Philippines Travel

The absence of noise and pollution are probably the first things you’ll appreciate about Sagada, a tranquil mountaintop town where you can walk down the middle of the road and only occasionally be disturbed by a passing vehicle. Backpackers have been flocking here for years to enjoy the incredible mountain scenery, cheap dope and companionship of like-minded travellers.
Read the rest of this entry »

Tiny Sabang has a long expanse of beach and is famed for the navigable Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park (admission P200), which winds through a spectacular cave before emptying into the sea. Tourist paddle boats are allowed to go 1.5km upstream into the cave (45 minutes return); in the June to November low season you can proceed 4.3km upstream (three hours return), but only with a separate permit from the Underground River Booking Office in Puerto Princesa. From the beach in Sabang it’s a thrilling 5km walk through the jungle to the mouth of the river, or you can book a boat (P700 for up to six people, 15 minutes) through the Tourist Information & Assistance Center at the pier.
Read the rest of this entry »

The bustling capital of Palawan is generally regarded as little more than a jumping-off point for excursions elsewhere on the island. Often overlooked as an attraction in its own right, this underrated town has some decent hotels and good restaurants, and is an excellent base from which to explore central and southern Palawan. ‘Puerto’, as the locals call it, is certainly clean and relaxed in comparison to Manila, but tricycle jams on Rizal Ave, the main street, go pretty far toward shattering any illusions of a tropical paradise.
Read the rest of this entry »

The town of Puerto Galera (pwair-toe gal-air-ah) proper is centred on Muelle pier, a humble jetty flanked by a line of restobars and a couple of hotels. Business is not what it used to be since brash newcomers Sabang and White Beach got their own boat services, but even the most idle hotelier can take consolation from what remains one of the finest harbour views in the Philippines.
Read the rest of this entry »

On the west coast, the refreshingly quiet town of Port Barton is a low-key tourist haunt. The town itself is on an attractive beach with colourful sunsets. Even better beaches can be found on the islands scattered throughout the sheltered bay, and up the coast at Long Beach (both are accessible by boat from Port Barton and make good day trips). Quite a few travellers show up here and find the mix of laid-back travel scene and local colour enough reason to stay for a few days. It’s certainly more relaxing than El Nido town to the north, and is a good place for families as the beach is sheltered and peaceful.
Read the rest of this entry »

Panglao Island is generally associated with Alona Beach, a congested strip of resorts and dive centres on the far west side. While Alona doesn’t necessarily afford much sunbathing privacy, it’s a logical choice for those who demand tropical drinks at beachside bars after diving.
Read the rest of this entry »

Even though Panay is a microcosm of everything the Visayas has to offer, the long white-sand beach at Boracay is all that many visitors to the region, or for that matter the country, ever see. The rest of the region keeps a low tourism profile, which helps explain the appeal of tropical Guimaras - just a short commute from the pleasant and lively regional capital of Iloilo City. Panay’s little-explored interior is ringed by a rugged coastline to the south and west and a more domesticated one, dotted with impressive Spanish churches, to the north and east. Adventure sports (particularly mountain biking, trekking, kayaking and rock climbing) can be arranged out of Iloilo City.
Read the rest of this entry »

Palawan is one of the real treasures of the Philippines. Stretching from the Mindoro Strait down to the tip of Borneo, it is a magnificent, coral-fringed range of jungle-clad mountainous islands jutting up dramatically from the Sulu Sea. The flora and fauna in Palawan is quite unique to the island, and is said to have more in common with that of Borneo than with the rest of the Philippines. Due in equal parts to its rugged topography, its small population and its distance from other islands in the archipelago, Palawan has managed to stay largely pristine.
Read the rest of this entry »

This is considered by many to be one of the premier dive spots in the Philippines, with pristine coral reefs, deep wall dives and an abundance and variety of big fish. Padre Burgos also has some good beaches with offshore snorkelling, including Tangkaan Point, to the south of town. A few local leaders have take the initiative with the help of the internationally run Coral Cay Conservation programme to stop dynamite and cyanide fishing and are in the process of setting up a marine reserve.
Read the rest of this entry »

Generalisations fall short when describing this vast region of misty mountains, sprawling plains and endless coastline, whose population is as diverse and unique as the landscape.
Read the rest of this entry »