About Aiden Kenzy, Founder of Lakbay Pinas

Mt. Apo

Bantayan Island

Mt. Tapulao

Mt. Draitan

Mt. Halcon

Mt. Ugo

Mt. Arayat

Mapanuepe Lake

La Union

Mt. Ulap

Mt. 387

I have been travelling the Philippines since 2015 and have reached 69 of its 82 provinces. Thirteen left. Everything on Lakbay Pinas is a place I have physically been to, written up as the practical guide I wish I had found before I went.

The nine years before the blog

I started travelling in 2015 and did not write any of it down for nine years.

That was a mistake, and it is also why this site exists. I spent those years asking the same questions at every terminal, every registration desk, every barangay hall. How much is the boat. Is the guide required or optional. What time does the last trip leave. Does the fee include the cottage. I got the answers in person, used them once, and lost them.

By 2024 I had a decade of notes in my head and nowhere for anyone else to find them, so I started Lakbay Pinas. The travelling started in 2015. The writing started in 2024. The guides published here cover both, which is why some of them carry visit dates going back years and get updated when I return.

What a practical guide means here

Every destination on this site gets the same treatment. Not a description of how beautiful a place is, but the information you need to actually get there and back without wasting money.

That means each guide answers:

What it costs, itemised. Entrance, environmental fee, guide fee, boat, cottage, parking. The total a real trip comes to, not a range.
How to get there, by name. The specific terminal, the fare, the travel time, where to get off, what to ride from there.
Whether a guide or permit is required, and how the registration actually works on the day.
How long it takes, ascent and descent separately for hikes, so you can plan the last trip home.
What to expect on arrival, including the queue, the signal, the toilets, the parts nobody photographs.
Whether it is worth it, and who should skip it.

The last one matters most. A guide that recommends everything recommends nothing.

Where I have been

Mountains. More than 30 Philippine peaks, including Mt. Apo, Mt. Guiting-Guiting, Mt. Halcon, Mt. Dulang-Dulang, Mt. Tapulao, Mt. Amuyao, Mt. Ugo, and Mt. Pulag. I have written up trail classifications, permit processes, and the fees each LGU actually charges at the desk.

Islands and coastlines. From Calayan and the Babuyan group in the far north to Balabac in the south, plus Calaguas, Jomalig, Kalanggaman, Malapascua, Bantayan, Cresta de Gallo, Maniwaya, and Alibijaban. Boat schedules, per-head versus per-boat pricing, and which coves are worth the extra transfer.

Festivals. Ati-Atihan, Sinulog, Dinagyang, Moriones, MassKara, Peñafrancia, Kaamulan, Pahiyas, and Kadayawan, covered with the schedules, the viewing spots, and how far ahead you need to book a room.

Waterfalls, rivers, and lakes. Kaparkan, Tangadan, Aw-Asen, Tulali, Tinuy-an, Bunga, Majayjay, Lake Sebu, Mapanuepe, and the Jovellar Underground River, among others.

Cities, heritage sites, and theme parks. Baguio, Davao, Bacolod, Vigan, Corregidor, Intramuros, and most of the major parks and zoos across Luzon and the Visayas, priced out for families.

The full archive is organised by Beach, Mountains, Natural Waters, Historical Places, Festivals, Cityscapes, Theme Parks, and Travel Tips.

How I write, and what I will not do

I do not write about places I have not been. If a destination is not on this site, it is because I have not stood there yet. There are plenty of Philippine travel sites covering places the writer has only read about. This is not one of them.

I do not invent prices. If I cannot confirm a current fee, I tell you who to call instead of guessing. A number that turns out to be two years old costs you more than no number at all.

I go back. Fees change, roads close, operators stop running, entry points move. I revisit destinations and update the guides, and each one carries the month it was last checked so you know how fresh the information is.

I say when something is not worth it. Some spots are oversold. Some tour packages cost triple what the DIY route costs for the same experience. Some famous places are better in photos than in person. You will find all of that written plainly here.

How Lakbay Pinas earns money

I would rather tell you this directly than bury it.

Affiliate links. Some posts link to services I use, mainly eSIMs and booking platforms. If you buy through one of those links I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only link to things I have used myself, and a commission has never changed a verdict. Full terms are on the Affiliate Disclosure page.

Sponsored and guest content. Some posts are paid placements. Every one of them is labelled as sponsored at the top of the page. Sponsors pay for the placement, not for the opinion. They do not review or approve the content before it goes live, and the prices and the verdict stay mine. If you want to work with me, the details are on the Guest Post page.

Ads. The site runs display advertising, which is what keeps the guides free to read.

None of the above decides which places I write about. I go where I want to go, and I write what I found.

Where I am probably wrong

Philippine travel information goes stale fast. A fee I paid in March can be different by September. A boat operator I recommended can stop running. A trail can close after a typhoon and nobody updates anything online for months.

If you visited somewhere I have covered and the details had changed, tell me. Corrections from readers who were there more recently than I was are the fastest way this site stays accurate, and I credit them when I update a post.

Email me at travel.ph@lakbaypinas.com.

What is next

Thirteen provinces to go: mostly in the Bangsamoro region, the far south, and a handful of island provinces that take three connections to reach. Each one gets the same treatment when I get there.

If you are planning a trip and cannot find what you need in the guides, ask. I answer.