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Best time to visit the Philippines

The best time to visit the Philippines is the dry season from December to May,[1] and February to April is the most reliable window: in March, 11 of the 12 places on our map are rated best. Typhoons are most frequent from July to October,[2] and the southwest monsoon brings rain mainly to the western part of the country from May to September.[3] The east coast follows a different pattern: Siargao is rated poor from November to March, while Bohol, Dumaguete and Puerto Princesa are rated best or good in almost every month.

Last updated: October 15, 2026

Philippines month by month at a glance

Travel weather for 12 places, from long-term averages. Select a month to show it on the map.

Place
Luzon
Baguio Great Great Great Great Mixed Mixed Good Poor Poor Poor Mixed Great
Manila Great Great Great Great Good Mixed Poor Poor Poor Poor Good Good
Palawan
Coron Great Great Great Great Mixed Poor Poor Poor Poor Mixed Mixed Mixed
El Nido Great Great Great Great Good Mixed Poor Poor Poor Mixed Mixed Good
Puerto Princesa Great Great Great Great Good Good Good Good Good Good Good Good
Western Visayas
Boracay Good Great Great Great Mixed Poor Poor Poor Poor Poor Poor Poor
Iloilo Great Great Great Great Good Mixed Poor Mixed Mixed Mixed Mixed Mixed
Central Visayas
Cebu Great Great Great Great Great Good Good Good Good Good Mixed Mixed
Bohol Great Great Great Great Great Great Great Great Great Good Good Mixed
Dumaguete Great Great Great Great Great Great Great Great Good Good Good Mixed
Siargao
Siargao Poor Poor Poor Mixed Mixed Good Good Good Good Mixed Poor Poor
Davao
Davao Good Great Great Good Mixed Good Good Good Good Good Good Good
  • Great
  • Good
  • Mixed
  • Poor

Travel weather in October

Drag to move, scroll or pinch to zoom Map: Natural Earth · Climate: TerraClimate · Storms: NOAA IBTrACS

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Seasons in Philippines

PAGASA, the national weather service, divides the year into a rainy season from June to November and a dry season from December to May. It splits the dry season into a cool part from December to February and a hot part from March to May.[1] Two monsoons steer the rain: the Northeast Monsoon (Amihan) brings cold winds and rain to the eastern side of the country, while the Southwest Monsoon (Habagat) brings warm, moist winds and rain to the western portion from May to September.[3] PAGASA declares the start of the rainy season each year, in 2026 on 4 June for western Luzon and the Visayas, and warns that monsoon breaks of several days or weeks can interrupt it.[4]

Rain does not follow one pattern across the islands, so PAGASA recognises four climate types. Type I has a dry season from November to April and a wet season for the rest of the year, with the heaviest rain from June to September. Type II has no dry season and a very pronounced rain peak from December to February. Type III has a short dry season of one to three months, and in Type IV rainfall is spread more or less evenly through the year.[5] Typhoons add to this. About 20 tropical cyclones enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility each year and 8 or 9 of them cross the country, and the peak of the season is July through October.[2] They generally form near the Mariana and Caroline Islands and move northwest, which spares Mindanao from direct hits by most of the typhoons that cross the country.[1]

Region by region

Luzon (Baguio, Manila)

Baguio is rated best from December to April: it gets 50 mm of rain in December and only 9 to 10 mm in January and February, with daily highs between 23 and 26 °C. From May the rain rises, August brings 666 mm, and in October a tropical storm or typhoon passes within 200 km in 17 of 30 years. The city lies at about 1,500 m, has a mean annual temperature of 18.3 °C and is among the places with the highest annual rainfall in the country.[1]

Manila is rated best from January to April, with 21 to 34 mm of rain a month, and good in May, November and December. Rain reaches 260 mm in June, 440 mm in July and 485 mm in August, and mean daily highs peak at 33.8 °C in April. PAGASA notes that heat and humidity are highest from March to May.[1] When a typhoon approaches, PAGASA warns Metro Manila with one wind signal level for the whole metropolis, not city by city.[6]

Baguio

Best months: December to April

RatingTemperature, °C (line: daytime high, bar: night to day)10°20°30°Rain, mm per month0400700JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

October: Poor · high 24 °C, low 17 °C · 220 mm

Manila

Best months: January to April

RatingTemperature, °C (line: daytime high, bar: night to day)20°30°40°Rain, mm per month0300500JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

October: Poor · high 31 °C, low 24 °C · 233 mm

Palawan (Coron, El Nido, Puerto Princesa)

On the PAGASA climate map, the west coast of Palawan and the Calamian islands around Coron are Type I, dry from November to April and wet for the rest of the year. The east coast, where Puerto Princesa lies, is mostly Type III, with a dry season of only one to three months.[5] In our data Coron and El Nido are rated best from January to April, with 10 to 44 mm of rain a month, and El Nido is good in May (198 mm) and December (122 mm). From July to September both are poor, with Coron at 772 mm in July and 598 mm in September, and El Nido at 498 mm in July.

