Baguio
Many people visit this city every summer because of its cold weather and attractive tourist spots. Based on the history of the city, it is the Americans, which recognized Baguio as one of the Philippine cities on June 1, 1903 at Kafagway.
Naguilian Highway, Marcos Highway and Kennon Road are the three accessible roads to the city. The most famous route to the city is Kennon Road, however, it is dangerous to take that route during the rainy season because the road is prone to land slides. In this case, travelers who want to visit the city is advised to travel by air since the city has an airport which is named as Loakan Airport.
Baguio City is a big city in the Northern region of the Philippines. Based on reports, the city has 130 barangays, which include the Session Road area, the barangay that is very popular for bars, restaurants and other business establishments that attract tourists and travelers to the area. Aside from the Session Road area, Mines View Park, Camp John Hay and Burnham Park are the other tourist attractions in the area.
For travelers who want to have a look at some tourist spots in city, they can also visit the vacation house of every Philippine president in Baguio. It is also exciting and luring to have a tour at some of the strawberry farms of the city. In addition, the city is also renowned for its top universities and colleges such as University of the Philippines Baguio, University of Baguio and Saint Louis University. Above all, Baguio is popular for Philippine Military Academy that is based on one of its barangays.
Many foreigners visit the place during February because it is the month in which the famous and luring Panagbenga Festival or Flower Festival is held. For those who want to visit the city during these times, they are advised to book in hotels in Baguio in advance. With the help of the Internet, players can visit Web sites that are created for travelers who want to have a background on the alluring tourist destinations in the city. The sites also have instant access to the places where travelers can stay when they visit Baguio. With these tools, tourists will surely enjoy their visit to the attractive city of the Philippines, the Baguio City.
Banaue Rice Terraces
Banaue rice terraces has been described as the eighth wonder of the world. Carved out of the hillside by Ifugao tribes people 2000 to 3000 years ago without the aid of machinery to provide level steps where the natives plant rice. And they are still in use today.
Banaue rice terraces stretch like stepping stones to the sky – some reaching an altitude of 1500m (4920ft). It is considered as one of mankind’s greatest engineering feat. If the terraces were laid end to end, they would stretch half way around the world.
One of the major appeal of Banaue rice terraces to the local and international tourist are the many hiking trails in the area. There are many young locals, mostly college students who serve as guides. But with or without a guide, you will find the friendliness and warmth of the Ifugao people endearing.
Banaue rice terraces, although a bit far from Manila is one of the most awesome destinations in the Philippines. Visitors never regret spending time and resources to see its beauty and grandeur. One cannot but ponder how the Ifugaos made it all using just their bare hands…
Chocolate Hills
The Chocolate Hills are probably Bohol’s most famous tourist attraction. They look like giant mole hills, or as some say, women’s breasts, and remind us of the hills in a small child’s drawing. Most people who first see pictures of this landscape can hardly believe that these hills are not a man-made artifact. However, this idea is quickly abandoned, as the effort would surely surpass the construction of the pyramids in Egypt. The chocolate hills consist of are no less than 1268 hills (some claim this to be the exact number). They are very uniform in shape and mostly between 30 and 50 meters high. They are covered with grass, which, at the end of the dry season, turns chocolate brown. From this color, the hills derive their name. At other times, the hills are green, and the association may be a bit difficult to make.
Legend has it that the hills came into existence when two giants threw stones and sand at each other in a fight that lasted for days. When they were finally exhausted, they made friends and left the island, but left behind the mess they made. For the more romantically inclined is the tale of Arogo, a young and very strong giant who fell in love with an ordinary mortal girl called Aloya. After she died, the giant Arogo cried bitterly. His tears then turned into hills, as a lasting proof of his grief.
However, up to this day, even geologists have not reached consensus on how they where formed. The most commonly accept theory is that they are the weathered formations of a kind of marine limestone on top of a impermeable layer of clay. If you climb the 214 steps to the top of the observation hill near the complex, you can read this explanation on a bronze plaque.
Plenty of tourist guides and tour operators will be happy to bring you to the chocolate hills, either as a separate trip or as part of a day tour. However, if you want to go here on your own, from Tagbilaran, you will have to go the integrated bus terminal in Dao and catch a bus going to Carmen. If you look like a stranger, you will have a hard time not finding one. At the entrance of the bus terminal people will point you to the right bus. Make sure it is the first one to leave, and ask the driver to drop you off at the Chocolate Hills complex, about 4 kilometers before the town of Carmen. From there it is a 10 minute walk along a road winding up to the complex.
Vigan
About 400 kilometers from Manila is the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Vigan. It is the capital city of Ilocos Sur located on the west coast of northern Luzon. One can see precious remnants of old Spanish architecture throughout the center of the city. Established in the 16th century, Vigan is the best-preserved example of a planned Spanish colonial town in Asia with a unique European atmosphere. Several museums exist for the many national heroes that were born here. Vigan is the oldest surviving Spanish colonial city in the Philippines. The name Vigan was derived from “Biga”, a giant taro plant that grows abundantly along the banks of the Mestizo River.
