Luxury Journey To PHILLIPPINES
Luxury Journey To Philippines – Scattered like jewels across the Pacific Ocean, the 7107 islands of the Philippines lie well off the radar of most travellers, despite the lure of riotous fiestas, stunning beaches and some of the best diving in the world. Many are put off visiting thi former Spanish and American colony by the reputation of its hectic capital, Manila, and by the sex touristswho flock to the largest Catholic country in Asia. However, it is the islands rather than the cities that define the Philippine experience – each has its own unique character, most are covered in dense jungles and volcanoes, and most are covered in dense jungles and volcanoes, and almost all have glorious beaches and fringing coral reefs. Drifting from island to island by outrigger ferry only adds to the sense of being an explorer on a new frontier.
Best time to visit in Philippines
September to May, to avoid the typhoon season
Places to visit in Philippines
- The almost too perfect sands of Boracay Island
- Rice terraces on an epic scale at Banaue
- Butanding (whale sharks) on their annual migration past Luzon Island
- Peaceful island backwaters like Siquijor, Camiguin and Bohol
- The spooky hanging coffins of Sagada
Top things to do in Philippines
- Ride in a jeepney – the wildly decorated stretched jeeps that serve as buses across the Philippines.
- Dive into an eerie graveyard of WWII shipwrecks at Coron on Busuanga.
- Survive a night out in Manila – Asia’s most notorious metropolis.
- Travel by outrigger ferry between the islands of the Visayas.
- Ride a dirt bike across rugged Palawan.
Discover Philippines
- Read In Our Image by Stanley Karnow, a harrowing expose of the American colonial period in the Philippines, or F Sionil Jose’s Spanish-era epic Dusk.
- Listen to the sentimental croonings of karaoke favourite Jose Mari Chan, or the agreeable Pinoy-rock of Eraserheads.
- Watch Ishmael Bernai’s emotional classic Himala, or Chito Rono’s crowd-pleasing blockbuster Sukob, starring Kris Aquino, daughter of former president Corazon Aquino.
- Eat adobo (pork or chicken stewed in vinegar and soy sauce) – the national dish of the Philippines.
- Drink Tanduay rum, typically served Cuba Libre-style with coke and a twist of lime.
Philippines Highlights
Jeepneys, San Miguel beer, cock-fighting, Catholicism, coral reefs, coco-palm plantations, revolutions, Manila’s seedy underbelly, more beaches than you can count, Imelda Marcos’ shoes
One word for Philippines Tourism
Mabuti naman (I’m fine)
