Smokey Tours
Smokey Tours
5
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Monday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
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About
Smokey Tours are not just bricks and mortar tours. We offer a special experience, believing that deep experience equals deep insight. We train and develop talents of people from underprivileged communities to run eye-opening tours around Metro Manila. Our mission is to show "the other side of Manila" with safe, sustainable, genuine & eye-opening tours while aiding the local community. Visit one of the biggest slums in Manila, haggle and eat in Quiapo (Market tour) & see how people live among the dead (Cemetary tour). Experience Manila with us while supporting our local community work! Our signature Tours are the Slum Tours - our most popular tours that goes through the slums of Manila, wherein profits are donated to our current community projects. Option 1: Smokey Mountain and Happyland Tour (Tondo, Manila) & Option 2: Baseco Tour (Port Area, Manila).
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
5.0
516 reviews
Excellent
444
Very good
57
Average
9
Poor
3
Terrible
3
doc
1 contribution
May 2019
This was the highlight of my trip. Our guide was a resident herself. Highly educational. Seeing the conditions and how they cope financially, medically and socially evokes awareness. This tour empowers everyone and becomes the moment of lift. To help families, we purchased items made from lily pads as a souvenir. I highly recommend going when it is cooler.
Written January 20, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear doc4psu,
Thank you for the recommendation. We're glad that that the tour empowered you and inspired you to lend a helping hand by taking a souvenir home with you. We hope to see you in future tours!
Sincerely,
Smokey Tours
Written January 27, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Nicole A
3 contributions
Jan 2020 • Couples
Did the cemetery tour in Manila. Great guide with fascinating insights into the lives of those who are paid small amounts to care for the graves of other people’s loved ones. They make their homes within the mausoleums and a community forms. Fascinating experience. We visited on a Sunday - very busy with processions taking place around us. This added to the experience for us but may not be for everyone. Our guide told us Mondays were quieter.
Written January 11, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear J3143WTnicolea,
Filipinos are known to be very resilient and you've seen first hand how some dwell among the dead to make a living for them and their families. Cemetery living is an odd but a virtuous way to survive. Thank you for taking the Cemetery Tour and opening your eyes to the unknown.
Sincerely,
Smokey Tours
Written January 13, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
1234emma
England, UK695 contributions
Nov 2023 • Family
We visited as a family of five. Jocelyn showed us around and from beginning to end my whole family enjoyed and more importantly learned.
Everybody we encountered from the oldest to the youngest were so very friendly and welcoming.
Our two hours wizzed by and we all can say every minute opened our eyes and hopefully taught us to be better people. Thank you Smokey Tours for showing us, happiness, kindness and that we all do share the same sky, another Philippine saying which we learnt!
Everybody we encountered from the oldest to the youngest were so very friendly and welcoming.
Our two hours wizzed by and we all can say every minute opened our eyes and hopefully taught us to be better people. Thank you Smokey Tours for showing us, happiness, kindness and that we all do share the same sky, another Philippine saying which we learnt!
Written November 13, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear 1234emma family,
Thank you for visiting us and sharing all the positive energy and knowledge with your whole family. We hope to see you back in the future!
Sincery, Smokey Tours
Written August 13, 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
saslb
Pennington, Australia61 contributions
Nov 2024 • Solo
Whilst in Manila for business, I came across the Happyland Smokey Mountain Tour. Knowing that my payment was not going to a tour company profiteering from the less fortunate, I was more than happy to sign up for this.
Jocelyn my guide was amazing, giving me insights to how the community operates and what families do to survive was a real eye opener. I tried their pagpag, if its good enough for them, why wouldnt i try..
Jocelyn took me also to the wholesale markets where i picked up some bargains. I asked Jocelyn to choose lunch to give me something i had yet to try, and we shared a great lunch together that i was more than happy to pay for.
The tour was simple to organise and travel from Makati took about 40 minutes on a Saturday morning. Be aware of Manila traffic! Travel back to Makati after lunch was taken on Grab scooter and took 45minutes.. car would have been significantly longer..
If in Manila, this is a must do tour, the funds we pay can only do good for the community and we should all do more where we can..
Thanks Jocelyn!!