Storms arrive late in the year: a tropical storm or typhoon passes within 200 km of Coron in 8 of 30 Novembers and 11 of 30 Decembers, and of El Nido in 7 and 9. Puerto Princesa is rated best from January to April and good in every other month, with 143 to 219 mm of rain from May to December. Tours of the Underground River run daily from 8:30 to 3:30 except during extreme weather conditions.[7] As a general rule under Coast Guard guidelines, no vessel of any type or tonnage may sail, except to take shelter, when Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 1 or higher is hoisted over its point of origin, intended route and point of destination.[8]

Coron

Best months: January to April

RatingTemperature, °C (line: daytime high, bar: night to day)20°30°40°Rain, mm per month0400800JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

October: Mixed · high 30 °C, low 23 °C · 277 mm

El Nido

Best months: January to April

RatingTemperature, °C (line: daytime high, bar: night to day)20°30°40°Rain, mm per month0300500JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

October: Mixed · high 30 °C, low 24 °C · 244 mm

Puerto Princesa

Best months: January to April

RatingTemperature, °C (line: daytime high, bar: night to day)20°30°40°Rain, mm per month0150300JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

October: Good · high 31 °C, low 24 °C · 219 mm

Western Visayas (Boracay, Iloilo)

Boracay is rated best from February to April, with 57 to 103 mm of rain a month, and good in January (179 mm). May is mixed and every month from June to December is poor, with 695 mm in July and 309 mm and 304 mm in November and December. A tropical storm or typhoon passes within 200 km in 11 of 30 Novembers and 10 of 30 Decembers.

Iloilo is rated best from January to April, with 65 to 81 mm of rain a month, and good in May (162 mm). June to December is mixed, except July, which is poor at 362 mm, and storms pass within 200 km in 8 of 30 Novembers and 9 of 30 Decembers. Short crossings in the Coast Guard's listed Special Areas, which include the Iloilo Strait and the route between Boracay and Caticlan, may still run under Signal No. 1, but only in daylight, in calm to moderate seas with wind up to 28 km/h, in light rain and good visibility, and with at most half of the passenger capacity.[8]

Boracay

Best months: February to April

RatingTemperature, °C (line: daytime high, bar: night to day)20°30°40°Rain, mm per month0400700JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

October: Poor · high 31 °C, low 24 °C · 401 mm

Iloilo

Best months: January to April

RatingTemperature, °C (line: daytime high, bar: night to day)20°30°40°Rain, mm per month0200400JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

October: Mixed · high 32 °C, low 24 °C · 304 mm

Central Visayas (Cebu, Bohol, Dumaguete)

PAGASA maps Bohol as Type IV, with rain spread through the year, and Cebu and Negros Oriental, where Dumaguete lies, as Type III with a short dry season.[5] In our data Bohol is rated best from January to September, with 55 to 124 mm of rain a month, good in October and November and mixed in December (142 mm, with storms within 200 km in 6 of 30 years).

Dumaguete is rated best from January to August, with 59 to 129 mm of rain a month, good from September to November and mixed in December. Cebu is rated best from January to May, with 45 to 114 mm, good from June to October (172 to 208 mm) and mixed in November and December, when storms pass within 200 km in 6 and 10 of 30 years. Mean daily highs in Cebu reach 33.8 °C in May.

Cebu

Best months: January to May

RatingTemperature, °C (line: daytime high, bar: night to day)20°30°40°Rain, mm per month0150300JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

October: Good · high 32 °C, low 24 °C · 198 mm

Bohol

Best months: January to September

RatingTemperature, °C (line: daytime high, bar: night to day)20°30°40°Rain, mm per month0100200JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

October: Good · high 32 °C, low 24 °C · 173 mm

Dumaguete

Best months: January to August

RatingTemperature, °C (line: daytime high, bar: night to day)20°30°40°Rain, mm per month0150300JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

October: Good · high 32 °C, low 24 °C · 207 mm

Siargao (Pacific coast)

Siargao has the reverse pattern of the west. PAGASA maps Surigao del Norte, the province that includes Siargao, as Type II, with no dry season and a rain peak from December to February,[5] and lists eastern Surigao among the wettest places in the country.[1] The Amihan brings its rain to the eastern side of the country.[3]

In our data Siargao is rated poor from November to March, with 559 mm in November, 743 mm in December, 893 mm in January, 722 mm in February and 577 mm in March. April, May and October are mixed, and June to September are good, with 136 to 190 mm of rain a month. A tropical storm or typhoon passes within 200 km in 11 of 30 Decembers.