Old Vigan Colonial Houses – the ancestral houses were built mostly by rich Chinese traders. These great big houses are made of thick brick walls and plastering with red clay. Tile roofs are made to survive earthquakes. The Mestizo district where more than a hundred houses line side by side along Calle Crisologo.
To get to Vigan City from Manila, you can get a bus or take a plane to Laoag City and take a bus ride to Vigan. There are many places to stay. Many ancestral houses have been turned into quaint hotels and inns. There are also many bars and restaurants offering a variety of local and international dishes.
Siargao
Surigao del Norte is a medley island in the northeastern tip of Mindanao. A province that has managed to preserve its natural marvel through the years. On the eastern side of the province is Siargao Island, a hidden tropical jewel of the Pacific that hosts one of the most beautiful beaches in the world and home of wave surfing and the famous CLOUD 9, the latest sport and tourist attraction to take the country by storm It is the Surfing Capital of the Philippines. The best known surfing break now with a world reputation of being in the top Surfing Waves in the world, is nick-named “Cloud Nine”. But there are literally scores of breaks down this coast, and every time a surfing expedition is mounted in the area, more new breaks are being discovered.
Siargao is a tear-drop shaped island situated 800 kilometers southeast of Manila in the province of Surigao del Norte. It has a land mass of approximately 437 kilometers. It has a land mass of approximately 437 kilometers. The east coast is relatively straight with one deep inlet-Port Pilar with a coastline marked by a succession of reefs, small points and white sandy beaches. There are similar neighboring islands and islets with similar landforms. The reefs and points are excellent for picking up any swell that comes along turning into clean, fast waves. The Island’s Pacific-facing reefs are situated on the edge of the Philippine Trench, and the extremely deep offshore waters guarantee the ocean swells have undiluted power when they encounter the many coral and rock reefs, giving Siargao excellent surfing conditions, particularly during the southwest “habagat” monsoon from August to November, when the prevailing wind is offshore.
Siargao Island, faces the Pacific Ocean and the Philippine Deep, the second deepest water in the world, at more than 11 km below sea level. The area is pure tropics with the plenty activities including snorkeling, island hopping, waterfalls, swimming holes and of course awesome waves and friendly locals.
This right-breaking reef wave is the site of the annual Siargao Cup, a domestic and international surfing competition sponsored by the provincial government of Surigao del Norte. The wave was discovered by travelling surfers in the late 1980’s, and named and made well-known by American photographer John S Callahan, who published the first major feature on Siargao Island in the US based SURFER Magazine in March 1993, and hundreds of photos in many other books and magazines since. Callahan has returned to the island many times since his first visit in 1992, and his efforts to photograph and publish surfing related and general location material from Siargao islandin books and magazines around the world has put the island on the international map and drawn thousands of surfers and tourists to Siargao island.
Dakkak
Dakak Beach Resort is one of the best resort in the Philippines. The 750 meter private beach is covered with pure powdery white sand. Natural spring water and tumbling waterfalls feed the resort’s two pools, whilst the ultimate hideaway is provided at a private open-air jacuzzi where you can relax in the sauna and whirlpool midst an atmosphere of blissfull solitary.
Located at the tip of Northern Zamboanga, Dakak faces the Sulu Sea, in the west and is surrounded by mountains on its east side. North of Dakak are Negros,Cebu and Bohol. To the south is the Mindanao mainland with Borneo and Sarawak beyond the Celebes Sea. While surrounded by all these large islands, Dakak evades the typhoon belt, making it the ultimate destination for all seasons.
To visit the site, take a plane from Manila to Dipolog City via Philippine Airlines. Another way is through Cebu – Dipolog by Asian Spirit Airlines.
Sensitivity designed in line with the natural environment. The unique native style cottages are built of bamboo and nipa leaves and feature marble tiled bathrooms and tile panels capiz shell window panes. Individually controlled air conditioning, intercom phones, mini bar and TV with home videos and CNN gives the modern touch. Set down by the beach or snuggled among wild orchards of papaya, mango, coconut, banana, and frangipani, the whole Dakak beach resort area goes with the natural curves of this sizable 15 hectare beach resort.
http://www.phil-islands.com/dakak-beach-resort-dapitan-zamboanga-philippines
El Nido
El Nido is a municipality located at the northwestern tip of the province of Palawan in the Philippines. It is about 430 kilometers southwest of Manila, and about 238 kilometers northwest of Puerto Princesa, Palawan’s capital. El Nido is bordered by the Linapacan Strait in the north, the Sulu Sea in the east, and the South China Sea in the west. The Municipality of El Nido is composed of 18 barangays (villages) covering a total land area of 50,000 hectares. Its population of 27,000 people, is a mix of native Palaweños, with a heavy presence of migrants from other parts of the Philippines.
