Weekend activities
Weekends in Manila
Students studying in the Philippines spend their weekends in many ways. Some study, but many enjoy experiences only possible in the Philippines. Activities popular with our students include diving, golf, casinos, cool highland resorts and slum tours. Use this as a guide to weekends in Manila.
Golf
We hold memberships, with five courses where you can play at member rates
At Philippine golf courses, each player gets their own caddie and cart. Many courses allow carts on the fairway, so you don’t have to run to the edge of the course carrying lots of clubs or rake bunkers yourself after shots — you can enjoy golf at your leisure.
You can play the course mainly used by Yuka Saso, two-time U.S. Women’s Open champion, and take lessons from tournament professionals.
Diving
See kaleidoscopic marine life under the sea
The Manila area has many diving and marine sports spots. Anilao, 2–3 hours by car from Manila, is one of the most famous fish-watching paradises in the Philippines, drawing divers from around the world to photograph the scenery.
Our partner dive shop in Anilao has Japanese-speaking staff, so even beginners can enjoy a trial dive, and it is well regarded by advanced divers too.
Slum tour
Experience the real Philippines at Smokey Mountain in Tondo
During your stay you will spend time in Makati, the business capital, but in the Philippines — a country with large disparities — there are slums where poor families live in the Tondo district, about 30 minutes by car from the business district.
People imagine slums differently, but the children living there are all cheerful, and this tour may give you an experience of values different from life in a money-based society. Led by a guide from an NPO that supports people living in poverty, the study tour takes you into slum areas that foreigners cannot enter alone.
Casinos
Enjoy blackjack, poker, baccarat, roulette and slots
Under “Entertainment City Manila”, a national project launched by the Philippine government in the late 2000s, large integrated resorts (IR) such as Okada Manila, City of Dreams and Solaire line the shore of Manila Bay, offering not only casinos but also international restaurants, bars, shopping areas and play spaces for children.
There are also fountain shows like those in Las Vegas, enjoyable for everyone from solo travelers to families. Entry is free, so please take a look during your stay in Manila. (Minors are not allowed in casino areas.)
City tour
Intramuros, packed with highlights for history lovers
Intramuros is a tourist area that preserves the townscape from when the Philippines was a Spanish colony.
Highlights include San Agustin Church, a World Heritage site and the Philippines’ first stone church in the Spanish Baroque style, built in Asia’s first Catholic nation; the National Museum, where you can follow Philippine history from prehistory through the Spanish, American and Japanese periods to independence; the Rizal Shrine, where José Rizal, hero of the independence movement against Spain, was executed; and Fort Santiago, a battlefield between Japanese and American forces in World War II that still bears bullet marks.
Tagaytay
A popular highland resort with beautiful views and a cool climate. Enjoy golf, horseback riding and ziplines
Known for Taal Volcano and Taal Lake, Tagaytay is like Karuizawa in Japan and very popular with Filipinos. From the Sky Ranch Ferris wheel you can enjoy spectacular views of Taal Lake.
Tagaytay is also famous for dishes such as bulalo (beef shank soup) and buko pie (young coconut pie), which you can enjoy with a stunning view.
Weekend activities are arranged through partner specialist operators, but school staff can also accompany you and guide in English (fee required). Explanations deepen your understanding, so English-guided Intramuros and slum tours are popular.
Some students take our Light plan, studying English for half a day and enjoying Manila sightseeing and activities. Please consider it.