Philippines Motorcycle Tours - Tour Route Selection and Cost - Tour The Philippine Islands on Motorcycle

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National Language
Tagalog, English

Regional Languages
Bikol, Cebuano, Hiligaynon, Ilokano, Kapampangan, Kinaray-a, Maguindanao, Maranao, Pangasinan, Tausug, Visayan, Waray-Waray

Government
Unitary Presidential
Constitutional Republic

Capital - Manila

Largest City
Quezon City

President
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo

Vice President
Noli de Castro

Republic of the Philippines

Republika ng Pilipinas

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General Tour Information

We currently have 3 tour routes established that cover pretty much all of the central and southern Philippines with exception of central and southern Mindanao, the northern islands of Samar, Masbate, Mindoro and Luzon and the distant island of Palawan. I expect that it will be many years into the future before we feel comfortable enough with the political stability of southern and western Mindanao before we offer any tours to the points of interest in these areas, although there are some very nice spots here. The ferry ride to the island of Palawan is very long and there is not much here that you cannot experience on the other islands. Concerning Masbate, Samar, Mindoro and Luzon, we do indeed have tour routes in the planning stages for these islands, specifically a WWII memorial tour that hits all of the WWII historical sites and also a tour (most likely about 21 to 28 days) that will traverse the entire Strong Republic Nautical Highway that passes over 10 islands.

We will take you over any tour route we have laid out but we suggest that you avoid the Eastern Visayas (namely Leyte, Siargao and Samar) over the months from November to February during the tropical monsoon and hurricane season unless you are prepared to experience rain about every other day while on tour. The central and western Visayas experience fairly good weather almost all year long, so tour routes over Cebu, Bohol, Camiguin, Siquijor, Panay, Boracay and Negros are advised during the winter months. Regardless of when you come here, a mid-day cloud burst now and then is inevitable so be sure to bring your rain suit. These cloud bursts rarely last for more than 15 to 45 minutes and are highly localized but they do pop-up in a matter of minutes so having a rain suit readily available is a must. Just ask any Filipino.

We are happy to modify any of our tours at your request to add or subtract days/points of interest. You can typically expect that adding or subtracting a day will result in a difference of +/- about 15,000 to 20,000 from the base package cost (before discount) depending upon what we are adding or subtracting.

Most tours can start and stop on any day of the week but some tour routes are specific to start and stop an exact days of the week. This is due to limited ferry schedules at some ports and cannot be changed. Please see each tour route for specifics on start and stop days.

All tours start with a non-traveling day. This is the day when we pick you up at the airport. This day is considered an indoctrination and information day where we will give you all the information you should know about rules of the road, our various hand signals used for communication while we are riding, a short indoctrination into Filipino culture and customs and also a short indoctrination about dealing with emergencies. During this day we will give you a good, up close and personal once over with the bikes and take a short ride, about 45 minutes to 1 hour, so you can get the feel of the bikes and understand what to expect from other Filipino drivers. The rest of this day is reserved for you to relax and unwind from the flight and shake off some of the jet lag. Butuan is a city of about 300,000 people, about the size and appearance of any US city of 30,000 and is a very good place to indoctrinate you into riding in the Philippines.

The final day of each tour is the day we deliver you back to the airport. This is obviously a non-traveling day as well. We will have returned back to the resort in Butuan on the previous day so you will have had plenty of time to wind down, get your items packed up for travel and get ready for the flight home.

Due to the ever increasing number of lone riders who are contacting us wanting to join a tour group, we are offering one "Lone Riders Runs" two times per month and rotating over each of the 3 tour routes we have laid out. The cost of this tour starts out at the 1-2 motorcycle cost for non-escorted tours and has the potential to decrease if we get more than 2 bikes registered on tour. If this is the case, we refund your additional discount in cash upon your arrival..

Finding a Filipina Riding Partner

If you are single and traveling alone, and interested in finding a riding partner, I would suggest that you might want to see if you can hook-up with a local Filipina thru one of the international introduction services like www.cherryblossoms.com or www.filipinaheart.com. There are literally hundreds of thousands of young girls here that are looking to hook-up with a foreigner twice their age who could possibly become their husband. Filipina girls are known world-wide for making very good wives and are perfectly content to be a housewife and give you many beautiful children. These girls could care less about your physical appearance, they have a strong affinity for Caucasian men and also men who are over-weight. My wife is constantly telling me I need to get fat because I look like I am having a financial crisis and cannot afford to buy food.