Jocelyn my guide was amazing, giving me insights to how the community operates and what families do to survive was a real eye opener. I tried their pagpag, if its good enough for them, why wouldnt i try..
Jocelyn took me also to the wholesale markets where i picked up some bargains. I asked Jocelyn to choose lunch to give me something i had yet to try, and we shared a great lunch together that i was more than happy to pay for.
The tour was simple to organise and travel from Makati took about 40 minutes on a Saturday morning. Be aware of Manila traffic! Travel back to Makati after lunch was taken on Grab scooter and took 45minutes.. car would have been significantly longer..
If in Manila, this is a must do tour, the funds we pay can only do good for the community and we should all do more where we can..
Thanks Jocelyn!!
Written November 30, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dimitri G
Bogota, Colombia13 contributions
Jan 2020 • Solo
A completely different tour that you will never have the chance to do it somewhere else. You go with a local guide to the poorest areas of Manila. It is very safe though. You see and listen how they live (their living conditions, what are their expectations, why they are happy, etc). It will open your eyes. It will help you to have another perspective of living.
Do it! At least for one time do something different. Leave the pub crawl for another day, do the bike tour in another city, and for at least one time try to put yourself in someone else shoes that lives completely different from you.
I have traveled around the world and done tons of tours, however this was by far the one that I have liked the most.
Do it! At least for one time do something different. Leave the pub crawl for another day, do the bike tour in another city, and for at least one time try to put yourself in someone else shoes that lives completely different from you.
I have traveled around the world and done tons of tours, however this was by far the one that I have liked the most.
Written January 25, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear 824dimitrig,
Thank you for your positive review. We, at Smokey Tours, try to deliver our tours as honestly as possible. We're glad that you caught the very core of our Slum Tour -- that it doesn't take much to be happy. Again, thank you for having this experience with us. We hope to see you in future tours!
Sincerely,
Smokey Tours
Written January 26, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Hans B
2 contributions
Feb 2024 • Solo
I did the Smokey mountain and Happyland tour. It’s was very interesting it gave me insights. My guide was very good and shared the history behind the places and the people who live there and their struggles to survive. Also positive things that happened with help from the Bless the children foundation e.g education program,
It is very easy to book and get information about how it works. I used Whatsup and e-mail. The tour fees supports the foundation.
I do recommend to join the tour.
It is very easy to book and get information about how it works. I used Whatsup and e-mail. The tour fees supports the foundation.
I do recommend to join the tour.
Written March 6, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you K5437CKhansb,
We are happy to know that you had the opportunity to gain insights of the life in the slums. It is guests like you that make us continue to do what we can do to help empower people from the slums. We appreciate your visit and hope to see you in future tours!
Sincerely, Smokey Tours
Written August 13, 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Mark from Holland
Soest, The Netherlands5 contributions
Mar 2020 • Solo
I did a guided walk through BASECO with Smokey. An very informative, personally moving, and, strangely enough, entertaining experience. It is perfectly safe, by the way, but dont wear your white sneakers. Being a funny white guy, it was easy to entertain the many kids. So, when in Manila go Smokey!
Written March 11, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear 220markv,
It was such a treat being of service to you to make your short term booking for a Slum Tour, exhausting all efforts for it to push through. Thank you for making making it happen. We are happy to know that your tour was such a success. We hope to see you back for another tour in the future!
Sincerely,
Smokey Tours
Written March 17, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Janette_Chung
Sydney111 contributions
Sep 2014 • Business
There is nothing quite like cycling through the colourful and vibrant back streets and narrow alleys of Manila, being warmly greeted by the smiles and laughter of the local children welcoming and ushering you "Ma'dam, welcome to our Street ____", and stopping by local food stalls for a taste of Turon (my favourite Filippino snack). Thanks to Smokey Tours and Jessie, my fabulous local guide from Tondo, I was shown another side of Manila, the real hearty Manila in all its shades - chaotic, alive, energetic, held together by a sense of community.
