Tailor-Made Philippines Holidays, Planned Locally
Tell us how you like to travel. We design the route, choose the right islands and hotels, and arrange every flight, ferry and transfer from arrival to departure.
Tailor-made itineraryHand-picked resortsPrivate transfers24/7 local support
One country, 7,641 islands — the route is everything
A private tour of the Philippines isn't a coach itinerary with the coach removed. It's a holiday built from scratch around you: how many nights you have, who's travelling, the pace you enjoy, and whether you want lagoons and boat days, reefs and wrecks, rice terraces and waterfalls — or a bit of everything with proper beach time in between.
Here's the honest part: the Philippines rewards good planning more than almost any destination in Asia. The islands are stitched together by domestic flights, fast ferries and small regional airports; two monsoon systems shape the seasons; and the order in which you visit places can save — or cost — an entire travel day. Nearly every island connects through one of the two main hubs, Manila and Cebu, so a hop that looks direct on a map (El Nido to Bohol, say) usually routes back through a hub and eats a day. Getting the airport wrong is a classic own goal, too: Boracay is reached via Caticlan, not the far-slower Kalibo.
So we plan the skeleton first and hang the holiday on it. As a rule of thumb, three main destinations is the right ambition for a fortnight — depth over box-ticking — with roughly three or four domestic flights across a 14-day trip. Often the most efficient shape is an open jaw: fly into Manila, out of Cebu, and never double back. And whatever the route, a typical Olive Tree itinerary is a deliberate hybrid: privately guided days where a guide genuinely adds something, driver-and-vehicle days where that's all you need, private island-hopping boats at your own pace, and free days built in to simply enjoy the resort. Never overloaded — planned right.
Where a private tour shines
Four islands we route most private journeys through — each earning its place for a different reason.
El Nido
The scenery everyone comes for — limestone cliffs and hidden lagoons, best explored on your own private banca with the timing worked out to reach the famous stops ahead of the crowds. Worth at least four nights, with a spare day as weather insurance.
Explore El Nido →
Coron
Jungle-ringed lakes, WWII wrecks and quieter waters — linked to El Nido by fast ferry, so the whole of Palawan becomes one seamless chapter rather than two separate flights.
Explore Coron →
Bohol
The easiest all-rounder: Chocolate Hills, tarsiers, the Loboc River and beach resorts on Panglao — with its own airport and the fewest moving parts of any island in a multi-centre route.
Explore Bohol →
Boracay
Four kilometres of powder-white sand and the country's most famous sunsets — reached quickly via Caticlan, and almost always the final stop, where the itinerary slows down and the holiday sinks in.
Explore Boracay →Three journeys we love to build
Real routing logic from hundreds of trips — each one reshaped around your dates, pace and style.
The Classic First Visit
14 nightsManila → El Nido → Bohol → Boracay
Our benchmark route, and the one we'd recommend most first-timers: a night in Manila to acclimatise, four in El Nido with a built-in weather day, three amid Bohol's countryside and reefs, and three on Boracay's beach — three or four short flights, no backtracking.
The Palawan Line
10 nightsManila → El Nido → Coron
Palawan end to end: private lagoon-hopping in Bacuit Bay, the fast ferry north, then Coron's lakes and wrecks — one region, one boat culture, and the flights kept to a minimum.
The Full Sweep
16 nightsManila → El Nido → Bohol → Cebu → Boracay
The famous names at an unhurried pace, often flown open-jaw for efficiency — dramatic Palawan first, Bohol's nature and Cebu's waterfalls in the middle, and Boracay's sunsets to close.
Every trip is tailor-made — these journeys are inspiration, not fixed packages.
Travelling for something specific? We build the same way around diving, adventure, honeymoons and luxury escapes.
The mistakes we quietly save you from
Most people who plan the Philippines themselves make the same handful of missteps — none obvious until you're standing in the wrong airport. Cramming in too many islands, so half the trip is spent packing and transferring. Booking Kalibo instead of Caticlan for Boracay, and adding hours of road each way. Choosing a hotel on price alone and landing in the wrong part of the island. Trusting a tight connection that leaves no room for a delayed ferry, or a sea tour with no buffer for the day the wind gets up. And, above all, booking the flights before the route is settled — which locks in every one of the mistakes above.
The one rule we never bend: we never connect a domestic flight straight onto your international departure. There's always a safety night at the hub before you fly home, so a single delayed island hop can't cost you the long-haul flight. It's the kind of detail that only matters once — and by then it's too late to add.
We plan the Philippines from the Philippines
Most tailor-made operators design the Philippines from an office overseas and pass the ground arrangements to a local agency. Olive Tree Travel is the local operator — our team is based in Panglao, Bohol, accredited by the Philippine Department of Tourism. We've stayed in the hotels we recommend, ridden the ferries we book, and we know which connections genuinely work, which hotels are quietly under renovation, and when a sea day needs a backup plan. While you travel, the people who built your itinerary are in the same time zone, one message away.
Good questions, honest answers
How long should a private Philippines tour be?
Ten to sixteen nights is the sweet spot from Australia or the UK. For a fortnight we'd usually plan three main destinations rather than five — every extra island means another flight or ferry, another pack-up, another travel day. Depth beats a longer checklist every time.
How much of the travelling is by plane, and how does routing work?
Expect roughly three or four domestic flights on a 14-day trip. Nearly everything connects through Manila or Cebu, so we often fly you in to one and out of the other — an open jaw — to avoid doubling back. Where two islands don't connect directly, we plan the hub stop in rather than leave you to discover it at the airport.
When is the best time to go?
December to May is the dry season across most of the islands, with the calmest seas for boat trips. June to November brings more rain and the occasional typhoon, mainly affecting the north and east — though it's greener, quieter, and often still excellent in the right regions. Tell us your dates and we'll route around the weather, always with a buffer day for sea tours.
Will we have a guide with us every day?
Only where it adds something. Most of our itineraries mix privately guided days, driver-only transfer days, private boat days and completely free days. You're never herded — and never stranded.
Do Australian and British passport holders need a visa?
No — both receive 30 days visa-free on arrival, extendable in-country if you fall for the place. Your passport should be valid for at least six months beyond your stay.
How does booking work?
Send us your dates, party and travel style. Within 24 hours you'll have a draft itinerary — islands, hotels, experiences and logistics. We refine it together until it's right, confirm everything before you fly, and stay a message away throughout your trip.
Your route through the islands starts here.
Tell us how you like to travel and we'll design a tailor-made Philippines itinerary around you — free, no obligation, within 24 hours.