If you choose to find a riding partner here or on-line I will give you 10 separate points of advice.

Make sure you do a keyword search with the word "Butuan" or one of the other cities we will be visiting, otherwise, it will be a major pain to coordinate meeting up with your riding partner while on tour. I just did a quick (advanced) search at Cherry Blossoms for girls in the Philippines, 18 to 25, single, no children, 90 to 120lbs, keyword Butuan and got a list of 78 women.

Find a girl that has a good command of English or your native language, at least in writing

Find a girl who has no children and has never been married

Look for a girl who has only recently become a member of the introduction service (1 year or less) and who has been active within the past 7 days or less.

Give yourself at least 2 months of communication prior to meeting up with her here to be sure you have found a suitable riding partner.

Transsexuals are very common place here and readily accepted within society. Most do very well at disguising their masculinity and some even have real breasts. Always look for the Adams apple. Its a dead give-away. If your preference is with the same sex, well, have fun.

Understand that your girl comes from a different culture and, if she is under 25 years old and never married, she probably still lives with her parents, has never been away from home on her own, and has never lived in a household of her own. Make sure she understands your intentions. Additional rooms that need to be rented or additional travel arrangements to send the girl home (bus, ferry, airplane) due to domestic issues between riding partners will be at your expense.

Be advised that some of the girls registered on these international introduction websites want nothing else than for you to send them money, have zero intention of ever meeting you in person, and will tell you (often even show you on webcam) anything and everything you want to hear and see to get what they want. If you fail to qualify the woman correctly and meet-up with her here, be prepared to be extorted every way possible for money. The first girl I came here to meet in 2005 was exactly that and I am still trying to get her and her family out of the house I bought. The second girl I met here turned out to be the most wonderful woman I had ever known and is currently my wife. Take a chance, sing and dance.

HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases exist here same as everywhere else in the world. Please practice safe sex and don't go home with one additional souvenir you did not expect. Condoms are readily available here at most every botica (pharmacy).

If you do indeed hook-up with a girl here, whether it is on-line or while you are on tour, please treat her with respect and dignity. She will be treated by us in the same manner and with the same privileges as if she had traveled with you from your home destination. The Philippines has recently passed a law regarding abuse to women and children that is very open-ended with a huge amount of gray area. Just ask Daniel Smith if you have any doubts. He was the American sailor charged with rape back in 2005 and spent 3 years in prison before being acquitted of his conviction by an appeal to the Philippine Supreme Court. It is pretty much the same here as anywhere else. A woman can make almost any claim she wants and you are left to defend yourself with your word against hers.

Tour Group Discounts for Escorted Tours (2 people max per motorcycle)
Discounts for un-escorted tours are slightly less and vary based on the tour route.

2 Motorcycles - Base Price Applies / Motorcycle

3 Motorcycles - 15% off Base Price / Motorcycle

4 Motorcycles - 20% off Base Price / Motorcycle

5 Motorcycles - 25% off Base Price / Motorcycle

6 Motorcycles - 30% off Base Price / Motorcycle

Available Tour Routes (click tour route for itineraries, tour maps and pricing)

Eastern Philippine Visayan Islands (click for itinerary & cost)

This tour can start and stop on any day of the week. All ferry crossings are daily routes with multiple crossings each day. Any changes to the set itinerary will be unrestricted by ferry crossings.

Butuan City, Mindanao >> Siargao Island, Mindanao >> Surigao City, Mindanao >> Tacloban City, Leyte >> Cebu City, Cebu >> Panglao Island, Bohol >> Camiguin Island, Mindanao >> Butuan City, Mindanao

14 Days, 13 nights

6 Islands, 7 Ferry Crossings

7 Traveling Days, 7 Non-traveling Days (including first and last day)

7 Resorts, 5 Oceanfront, 1 Casino

The resorts and places where we will stay on this tour are:

Butuan City - Almont Inland Resort - 2 nights (first and last night)

Siargao Island - Cherinicole Beach Resort - 2 nights

Surigao City (Lipata) - Almont Hotel & Beach Resort - 1 night

Tacloban City - Leyte Park Resort - 2 nights

Cebu City - Waterfront Hotel & Casino - 2 nights

Bohol (Panglao Island) - Isis Bungalows - 2 nights

Camiguin Island - Paras Beach Resort - 2 nights

Lower Philippine Visayan Islands (click for itinerary & cost)

This tour must have your arrival date in Butuan as a Friday. Our first ferry crossing from Cagayan de Oro, Mindanao to Dumaguete, Negros is Sat. night only, one crossing per week. The crossing from Siquijor to Bohol is Tue, Thur and Sat only. All other ferry crossings are daily routes with multiple crossings each day. Any changes to the tour itinerary must satisfy these ferry schedules. In the absence of changing the tour itinerary, your tour would end with a departure date from Butuan as a Sunday.