I took the bicycle tour with Jessie who showed me Intramuros (the oldest area of Manila with strong Spanish influence), Rizal Park and Cultural Centre of the Philippines. His passion and knowledge for his city was engaging and inspiring as he patiently took his time to explain and show me each area. It was one unforgettable adventure cycling through rain, and while the tour was cut slightly short due to the typhoon winds and I was drenched, I left with the biggest grin on my face and glow in my eyes. For anyone visiting Manila on vacation/work, you must take a Smokey Tour, for there is so much more to Manila than meets the eye at first glance, and their staff are genuine locals who are truly dedicated to ensuring you experience Manila through their eyes. Thank you again for such an eye-opening and adventurous introduction to this city.
I did not get a chance to do the Slum tour, but next time I return to Manila, I will not miss the opportunity to take the Slum Tour.
I took the bicycle tour with Jessie who showed me Intramuros (the oldest area of Manila with strong Spanish influence), Rizal Park and Cultural Centre of the Philippines. His passion and knowledge for his city was engaging and inspiring as he patiently took his time to explain and show me each area. It was one unforgettable adventure cycling through rain, and while the tour was cut slightly short due to the typhoon winds and I was drenched, I left with the biggest grin on my face and glow in my eyes. For anyone visiting Manila on vacation/work, you must take a Smokey Tour, for there is so much more to Manila than meets the eye at first glance, and their staff are genuine locals who are truly dedicated to ensuring you experience Manila through their eyes. Thank you again for such an eye-opening and adventurous introduction to this city.
I did not get a chance to do the Slum tour, but next time I return to Manila, I will not miss the opportunity to take the Slum Tour.
Written November 5, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi Maurice,
So nice to hear positive response about our Cementary Tour! We want to make sure that we give everyone a special and unique inside about life in the cementary. Hope to see you in the furture in one of our other special tours!
Warm greetings,
Smokey Tours Team
Written February 20, 2015
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Ranjit K
London, UK14 contributions
Oct 2014 • Couples
Everyone that visit Manila should make a effort to have a tour with this company. They do an amazing job! We went on all four of their trips: Slum tour, Cockfighting tour, market tour and cycle tour. All four of the tours were informative, interesting, well organised and thoroughly enjoyable. We took away some great memories! The tour guides were fantastic in terms of their knowledge and warmth, so a big thank you to Remy, Nymphia and Jessie. It was like being taken around by a friends especially when we were with Jessie. He had great enthusiasm for Manila and was eager to share it with us. He even put in extra effort and time to show us restaurants around the area we were staying in as we were struggling to find places to eat. We booked these tours before we arrived in Manila and the communication from Jessie was excellent. The locations to meet at were easy to find and the tours are great value for what you experience. I would highly recommend this company to everyone! Thanks so much guys!
Written October 12, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi Ranjit,
We are so thankful for the very impressive review you've shared with us. It was so flattering to read such good comment and this feedback from you will surely be another inspiration for us. Oh wow you experienced all of our four tours (Slum, Market, Bicycle and Cemetery Tour) very amazing and fantastic!
Great to hear that you have a great memories and you mention that the tours were informative, interesting, well organised and thoroughly enjoyable, and you would highly recommend Smokey Tours so that we can give more people an eye-opening experience. We do our our very best to run everything smoothly!
Thank you also for praising our professional, very cool and knowledgeable tour leaders for doing a great job:)
Warm greetings,
Smokey Tours Team
Written March 25, 2015
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
LisalottevdT
Haarlem, Noord-Holland, Netherlands30 contributions
This month I went on several tours with Smokey Tours as we had a couple days in Manilla. The meeting points are always at a central place (mainly a restaurant near LRT station). Tour guides are well informed and friendly. Remy is a great host for the slum tour and Jessie toured our other tours. Thank you guys!
All tours are very different, so you can really choose the kind of Manila you would like to encounter during your stay.
Bicycle tour
Bicycle tour is more of a traditional city tour, as much of the sites and information is about the history of Manila and The Philippines. It takes you to the more touristy areas, such as intramuros and Roxas Blvrd. It is also nice to experience the city from a bike (instead of a Jeepney or taxi). The tour takes around 3 to 4 hours, so if you are not used to some exercise, make sure you are able to relax the other half of the day.
