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Kitesurfer on the water at Boracay (Bulabog Beach area)Anastasia Zhebyuk, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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Philippines

Boracay's Bulabog carries this scene's reputation - a reef-protected lagoon that fills with resort infrastructure and crowds in Amihan season, November to March, then hands off to the more exposed White Beach when the Habagat blows June to October - but eleven spots run well past it.

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Siargao's General Luna Lagoon adds a second full-service base, while Cuyo, Seco Island and Union Beach scatter flat, lightly-crowded water across smaller islands for anyone willing to travel further for fewer people. Which spot works depends on which monsoon is blowing.

Seasonevery monthsomewhere in the country
How we count
Places
4 towns and 4 single spots
Beginners
where a spot record says a beginner can ride; the Beginners page also asks for a school there, so it lists fewer
Best forBeginners4Flat water4Waves and flat3Waves6

When to go

month by month, from the towns' own wind series

  1. Jan, no figure—
  2. Feb, no figure—
  3. Mar, no figure—
  4. Apr, no figure—
  5. May, no figure—
  6. Jun, no figure—
  7. Jul, no figure—
  8. Aug, no figure—
  9. Sep, no figure—
  10. Oct, no figure—
  11. Nov, no figure—
  12. Dec, no figure—

The windiest town in season each month: its share of windy days

Nothing has been measured or modelled for this place: twelve months and no figure in any of them.

No place here is in season in May, so those months carry no figure rather than a zero.

Which place is yours

Grouped by region, the most spots first

How this list is ordered

The places are in the order of how many spots each place holds. None of them carries a wind score: the atlas scores wind reliability one spot at a time, against a named weather station and the distance to it, and a place that groups several spots has no single station to stand behind one number.For wind by month, see When to go above.

Aklan

Boracay Established3 spots · 11 schools · June to April 10 min from the airportflat water beginner-friendly buzzing scene car helps gear rental mid-range

Palawan

Cuyo2 spots · 2 schools · November to Aprillagoon beginner-friendly quiet no car needed gear rental budget to mid

Other places

Daet, Camarines Norte1 spot · 1 school · November to Marchbeginner-friendly quiet car needed gear rental budget Siargao Established1 spot · 4 schools · December to Aprillagoon beginner-friendly sociable no car needed gear rental budget to mid

Standalone spots

Single spots with no town of their own

Anguib Beach1 spot · December to Marchbeginner-friendly Bangui / Kingfisher Beach1 spot · October to Apriladvanced Pamilacan Island1 spot · November to Mayadvanced Seco Island1 spot · November to Aprilflat water advanced expensive

By region

The country's regions, the most spots first

Aklan3 spots · 1 placePalawan2 spots · 1 place

Best for

Pages that pick the places in Philippines for one kind of riding

Beginners in Philippines4 placesFlat water in Philippines4 placesWaves and flat in Philippines3 placesWaves in Philippines6 places

Destinations

All 8 places, by name

Every place in the lists above, by name only, in the order the country guide keeps them.

BoracayCuyoDaet, Camarines NorteSiargaoSeco IslandPamilacan IslandBangui / Kingfisher BeachAnguib Beach

Visa & entry

EU passportVisa-free 30 days (2026), extendable via the Bureau of Immigration in increments (1, 2 or 6 months) up to a total of 36 months from most recent arrival.
US passportVisa-free 30 days, same extension regime as above.
UK passportVisa-free 30 days (2026): UK citizens can enter visa-free for tourism or business for up to 30 days. A contradictory 7 days figure circulates, but it is tied to British Nationals (Overseas) passport holders specifically, not standard UK passports.
Entry or eco taxesManila (NAIA) airport: no departure tax currently. Cebu Mactan airport: PHP 850 (or USD equivalent) departure fee (2026).
Digital nomad visaNo dedicated digital nomad visa for the Philippines.
NotesAll visitors must register on the Philippines' e-Travel system within 72 hours before arrival and show the resulting QR code at the airport; proof of return/onward travel expected. Passport valid 6+ months beyond arrival. Currency import cap: max PHP 50,000 cash brought in; foreign currency over USD 10,000 must be declared.

Money

CurrencyPhilippine Peso (PHP).
Paying by phoneGCash (Globe Fintech) and PayMaya/Maya are the dominant e-wallets; InstaPay/PESONet are the interbank instant-transfer rails.GCash officially supports international and foreign-issued cards for top-up and advertises that its physical GCash Card works in 200+ countries, but full local wallet registration (to receive and send P2P) requires a Philippine mobile number and ID verification;whether a short-term tourist can complete that easily is unclear.
Scams
  • Fake or dishonest taxi drivers: some drivers and their accomplices have robbed and harmed passengers; use reputable or metered taxis, or ride-hailing apps.
  • Methanol poisoning incidents in adulterated alcoholic drinks reported at popular tourist destinations.
  • Armed hold-ups on jeepneys/buses reported, particularly in Manila and other large cities.

