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The Philippines are accessible all year round, although it's also worth noting that here, weather can be unpredictable. In addition, there are at least four different climate zones, and some islands have their microclimate, which makes classification even more difficult.
Type I
In the climate zone of Type I, there is a rather dry phase from November to April, during the rest of the year there is more rainfall. Manila, large parts of Palawan, and Mindoro fall into this zone.
Type II
Type III
Type IV
The Philippines is generally located in the tropics, in the entire extension between the Tropic of Cancer and the equator. In these weather zones, no seasons can develop due to the stronger solar radiation as in Europe or the USA. Instead, the weather in the Philippines is simply distinguished into "hot-season" and "rainy-season".
This division makes more or less sense depending on the destination in the Philippines, but it gives the first orientation for all travelers who want to visit this lovely country. However, accurate weather forecasts are very difficult to make for the 7641 islands in the Philippines. A certain weather phenomenon can hinder typical weather conditions and the weather itself can vary greatly between nearby neighboring islands.
The warmer season, simply called "hot season" by the Filipinos
The warm or hot season in the Philippines is in March, April, and May. The rather sun-hungry traveler will therefore consider these months as the best time to travel. High air humidity prevails constantly since the climate is strongly influenced by the sea.
The daytime temperatures can reach values of over 40° C during this time, so caution is advised. An unpleasant sunburn will quickly develop on unprotected parts of the body. Another big problem is that the temperatures at night do not drop sufficiently. Without air conditioning, bed rest can be difficult. This weather period can continue into June.
The Rainy Season
Consequently, the rainy season follows from about mid-June / early July. Depending on the region, the main focus is seen by the locals in June, July, December, and January.
However, the rainy season does not necessarily mean that rain is to be expected constantly. Often there are only occasional showers, which preferably fall in the late afternoon or at night.
Since temperatures can reach quite high values even during the rainy season, occasional showers are often more likely to be regarded as a pleasant cool-down than as a source of discomfort. Typical for the rainy season is that almost always some clouds pass by in the sky.
Typhoons during the Rainy Season
Weather phenomena El Niño and La Niña
Conclusion: What is the optimal travel time for the Philippines?
To indicate an optimal travel time for the Philippines depends strongly on the respective destination and the subjective feeling of heat. The average daily temperatures in the Philippines are about 26° C, except for the hot months of March, April, and May. The typical weather condition during the rainy season is marked by warm temperatures and high humidity. Precise forecasts are hardly possible and are additionally complicated by the weather phenomena mentioned above.
Even in the supposedly worst rainy months, the weather god can be merciful and only occasionally send a shower of rain from the sky. However, rains can be a bit more violent. Especially on North Luzon and around Manila the first rains are often very strong from mid-June, which can also be seen in the floods that commonly occur at this time of year.
The weather on Palawan, which is often very popular with Philippine vacationers, looks something like this: from June to December there is heavier rainfall, and from January to May the rain decreases and the main season begins.
On Siargao Island in the northeast of Mindanao, South Leyte, East Samar, and in the southeast of Luzon, according to statistics, the rainfalls are strongest from November/December to March/April and less from May to October, thus also at the beginning of the "official rainy season". In the central Visayas, e.g. on Bohol and Siquijor, we have often felt the so-called "Habagat wind" (or southwest monsoon) from June on, which brings short, strong rainfalls coming from the southwest.
The Habagat is then replaced from October by the "Amihan", which comes from the northeast. During this time (October to May) there tends to be less rain - although on Panglao (Bohol) we have been "in the rain" throughout January. So exceptions confirm the rule here as well. However, with some decades of travel experience, we can say that the central Visayas is a suitable destination all year round.
Typhoons can be justifiably associated with increasing environmental pollution, similar to hurricanes in the Caribbean. Also for this reason a weather forecast for the months July to December is very risky.
In our experience, the best time to travel to the Philippines is between February and June for many destinations, with the country being accessible year-round. From the number of tourists, you can see that for most travelers the time between November/December and April/May is the highest. Those who prefer a little "cooler" should travel to the islands between October and February. Especially the Visayas are less affected by strong weather changes. Strong typhoons can be found in the north or on the southeastern Pacific coast.
The best destinations are broken down by months (these are only subjective recommendations!):
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December, January, February: Palawan, Luzon, Visayas
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March, April, May: all destinations except climate zone II (see above)
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June, July, August: Siargao, Visayas
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September, October, November: Siargao, Palawan, rice terraces from November
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All year round: Bohol, Camotes, Bantayan, Malapascua, and Leyte. The paradox is that it can rain there all year round because the rainfall is distributed quite evenly. Only Davao seems to be almost continuously well accessible.