Things to Do in Philippines in December
December weather, activities, events & insider tips
December Weather in Philippines
Temperature, rainfall and humidity at a glance
Is December Right for You?
Weigh the advantages and considerations before booking
- + December lands in the calm between habagat and amihan, delivering the year's clearest diving windows—30 m (98 ft) and more at Apo Reef and Tubbataha.
- + Whale sharks crowd Donsol in December—these 12 m (39 ft) behemoths feed near the surface, so you slip in with a snorkel instead of tanks.
- + Recent rains paint the Banaue rice terraces emerald, turning each flooded step into the mirror photographers chase all year.
- + Christmas lights start popping up by mid-month, and Filipinos throw themselves into the season so hard that whole barangays glow like theme parks.
- − That 70% humidity keeps your laundry stubbornly wet—even the hotel iron can't quite banish the damp until you crank the air-con arctic.
- − Rain arrives like a drum solo most afternoons, stranding you on islands for 2-3 hours, around Boracay and Palawan.
- − December 15-January 15 is the domestic stampede—Cebu Pacific fares leap from 3,000 PHP to 8,000 PHP, and ferries sell out days in advance.
Year-Round Climate
How December compares to the rest of the year
Best Activities in December
Top things to do during your visit
December’s shifting winds flatten the seas around Mindoro’s Apo Reef—the planet’s second-largest contiguous coral system. Water sits at 28°C (82°F), good for 3 mm suits yet cool enough for triple-dive days. Visibility often stretches 40 m (131 ft), letting you lock eyes with thresher sharks on the wall and green turtles the size of dining tables.
After December rains the terraces become a thousand mirrors, bouncing sky and 2,000-year-old stone walls back at you. Mist lifts by 9 AM, revealing paddies cascading 1,500 m (4,921 ft) down the slope. Batad guides run 4-hour hikes that end with a plunge under Tappiya Falls and lunch cooked on wood fires inside Ifugao huts.
December plankton pulls whale sharks to Donsol’s river mouth—you snorkel beside 8-12 m (26-39 ft) giants in water clear enough to count white spots from 20 m (66 ft). Donsol keeps it wild, unlike Oslob’s hand-feeding; spotters locate sharks on shrimp larvae, and you slide in for ten silent minutes.
Cooler December nights make Manila walks tolerable—26°C (79°F) instead of the usual 32°C (90°F). Begin in Binondo’s 425-year-old Chinatown for lomi (thick egg-noodle soup) and warm hopia pastries, then Grab over to Poblacion where old houses now pour craft beer beside sizzling sisig. Spanish stone facades against graffiti, 400-year-old recipes beside Filipino fusion—one evening covers the whole archipelago.
Fewer December visitors mean you could own Sohoton’s jellyfish sanctuary—floating with harmless golden jellies in water clear to 15 m (49 ft) above seagrass. Limestone caves unlock only at low tide, turning into natural cathedrals where you kayak under stalactites through emerald light. Naked Island, a 200 m (656 ft) sandbar, appears and vanishes with every tide change.
December Events & Festivals
What's happening during your visit
San Fernando, Pampanga stages the country’s wildest Christmas showdown—20-foot parols blazing 10,000+ bulbs that flash in time to pop carols. At midnight teams yank wires and swap patterns by hand, powered by car batteries, spinning a disco-ball glow visible 2 km (1.2 miles) away. Food carts ring Pampanga Sports Complex, serving sisig so hot it hisses on cast iron.
At dawn Intramuros’ 16th-century Manila Cathedral fills with sampaguita perfume and candle wax. Worshippers arrive at 4 AM, following processions over cobblestones past Spanish houses, a scene unchanged since the 1600s. After mass, families cluster at Plaza Roma for bibingka (rice cakes baked in clay over charcoal) and tsokolate (thick hot chocolate from local tablea).
Essential Tips
What to pack, insider knowledge and common pitfalls