Siargao

Best months: June to September

RatingTemperature, °C (line: daytime high, bar: night to day)20°30°40°Rain, mm per month0500900JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

October: Mixed · high 31 °C, low 25 °C · 276 mm

Davao (southern Mindanao)

Davao is one of the steadiest places on the map. Rain stays between 128 and 257 mm in every month, the city is rated best in February and March, mixed in May and good in all other months, and a tropical storm or typhoon passes within 200 km only in December (5 of 30 years). PAGASA maps the area around Davao as Type IV, with no dry season,[5] and says that typhoons generally move northwest from the Pacific, which spares Mindanao from direct hits by most of them.[1]

Davao

Best months: February and March

RatingTemperature, °C (line: daytime high, bar: night to day)20°30°40°Rain, mm per month0150300JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

October: Good · high 32 °C, low 22 °C · 193 mm

Philippines month by month

Philippines in January

Great or good weather: Baguio, Manila, Coron, El Nido, Puerto Princesa, Iloilo, Cebu, Bohol, Dumaguete, Boracay, and Davao. Most rain: Siargao, 893 mm. Hottest days: Cebu, 31 °C on average.

Nine of the 12 places are rated best in January, Boracay and Davao are good, and Siargao is poor with 893 mm of rain. Sinulog in Cebu City is held on the third Sunday of January.[9] The Tourism Promotions Board lists Ati-Atihan in Kalibo on the third Sunday and Dinagyang in Iloilo on the fourth Sunday, and the Feast of the Black Nazarene falls on 9 January in Quiapo, Manila.[10] If your dates cross one of these weekends, book early.

Philippines in February

Great or good weather: Baguio, Manila, Coron, El Nido, Boracay, Puerto Princesa, Iloilo, Cebu, Bohol, Dumaguete, and Davao. Most rain: Siargao, 722 mm. Hottest days: Cebu, 32 °C on average.

February is rated best in 11 of the 12 places, with Siargao the exception at 722 mm of rain, and Baguio gets only 10 mm. In Baguio the Panagbenga flower festival runs in February, and the Paraw Regatta is held on the third Sunday of February in the strait between Iloilo City and Guimaras.[10] Chinese New Year on 6 February 2027 is an additional special non-working day.[11]

Philippines in March

Great or good weather: Baguio, Manila, Coron, El Nido, Boracay, Puerto Princesa, Iloilo, Cebu, Bohol, Dumaguete, and Davao. Most rain: Siargao, 577 mm. Hottest days: Cebu, 33 °C on average.

March is rated best in 11 of the 12 places and is among the driest months: Coron receives 10 mm of rain and Manila 21 mm, while Siargao is still poor at 577 mm. Mean daily highs reach 32.4 °C in Manila and 32.6 °C in Cebu, and PAGASA calls March to May the hot dry season.[1] In 2027 Maundy Thursday (25 March) and Good Friday (26 March) are regular holidays and Black Saturday (27 March) is an additional special non-working day, so book transport and rooms early.[11]

Philippines in April

Great or good weather: Baguio, Manila, Coron, El Nido, Boracay, Puerto Princesa, Iloilo, Cebu, Bohol, Dumaguete, and Davao. Most rain: Siargao, 291 mm. Hottest days: Manila, 34 °C on average.

April is rated best in 10 places, Davao is good and Siargao mixed at 291 mm of rain. It is hot in the lowlands, with mean daily highs of 33.8 °C in Manila and 33.5 °C in Iloilo and Cebu. Kadaugan sa Mactan, the re-enactment of the Battle of Mactan, is held on 27 April in Cebu.[10]

Philippines in May

Great or good weather: Cebu, Bohol, Dumaguete, Manila, El Nido, Puerto Princesa, and Iloilo. Most rain: Boracay, 293 mm. Hottest days: Cebu, 34 °C on average.

