Cebu

Under the Philippine DFA list, Mongolian citizens enter visa-free for up to 30 days. Passport valid at least 6 months, and a return or onward ticket, which immigration does ask for. For a longer stay, extend at the Bureau of Immigration in Cebu City.

Register at etravel.gov.ph before you fly and get the QR; the airline checks it at boarding and immigration on arrival. It is free; any site charging for it is a scam. Have your passport, flight number and hotel address ready.

Tip: You also fill in eTravel for the return flight; register again before leaving.

January–May is dry and sunny; June–December brings rain and typhoon risk. You can still travel in the wet season, but island boats and Kawasan Falls may close. Check the PAGASA forecast (or your hotel's advice) every day.

Tip: When a typhoon signal is raised, flights are delayed; keep your return date flexible.

Cebu City has good private hospitals (Chong Hua, Cebu Doctors'), but help is limited in remote places like Moalboal and Malapascua. If you plan to dive or go canyoneering, make sure your policy covers them. Dengue mosquitoes, sunburn and food poisoning are the most common problems.

Tip: Diving is usually excluded from standard travel insurance; check separately.

Beachwear, reef-safe sunscreen, mosquito spray, water shoes (lots of rock and coral), a dry bag to protect phone and passport on boats and canyoneering. Plugs are the American flat two-pin type; the voltage is the same as Mongolia.

Tip: Everything in Cebu is in English; you will hardly need translation.

Show your eTravel QR and passport; you may be asked for a return ticket. International flights land at Terminal 2. After customs, the arrivals hall has SIM counters, money changers and the taxi desks side by side.

An attendant manages the taxi lanes outside the terminal. White taxis are ordinary metered city cabs and cheaper; yellow taxis are airport-accredited with a higher meter but shorter waits. Both run on the meter: say "meter please" and refuse flat fares. Drivers expect a small round-up.

Booking with Grab shows the fare up front; the pickup point is in the marked zone at the terminal. At peak times the wait is long and the fare can beat a taxi, so compare. For a resort on Mactan, Grab is the simplest.

An air-conditioned MyBus runs from the airport to SM City Cebu mall in the city: cheap, with room for luggage. From SM continue by taxi, Grab or jeepney. A good choice for one or two people with time to spare.

Globe and Smart have counters in Terminal 2 arrivals: a tourist SIM or eSIM is registered with your passport and works within minutes. Tourist packs include unlimited data and local calls; validity is by number of days.

Both the Globe Traveler eSIM and the Smart Tourist eSIM can be bought online and installed from a QR before you fly, activating on landing. Keep your Mongolian SIM in if you need it for bank SMS.

Tip: Top up later through the GlobeOne or Smart app.

4G/5G is good in Cebu City, Mactan and central Moalboal; it drops out on Malapascua, Bantayan, in the Kawasan canyon and on mountain roads. Download Google Maps offline and save boat times and hotel numbers beforehand.

Tip: Smart is better in some places, Globe in others; travelling companions should pick different operators.

White city taxis are metered and cheap: check that the meter is on and say "meter". Mall taxi queues are managed by attendants and reliable. Grab shows the fare in advance and takes a card, but drivers are scarce at peak times.

Jeepneys are the colourful minibuses with the route painted on the side, very cheap; shout "Para!" to get off. Fun to try, but hot and awkward with luggage. MyBus and Ceres Liner connect the main city roads, the airport and the South Bus Terminal.

From Cebu South Bus Terminal, Ceres buses run all day to Moalboal (Bato via Barili), Badian (Kawasan) and Oslob: cheap and air-conditioned. The city to Moalboal takes a few hours. For three or four people, a van with driver for the day fits the falls and a snorkel stop into one day.

Motorbike rental is common in Moalboal and on the islands: international permit, helmet and insurance required. Habal-habal (motorbike taxis) are cheap for short hops; agree the price first. In the city, the Angkas app is the safe motorbike taxi and provides a helmet.

Jeepneys, tricycles, markets, waterfall tickets and island fees are cash only. Use ATMs at bank branches (BDO, BPI, Metrobank); each foreign-card withdrawal carries a fixed fee, so withdraw rarely and in larger amounts. Moalboal and Malapascua have few ATMs and they run dry; bring cash from the city.

If you bring dollars, the money changers in the malls (Ayala, SM) or a bank beat the airport rate. New, intact bills. Nobody changes Mongolian tugrik; bring dollars from Mongolia.

Tip: Small shops cannot change a ₱1,000 note; keep ₱100 and ₱500 notes.

