Philippines

For years the Philippines was the Southeast Asian gap on Indian itineraries — the water everyone raved about, behind a visa nobody wanted to do. That ended: Indians now walk in visa-free for fourteen days, and the archipelago those days buy is extravagant — limestone lagoons at El Nido, wreck-diving at Coron, Boracay's powder sand, and island-hopping as the national pastime rather than an excursion.

The shape of the trip

The fourteen-day rule shapes everything: pick one island group and do it properly. Our default: Manila in transit only, fly to Palawan — El Nido's lagoon circuit (3–4 nights) and Coron's wrecks and lakes (3 nights). The alternative: Cebu as the base for whale sharks, the Kawasan falls and Bohol's Chocolate Hills. Boracay is the pure-beach answer.

The money

Mid-range doubles run ₹2,500–4,500; island-hopping group tours ₹1,500–2,500 per day with lunch grilled on the boat; a San Miguel at sunset, ₹120. The cost trap is internal flights — book Manila–Palawan legs with your international ticket, not later.

Worth knowing

Do the free eTravel QR code within 72 hours of flying and carry an onward ticket — airlines check. The 14 days cannot be extended, so build the itinerary tight. English is everywhere, which makes this the region's easiest independent-travel country after Singapore.