Perhaps the editor’s biggest impression of the Philippines is mangoes. Today, the editor will introduce the Philippines to you in detail. Issues such as transportation, visas, etc. are mentioned, and several islands in the Philippines are It’s a very good attraction. The only one you may be familiar with is Boracay Island. Basic information

Currency exchange

The currency of the Philippines is the peso (peso), expressed in PHP. The exchange rate of the peso often fluctuates. The approximate reference price is that 1 yuan is equal to approximately 6.7 pesos (November 2011), but it is rarely possible to exchange for this exchange rate locally.

In Boracay, the exchange rate is usually worse than in Manila, and it is best to use U.S. dollars to exchange pesos, because there are fewer places to exchange yuan and the exchange rate is not cost-effective. You can also exchange it for pesos before leaving the country, and the price is basically the same as the local exchange rate for US dollars.

UnionPay Card

China UnionPay has launched POS card swiping and ATM cash withdrawal services in the Philippines. All merchants with the "UnionPay" logo can accept UnionPay cards. Some merchants may not have posted the "UnionPay" logo. Cardholders can actively present their UnionPay cards and ask the cashier whether they can use them. There are thousands of ATM machines in the Philippines that can use UnionPay cards to withdraw local currency (Philippine pesos). UnionPay cards cannot be used for bank counter transfers and cash withdrawals overseas. There is no charge for swiping cards overseas. When you choose UnionPay network for consumption, compared with other bank card networks, currency conversion fees ranging from 1 to 2 are waived.

ATM machines

There are many ATM machines on Boracay Island, and most of them accept major credit cards. There are several UnionPay ATM machines where you can withdraw pesos directly with Chinese debit cards. Philippine ATM machines can withdraw up to 10,000 pesos each time, but the upper limit in the option may be only 5,000 pesos. When you use a bank card issued outside the Philippines to withdraw money from an ATM, you will be charged an ATM service fee, which is currently 200 pesos. In addition, the card-issuing bank will generally charge a corresponding withdrawal fee, which is about 10 yuan per transaction, and inquiries will also be charged. Note: ATM machines in the Philippines refund the card first and then dispense the banknotes. Do not forget to withdraw the banknotes after withdrawing the card and thinking that the transaction was unsuccessful. Before swiping a card in the Philippines, be sure to ask if there is a handling fee. Some stores charge a handling fee ranging from 3-7.

Tipping

The Philippines is a country where porters in hotels, musicians in restaurants, waiters in restaurants and bars, and room attendants all need tips. The amount of tips is generally 10 Between 10 pesos and 20 pesos. But when tipping in person, Filipinos are most afraid of tipping with coins because this may be interpreted as charity. The tip is generally 10-20 pesos, and the tip at tourist attractions and essential oil massage therapists is higher, about 100-200 pesos.

Communication

The main telecommunications companies in the Philippines are Globle and Smart. The signals are relatively good in most areas. SIM cards of these two companies can be purchased in many stores in the Philippines.

Globle: A SIM card costs 40-50 pesos. There is no phone fee in it. You need to buy a recharge card. The denominations are divided into 100/300/500 pesos, etc. Domestic calls to the Philippines cost 7.5 pesos per minute and international calls cost 0.4 US dollars per minute. In addition, Globe produces a tipIDD card, which is specially used for long-distance calls. It is similar to domestic IP cards. It has a prepaid face value and card number password. Calls to China cost 5 pesos/minute. You can recharge according to the instructions on the back of the card. If you don’t know how to recharge it, you can ask the store clerk to help you recharge it when you buy it.

There are many public telephones, and PLDT's Budget

Card phone card is generally used, and calls to China cost 5 pesos/minute. Note that this card has a validity period. From the first use, the 100-peso face value is valid for 30 days, and the 200-peso face value is valid for 60 days.

There is an ice cream shop called "HALOWICH" in D'Mall. The store has free Skype international calls, but it is only available to customers who make purchases in the store.

Philippine sockets

The local voltage in the Philippines is the same as that in mainland China, with a voltage of 220V and a frequency of 50 Hz. However, their sockets are American two-hole or three-hole sockets. Flat-hole plugs can be used normally, but other types require a plug converter. You can ask for a plug converter from the front desk of your hotel in the Philippines, or you can purchase an American standard plug converter in advance at major domestic shopping malls.