El Nido is named after the edible nests of Swiftlets (Collocalia Fuciphaga) found in the crevices of its limestone cliffs. These nests, “nido” in Spanish, are the main ingredient for the gourmet nido soup.El Nido is considered as a showcase of Palawan’s geology and diverse wildlife. Its majestic limestone cliffs stand guard over clear waters, with hundreds of species of tropical fishes and corals, and three species of endangered sea turtles. El Nido’s forests are host to more than 100 species of birds, a large number of which are endemic to Palawan.
Puerto Gallera Beach
Puerto Galera is a town on the northeastern coast of Mindoro Island, Philippines. Among travelers it is commonly known as encompassing the region surrounding it. While a small town itself, other adjacent smaller towns, such as Sabang and White Beach, are the primary destinations; however, all are lumped together as Puerto Galera as it hosts the ferry terminal (to Batangas) through which most people arrive.
Puerto Galera is three hours away from Metro Manila. If you’re already in Manila, getting there is pretty easy. Having a car is very convenient, all you need to do is drive through South Luzon Expressway turn right to Star Toll gate and then head to Batangas Pier. From there, you can either park your car and ride a ferry going to Puerto Galera or have your car ride a RoRo(roll on, roll off) ship so you could take your car with you to Puerto Galera.
Scheduled ferries arrive at Puerto Galera mostly from Batangas but also from other islands. From there, most people immediately depart for Sabang (known for SCUBA diving) or White Beach (a stretch of white sand holding small restaurants and bars).
Crossing the waters between Batangas Port and White Beach can be a thrill by itself especially during the meeting of the tides when the sea can be quite rough. However, the boatmen know these waters very well, so there is no need to be hysterical.
At the harbor you will find lots of people trying to get you to ride with their tricycle. For a 5 minute trip, they will try to make you pay 200php, but the real price is 15/20php (one person/two person) (8th March, 2011) so insist on paying that. You can also find them everywhere in town and get a ride to White Beach, Sabang etc. At night when it gets dark, the prices changes to higher rates (for example, instead of 20php you pay 50php). In Sabang there are 3 motorcycle rental providers. For 500php you can rent a scooter for the whole day. You have to mind the local traffic rules, of course.
Mt. Apo
Mount Apo is a large solfataric, potentially-active stratovolcano in the island of Mindanao, Philippines. With an altitude of 2,954 metres (9,692 ft), it is the highest mountain in the country and is located between Davao City and Davao del Sur province in Region XI and Cotabato province in Region XII. The peak overlooks Davao City 40 kilometres (25 mi) to the northeast, Digos City 25 kilometres (16 mi) to the southeast, and Kidapawan City 20 kilometres (12 mi) to the west.
Apo, which means “ancestor”, is flat-topped mountain with three peaks and is capped by a 500-metre-wide (1,600 ft) volcanic crater containing a small crater lake. The date of its most recent eruption is unknown, and none are verified in historical times.
The volcano is one of the most popular climbing destinations in the Philippines with the summit, on the average, takes two days to reach. The first recorded climb was on October 10, 1880, by a party led by Joaquin Rajal, then Spanish governor of Davao.
The mountain and the surrounding area which form the Mount Apo National Park cover a land area of 64,053 hectares. About 19 kilometers up its slopes is found Lake Venado. The mountain’s high peak appears to be white, due to a crust of sulphur that is released in the mountain’s emissions. Volcanic in nature, the mountain has 3 craters but is not known to have ever erupted. The mountain is a source of geothermal power, however, with at least two geothermal plants located on it. Mt. Apo is the tallest Philippine mountain. It measures 3,143.6 meters above sea level. Despite its height, the mountain is considered easy to climb and is popular with climbers.
Mt. Makiling
Mt. Makiling is ideal for all types of nature trekking, bird and butterfly watching, and camping. Due to its popularity, the trails leading to Peak 2 are well-established, and no guide is necessary to climb the mountain. Although extensive damage was wrought by typhoon ‘Milenyo’ in 2006, as of the 2009 climbing season the UPLB trail has recovered and is now open for climbing.
The UPLB Trail is the most popular among the trails. A few meters from the entrance, there is a registration point. Still further is a dry riverbed called “Flat Rocks,” where you can see many flat rocks in the river. At the midpoint, there are some stores, picnic grounds and the trail that goes to Mud Springs, where you can see pools of boiling mud. The road-trail continues three-fourths to the summit. At the end of this wide trail is the place called Camp One which is a wide field where you can set up camp.
From camp one, an hour hike on a foot-trail will bring you to the highest point, Peak Two. It can accommodate around 10-15 tents.
travelguidezone 