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Top 10 Places to Visit in the Southern Philippines

It’s quite interesting to see different posts in the Philippines and see how popular this country has been for travelers and bloggers lately. I have been to this beautiful country 9 times and will be there again this winter. The Philippines is a beautiful country and perfect for the traveler who is on a budget. Most days you can buy food for as cheap at $2-3 per meal. There are about 7000 islands in the Philippines which can make your choices difficult when finding the best places to visit in the Philippines. Some of the top 10 places to visit in the Philippines are in the Northern and Central areas such as Manila, Cebu, Bohol, and El Nido which are more west and I wanted to write about some of my favorite places to visit in the Philippines. In addition, I wanted to write my post on my favorite places to visit in the Southern Philippines.

RELATED: Travel tips for the Philippines

The Philippines is great to visit any time of the year since it is usually hot and humid all year long, the only thing to consider would be Monsoon season. Additionally, if you find this post interesting check out top 10 places to visit in the Philippines for some of the best places to visit in the Philippines. If you are looking for other places to visit in the Philippines and a detailed Itinerary, be sure to check out Our 21st Century Odyssey’s The Ultimate 20-Day Philippines Itinerary.

RELATED: Philippines Itinerary

Top 10 Places to Visit in the Southern Philippines

The Southern part of the Philippines is known to have a bad rap for being unsafe, it is typically the road less traveled and has less known tourist spot in the Philippines. It can be a dangerous location for tourists especially in the most southern tip of Mindanao, so please proceed with caution. Currently, in Mindanao the government has placed a Martial Law requiring everyone residing in Mindanao to be inside and at home by 8 pm.

RELATED: South Cebu Tourist Spots

Mindanao hasn’t been a destination for many tourists but I still think it is a place to write about.  I visit every year to see my family who resides in Mindanao and I have traveled all over this beautiful island. From Davao to Camiguin there are tons of great places to visit in including tourist spots in the Southern Philippines. Hopefully, this post can be helpful to those who are daring to try these places or people who live there locally that may want to visit and see other beautiful locations near them. These are my favorite places to visit in the Southern Philippines.

Places to visit in the Southern Philippines
Places to visit in the Southern Philippines
Places to visit in the Southern Philippines

Top 10 Places to Visit in the Southern Philippines | 1. Camiguin Island

Camiguin Island is probably one of the most popular places to visit in the Southern Philippines and one of the well-known spots to many Filipinos as a beautiful island.  It is one of the most beautiful places to visit in the Philippines. The island, however, is made up of broken white coral from the ocean so the sand isn’t very soft.  You can take a boat out to this private little island to lay out, swim in the ocean and just relax.  There are some vendors out there that can feed you out on the beach, but one of my recommendations, if you want to try it, is fresh Sea Urchin.  Many of the men will go out into the ocean fetching fresh sea urchin and will cut them in front of you and drizzle it with a salty soy sauce and vinegar like sauce.

RELATED: A Local’s Complete Guide to Camiguin Island

Places to visit in the Southern PhilippinesPlaces to visit in the Southern Philippines

Top 10 Places to Visit in the Southern Philippines | 2. Iligan City

Iligan City is known for all of their beautiful waterfalls.  There is Tinago Falls, Maria Cristina Falls, Dodiongan Falls and more. They have a beautiful water park near Iligan as well with a high dive and 40-foot water deep pool.  Iligan also a location that has a wooden carriage with a horse, pretty much a manual version of a tricycle/tuk-tuk. Iligan City has the most beautiful waterfalls which I find to be the most beautiful places in the Philippines to visit.

Places to visit in the Southern PhilippinesPlaces to visit in the Southern Philippines
Places to visit in the Southern Philippines

Top 10 Places to Visit in the Southern Philippines | 3. Eriberta Cold Springs

Eribert Cold Springs is a beautiful place to visit.  The water is ice cold and filled with fresh water.  They have done a lot of improvements and additions to this cute little resort which they didn’t have in the past.  They have about 4 large areas filled with water.  Some have slides, others have waterfalls and steps. You can even rent a space to grill fish or food, have a picnic and sing karaoke.

Places to visit in the Southern Philippines
Places to visit in the Southern Philippines
Places to visit in the Southern Philippines

Top 10 Places to Visit in the Southern Philippines | 4. Tangub

Tangub is probably one of my favorite destinations to visit.  Every year around Christmas time, they fill little town up with lights, beautiful structures and create a town filled with Christmas lights and decorations.  They usually have a theme and my family usually visits every year. It is a little bit of our tradition during the holidays.  Tangub is one of my favorite places to visit in the Philippines during the holidays.

Places to visit in the Southern Philippines
Places to visit in the Southern Philippines

Top 10 Places to Visit in the Southern Philippines | 5. Pagadian

Pagadian is an interesting little place and you will notice that their Tricycles are different than most in the Philippines because of all of the hills.  The Tricycles are slanted to sit parallel when they are climbing up the hills.  One of my favorite places to visit and stay is at the Alindahaw Lake Resort in Lakewood. They have a gorgeous view and is fairly quiet and calm out on the lake.  You can go kayaking, ride a zip line or just hang out by the pool.

Top 10 Places to Visit in the Southern Philippines | 6. Siargao Island

Siargao Island has received a lot of attention lately on social media. This island has the sea of jellyfish that don’t sting. The jellyfish are located in the jellyfish lake and many videos have arisen with people swimming with these beautiful creatures. This island is one of the must-see places in the Philippines.