Best Travel Time

The Philippines has a tropical maritime monsoon climate with high temperatures and rainy weather. Although it is divided into three seasons: cool season, dry season and rainy season, there are no differences between seasons. big. Due to the influence of monsoons and complex terrain, even on the same island, there are differences in climate depending on the region. The cool season is from December to February. The temperature is slightly lower, more comfortable and the rainfall is less. It is the best season for traveling. January is the coolest season, with an average temperature of 25.5°C, and May is the hottest, with an average temperature of 28°C. The dry season is from January to June every year, and the rainy season is from July to December. Typhoon season is from May to November, so please pay attention to whether planes and ferries are suspended. Visa

1. What documents are needed to go to the Philippines?

A passport valid for 6 months and a valid Philippine visa are required.

2. Valid passport (what is a valid passport)

(1) Passport validity period (if the passport validity period does not meet the requirements, you should apply for extension or replacement of the passport)

To apply for a short-term visa, your passport must be valid for more than 3 months beyond the date you plan to leave the Schengen area

To apply for a multiple-entry visa renewal of 1 to 5 years, the validity must be more than 15 months beyond the date you apply for the visa Above

To apply for a long-term visa of more than 3 months, the validity period must be more than 15 months beyond the expected date of departure from China (2) There should be at least two blank visa pages in the passport

(3) If the following circumstances occur in your passport, you should ask the passport-issuing department to re-seal it

The page with the photo in the passport does not have a plastic seal (an anti-counterfeiting transparent film, which should cover the photo) or the plastic seal falls off

The passport is plastic-sealed by a certain company

If there are scratches, scratches or traces of modification inside the passport (4) The passport is issued for more than ten years, even if the passport is still valid when the application is submitted, it should be Relevant Chinese authorities apply for a new passport

Tips: It is not recommended for adults to register one or more children in their passports. We strongly recommend that you use a single passport to facilitate the issuance of individual visas.

3. Philippine tourist visa application

(1) Personal tourist visa application materials

Passport (valid for more than six months)

Passport No. 1 copy each of the first page and the last signature page

1 visa application form (can be downloaded from this website, please be sure to fill it out completely in English. When printing, the front and back of both sides must be printed on 1 piece of A4 paper, with a 2-inch recent photo attached at the end)

Round-trip international air ticket (copy is acceptable)

Chinese and English employment certificate (need to be printed on company letterhead and stamped Official seal)

Original bank deposit certificate

Original ID card

(2) Visa fee

Single tourist visa: RMB 167.5 (Same-day expedited: RMB 335)

Multiple-entry visa: RMB 335 for 3 months, RMB 670 for 6 months

Xiaofan’s reminder: The above is for yourself The price of visa processing at the embassy. If you find it troublesome to apply for a visa by yourself, you can ask a travel agency to do it for you, and the price is between 200 yuan and 250 yuan.

(3) Visa extension

Applications must be made at any office of the Philippine Immigration Bureau. You can entrust a local travel agency to handle this in the Philippines. If you apply for an extension after the visa expires, you will need to pay 1,010 pesos.

(4) Philippines visa-free policy

The Philippine government grants exemption from visa exemption to Chinese ordinary passport holders with valid visas from any of the Schengen countries, Australia, the United States, Canada or Japan. Visa to enter the Philippines and stay for 7 days. As long as you meet the conditions, you can enter the country without a visa, and there is no need to transit through the Philippines to the above countries. Attractions

Boracay

Boracay’s two main tourist beaches, White Beach and Bulabog Beach, are located opposite the narrowest middle part of the island. both ends.

White Beach faces west and Bulabog Beach faces east. There are other beaches on the island as well.

The most romantic white sand beach in the world, a honeymoon dream destination for many people, with many tropical island elements, exciting water activities, rich nightlife, cheap exotic food, all of this is Waiting for you to experience it.

Aviation

Passengers going to Boracay Island usually take an international flight to Manila, the capital, and then transfer to Boracay Island. Please note that Manila International Airport and domestic airport are separate, please plan your transfer time.

There are two airports near Boracay Island. The distance between the two is about 2 hours' drive. There is a shuttle bus for 150 pesos. There are more than 20 flights from Manila to Boracay Island every day, using small planes. The ticket costs about 3,000 pesos and the flight takes about 45 minutes.

Caticlan Airport (Caticlan Airport)

The airport is also known as Godofredo P. Ramos Airport (Godofredo P. Ramos Airport) or Boracay Airport (Boracay)

Airport) is the main entry and exit gateway to Boracay Island. It is close to Boracay Island and can only take off and land small planes, so air tickets are more expensive.

