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Markets and Street Scenes Manila
14 Reviews The two main markets in Manila are the Baclaran market near the end of EDSA and Divisoria market on the other side of the city near Quiapo. Divisoria has already been posted here , and I agree it is...
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Tagaytay and Taal Manila
9 Reviews Taal Lake lies in the crater of an extinct volcano on Luzon Island, about 56 km (about 35 miles) south of Manila. The lake is the 3rd largest lake in the Philippines covering an area of 240 sq km (94...
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Corregidor Manila
5 Reviews If you have a day where you want to explore something different, ride a ferry to to Corregidor! This is just a short 2-3 hour ferry ride that leaves daily at 0730 from the wharf which is close to the...
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In the Visayas Manila
2 Reviews Sumilon Island off Dumaguete in Negros Oriental used to be a marine sanctuary managed by Silliman University. When we took this trip in 1994, it was no longer a marine sanctuary but a resort being...
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Laoag was first occupied by the Spaniards in 1592 and is now the largest city in northern Luzon. Ilocos Norte is best known as the home province of former president Ferdinand Marcos. The province has many Old Spanish Churches, the best known being St. William's Cathedral in the capital city, Laoag. see my LAOAG travel pages for more...information
Went to Banaue rice terraces the back way... via Bontoc city across the side of Sierra Madre Mountains...The scenery via Bontoc city is spectacular although the travel is a bit rough.There are bus companies and private drivers who do the trip from Baguio city to Bontoc city, then buses and jeepneys travel from Bontoc city to Banaue rice terraces usually in the afternoon.. To take in the scenery it is best for a 2 day trip or more, accomodation available on the way but you should take cash as not many ATM's along the way..
If you're looking for some fun beach experience, try heading to La Union. It is a coastal city, just six-hour drive from Manila. There are a lot of beach resorts offering a variety of fun activities and a great relaxing ambiance for you and your family (and friends) to enjoy.
A completely non-descript town but gateway to my favourite places in the country. Firstly: Pandan island. Lots of other tourists but a stunning tropical island. Snorkeling here I saw sharks, giant turtles and a multitude of beautiful tropical fish. There are lots of beach huts of varying degrees of comfort to rent, or you can bring your own tent for a much cheaper price. There's a bar and a restaurant which serves great buffets. Much further away from the mainland is Apo Reef, a deserted set of tropical paradise islands with great diving and snorkeling. Facilities here are much less than on Pandan so you have to bring your own tent.Inland from Sablayan live the Alangan and Batangan Mangyan people. The Alangan are very traditional while many groups of the Batangan have up to this day refused all contact with the outside world. All Alangan and some Batangan communities occasionally send...
I can't quite work out what I feel about Kalinga. I found the people among the most hospitable in the country but at the same time they are willing to kill each other at the drop of a hat! Tribal war is an accepted part of life and there were several revenge killings while I was there. These are unlikely to involve tourists but anyone worried about it should probably not go further than Tinglayan, a few hours jeepney ride from Bontoc in Mountain Province. Even around Tinglayan you can trek to mountain villages, see people with full body tattoos and human jawbone gongs, reminders of the area's headhunting past!The drives north from Bontoc to Tinglayan and Tinglayan to Tabuk, the main town in the province, are probably the most spectacular I saw anywhere in the country, going very high up in the rice-terraced mountains.From Tabuk I went to Tanudan, a 4 hour ride in an ex-military 6WD...
In the virgin jungles of South Palawan live many groups of Palawan people. Many of them still live very traditionally, alternating between living in caves in the rock during the rainy season and traditional houses at other times. They hunt bats and other animals using traditional methods and some groups still have little contact with the outside world and have not been Christianised. a handful of people still wear the traditional bahag or loincloth.The most well known and easy to access group, known as the Tao't Batu by anthropologists, tourists and coastal dwellers, live in the Signapan Basin and can be accessed from Barangay Ransang near the towns of Rizal and Sicud. They are, however, quite used to seeing tourists and money oriented, refusing even to let me take photos even of their villages without paying them. Other groups of Palawan who live further from Signapan are extremely...
This truly was one of my favourite places in the Philippines. Eating in a cafe just after our arrival a young man walked in and asked, "may I sing for you?" We said yes and he went ahead and did it for several minutes! Other than that there are some STUNNING beaches and islands nearby that are COMPLETELY deserted. Very few other tourists come here.Another extremely interesting thing to do here is visit markets in nearby villages such as Manaul. Betel nut-chewing Mangyan tribespeople come down from the mountains, most clad in loincloths, to sell their products. The Hanunoo people in particular have very colourful traditional jewelry and skirts, although fewer of them still wear the loincloth than other Mangyan groups. Many have completely red and black teeth from years of chewing the mildly narcotic betel nut.
The only real reason I can think of to come here is to get the pump boat from here to Roxas, Mindoro. My experience doing just that was so bad (days of delays, two break downs while at sea, cramped conditions and rough seas) that I would not recommend it to anyone. That said, locals are friendly, there are one or two nice beaches, indigenous people in the interior and no other tourists.
Isolated and little visited, Sibuyan is nevertheless well worthy of a visit by those with enough time on their hands not to be bothered by the very irregular boat connections to the outside world! It has a jungley, mountainous interior that is home to several species of animal found nowhere else in the world. Without a lot of time, however, your chances of seeing any of these are not that high. It also has a few nice beaches and very friendly people.The interior is inhabited by people who were termed "Sibuyan Mangyan Tagabukid" by an anthropologist. Whether or not they are really indigenous / ethnically different from lowlanders is disputed but from my visits to several of their communities they certainly seemed culturally and physically distinct. They still hunt using traditional methods and continue many animistic beliefs. Remoter communities live in traditional houses too.
Lake Sebu high in the mountains is home to the friendly and hospitable Tboli people. Traditional weaving and jewelry making is still widespread and at events such as festivals and weddings you can see people dressed up in their colourful red and black costumes and hats. Their annual festival in November includes horse fighting.There are several trekking opportunities to villages in the mountains nearby. We were invited in to a traditional Tboli wedding in one village.Transport around the area is by motorcycle taxi. They fit up to five people on one bike and career around the bumpy dirt roads!
Makati Shangri-La Manila Manila
17 Reviews and 410 Opinions This is my Makati Shangrila Tips with the Newer Pictures. The Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts is a...
Dave's Straw Hat Inn Boracay Island
10 Reviews and 452 Opinions Let me start this by saying Dave's is amazing, really. The staff was friendly, Always had a smile on...
Rock Inn Sagada
4 Reviews and 24 Opinions When we went to Sagada, we tried looking for accomodation in the town proper but had really a hard...
Reviews and photos of Philippines attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Philippines sightseeing.
Q: Hi There I'm going backpacking with 3 other friends for 5 days in the Philippines and was wondering if anyone has any...
A: Some suggestion of mine: Shooting the rapid at pagsanjan falls then spend the night at tagaytay. 2nd day, taal trek, a bit of city tour and then a 45 drive to Lago de...
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