RELATED: Surf Guide to Siargao

Places to visit in the Southern Philippines
Places to visit in the Southern Philippines
Places to visit in the Southern Philippines
Places to visit in the Southern Philippines

Top 10 Places to Visit in the Southern Philippines | 7. Dapitan

Dapitan has Gloria’s Fantasyland Tours which is a local amusement park in the Philippines. This amusement park is nothing more than carnival rides like the state fair or county fair in some states in the US.  It is a lot smaller with more of a carnival feel. There is also the Jose Rizal Park which is a park and shrine to the Philippines most praised hero Jose P. Rizal. If you are interested, you can read more about Jose Rizal the National Hero of the Philippines.

Top 10 Places to Visit in the Southern Philippines | 8. Davao

Davao is a large city located in the southern mainland of Mindinao.  This city is one of the most popular places to visit in the Southern Philippines. This city has so much to offer and similar but less crowded than Bohol.  Davao has many Philippine tourist attractions such as the butterfly house, bee farm, and Eden Nature Park. Be sure to check out this little gem.

Top 10 Places to Visit in the Southern Philippines | 9. Dipolog

Dipolog is a popular place to visit in the Southern Philippines and known for Linabo Peak.  There are some amazing beach views here that are worth checking out.

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Top 10 Places to Visit in the Southern Philippines | 10. Dakak Park and Beach Resort

Just outside of Dapitan is the beautiful Dakak Park and Beach Resort. This resort has a gorgeous pool, beautiful land and modern looking rooms. Ultimately, this is definitely a place to check out. This area would be the perfect place to visit in the Philippines for couples because if it’s exclusivity.

Places to visit in the Southern Philippines

Have you been to the Philippines? What is your favorite part about the Philippines? Which Places to visit in the Southern Philippines were you favorite?  Leave your comments below. 

Finally, if you liked this post, see Top 10 Places to Visit in the Philippines. ALSO SEE: Top 10 Things to do in Bohol, Philippines and Bohol Man Made Forest

DISCLAIMER: Oftentimes you will find that I’ve included links to certain hotels/tours/products/services. If you purchase anything through these links, I’ll receive a commission. It won’t cost you anything extra, but it will help keep this blog up and running.

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13 Comments

  1. Looks like you had a lot of fun! love your bathing suit 🙂 very pretty! Those waterfalls look heavenly. Could us a nice swim right about now as we are on the verge of getting snow!

  2. These are destinations I wouldn’t have thought of visiting, but this makes me want to definitely give them a try! I especially love all the waterfalls of Illigan City! Love that you can stand under the one!

  3. I’ve been to Boracay and Malapascua (the latter for my honeymoon). A lot of people were like ‘but is it safe??’ when we told them we were going to the Philippines for our honeymoon. It made me quite sad that everyone now thinks it’s some super unsafe place when the vast majority of the country is still very safe, I believe. Prior to reading this post, I’d have just stayed away from southern Philippines altogether. It’s interesting to see what the area has to offer!

    1. Yea there is a pretty big stigma about the safety in the Southern Part of the Philippines, but that does not apply to all of the Philippines. Most of the time you just need to be aware of your surroundings. Also, if you feel as if your driver is sketch, then he probably is, just trust your gut. But most of the people in the South are friendly and I haven’t felt unsafe when traveling there.

  4. Great list! I have been to some of these places as my family is from Cebu. Beautiful spots on that list – some I’ve been dying to go like Siargao!!

  5. Great guide! You are right, I feel like I’ve seen several articles lately on the Philippines. Thank you for writing about the not-so-safe area of the country as well. It is important to know about these things before heading to the country.

  6. Great list of places to visit! I have several friends from the southern parts of the Philippines who’ve suggested similarly. Pagadian and the falls in Illigan City look so scenic!

  7. These photos are all so beautiful!!! I’ve been dying to add the Philippines to my list but just haven’t been able to as of yet. But the islands that you’ve posted have me ready to book the next flight there! Especially the waterfalls on Camiguin Island… to die for! Simply gorgeous!

  8. I loved your list. Places are not crowded and naturally so beautiful. I am so eager to visit these places. Saved your post for my future reference.

  9. Philippines looks total fun! I have been waiting to visit all these places in Philippines since long! it looks more cool from your camera lens! Thanks for sharing this amazing piece! loved reading this! Cheers!

  10. Wow Stephanie. The Philippines are inspired. I have never visited save a 12 hour layover in Manila but look forward to seeing the place. As for safety, most places are fine. Use common sense, follow local laws and hey, enjoy your time out before any curfew or late night hours. Most of the negative headlines are pure rubbish. I lived in Turkey 6 days after the coup and in Thailand during a coup. No issues at all. Thanks for sharing 🙂

    1. Ryan, I totally agree it is a stigma. Yes, you need to be aware of your surroundings (that should be for any country you travel to), but the South has always had government warning signs, so a lot of people are afraid to travel there with the kidnappings and attacks. I have been over 7 times and never felt threatened and will be there this December. The Southern part is like I said under martial law at the moment not allowing people to be out after 8pm which is a new law, since the Philippines government is having an issue with the attacks. I wrote this post to provide awareness to the situation so that my readers know what is going on and why these places are high on the safety list. But, I also want to show the beauty and off the beaten path locations compared to the major tourist spots in the Philippines such as Manila, Palawan, Borocay and Cebu, which are located in the North and West. Everyone typically travels in the North because of this stigma, but I wanted to show that the South has a lot to offer as well.

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