Going to Boracay Island: Take a ferry to Boracay Island, the ferry ride takes 15 minutes, the ferry ticket is 19.5 pesos, the island tax is 50 pesos, and the environmental tax is 50 pesos. There is an environmental tax of 50 pesos to be paid when leaving.

Kalibo International Airport (Kalibo International Airport)

It is far away from Boracay Island. Most planes land here. The departure tax for international flights is 500 pesos and the airport tax for domestic flights is 100 pesos.

Going to Boracay Island: 200 pesos for minibus and 350 pesos for bus.

Ship

There is a pier on Boracay Island. You have to walk on a narrow board to get on and off the boat. You can pay 20 pesos to ask someone to carry your luggage. Generally, when going to Boracay Island, you first go to Caticlan and then take a boat to the island. The boat ride takes 15 minutes, the boat ticket is 25 pesos, the island tax is 50 pesos, the environmental tax is 50 pesos, and an environmental tax of 50 pesos is paid when leaving.

Ship: Take a boat from Manila's North Harbor to New Washington on the northern coast of Panay Island, and then take a bus to Boracay Island.

Vehicle and boat transportation: Take a bus from Quezon City to Batangas, transfer to a boat to Calapan, then take a bus to Roxas, and transfer to a boat to Boracay Island. The whole journey takes about 14 hours, with one departure at 7:00 and 20:30 every day.

Bohol Island

Bothol, the name sounds very artistic and fresh, but in fact this island is much more approachable than imagined. Bohol Island is not large in area, but it has quite a lot of fun. You can go out on a crab boat to see dolphins, snorkel and see corals, and there are also speedboats and sailing boats on the sea. You can do whatever you want.

Bohol is the tenth largest island in the Philippines. It is 70 kilometers away from Mactan Island in Cebu. It is a coral island. The broken corals are washed into the beach by the sea. It is not fine sand like flour, but even in the sun Under the scorching sun, it was still cool to step on. The beach is snow-white, reflecting the sea water in distinct layers. It is light green near and deep blue in the distance.

Aviation

There are no domestic flights directly to Bohol, so there are two ways to get to Bohol: one is to fly to Manila and then transfer to Tagbilaran; the other is to fly to Manila and then transfer to Tagbilaran; The first option is to fly to Cebu and then transfer to a ferry.

Tagbilaran Airport

Tagbilaran Airport is an airport located in Tagbilaran City, Philippines. Its main civil aviation business is domestic routes in the Philippines. Bohol Island is not very developed. After leaving Tagbilaran Airport, you can share a car to the hotel for about 400-500 pesos one way.

Cebu Airport to Pier

When you walk out of the terminal, someone with a badge will come over and ask you if you want to take a "taxi"

These are actually chartered cars. You can continue walking forward, cross a pedestrian crossing, and climb a flight of stairs until you reach the actual taxi rank. These taxi drivers will usually negotiate a price with you. If you use a meter, it depends on the traffic conditions. It is usually cheaper than the reduced price, but few drivers agree to use a meter. Cebu's airports only provide yellow taxis (Airport

Taxi), which are operated by the airport. Taking a yellow taxi from Cebu Airport to Pier 1 costs about 300 pesos.

Ships

The Tagbilaran City Port operates at least 12 passenger routes to many cities in the Philippines. There are 35 passenger ships to and from Cebu every day, and speedboats can shorten the sailing time to 1.5 hours.

There are four piers in Cebu 1***, mainly Pier 1 Oceanjet, Pier 3 WeesamExpress, and Pier 4 Supercat. The earliest departure is 6 o'clock. There are discounted prices for round-trip tickets.

The boat ride from Cebu to Bohol takes about 2 hours, and it takes about 40 minutes from the Bohol Pier to the hotels around Alona Beach.

Palawan Island

Palawan Island is a long and narrow island in the southwest of the Philippines. It is attracting more and more tourists with its nature and adventure. This piece of Amazon The jungle-like inland area is the last ecological virgin land in the Philippines, and there are more than a thousand large and small islands around it, so it is called a seaside utopia.

Puerto Princesa (Puerto

Princesa) is the capital of Palawan, and its underground river park is world-famous. There are many large and small islands around Palawan, so it is also a paradise for diving and snorkeling. The more famous diving sites include Rita Island, Pandan Island, Panglima Reef and Tubbata. Among them, Tubbataha is a good place to watch large turtles and birds.