SIM & internet

ID needed for a SIMThe Philippines' SIM Registration Act (Republic Act No. 11934, signed 2022) requires SIM registration with valid ID; this reportedly covers tourist SIM purchases too, on a passport, at the point of sale or through an online portal within a set window, after which the SIM is deactivated.
NotesGlobe Telecom, Smart Communications (PLDT) and DITO are the three national operators; Globe and Smart are generally the stronger networks on the outer islands that matter for kite spots (Siargao, Boracay, Cuyo and Palawan).

Insurance

RecommendedComprehensive travel insurance matters here: intensive care in the Philippines can exceed GBP 1,000/day.
Healthcare and evacuationThe availability of medical care varies across the Philippines and may not meet the standards of care in the UK, particularly in rural and remote areas, directly relevant to island kite spots like Siargao, Cuyo and Daet.

Health

VaccinesRoutine vaccines (MMR, DTaP, flu, polio, varicella) plus Hepatitis A/B for unvaccinated travelers, Typhoid for most travelers, Japanese Encephalitis for extended rural stays, Chikungunya vaccine consideration for 6+ month stays, up-to-date COVID-19 status, and a pre-exposure rabies vaccination discussion for outdoor activities (2026). Yellow fever and polio certificates are required if arriving from designated risk countries.
Mosquito-borne diseasesDengue risk is year-round but intensifies in the rainy season (June-October), and chikungunya risk is also flagged nationally.Malaria transmission risk exists in Palawan and Mindanao (relevant to the Cuyo area, which sits in the Palawan/Cuyo island group) but NOT in Boracay, Siargao, or Camarines Norte (Daet): no malaria prophylaxis is needed for those three destinations, but consider it for the Cuyo/Palawan region.
Emergency numbers911, ask for an ambulance.
Hospital standardCare may not meet the standards of care in the UK, particularly in rural and remote areas; most kite destinations here (Cuyo, Daet, Siargao) qualify as rural or remote relative to Manila and Cebu.
Pharmacy notesCDC warns of counterfeit rabies vaccines circulating - obtain vaccines only from authorized facilities.

Driving

Road safetyAccidents happen frequently, mainly due to poor road conditions, dangerous driving and non-enforcement of traffic laws. Avoid night travel where possible; extra caution around motorbikes.

Regulation

Protected areasBoracay's Bulabog Beach is the designated kite and watersports beach, separated from the calmer White Beach used for swimming. Current zoning rules and any seasonal closures are unclear.
OtherThe UK government's travel advice is against all travel to western and central Mindanao and the Sulu archipelago due to terrorism and military clashes; Siargao is explicitly carved out as an exception to that advisory, so Siargao itself is not covered by the 'avoid' zone. Sexual assault has also been reported at backpacker-popular locations including Coron and Siargao.

Calendar & costs

CurrencyPHPSee Money

Kite bag rules for your airline

Flying into Philippines

Type the carrier you are flying: what it charges for a kite bag, and the year of the policy that says so.

Every carrier, with limits and what riders report at the counter →

Where records disagree

  • Wikipedia's Visa policy of the Philippines page, as extracted this session, listed UK visa-free stay as '7 days' but attributed that to 'British Nationals (Overseas)' passport holders specifically - this conflicts with gov.uk's clear 2026 statement that standard UK citizens get 30 days visa-free. Treated as a data-extraction artifact; 30 days (gov.uk) is the reliable figure for ordinary UK passports.

Still being checked

We have not verified these yet — tell us if you know.

Show the 6 open questions
  • Exact SIM Registration Act (RA 11934) process and timeline for short-stay tourists (which ID, whether passport alone suffices, deactivation window).
  • Whether GCash/Maya can be practically opened and used by a 1-4 week tourist without a Philippine-issued ID/TIN.
  • Current, precise Bulabog Beach (Boracay) kite zoning/season rules and any barangay or DENR permit requirements.
  • Starlink availability/pricing on Siargao, Cuyo and Daet specifically (relevant given inconsistent grid power on smaller islands).
  • Kite-specific baggage fees for Cebu Pacific, Philippine Airlines and AirSWIFT on inter-island routes to Siargao, Busuanga (Cuyo access) and Daet-area airports.
  • What do a beer, a meal, a coffee and rent cost in the Philippines?

Last updated September 2026