Philippines
The Philippines is an archipelago of 7,000 lush, tropical islands of great natural beauty, fascinating colonial remnants and some of the best beaches and diving in Asia. The Philippines features jade-colored rice fields, long, pristine beaches, clear turquoise waters, active volcanoes and rainforest-covered mountains. As one of the most diverse nations in Asia, the Philippines boasts fascinating tribal people in the more remote areas of northern Luzon, and in Mindanao, the southern Philippines, where few tourists ever venture.
Europeans first encountered the Philippines during Magellan's voyage to circumnavigate the globe in the early 1500s, when the archipelago was a disparate collection of tribal kingdoms. Subsequent Spanish missions succeeded in uniting the kingdoms under the Spanish flag, naming the country "Las Filipinas" after King Philip II. Colonized by Spain for over 300 years, then by the United States for another 40, the Philippines was a major Pacific theater of World War II, as the Allies sought to overturn the Japanese occupation. In 1946, the Philippines finally became an independent republic. Centuries of Western colonization have deeply influenced the culture, creating a unique amalgam of traditional Eastern practices and modern Western sensibilities.
Despite centuries of colonial rule, Filipinos are exceedingly friendly and outgoing and very welcoming to visitors. About 80 percent of its 94-million-strong population is Roman Catholic, and the Philippines is one of the largest English speaking nations in the world.
Philippines Regions
Explore in-depth information, experiences and highlights by navigating to specific regions using the links below on the right.
Why Remote Lands?
Exclusively Asia
With Remote Lands you'll travel with people who have made Asia the solitary focus of their own lifelong adventure. As our guest, you'll discover Asia on a journey that is completely, authentically your own, adapted from our own remarkable experiences and adventures over the years.
With Remote Lands you'll travel with people who have made Asia the solitary focus of their own lifelong adventure. As our guest, in the continent that our north American founders Catherine and Jay have adored and explored for decades, you'll discover Asia on a journey that is completely, authentically your own, adapted from our own remarkable experiences and adventures over the years.
Weather in Philippines
Throughout most of the archipelago, the best time to visit The Philippines is in the summer between December and February, when the weather is dry.
- The climate is mostly tropical and tempered by constant sea breezes. There are three distinct seasons: the rainy season (June to September), the cool and dry (October to February), and the hot and mainly dry (March to May). In the lowlands, temperatures remain fairly high throughout the year, while mountainous areas tend to be cooler.
- The central and northern islands have a tropical monsoon climate, similar to that of Indochina, with a single season of heavy rain.
- Rainfall is particularly heavy from August to October, when much of it comes from typhoons in the South China Sea. The most severe of these typhoons produce very high wind speeds and torrential rain. Most of them develop east of the Philippines and move westward into the South China Sea, where they deepen and intensify.
- In the dry season, the weather is sunnier and more pleasant
- The southernmost islands have an almost equatorial climate with significant rain year round.
Multi-Country Specialists
Philippines Goes Well With
Travelogues
An Asia-focused magazine brought to you by Remote Lands - a platform for adventure, luxury, and authenticity from experts and explorers around the continent.
Philippines: Islands, Volcanoes, and Culture with Remote Lands
- Author
- Travelogues
From wreck diving warships to lounging on the beaches of Palawan, the many islands of the Philippines make for the perfect post-Covid adventure.
Gods of Rice: Banaue Terraces Are Out of This World
- Author
- Jay Tindall
The Philippines’ spectacular Banaue rice terraces are over 2000 years old, and home to the Ifugao former headhunters. The perfect place for an exhilarating and exhausting adventure.
The Adorable Wildlife of the Philippines Above and Below the Water
- Author
- Travelogues
Take a break from the beach and check out these five cute critters found everywhere from Bohol to Palawan.