To give you a special dose of nature, I have set a rendezvous with yet another ecotourism destination, and this time it is the mesmerizing Philippines. This Southeast Asian country with 7107 islands is bounded by the Philippine Sea in the east, the South China Sea and Luzon Sea in the west and the Sulu Sea and Celebes Sea in the south. It has a lot to offer to the vacationer coming in looking for peace, adventure and lots of fun.
The Philippines flaunts its white sand beaches, lush green forest, majestic mountain peaks, age-old structure, modern cities and rustic countrysides. The beautiful nation is truly rich with culture and history, breathtaking views and landscapes and vivid cities. Portraying true colors of rich culture and heritage are the four churches located in Manila, Santa Maria, Paoay and Miag-ao. All of them have unique architectural style reinterpreting European Baroque by Chinese and Philippine craftsmen. A good example of a planned Spanish colonial town is Vigan, whose architecture reflects the blend of cultural elements.
Attracting a number of visitors is the Puerto-Princesa Subterranean River National Park and the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park. The former features a spectacular limestone karst landscape with an underground river. It represents a significant habitat for biodiversity conservation. The location contains a full “mountain-to-sea” ecosystem and has some of the most important forests in Asia.
The Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park is known for high density of marine species and behaves as a nesting site for birds and marine turtles. It is a pristine coral reef with a spectacular 100-m perpendicular wall, extensive lagoons and two coral islands. Tourists can try their hands at swimming, rafting, boating, fishing, mountain climbing and sightseeing. Philippine rice terraces are something to look out for. These living cultural landscapes of unparalleled beauty depict the rich diversity of biological resources existing in the Ifugao agro-ecosystem.
Image Credit: OurSurprisingWorld/Goiloilo/Wayfaring