About the country
The Philippines,
an archipelago with more than 7000 islands, are located in Southeast Asia.
Beside the national language, Tagalog, most of the people know how to speak
English. About 90% of the Filipinos are Christians; the remaining 10% are
Muslim, living mostly on the southernmost islands.
The journey will
be to the international airport, Manila or Cebu, and then by domestic flight or ferry
to your destination.
ENTRY AND VISA
Upon entry the passport has to be valid for more
than 6 months. There is no visa required for a stay less than 21 days. A visa
for 59 days is available at the Philippine embassy or consulate. It is possible
to extend the visa until a maximum stay of 1 year at the immigration office of
every bigger city (e.g. Cebu City, Dumaguete).
MONEY AND
CURRENCY
The Philippine currency is the Peso. The US $ bills are easy to change almost
everywhere. US$ traveler checks are accepted in almost every bank and as well
in most of the resorts and dive centers. Payments with VISA and Master cards is
still not everywhere possible. In many resorts credit cards are not accepted or
only with 5-10% service charge. In bigger cities it is possible to get cash out
of the ATM machines.
HEALTH
At the moment
there are no vaccinations required. There is no need to take malaria
prophylaxis in the Visayas. It is just recommended if you're traveling to
Palawan or some parts of Mindanao. Like in every tropic area typhus and
hepatitis prophylaxis is recommended. The Tetanus vaccination should be updated
as well. Please contact your medical doctor if there are any questions.
FOOD AND DRINKS
In almost every
resort there is international food as well as local food available. Specialties
are of course fish and seafood dishes. You will find a big variety of tropical
fruits like mangos, bananas, pineapples and so on.
Tap water isn't
drinkable in every resort, sometimes lightly salty. Mineral water is everywhere
available. Enjoy fresh and delicious fruit juices and shakes. For beer
enthusiasts we can recommend the local San Miguel.
CLIMATE AND
CLOTHING
All around the
Visayas is tropical climate, the temperatures are between 28-35ºC. There is not
really a rainy season in this area; normally from December to June you will
find the most stable weather conditions.
Short pants and
T-shirts are normally enough. A pair of long pants, a sweater or jacket should
be in your hand luggage because of the very cold air-conditioned waiting areas
and fast ferries.
POWER SUPPLY
In almost all
destinations 24 hours power supply (sometimes generator power not 24 hours)
with 220 Volts. Some variation and interruptions can be expected. US standard
plugs are used, for European plugs an adaptor required (please ask the resort
or dive center).
PHOTO AND FILM
The Filipino
people (especially children) like to be in pictures, but always better to ask
first permission.