Butuan City, Mindanao >> Cagayan De Oro, Mindanao >> Dumaguete City, Negros >> Siquijor Island, Negros >> Panglao Island, Bohol >> Camiguin Island, Mindanao >> Butuan City, Mindanao

10 Days, 9 Nights

5 Islands, 5 Ferry Crossings

4 Traveling Days, 5 Non-traveling Days (including first and last day)

4 Resorts, 3 Oceanfront

The resorts and places where we will stay on this tour are:

Butuan City - Almont Inland Resort - 2 nights (First and last night)

Cagayan De Oro - Cebu Ferry 01 - 1 night (overnight ferry crossing)

Camiguin Island - Paras Beach Resort - 2 nights

Bohol (Panglao Island) - Isis Bungalows - 2 nights

Siquijor Island - Coco Grove Beach Resort - 2 nights

Western Philippine Visayan Islands (click for itinerary & cost)

This tour must have your arrival date in Butuan as a Friday. Our first ferry crossing from Cagayan de Oro, Mindanao to Dumaguete, Negros is Sat. night only, one crossing per week. The crossing from Siquijor to Bohol is Tue, Thur and Sat only. All other ferry crossings are daily routes with multiple crossings each day. Any changes to the tour itinerary must satisfy these ferry schedules. In the absence of changing the tour itinerary, your tour would end with a departure date from Butuan as a Thursday.

Butuan City, Mindanao >> Cagayan De Oro, Mindanao >> Iloilo City, Panay >> Boracay Island, Panay >> Bacolod City, Negros >> Siquijor Island, Negros >> Panglao Island, Bohol >> Camiguin Island, Mindanao >> Butuan City, Mindanao

14 Days, 13 Nights

7 Islands, 7 Ferry Crossings (1 overnight)

8 Traveling Days, 5 Non-traveling Days

7 Resorts, 5 Oceanfront, 1 Riverfront

The resorts and places where we will stay on this tour are:

Butuan City - Almont Inland Resort - 2 nights (First and last night)

Cagayan De Oro, Mindanao - Cebu Ferry 01 - 1 night (overnight ferry crossing)

Iloilo City - Hotel Del Rio - 1 night

Boracay Island - Nigi Nigi Too - 2 nights

Bacolod City - Palmas Del Mar - 1 night

Siquijor Island - Coco Grove Beach Resort - 2 nights

Bohol (Panglao Island) - Isis Bungalows - 2 nights

Camiguin Island - Paras Beach Resort - 2 nights

Lone Riders Runs

Due to the ever increasing number of lone riders who are contacting us wanting to join a tour group, we will be offering one "lone riders" run per year on each of the 3 tour routes we have laid out. The cost of this tour will be the "4 motorcycle" price, regardless of if we book 4, 5 or 6 bikes on the tour and the minimum booking to run the tour is 4 bikes. Special terms and conditions apply to these tours so please read the details carefully.

Special Terms and Conditions

Advance booking deposit of 25% is required to secure your spot on the tour. This deposit is non-refundable unless we fail to book 4 or more motorcycles on tour at the 3 month mark prior to the start of the tour, in which case your deposit would be fully refunded minus our wire transfer and currency exchange fees.

Should we be successful in booking a minimum of 4 motorcycles at the 3 month mark, your deposit becomes non-refundable and you will be required to make an additional 25% deposit at the 2 month mark prior to the tour start date. We will continue to accept bookings for the tour until we reach 6 motorcycles at which time the tour will become closed to additional bookings.

If the booking period on one of the lone riders runs is between the 3 month and 2 month marks, prior to the tour start date, and you happen to be lucky enough to find a spot available, you can still secure a spot on tour with a 50% booking deposit that is non-refundable. No additional bookings will be accepted at the 2 month mark prior to the tour start date.

The remaining 50% balance is due at the one month mark, same as our policy with all other tours. If we are successful in booking 5 or 6 motorcycles, then we will adjust the tour cost for all bookings to the appropriate rate, based on the total number of motorcycles booked, and the final deposit amount will be adjusted to reflect the decrease in cost. All other payment policies are the same.

