Philippines with kids

Strict about silence and no flash, which suits over-sixes and defeats toddlers. Twenty minutes on a boardwalk.

A long van day inland to a viewing deck over a thousand grassy mounds. Combine it with the tarsiers and the river cruise.

The city aquarium, with a tunnel and a sea lion show. Thirteen dollars and a decent wet-afternoon hour.

A large hillside animal park two hours north of the city. A full day with a long drive at each end, and the best zoo in the Visayas.

White sand and shallow water on Panglao. Dumaluan is the quieter of the two and better with small children.

Turtles and a wall drop-off, reached by outrigger. For confident swimmers only, and take your own masks.

A cable car across the river gorge, or a zipline if anyone is brave enough. Sits beside the Chocolate Hills day and costs very little.

Jumping and sliding down a turquoise river gorge in a helmet and life jacket. Genuinely strenuous, and there is a minimum age for a reason.

The ropes course and bike-on-a-wire beside the hills, and about a dollar to enter. Rides are paid separately and there are height minimums.

A canyon park with a plunge swing, zipline and cave tubing, two hours from Panglao. For the older, braver end.

A paddle out after dark to the trees where the fireflies gather. Thirteen dollars, and quieter than the lunch cruise.

The standard Panglao boat morning — Virgin Island's sandbar and a snorkel stop. Leaves very early to beat the wind.

A dawn boat to where the resident dolphins feed, then a snorkel stop. Sightings are common but never promised, and the boat keeps its distance.

The sandbar in the late afternoon, when the day boats have gone. Shallow, warm and much calmer than the morning run.

A working farm with a hands-on workshop — planting, feeding, making something. Nine dollars and a change from boats.

A floating buffet up a green river with a band. Touristy in the pleasant way, and the children eat.

Roast pork the island is famous for, sold by the kilo from a counter. Ask for the shoulder rather than the belly with children.

Lechon, ngohiong and puso rice across several stops with a guide. Cebuano food is mild, which helps with children.

Chocolate Hills, the tarsiers and the Loboc river lunch cruise in one guided day. Does the three separate cards above in one go, with the driving handled.

Pool, beach and lunch at a Mactan resort without staying there. Seventeen dollars, and the cheapest good beach day near the airport.

A private island sandbar off the south coast, day pass only. Three hours from the city, so pair it with the south rather than day-tripping.

The highest point on the island, reached by tricycle up a steep road. Ten minutes at the top and the whole island is laid out below.

The windward side, where a hundred kitesurfers fill the sky from November to April. Not for swimming; entirely for watching.

Four kilometres of powder sand. Station 1 is the quietest end, Station 2 the busiest and closest to food.

Coarser sand, bigger waves and a fraction of the crowd at the north end. Better for a walk than for small children swimming.

A small play and games complex at Hue Hotel with a rock wall and a pool. Useful when the sea is too rough.

An outrigger sailboat for an hour before sunset. Cheap, quick and better than any boat tour on the island.

A weighted helmet and a walk on the seabed, for anyone who will not put a face in the water. Check the operator's age minimum.

A working rice village on the mainland where children plant, thresh and cook. Booked ahead, and the antidote to a week on a beach.

The best reef within reach of the island, on the standard hopping boat. Calmer in the morning before the wind gets up.

The standard boat morning to Crystal Cove and a snorkel stop. Fifteen dollars, and cancelled outright when the wind turns.

Mount Luho, the Bat Caves and the far end of the island by tricycle or van. The half of Boracay nobody walks to.

A clear-hulled kayak in the shallows off White Beach, about four dollars. Half an hour, and entirely about the photographs.

A late-afternoon sail with paddleboards and kayaks off the back. Fourteen dollars and the best-value evening on the island.

Kayaks along the cliffs at the quiet north end, with a cave stop. Open water — for confident swimmers.

A board and an hour on the flat morning water, about seven dollars. Bulabog side is windier — ask for the White Beach launch.

Buy the fish and prawns yourself, then pay a nearby restaurant to cook them. Agree both prices before anything is weighed.

The compulsory environmental fee and terminal charge, bought in advance. Not an attraction — a queue you skip on arrival.

A paddled boat into a limestone cave system, on a permit that must be booked ahead. A full day including the drive.

The bay just south of El Nido town, where the boats come in and the light goes orange behind the karsts. Ten minutes by tricycle and free.