Cebu, Bohol and Dumaguete are still rated best in May, with 84 to 106 mm of rain, and Manila and Puerto Princesa are good. Baguio, Coron, Boracay, Siargao and Davao slip to mixed, with 208 to 293 mm. May is the warmest month nationally, with a mean temperature of 28.3 °C at PAGASA stations outside Baguio.[1] In 2026 PAGASA declared the start of the southwest monsoon (Habagat) on 30 May.[12]

Philippines in June

Great or good weather: Bohol, Dumaguete, Puerto Princesa, Cebu, Siargao, and Davao. Most rain: Coron, 365 mm. Hottest days: Cebu, 33 °C on average.

Bohol and Dumaguete are rated best in June, with 95 and 124 mm of rain, while Coron is poor at 365 mm and Boracay is poor at 310 mm, with storms within 200 km in 6 of 30 years. In 2026 PAGASA declared the onset of the rainy season over western Luzon and the Visayas on 4 June.[4]

Philippines in July

Great or good weather: Bohol, Dumaguete, Baguio, Puerto Princesa, Cebu, Siargao, and Davao. Most rain: Coron, 772 mm. Hottest days: Cebu, 32 °C on average.

July is poor in Manila (440 mm of rain), Coron (772 mm), El Nido (498 mm), Boracay (695 mm) and Iloilo (362 mm). Bohol and Dumaguete remain rated best at 112 and 129 mm, and Baguio, Puerto Princesa, Cebu, Siargao and Davao are good. The typhoon season peaks from July through October.[2] Bohol's Sandugo Festival, which commemorates the blood compact between Legaspi and Sikatuna, takes place in the last week of July.[10]

Philippines in August

Great or good weather: Bohol, Dumaguete, Puerto Princesa, Cebu, Siargao, and Davao. Most rain: Baguio, 666 mm. Hottest days: Cebu, 33 °C on average.

Baguio is poor at 666 mm of rain in August, Manila at 485 mm, Coron at 578 mm and Boracay at 470 mm, while Bohol (94 mm) and Dumaguete (123 mm) are rated best and Siargao is good at 136 mm, its lowest of the year. Kadayawan sa Dabaw runs for five days in Davao City in the third week of August.[10]

Philippines in September

Great or good weather: Bohol, Puerto Princesa, Cebu, Dumaguete, Siargao, and Davao. Most rain: Coron, 598 mm. Hottest days: Cebu, 33 °C on average.

September is deep in the typhoon season: a tropical storm or typhoon passes within 200 km of Baguio in 10 of 30 years and of Manila in 7 of 30, and both are poor, with 430 and 392 mm of rain. Bohol is still rated best at 108 mm, and Davao is good with no storms in 30 years. A Wind Signal No. 1 means PAGASA expects winds of 39 to 61 km/h within 36 hours,[6] and under Coast Guard rules vessels generally may not sail while any signal of that level or higher covers their origin, route or destination.[8]

Philippines in October

Great or good weather: Puerto Princesa, Cebu, Bohol, Dumaguete, and Davao. Most rain: Boracay, 401 mm. Hottest days: Cebu, 32 °C on average.

In October a tropical storm or typhoon passes within 200 km of Baguio in 17 of 30 years and of Manila in 10 of 30, and both are rated poor. Puerto Princesa, Cebu, Dumaguete, Bohol and Davao are good, with 173 to 219 mm of rain, while Coron and El Nido are mixed and Boracay is poor at 401 mm. PAGASA declared the end of the Habagat season and of the rainy season over western Luzon and the Visayas on 5 October in 2026,[13] and the start of the Amihan on 27 October in 2025, with rough sea conditions expected.[14]

Philippines in November

Great or good weather: Manila, Puerto Princesa, Bohol, Dumaguete, and Davao. Most rain: Siargao, 559 mm. Hottest days: Cebu, 32 °C on average.

November is good in Manila (126 mm of rain), Puerto Princesa, Bohol, Dumaguete and Davao, but poor in Boracay (309 mm, with storms within 200 km in 11 of 30 years) and Siargao (559 mm). All Saints' Day (1 November) and All Souls' Day (2 November) are both non-working days in 2027.[11]

Philippines in December

Great or good weather: Baguio, Manila, El Nido, Puerto Princesa, and Davao. Most rain: Siargao, 743 mm. Hottest days: Cebu, 32 °C on average.

December is rated best in Baguio (50 mm of rain) and good in Manila (121 mm), El Nido, Puerto Princesa and Davao, but poor in Boracay (304 mm) and Siargao (743 mm). Tropical storms or typhoons pass within 200 km of Coron and Siargao in 11 of 30 Decembers and of Cebu in 10. Super Typhoon Rai made landfall on Siargao on 16 December 2021, after which authorities closed or restricted operations at 126 seaports and cancelled over 160 flights.[15]

Frequently asked questions

When is the best time to visit the Philippines?