Tour Routes / Dates / Cut off dates

Lower Philippine Visayan Islands (Click for itinerary and cost)

Tour Date: Fri. Apr. 30 thru Sun. May. 9, 2010

Cut-off date to book 4 motorcycles - Feb 5, 2010

Cut-off date to book any remaining spots - Apr 2, 2010

Eastern Philippine Visayan Islands (Click for itinerary and cost)

Tour Date: Thur. June 3 thru Wed June 16, 2010

Cut-off date to book 4 motorcycles - Mar. 4, 2010

Cut-off date to book any remaining spots - Apr. 1, 2010

Western Philippine Visayan Islands (Click for itinerary and cost)

Tour Date: Fri. Aug. 6 thru Thur Aug 19, 2010

Cut-off date to book 4 motorcycles - Apr. 30, 2010

Cut-off date to book any remaining spots - June 4, 2010

Payment Policy (Please review our TERMS & CONDITIONS page for more details)

All tours are priced in Philippine Pesos (PHP) and this is a fixed price. Currency exchange rates fluctuate on a minute by minute basis, 24 hours a day, same as stock prices, so the amount you pay in your currency will vary slightly but usually never more than 1-2% over a period of 30 days.

A booking fee of 50% is due 60 days prior to the scheduled start date of your tour. The remaining balance is due 30 days prior to your scheduled start date.

Booking fee is non-refundable if you decide to re-schedule or cancel your tour. We use this portion of the payment to make all resort reservations, airline reservations for your round trip flight from Manila to Butuan and sometimes ferry reservations at certain ports where the more luxurious accommodations on the ferries are known to stay booked solid as much as 1 month or more in advance. Some resorts require we make reservations as much as 45 days in advance to secure their luxury rooms. These reservation fees are non-refundable to us if your tour is rescheduled or cancelled.

Please make sure you will be able to travel on the dates you plan. Never book a tour unless all tour guests have their passports in hand and round trip airplane reservations to Manila confirmed. These are the 2 primary reasons why tours need rescheduling.

The second payment made to us (50% balance) is also non-refundable, once it is deposited into our bank account. Again, please be as confident as possible about your ability to travel on the dates you plan. We use the first half payment to make all reservations and we use a considerable part of the second half payment to pay the remaining balances of these reservations.

Considering that we only operate one tour at a time and that we must plan ahead by as much as 45-60 days, if you cancel your tour then we have no ability to fill the slot with another tour group. Additionally, considering that over 80% of the money we receive from you is spent before you arrive, we simply cannot issue any refunds for issues beyond our control.

All payments are made by international wire transfer into our account in the Philippines. You are responsible for paying all wire transfer fees and currency exchange fees. The amount we receive in our account must equal the fixed PHP tour cost. Please make sure to shop rates from various financial institutions prior to making your transfers. Although international wire transfer fees are generally about the same from one bank to another, currency exchange fees can range from 1% to 5%. Sometimes, a currency broker can be your best option. Make sure you are getting a good rate !!!

Please make sure your financial institution understands that your wire transfer needs to equal a specific amount of foreign currency after all fees. Any discrepancy in the total amount of actual funds received into our account and the actual tour cost will be payable in cash upon arrival or refunded if over paid.

We require that your wire transfers be made as single transactions for the deposit and final payment for the combined total cost of all motorcycles on tour, instead of individual transfers from each of the tour members. Not only does this make our life much simpler in tracking and registering your payments, it will also save your tour group a considerable amount of money in wire transfer fees and also give you more favorable terms if you choose to use a currency broker. Please explore these suggestions with due diligence. They are sure to save you a considerable amount of money !!!

Entry (VISA) Requirements (No VISA Required !!!)

You do not need any special VISA to enter the Philippines as a visitor or tourist. By executive order of the President of the Philippines, you are allowed entry for a period up to 21 days upon the presentation of your valid passport and round-trip airplane ticket showing the difference in arrival and departure dates as less than or equal to 21 days.

Drivers License Requirements (No International Drivers License Required !!!)

Your current and valid motorcycle operators permit from your home country is valid here for a period of 90 days so there is no need for you to go thru the expense and hassle of obtaining an international drivers license. If you are thinking about applying for and obtaining a Philippines drivers license to take home as a souvenir, sorry, you must be in the Philippines for a minimum of 90 days before you can apply.

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