Joy Adalia
The Philippines is a beautiful country to explore but the rainy days often hamper everyone’s idea of fun. Don’t be blue because we’ll share some of the best destinations you will actually enjoy visiting during the rainy season.
Here’s our top 10 Philippine destinations sa tag-ulan (rainy season), in no particular order:
Hot springs
The best way to enjoy the cold, rainy season is to soak in the hot waters of the hot springs in Camiguin. One of the top choices is Arden Hot Springs where several pools of hot water can be enjoyed. The waters will relax your body while the falling rain will make soaking in the warm waters worth your while.
Photo credit: Jeffrey Rilles/Traveling Morion
Of course, these hot springs are great during hot days, too, but are simply perfect for rainy season.
If you don’t want to go as far as Mindanao to enjoy the beautiful hot springs of Camiguin, then you’ll love to learn that there are plenty of those in Luzon as well. Take a trip to Pansol, Laguna where you can bathe in the hot waters of the springs fed by the lava (ok we’re kidding there) – heat – of Makiling Volcano.
There are plenty of resorts featuring hot spring waters across Pansol, so you can just take your pick from there. These destinations are especially great because Laguna is just around 2 hours away from Manila.
Chocolate Hills, Bohol
The Chocolate Hills are a beautiful sight to enjoy anytime of the year but rainy days are especially wonderful – you could just imagine the chocolate slush running down the hills. Well, that’s some kind of an exaggeration but wouldn’t it be a sight to behold?
And if the rains aren’t torrential, you can still enjoy ziplining across the ravines for an extra punch.
Surfing destinations
The rains bring bigger, taller waves that are oh-so-perfect for surfing in Baler, Aurora. This is the best time for you to hone your skills in surfing and try to catch the biggest wave of your surfing career.
Photo credit: Choose Philippines
Wakeboarding destinations
Adrenaline junkies would surely enjoy wakeboarding in the rain. Just one hour away from Manila, The Republ1c Wakepark in Nuvali is one of the best places to enjoy extreme wakeboarding.
Whitewater rafting destinations
Did you know that whitewater rafting is best done during rainy season? Unless, of course, there’s a storm and the rivers might be flooded, instead. Still, rainy days bring higher swells in the river that make it ideal for navigating the rapids.
During dry season, the rivers have lower water volume so navigating can be quite tricky because more rocks are exposed. Perfect choices for white water rafting include Cagayan de Oro, Kalinga, Magdalena Laguna, and Davao City.
Palawan
It is said that the beaches of Palawan are great – during rainy and sunny days. Palawan’s tranquil beaches are perfect for relaxation.
Siquijor
This island is known for its witchy folklore. It is a great place to visit during rainy, gloomy days – if you want to enjoy the thrill of ghost hunting. After all, scary stories become creepier on dark days but seem funny during sunny days.
Food trip hangouts
Davao is an amazing destination for food tripping – and what perfect excuse to indulge in the scrumptious feasts than the torrential rain that refuses to let you enjoy the outdoors as much as you wanted?
Of course, Davao is not the only destination for food tripping. In fact, you can simply hang out at the new restaurants in your locality or indulge in the local delicacies you haven’t tried before.
You can enjoy the culinary treats and specialties from Laguna, Isabela, Quezon, Iligan City, Cagayan, Baguio, or just about any place where you are traveling to on a rainy day.
Indoor sports
Perfect during rainy days because you might not have other choices to visit within reach, indoor sports destinations will let you have fun even when the skies are dark outdoors. There are plenty of these indoor sports facilities across Manila and other places in the country.
You can try indoor rock climbing or something less extreme, such as badminton, tennis, ping pong, volleyball, etc. This is also the perfect time to motivate yourself to hit the gym to shake off excess calories.
Museum hopping and visits to heritage sites
Rainy days are perfect for staying under the roof and keeping yourself from getting wet. These are also great for learning something new – so you can go museum hopping or visit indoor heritage sites and get the feel of these beautiful places even when it is raining hard.