Mangoes, dried fish and tricycles being loaded. Twenty minutes and the most ordinary, useful thing you will do there.

A small cacao forest park near Sabang with lunch included, five dollars. Pairs with the underground river morning.

Giraffes and zebras on a Philippine island, descended from a 1970s Kenyan transfer. Odd, and the children will not forget it.

Four kilometres of nearly empty sand forty minutes from El Nido, and calmer than the lagoons for swimming.

Fifteen minutes from El Nido town, calm enough for paddling and the best sunset on that coast. A zipline runs off the headland for anyone tall enough.

Big Lagoon and Secret Lagoon by outrigger, with lunch on a beach. Long, sunny and the reason to come.

A small burial cave you scramble into and warm springs a short ride away. The dry-land option for a day when the boats are cancelled.

Caves, a snake-shaped sandbar and a cathedral-sized cavern. Quieter than Tour A and involves more swimming between stops.

Hidden beaches reached through gaps in the rock, and the best snorkelling of the four. The longest day and the roughest crossing.

Three islands off Puerto Princesa with shallow, calm water and a sandbar. Much gentler than the El Nido boats.

A paddle boat up a mangrove river after dark to trees full of fireflies. No engine, no torches, and genuinely quiet.

Swimming alongside wild whale sharks off Puerto Princesa, in season and unbaited. Sightings are never guaranteed and the boat keeps its distance.

A clipped-in climb up Taraw cliff to a viewdeck over the bay. Seven dollars, and vertigo is a real consideration.

A zipline over the bay beside the underground river jetty. Ten dollars, and it fills the wait for the boat.

Coffee with a room full of huskies in Puerto Princesa, three dollars in. Silly, air-conditioned and reliably a hit.

The baywalk, the crocodile farm and the cathedral in a half day. Mainly a way to fill an arrival afternoon.

Kayangan Lake and the twin lagoons, which are the clearest water in the country. A separate island and a separate flight from El Nido.

The quiet middle of the coast, with turtles on the seagrass and almost no boats. Four hours by road from Puerto Princesa.

Tuna, squid and garlic rice at a table on the sand in El Nido. Sunset is the point; the kitchens are slow and nobody minds.

An aquarium on the bay with a tunnel, a bird show and a penguin house. Sixteen dollars and firmly indoors.

A hands-on science museum in BGC, and the best-designed thing on this list. Ten dollars, timed sessions.

A tiger safari and animal park at Subic, seven dollars. The tiger truck is caged and the tigers are not made to perform.

An open-water marine park in a natural cove. Twelve dollars, and the setting is the difference from a concrete tank.

The largest zoo in the country, out at Rizal. Ten dollars, a long drive, and a full day once you are there.

Animatronic dinosaurs in a wooded park. Fourteen dollars and squarely aimed at the under-tens.

A walk-through museum of Filipino food and regional culture, with tastings. Ten dollars and more fun than it sounds.

A domed wildlife park in Manila with native species. Twelve dollars, newer than most of the city's attractions.

The country's biggest theme park, an hour south in Laguna. A full day and a long drive back in traffic.

An older indoor-and-outdoor fairground near the bay, twelve dollars. Dated rides, short queues.

A DreamWorks play centre at City of Dreams — slides, a cooking studio, character sets. Aimed at the under-tens.

The Finnish indoor activity park at McKinley: trampolines, a ninja course, pedal cars. Pricey by local standards.

A water park in Laguna, ten dollars. Busy at weekends and much calmer midweek.

The largest water park in the country, up at Clark. Two hours north, so best on the way to or from that airport.

A ride-all-you-can fairground on the Taal crater rim, seven dollars. The ferris wheel hangs out over the lake.

A large trick-art museum in Cubao built for photographs. Shoes off, and you are meant to climb into the paintings.

An indoor play town in Las Piñas, six dollars. Small, cheap and right for preschoolers.

A rink inside the mall, six dollars including skates. The reliable answer when the traffic has beaten you.

The walled Spanish city, guided. The history is colonial and wartime and needs some framing first, but it is the one thing in Manila that is genuinely old.

The world's oldest Chinatown, eaten through across several stops. A lot of walking in heat — go in the late afternoon.

A coconut plantation with a bamboo-raft ride and lunch at tables set in a shallow waterfall. Two hours south and worth the day.

The Taal volcano viewpoints, the ridge and a stop or two, with the driving done. Ten degrees cooler than the city.