Saturday, July 23, 2011

Banaue Rice Terraces
Ifugao, Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Luzon, Philippines
The Rice Terraces in Banaue, Ifugao are considered to be the Eighth Wonder of the World. The terraces are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Approximately during the ministry of Jesus Christ on earth (over 2000 years ago), the native people of Ifugao began carving the terraces of the mountains using merely their bare hands and sticks from the trees in the forests. The terraces were carved mainly to provide an area of land suitable for planting rice which is the staple food of most Filipinos whether breakfast, lunch or dinner, rice is always served and eaten with the main dish. The rainforests above the mountains act as a natural irrigation system used to water the rice plants. The terraces are 7 hours of travel by car (50 miles) from Baguio city, the summer capital of the Philippines. Travelling from Manila, the capital city of the Philippines, it would take a total of 12 hours to reach the terraces, a distance of about 205 miles

Chocolate Hills
The Chocolate Hills of Bohol are a spectacular natural wonder in the Philippines. It consists of nearly 1800 small cute little hills that are spread over an area of 20 square miles. The hills are located in 3 towns of Bohol namely Carmen, Batuan and Sagbayan. A viewing station is available in the government resort Chocolate Hills Complex in the town of Carmen, Bohol which is a distance of about 34 miles from Tagbilaran City. Sagbayan Peak Mountain Resort offers an alternative viewing station of the world-renowned and popular Chocalate Hills in the town of Sagbayan, a distance of 47 miles from Tagbilaran City.

Tubbataha Reefs

Sulu Sea, southeast of Puerto Princesa City, Palawan Province
The Tubbataha Reefs National Marine Park is a sanctuary (government-protected conservation area) consisting of over 1000 species of marine creatures and birds. The Reef
is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is the most popular Philippine diving site for tourists. The Tubbataha Reef has two coral reef atolls, the North and South Atoll. The Park can be reached via boat travel of 10 to 12 hours which is about 112 miles from Puerto Princesa city, the capital of Palawan province.

Boracay Island
Kalibo, Aklan

Without a shadow of a doubt, this tropical island paradise has one of the best and most beautiful beaches in the world. Boracay Island has been nominated several times as the NUMBER ONE Tropical Beach in the world. It has two major tourism beaches namely White Beach and Bulabog Beach. Regarded as a world-class tourist spot and among the Top 10 tourist attractions, travel destinations, vacation hotspots and most visited places in the Philippines, Boracay's two main beaches are venues to a host of leisure activities such as windsurfing, kiteboarding, kitesurfing, scuba diving, snorkeling, swimming, beach-side nature walking, sunbathing, beach volleyball, golf, and other recreational sports. Although Boracay Island is 200 miles south of Manila, there are two airports serving Boracay Island traveling by air and the option to travel by sea with ferries. Don't take my word for it, just go and experience the fun and the breath-taking scenery of this tourist-favorite place. Enjoy your trip!

Apo Reef National Park