Flights

Manila and Cebu have flights to Puerto Princesa, the capital of Palawan, with a flight time of about one hour. You can also take a small plane to fly to other places in Palawan, such as El Nido, Coron Island, etc. El Nido also has a small airport that can take off and land small planes. It can fly directly from Manila to El Nido, but the seats are limited and the price is high. There is an airport in Coron Town, with direct flights from Manila, Puerto Princesa and other places.

Ships

WG& Company A’s passenger ships sail from Manila to Puerto Princesa twice a week, one of which is direct, about 27 hours, 1,715 pesos; the other is in Coron Island transfer, about 14 hours, 1,270 pesos. There are two boats running between Manila and El Nido every week, which takes about 30 hours and costs 800 pesos.

El Nido

El Nido covers an area of ??96,000 hectares and is proud of its diverse ecosystems, such as tropical rainforests, mangroves, white beaches, coral belts, and limestone reefs . Now, it has become a preferred tourist destination for tourists. Unique natural landscapes, wildlife nature reserves, and countless fish species can all be found in El Nido.

El Nido is world-famous for its hidden lagoons, palm forests and off-shore cruising. El Nido in the afternoon is bathed in sunshine, lazy and full of comfort.

Aircraft

El Nido is also a small airport that can take off and land small planes. You can fly directly from Manila to El Nido, but the seats are limited and the price is high.

Bus

The shuttle bus from Puerto Princesa’s bus terminal to El Nido takes about 8 hours and costs 300 pesos. The shuttle bus from Sabang Station to El Nido takes about 7 hours and costs 1,500 pesos.

The shuttle bus from El Nido Station to Coron Island takes about 9 hours and costs 650 pesos. The last bus is at 6 o'clock. If it is not full, you may have to wait for half an hour.

Mapasgua Island

Mapasgua Island is Malapascua Island. Its shape resembles a loofah, so travelers jokingly call it "Mamapasgua Island". This long and narrow island is famous for its pristine nature, tranquility and diving. Diving here will give you the opportunity to go to the only place in the world where you can see thresher sharks and watch rare "sharks". It is a small island with a well-preserved original ecology that is most suitable for parent-child travel.

"Mamapasgua Island" is a very small island. If Cebu Island is shaped like a loofah, then "Mamapasgua Island" is the shape of a loofah. It takes about an hour to take a crab boat from Maya in Cebu Island. There is only one village on the island, which is quiet, comfortable and primitive. Because of its intact ecological environment, perfect diving environment and "thresher sharks", this small island has become a famous island in the Philippines.

Fly direct from Guangzhou to Cebu. After arriving at Cebu Airport, you can reach Mamapascua Island via the MAYA pier. (Maya is the northernmost town and pier in Cebu Island. It is about 127km away from Cebu, and it takes about 40 minutes to reach Mamapascua Island.)

Siargao Island

Siargao Island, also known as Naughty Island, is a relatively large island in the northeast of Mindanao, Philippines. It has few tourists and is famous for being suitable for surfing.

Because Siargao Island is far away from the capital and is located on an outlying island on the edge of the Pacific Ocean, its customs and customs have not been destroyed so far. Rainforests, rice fields, forests, and palm trees can be primitive and simple everywhere. The local people are very, very friendly. The annual average temperature is around 30 degrees, divided into dry season and rainy season. The temperature in the dry season will be above 35 degrees, while the current average temperature in the rainy season is around 25 degrees. If it rains, you will feel a little cooler. The rainy season is from December to February, and the remaining months are the dry season.

Due to the influence of the southwest monsoon, the best surfing season in Siargao Island is from August to November. September and October are the best months every year. August, September, October, and November are the four months of surfing in the Philippines. April is also good. The above seasons are suitable for intermediate and advanced surfers. In June and July, the waves are smaller, which is especially suitable for beginners to practice and improve.

Suitable places for surfing: various wave points south of GL General City, including 2 wave points around DAKU Island, PARADISE wave point further south, and several wave points on an island farther away. Basically, you need to take a local crab claw boat to get to these wave spots; in the TUASON surfing area, the CLOUD9 wave spot is the most famous, and the Open is held at CLOUD9. The CEMETERY wave spot is suitable for beginners, and most beginners are on this wave. Click to learn.