By: Angelo Castelda
The Philippines is an archipelagic country located in Southeast Asia. It’s popularly recognized as the Pearl of the Orient Seas because of its well-known natural beauty and ability to produce the most beautiful pearls. In fact, the biggest pearl in the world was discovered here, weighing around 34 kilograms. With over 7,641 islands, you wouldn’t know which island groups to tour first! The Philippines is home to beautiful sceneries, magnificent islands and beaches, historical places, and a lot more stunning destinations. If you’re planning to visit the Philippines anytime soon, this article is for you!
Tagaytay
Looking for the perfect quick weekend getaway? Tagaytay is the best place to be! Only about two hours away from the metro, Tagaytay offers a soothing ambiance all year round. This city is known for its cool breeze and a wide range of fun activities perfect for families and friend groups looking for adventures over the weekend.
Want to unleash your inner Tiger Woods? Spend the day playing golf at Tagaytay Highlands golf club where you can enjoy world-class facilities and amenities like their Swiss cable car system, which is the only one in the Philippines. Aside from that, you can also enjoy a day of rest and relaxation at their spa and lodge, where you can avail full body massages, facials, and a whole lot more.
On a hunt for the perfect bulalo? Tagaytay definitely has that! Tagaytay is well-known for its delicious bulalo all year round. In fact, almost all restaurants in Tagaytay have bulalo as their specialty and bestseller that your inner food critic self will surely enjoy!
Ilocos
Photo by Ralph Olazo on Unsplash
Ilocos is located around the Northern side of the country. It’s divided into two provinces: Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur. If you’re a fan of historical places with old, preserved houses and establishments, then this is the perfect destination for you.
Ilocos Sur, specifically Vigan, is home to quite an amount of history during the Spanish colonial period. Old houses and establishments are preserved and kept, while new ones are required to adapt to the old style design and setting.
Meanwhile, Ilocos Norte is home to many popular tourist destinations and fun activities. One example is Paoay’s sand dunes, where you can rent a 4×4 truck/ATV for one hour. This 4×4 “tours” you around the desert-like area, but with a twist. Now it’s up to you if you want to find out what that “twist” is. You can also try sandboarding, which is pretty much (almost) similar to surfing. On the Northern side of Ilocos is also the famous Bangui Windmills where most of the province’s energy is generated. The Bangui Windmills are situated at a beach; however, swimming is prohibited because of the strong waves and current. But you can take Instagram-worthy pictures with the windmills! What once you thought were just small mills are actually huge ones. In fact, the Bangui Windmills kind of look like your trusty home electric fan, only about twenty times bigger.
Boracay
Photo by Ramon Kagie on Unsplash
Boracay is a small yet captivating island in the region of Visayas. It’s popularly known for its white beach sand and clear turquoise waters. Aside from that, it’s surrounded by many other beaches or islands that are equally as beautiful as the main beach. Neighboring beaches are White Beach, Puka Beach, Cagban Beach, and a whole lot more.
The island is now pretty much dominated by night clubs and bars for those who wish to experience the nightlife at the beach. However, if you’re the type to seek adventures more than parties and are exploring the Philippines and all this country has to offer, Boracay still has it for you!
Boracay is popularly known for its fun and exciting water sports activities like riding the jet ski, banana boat, para and parawsailing, flying fish, scuba diving, and so much more. There’s just a lot of activities on this island that you’d want to keep coming back for more!
Cebu
Photo by Ken Suarez on Unsplash
The island of Cebu usually gets compared to Manila. According to most people, Cebu today is much like Manila. However, there are still quite a handful of things Cebu offers that Manila can’t.
Starting off with the historical site that is Magellan’s Cross, where Portuguese and Spanish explorers planted a Christian cross as ordered by Ferdinand Magellan upon arrival at Cebu in 1521. Aside from that, Cebu possesses beautiful parks and mountains you can trek or hike at, perfect for those seeking adventure and an adrenaline rush. A few examples are Sudlon National Park and Osmeña Peak.
On top of that, Cebu also lets you experience being one with nature and wildlife. Oslob is one of the most popular places in the province because of its diving and whale shark watching activities.
Manila
Why go looking for distant places when the country’s capital itself offers a variety of tourist destinations with fun activities?
Manila is the very heart of the Philippines. It’s home to a lot of the country’s history, starting off with churches like the Manila Cathedral, San Agustin, and Quiapo Churches. Aside from churches, you can also revisit the past in just one day by going around Rizal Park and its neighboring establishments, namely: The National Museum of the Philippines (fine arts, anthropology, and natural history), The Planetarium, The Walled City or Intramuros, and so much more. All these for only a budget of 500 pesos or even less!
On top of that, if you’re in it for food, you can visit Manila’s Chinatown in Binondo, where Chinese food is abundant.
Wrapping Up
The Philippines is home to so many beautiful tourist destinations where you can enjoy endless fun activities with your family and friends. With over 7,641 islands, you wouldn’t even know where to start with exploring the Philippines – though this is a surprisingly easy country to travel in. So start planning your trip today!
About the Author
Angelo Castelda works as a contributor for a news magazine in Asia. He loves to learn and understand diverse cultures and aims to share through his writing his experiences around the world.
Featured image via Unsplash.