PAGASA defines the dry season as December to May.[1] February to April is the most reliable window: in each of these months at least 10 of the 12 places on our map are rated best.

When is typhoon season in the Philippines?

PAGASA puts the peak of the typhoon season from July through October, when nearly 70% of typhoons develop. About 20 tropical cyclones enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility each year and 8 or 9 of them cross the country.[2] Storms can still come later in the year: a tropical storm or typhoon passes within 200 km of Coron in 11 of 30 Decembers.

When is the rainy season in the Philippines?

PAGASA divides the year into a rainy season from June to November and a dry season from December to May.[1] The timing depends on the coast: the Habagat rains on the western part of the country from May to September, while the Amihan brings rain to the eastern side.[3] On the Pacific coast, Siargao is rated poor from November to March, with 559 to 893 mm of rain a month.

When is the best time to visit Palawan (El Nido, Coron, Puerto Princesa)?

January to April: Coron and El Nido are rated best with 10 to 44 mm of rain a month, and Puerto Princesa is rated best too. From July to September Coron and El Nido are poor, while Puerto Princesa stays good. Underground River tours run daily except during extreme weather conditions.[7]

When is the best time to visit Boracay?

February to April: Boracay is rated best in these months, with 57 to 103 mm of rain, and January is good. June to December is rated poor, and storms pass within 200 km in 11 of 30 Novembers. Short boat crossings between Boracay and Caticlan may run under Signal No. 1 only in daylight, in calm to moderate seas, light rain and good visibility, and with at most half of the passenger capacity.[8]

Which parts of the Philippines have good weather during typhoon season?

From June to September Bohol is rated best, Dumaguete is rated best from June to August, and Puerto Princesa, Cebu, Siargao and Davao are good in all four months. PAGASA says typhoons generally move northwest, which spares Mindanao from direct hits by most of them.[1] The exception is rare: Super Typhoon Rai struck Siargao in December 2021, in a region that does not typically experience the brunt of typhoons.[15]

About the data

Temperatures and rain are long-term averages for 1991 to 2020 from TerraClimate, and the typhoon risk counts tropical storms from NOAA IBTrACS. The ratings use the same rules for every country. How the rating works. Long-term averages, not a forecast. The weather in a given year can be quite different.

Travel guide: Philippines

Sources and background

Numbers in the text such as [1] refer to these sources.

  1. [1] PAGASA (DOST): Climate of the Philippines. Retrieved October 15, 2026.
  2. [2] PAGASA (DOST): Tropical Cyclone Information. Retrieved October 15, 2026.
  3. [3] PAGASA (DOST): Climate Advisories (Monsoon overview). Retrieved October 15, 2026.
  4. [4] PAGASA (DOST): Onset of the Rainy Season (press release, 4 June 2026). Retrieved October 15, 2026.
  5. [5] PAGASA (DOST): Climate Map of the Philippines (1951-2010), image on the PAGASA climate page. Retrieved October 15, 2026.
  6. [6] PAGASA (DOST): Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal. Retrieved October 15, 2026.
  7. [7] City Government of Puerto Princesa: Puerto Princesa Underground River (official website). Retrieved October 15, 2026.
  8. [8] Philippine Coast Guard: Revised Guidelines on Movement of Vessels during Heavy Weather, Memorandum Circular 02-23 (23 March 2023). Retrieved October 15, 2026.
  9. [9] Sinulog Foundation Inc: Sinulog Festival (official website). Retrieved October 15, 2026.
  10. [10] Tourism Promotions Board Philippines (Department of Tourism): Calendar of Philippine Festivals and Monthly Observances. Retrieved October 15, 2026.
  11. [11] Presidential Communications Office (Philippines): PBBM declares 2027 regular and special holidays (Proclamation 1427, 8 September 2026). Retrieved October 15, 2026.
  12. [12] PAGASA (DOST): Start of Southwest Monsoon (press release, 30 May 2026). Retrieved October 15, 2026.
  13. [13] PAGASA (DOST): Termination of the Southwest Monsoon (press release, 5 October 2026). Retrieved October 15, 2026.
  14. [14] PAGASA (DOST): Onset of the Northeast Monsoon (press release, 27 October 2025). Retrieved October 15, 2026.
  15. [15] UN OCHA: Philippines: Super Typhoon Rai (Odette) Humanitarian Needs and Priorities (December 2021). Retrieved October 15, 2026.