Malls, chain restaurants and resorts take cards; small places add a card fee or refuse. GCash and Maya QR are everywhere but need a Philippine number and ID, so tourists usually cannot use them. Enable foreign transactions on your Mongolian bank card.

Restaurants usually add a service charge; tipping on top is optional, a little for good service. Rounding up the taxi meter, and small tips for guides, boat crews and resort staff, are customary. Bargain gently at markets.

Lechon (whole roast pig; Cebu's is the most famous in the Philippines), sinigang (sour soup), adobo, sisig, kinilaw (raw fish cured in citrus), grilled seafood. Desserts: halo-halo, mango. Fruit: mango, papaya, coconut. Sutukil on Mactan: pick seafood at the market and have it cooked.

A carenderia (family eatery) is cheap; you point at dishes on the counter. Choose a busy one with fresh food. Mall food courts are clean and air-conditioned. Local chains like Jollibee and Mang Inasal are cheap and reliable.

Do not drink tap water; bottled water is cheap everywhere and hotels provide purified water from refill stations. Ice in restaurants and chains is made from purified water and is safe. Skip iced drinks from small street stalls if your stomach is sensitive.

Seafood should be fresh and fully cooked; kinilaw is raw, so only at trusted places. Lechon that has sat on display: eat it while hot. If you get sick: water, electrolytes, rest; longer than two days, a city hospital. Pharmacies (Mercury Drug, Watsons) are everywhere.

Emergency 911 (unified), police 117, Red Cross 143. Mongolia has no embassy in the Philippines; the embassy in Jakarta is responsible. Honorary Consul in Manila: Antonio Cojuangco, 5/F DPC Building, Pasong Tamo Extension, Makati; phone +63 2 843 7854. For a lost passport, get a police report and contact Jakarta.

Pickpockets in crowded markets (Colon, Carbon), jeepneys and night streets. Taxi "meter broken" and roundabout routes; street offers of "cheap phones"; invitations to casinos or card games; a "friend" who buys you a drink. Keep valuables in the resort safe.

Tip: Do not walk Cebu City streets at night; take a Grab to the door.

Kawasan canyoneering only with a licensed guide, helmet and life jacket; it closes after rain and floods. The Oslob whale-shark tours are ethically disputed; keep your distance if you go. Watch for coral and sea urchins when snorkelling; wear water shoes.

Tip: Do not fly on the day you dive; leave at least a full day in between.

"Salamat" (thank you), "Maayong buntag" (good morning, Cebuano). Elders are addressed with "po" or "Sir/Ma'am", like the Mongolian polite "you". Raising your voice or getting angry loses face; settle problems calmly and with a smile. Be ready for "Filipino time", a relaxed view of the clock.

Tip: Karaoke culture is unknown in Mongolia; if invited, sing, and they will love it.

Enter the Santo Niño Basilica and churches with shoulders and knees covered; stay quiet and take no photos during mass. Churches are packed on Sundays. Do not joke about religion. Beggars gather around churches; whether to give is your choice, but decline politely.

Tip: The Sinulog festival in January fills Cebu City with parades and hotels sell out early.

Drugs: harsh laws for any amount. Smoking in public places is fined (strictly in Cebu City). E-cigarettes are allowed but restricted. Buying or exporting coral, giant clams or turtle products is banned. Drones need permits in some places.

Tip: Drinking alcohol in public is banned in some towns; beaches are checked too.

Taxis and food delivery; fares shown up front, card linked. Works in Cebu City and on Mactan; not in south Cebu or on the islands, where you book cars through your hotel.

Fastest for one person in city traffic; the driver provides a helmet and the fare is in the app. With a lot of luggage or children, take a car.

Download the whole of Cebu island offline; coverage is poor on the southern roads, in Moalboal and on Malapascua. It does not show jeepney routes, so ask locals.

Booking Kawasan canyoneering, Oslob or island-hopping online gives a clear price and licensed guides. OceanJet ferry tickets to Bohol can be bought online too.

The bridges from Cebu City to Mactan are slow at peak times; allow extra time for an international flight. Grab or a taxi drops you at Terminal 2 departures. From Moalboal or Malapascua, come to the city the day before.

The international passenger service charge (IPSC) is included in most tickets; if not, it is paid in cash at the counter in Terminal 2, so check your ticket. The Philippine travel tax applies mainly to Filipino citizens and residents; short-stay foreign tourists do not pay it.

The Philippines recently introduced a VAT refund for foreign tourists: goods bought from accredited shops above a minimum per transaction, to be taken out of the country within a set period. Show your passport and ask in the shop; the scheme's coverage is still limited.

Tip: Souvenirs: dried mango, a Cebu guitar; not coral, which is banned.