Cemetary tour
This tour is - I believe - one of the newest tours of Smokey. It showes you the largest cemetary of Manila, North Cemetary. But very different from tours through European cemetary visits, it shows you how a community is living here (yes, that's right, there is a whole community making a living (including people selling flowers, street food, driving tricycles, kids playing etc). The tour gives you a lot of information on Filipino rituals, supersticious beliefs and some stories about famous Filipinos who rest here). Tour is more relaxed, as there is less traffic, less polution and less people than in the areas of the other tours. Tour takes about three hours and includes jeepney and tricycle rides and visit of the flower market too.
Market tour
The market tour is a great tour for anyone interested in Filipino food and shopping habits. It takes you to 3 different market areas (Filipino, muslim and Chinese) and you'll get to taste lots of different kinds of foods (but you can always say 'no', if you are not the adventourous-food-type). Jessie really knows a lot about Filipino street food!
Slum tour
This tour is I think really what Smokey Tours is all about. It will show you a side of Manila you won't be able to experience by yourself. You might think it is somewhat like a human zoo, or think it is a too heavy for a holiday visit. But Smokey tours really try to show you the resilience of people, the positive sides of the lives of these Filipinos, though life is hard. It was to me a very humbling experience. People love showing you their houses and as Remy lives in the neighbourhood herself, she can tell you so much about the situations of surviving/making a living in this part of Manila. And if it is anything like a human zoo, be prepared you are the one to be looked at. You can only experience this tour yourself, and be prepared to change your view on the necessities of life, be welcomed by the friendliest people in Manila and be prepared the images will stay with you for a while. It is a 3 to 4 hour tour and very safe as the guides are very familiar with the area.
I would recommend you book a tour - even if you have just a day in Manila - cause it will give you a different perspective on the city (certainly if you otherwise just visit all the nice malls Manila has to offer as well). You might be surprised what the city has to offer!
All tours are very different, so you can really choose the kind of Manila you would like to encounter during your stay.
Bicycle tour
Bicycle tour is more of a traditional city tour, as much of the sites and information is about the history of Manila and The Philippines. It takes you to the more touristy areas, such as intramuros and Roxas Blvrd. It is also nice to experience the city from a bike (instead of a Jeepney or taxi). The tour takes around 3 to 4 hours, so if you are not used to some exercise, make sure you are able to relax the other half of the day.
Cemetary tour
This tour is - I believe - one of the newest tours of Smokey. It showes you the largest cemetary of Manila, North Cemetary. But very different from tours through European cemetary visits, it shows you how a community is living here (yes, that's right, there is a whole community making a living (including people selling flowers, street food, driving tricycles, kids playing etc). The tour gives you a lot of information on Filipino rituals, supersticious beliefs and some stories about famous Filipinos who rest here). Tour is more relaxed, as there is less traffic, less polution and less people than in the areas of the other tours. Tour takes about three hours and includes jeepney and tricycle rides and visit of the flower market too.
Market tour
The market tour is a great tour for anyone interested in Filipino food and shopping habits. It takes you to 3 different market areas (Filipino, muslim and Chinese) and you'll get to taste lots of different kinds of foods (but you can always say 'no', if you are not the adventourous-food-type). Jessie really knows a lot about Filipino street food!
Slum tour
This tour is I think really what Smokey Tours is all about. It will show you a side of Manila you won't be able to experience by yourself. You might think it is somewhat like a human zoo, or think it is a too heavy for a holiday visit. But Smokey tours really try to show you the resilience of people, the positive sides of the lives of these Filipinos, though life is hard. It was to me a very humbling experience. People love showing you their houses and as Remy lives in the neighbourhood herself, she can tell you so much about the situations of surviving/making a living in this part of Manila. And if it is anything like a human zoo, be prepared you are the one to be looked at. You can only experience this tour yourself, and be prepared to change your view on the necessities of life, be welcomed by the friendliest people in Manila and be prepared the images will stay with you for a while. It is a 3 to 4 hour tour and very safe as the guides are very familiar with the area.
I would recommend you book a tour - even if you have just a day in Manila - cause it will give you a different perspective on the city (certainly if you otherwise just visit all the nice malls Manila has to offer as well). You might be surprised what the city has to offer!
