains taper off.

• Cheapest: June to October, the southwest monsoon and typhoon season.

• Festivals: Sinulog in Cebu (grand parade 17 January 2027) and Holy Week (25 to 27 March 2027).

• Avoid: August to October if you have tight connections between islands; this is the most active typhoon window.

The Philippines month by month

Typical long-term averages. Manila runs about 30 to 34°C (86 to 93°F) by day all year; Puerto Princesa in Palawan and Cebu City about 30 to 33°C (86 to 91°F). Rain and wind change far more than temperature.

• December: Manila about 23 to 30°C (73 to 86°F), around 100 mm. Dry season begins in Luzon, but Palawan and Cebu still get about 150 to 170 mm. Christmas to New Year is peak domestic travel.

• January and February: the coolest, driest stretch. Manila gets about 20 mm a month and Puerto Princesa 25 to 35 mm. Cebu City is still damp in January (about 135 mm) but drier by February. Our pick for Palawan.

• March and April: hotter, with Manila highs about 33 to 34°C (91 to 93°F), but still dry. Calm seas for Coron's wreck dives and El Nido's Tours A to D. Holy Week makes late March very busy.

• May: hottest month and the turn of the season; rain starts to build (around 95 to 160 mm). Still good for diving in Moalboal and Cebu.

• June and July: the southwest monsoon (habagat) arrives. Manila jumps to about 255 to 430 mm. Low prices, frequent boat cancellations on exposed routes.

• August and September: Manila's wettest months (about 395 to 475 mm) and the start of the busiest typhoon period.

• October and November: rain easing in Manila (about 120 to 220 mm) but still around 210 mm in Palawan. Typhoons remain possible into December. Our El Nido (15 to 21 November) and Coron (21 to 25 November) stays fell here.

By region: Palawan, the Visayas, Luzon and the east coast

Palawan (El Nido, Coron, Port Barton, Puerto Princesa): driest from January to April, with February the driest month in Puerto Princesa. Rain stays moderate, rising from May. The outer-island boat tours depend on wind and swell rather than rain, so the calm months matter most. Our El Nido and Coron dry-season guide, Coron vs El Nido and the El Nido to Coron ferry vs flight guide go deeper.

The Visayas (Cebu, Moalboal, Oslob, Bohol): more sheltered, with rain under about 100 mm a month from February to May in Cebu City. January is still fairly wet. Diving off Moalboal works most of the year, which is why it was a 7-night stop on our route after Oslob.

Luzon (Manila, Banaue, Vigan): the clearest wet and dry split in the country. Manila has a very pronounced dry season from January to April and very heavy rain in July and August.

The east coast (Siargao, eastern Samar, Bicol): faces the northeast winds and is rainy most of the year, often over 2,500 mm annually. Its drier windows come later than the west, around April and May in Bicol. Do not assume Siargao follows Palawan's calendar.

Typhoon tracks: typhoons are possible from about May to December, most frequent from August to November, and mostly hit Luzon and the Visayas. Central and southern Mindanao and southern Palawan usually lie outside the main paths.

Festivals, holidays and closures in 2027

• Sinulog, Cebu City: grand parade on Sunday 17 January 2027, held on the third Sunday of January. Rooms in Cebu City book out for that weekend.

• Chinese New Year: 6 February 2027, a special non-working day.

• Holy Week: Maundy Thursday 25 March and Good Friday 26 March 2027 are regular holidays, Black Saturday 27 March a special non-working day. Many Filipinos head to the beaches; ferries and domestic flights to Palawan and Boracay sell out, and some businesses close for Thursday and Friday.

• Christmas: the season starts early in the Philippines, and 24 December to 1 January is the busiest domestic travel week of the year.

Prices and crowds

Resort and boat-tour prices peak from Christmas to New Year and over Holy Week, and stay high through the dry season. The cheapest months are June to October, when many island-hopping operators run reduced schedules.

The shoulder sweet spots are late January to early March (dry, after the holidays) and May (hot, but before the monsoon, and good for diving). If your trip falls in November or early December, as ours did, build a spare day into any boat or flight connection. Our 4-week Philippines route and 2-week Palawan itinerary show how the stops fit together. Before you fly, register with eTravel.

When not to go, honestly

August to October carries the most typhoon risk. A direct hit is not likely on any given week, but storm signals routinely ground boats and cancel domestic flights for one to three days, which breaks tight island-hopping itineraries.

July and August in Manila mean flooded streets after heavy rain; plan short city stays.

Holy Week is the opposite problem: perfect weather, but the most crowded and expensive beach week of the year.

The rainy season is not a write-off. Much of it is sunny mornings and heavy afternoon showers. Just keep a buffer day and travel insurance. See our El Nido guide and Coron guide for what each base offers.

Frequently asked questions