The popular tourist spots in the Philippines are the great treasures in Southeast Asia. It is a place of natural wonders. It is the second-largest archipelago in the world with 7,107 tropical islands, categorized broadly into three main geographical divisions: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Its capital city is Manila. The Luzon islands include Luzon itself, Mindoro, Palawan, Masbate, and other smaller islands. The Visayas is a group of several small islands, the largest of which are Panay, Bohol, Negros, Cebu, Leyte, and Samar. These islands are blessed with white sand beaches. Mindanao island includes Mindanao island itself and the Sulu Archipelago, composed of Tawi-Tawi, Basilan and Sulu. These provinces are abundant of natural resources. Discover these famous natural wonders in the Philippines.

Philippines Natural Wonders

Beaches

Philippines has been well-known for its awesome beaches. Widely known as one of the finest swimming destinations in the world is Boracay. It lies at the northwest tip of Panay and is one of the best tourist destinations in the Philippines. Its beaches have received numerous awards. Bohol is the favorite destination of foreign and local travelers because of its coastline skimmed and white sand beaches located in Panglao. It is popular for its beautiful dive spots and its coral reef, as well as many several islet ideal for beach bathing. White Island located just 1.4 kilometers off the northern shores of Camiguin is also a popular tourist destination in the island. The island is generally horseshoe shaped although the tides constantly resize and reshape its exact form. Cebu has its fair share of great beaches also situated in Bantayan Island and Mactan Island.

If you’re looking for a beach with continuos white powdery sand and where you can surf, Pagudpud is the place you would want to visit. Its white-sand beaches and crystal-blue water makes Pagudpud a haven for tourists. The place is secluded compared to Boracay. Dakak Beach in Zamboanga del Norte is also well-known for its strikingly shaped bay and powdery sand. It boasts of 15 hectares of wooded land, a natural reservoir for native plants and animals providing the ideal setting for a 750 meter private beach. Palawan is also an ideal place to take a time out from life’s pressures and apparently one of the best tourist destinations in the Philippines. The place has variety of dive sites. Palawan’s almost 2,000 kilometres of irregular coastline are dotted with roughly 1,780 islands and islets, rocky coves, and sugar-white sandy beaches.

Falls

Philippines is also abundant of waterfalls. Pagsanjan Falls is undeniably one of the most well-known waterfalls which is located in the province of Laguna. It’s one of the the major tourist attractions in the region and on the top list of popular tourist attractions in the Philippines. To reach Pagsanjan Falls, tourists or visitors have to ride on bancas (native canoes) manned by skilled Pagsanjeño boatmen (bankeros). The upstream trip to the falls lasts more than one hour and the return trip is less than an hour.  The base of the falls is a huge natural swimming pool where water is clean and cold. Maria Cristina Falls is a spectacular waterfall of Agus River in Mindanao. It is sometimes called the “twin falls” as the flow is separated by a rock at the brink of the waterfall. This 320 feet high waterfall is also known as the “Mother of Industry”, it supplies 80 percent of the total energy requirement of the Mindanao region and is also tag as one of the best tourist spots in the Philippines.

Maria Cristina Falls is the landmark of Iligan City which is nicknamed as the City of Majestic Waterfalls because of the presence of 23 waterfalls in the city. Of the 23 majestic waterfalls, Tinago Falls is the best and is one of the main attractions in the city. Tinago is a Filipino term which means “hidden”, it lies hidden in a deep ravine and is approximately 240 feet high. The highest waterfall in the country is the 1,110 feet and 20 meters in width Aliwagwag Falls located in Cateel town, Davao Oriental province. It is a series of 84 falls appearing like stairway to heaven with various heights among the steps ranging from 6 to 110 feet and is regarded as one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Mindanao.

Mountains and Volcanoes

The country is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire which experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity. There are 37 volcanoes in the country, 18 of which are still active. One of the active volcanoes is Mayon Volcano situated in Albay, standing at around 2460 meters and is the most famous landform in the province and one of the popular tourist attractions in the Philippines. Mount Pinatubo is an active stratovolcano located in the Tri-Cabusilan Mountain range separating the west coast of Luzon. A crater lake was eventually formed in the 1991 caldera. Initially, the lake was hot and highly acidic with a temperature of about 40 °C. The subsequent rainfall cooled and diluted the lake lowering the temperature to 26 °C. Other volcanoes that are active and are permanently monitored since its last eruption are Mount Kanlaon and Mount Bulusan.

Most of the mountainous islands in the country are covered with tropical rainforest. The highest mountain is Mount Apo, a large solfataric, potentially-active stratovolcano. It measures up to 9,692 feet above sea level and is located in the island of Mindanao. Apo which means “ancestor” is flat-topped mountain with three peaks and is capped by a 1,600 feet volcanic crater containing a small crater lake. The date of its most recent eruption is unknown and none are verified in historical times. Its majestic peak is one of the country’s most popular climbing destinations which will take 2 days to reach on average.

Other famous tourist spots in the Philippines

Hotels and Resorts

Based on June 2010 survey, there are 2,343 hotels and resorts in seven key destinations in the Philippines. Altogether, these accommodation facilities provide 65,052 rooms. To name a few 5 star hotels in Manila are Dusit Thani Manila which is located in Makati, Edsa Shangri-La Hotel located in Ortigas, Sofitel Philippine Plaza located in Pasay and a lot more. There are also first class resorts outside Manila. Few of those are Misibis Bay Resort situated in Cagraray Island in Albay, Eskaya Beach Resort & Spa in Bohol, El Nido Resort situated in Lagen Island in Palawan, Alta Vista De Boracay Resort in Boracay, Aklan and more. For a good choice of hotels in Philippines with discount prices, visit Hotel in Manila for more information. You can also Find discount hotel on CheapOair.

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