There and back.

The region's flagship contemporary art fair — Visayan and Mindanao artists, talks and workshops.

The Philippines' first Ramsar wetland — a 920-hectare tidal flat where up to 40,000 migratory shorebirds (Chinese egret, dowitchers, plovers) stop over on the East Asian flyway. A short pumpboat from Mactan gets you there; go at low tide near dawn when the flats fill with feeding birds, and bring binoculars because the observation deck is bare-bones.

Cebu's underground electronic collective — DJ sets and warehouse nights well off the Mango Avenue strip.

Cebu City's high-energy clubbing strip on Gen. Maxilom Ave — nightclubs and bars side by side.

Cebu's underground house and techno collective throwing roving warehouse and rooftop parties.

Dumaguete's seaside driftwood treehouse bar and its legendary live Reggae Wednesdays.

Siquijor's biggest weekly beach party at JJ's in San Juan — beachfront DJs and live bands.

Cebu's favourite night food market — dozens of stalls, craft drinks, and live acoustic sets at IT Park.

Salagdoong near Maria has two concrete diving platforms (about 5m and 10m) over clear turquoise water — jump only at high tide. Pair it with Paliton on the west coast, where a trail through the trees opens onto a wider white-sand stretch locals call 'Little Boracay,' best at sunset.

The full Badian-to-Kawasan canyoneering run is the real deal — scrambling, swimming, and jumping off ledges from ~4m up to a heart-stopping 10m (all optional, with climb-down alternatives) before you land at the turquoise Kawasan pools. Local's tip: it's closed every 3rd Wednesday of the month for cleanup, and slots are managed through official booking, so reserve ahead and go early.

Malapascua is one of the only places on earth you can reliably see pelagic thresher sharks at a cleaning station, and since 2022 the action has moved from Monad to Kimud Shoal, where sightings are the best in 20+ years. Local's tip: it's a pre-dawn boat (you'll be diving by 6am) and the cleaning station sits around 12m, so even Open Water divers can do it — no deco needed.

Siquijor's calm, clear water and the healthy reef at Tubod Marine Sanctuary make it one of the best places in the country to learn to freedive. Local's tip: Siquijor Freediving (the island's first school and only Instructor Training Center, founded 2019) runs beginner-to-instructor courses, while community-run Amuma Freediving offers AIDA certifications and trains local guides.

Carcar's lechon strip at the New Public Market is the cult favorite Cebuanos drive an hour south for — stuffed with spices, fruit juice and a local leaf, then chopped with the pork drippings mixed back in. Stalls all charge about the same, so wander the back row taking free tastes before you pick, and arrive mid-morning when the pigs are freshest.

Dumaguete's most famous pasalubong is the frozen buttercream-and-cashew-meringue silvana, and Sans Rival Cakes & Pastries on San Jose Street is its original home (open since 1977). Buy them frozen on your departure day — they melt fast, so a styro box of butter silvanas is the move.

A roughly 45-minute glide by native paddle boat through 1.4km of mangroves to where the river meets the sea, run entirely by BAETAS — a co-op of trained local fisherfolk, farmers and housewives in Aloguinsan. Book the full package ahead (around P800–850 per person) for the welcome ceremony, home-cooked Cebuano lunch and handicraft demo. They cap visitors at 50–60 a day and the boats only run at high tide, so coordinate timing with the tourism office when you reserve.

Siquijor isn't just beaches and waterfalls — it's the 'healing island,' and you can sit with real mananambal (folk healers) for a bolo-bolo cleansing (a stone in a glass of water, blown through a bamboo straw to draw out bad energy) or a tuob herbal fumigation at Balay Pahauli in Cantabon. Local's tip: the healers are busiest around Holy Week, when they gather herbs, roots and stones on Mt. Bandilaan over seven Fridays to recharge the oils they use all year.