Written November 25, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi Lisalotte,
Wow, we really appreciate your comprehensive and informative review! You beautifully described the differences between these four Smokey Tours. We want to thank you for recommending Smokey Tours.
Kind regards,
Smokey Tours Team
Written February 21, 2015
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Hello, I can’t speak English much so which should I join the tour that private or public group tour?
Written January 9, 2020
Hello FarAway, We suggest you take a private tour so that your Tour Leader can take the time to explain in detail things you have difficulty understanding. Public tours go much faster since we assume that those who join it can speak and understand English better. I hope I answered your query. Thank you for your interest in Smokey Tours!
Written January 10, 2020
Dear Angelina-hy,
Thank you for your question. It is really important to us that each group has an authentic experience and is able to learn and listen to the tour leader, who provides excellent historical and personal information about the communities in which we work. With a large group it can be difficult to hear the tour leaders and get the full experience.
We typically only take up to six people on each tour to maximize safety of our guests and tour leaders, and to also not be too invasive in the community. We are happy to work with separate groups, such as schools and larger tours, and book multiple tour leaders if needed. This means the tour will be on the same day at the same time, but the group will be split into smaller groups with different tour leaders.
Please feel free to send us an email at admin@worldexperience.ph for more information or if you would like to set up a private tour. We are more than happy to work with you and ensure you get the full experience of our tour.
Thank you so much,
Smokey Team
Written August 1, 2019
Dear Resort794,
Thank you for your question. Our tour guides only speak Tagalog and English, but you may still really find the tour enlightening and we encourage you to join.
We have many guest who speak little English and still learn a lot from the tour.
I hope you can join us for a tour soon.
Kindest,
Smokey Team
Written August 1, 2019
TKP
Kyoto, Japan
Hi, I’d like to join the slum tour at end of May with my friends, where to book?
Written May 5, 2019
Good day!
Thank you for your inquiry, we would be happy to welcome you in our tour.
You can book a tour (at least) three days in advance via our website. Only one click on the 'Book Now' button and you will be redirected to the bookings page.
After completing the booking, you will receive a confirmation email from us with all the details you need to have for your booked tour.
Thank you for the support and looking forward to welcoming you end of May!
Warm regards,
Smokey Tours Team
Written May 7, 2019
Is the slum tour safe for children?
Written December 28, 2018
Thank you for your question!
As safety is our number one priority; we do not advise to bring very young children during the tour. As the surface, and impact as well, can be rough in the slum area. Of course we are always open to discuss any specific questions regarding bringing your children to the tour, just shoot us an email via tours@worldexperience.ph and we can discuss specific situations regarding this concern.
Thank you!
Warm regards,
Smokey Tours Team
Written January 6, 2019
I am leaving by 14:10 flight and I wander if I can join the am slum tour?
Written February 19, 2018
Hi Hideo!
Thank you for your interest in our Slum Tour!
When exactly would you like to do the tour? Our group tour starts at 9:00AM. If you book a private tour, you can choose any time you want!
You can email us on tours@worldexperience.ph if you have any other questions. Happy to help!
Warm regards,
Smokey Tours Team
Written February 22, 2018
Do the bikes have a driver or you ride by yourself?
Written January 12, 2018
Thank you for your question!
Part of the experience is riding the bike yourself, our tour leader is highly trained so no worries about safety. Of course, you need to know how to ride a bike.
If you have any other question, let us know. Happy to help!
Warm regards,
Smokey Tours Team
Written January 19, 2018
Hello Smokey Tours, I am a professional photographer and very interested slums tour, but I saw a tip forbidding photographing like “no camera”, Hope you can learn more. Thanks.
Written January 12, 2018
Hello.
I want to participate in slum tours on new year's holiday. When do you cloがse for New Year's? And when will you open again in January?If possible,I want to go there on January 1or 2.
Written November 8, 2017
Hi there!
We would be delighted to welcome you here during the holiday :). We are closed December 31 and January first. So January second is available for a Slum Tour. You can book the tour via our website!
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to email us on tours@worldexperience.ph
Happy to help!
Warm regards,
Smokey Tours Team
Written November 10, 2017
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