Baguio City (Summer Capital of the Philippines)

Camp John Hay in Baguio City

Baguio City is the Summer Capital of the Philippines. The name of the city is derived from an indigenous word, Bagiw, which means moss. The altitude of the city reaches 5100 feet that makes it a tropical forest highly conducive to growing pines, mossy plants and flowers, cluing you why it is named Baguio City.

There is just so much to love about Baguio City. This is the reason why thousands of visitors head to the city each year. What is great about Baguio is that the tourist attractions are closely located to one another. You do not have to travel from one point to another to get to a scenic spot.

This pine city is the easiest to explore. The first thing you have to do when in Baguio is buy a map. This map is going to help you get to the most wonderful places that Baguio has to offer. It is quite an adventure to get to places on your own than to have a tourist guide lead you there.

Tourist Attractions in Baguio City:

• Burnham Park – Burnham Park is considered to be the mother of all parks in Baguio City. It was named after Daniel Burnham, an American architect. Burnham was also an urban planner that made the original plan for the city. Up to this day, this park is still the most renowned and appreciated park in the city.
• Baguio Cathedral – this cathedral is one of the Philippines’ finest architectural designs. It is the city’s most magnificent building that stands on Mt. Mary Hill.
• Camp John Hay – What used to be a place for recreation of American soldiers is now a top destination of the city. Camp John Hay is now a beautiful resort that embodies the essence of the city itself.
• Baguio Botanical Garden – it is in this garden that you will find the indigenous people of Baguio city, the Igorots. This place displays the native houses of cordillera tribes. It is also in this place that you will see a lot of flora and fauna of the city.

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Taal Volcano

Taal Volcano is a complex volcano located 50 kilometers from Manila, the capital of the Philippines. Once upon a time, the Taal Volcano was a large volcano, in fact was one of the largest volcanoes in the world, towering 18,000 feet up in the sky. Now, it is the world’s smallest active volcano, only about 700 meters high.

Since 1572, the volcano has 33 recorded eruptions, the most devastating eruption occurred in the year 1911. The most recent volcanic activity happened in 1977, although the volcano has remained quiet since. It is still not safe, for signs of increased activity appeared in 1991, 1992, 1994, and most recently, in June of 2009.

When you visit Taal Volcano, make sure to bring water, hats and plenty of sun screen lotion. Wear light clothes for it can get very hot, it being located in a tropical country. It is most recommended you get a head start early in the morning. You can either take a hike or ride on horseback to go up the ridge and see the beautiful Crater Lake.

From Manila, you can travel by land to Tagaytay, passing through panoramic views of the countryside. Afterwards, you take a zigzag road to the Town of Talisay. To get to Taal Volcano and Taal Lake, you can take a half hour boat ride in any town located on the shores of Taal Lake. The most popular point is in Talisay. However, if you prefer less crowded areas and cheaper rates, you can go to more remote towns like San Nicolas.

The locals are friendly. You do not have to worry about communication, most of them speak good Basic English

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Pamalican Island

Pamalican Island is paradise on Earth. Surrounded by tranquil turquoise waters and vibrant coral reefs, it is easy to get seduced with the island’s charms. It is the perfect place for swimming, snorkeling, fishing, sailing, scuba diving, or even just simply basking under the sun.

Pamalican Island is a small island dotted with lush coconut trees and five kilometers of white sand beach. The crystal clear turquoise waters are flanked by coral reefs just 50 to 300 meters from the sea shore. The island is home to the Amanpulo Resort, a secluded luxury resort for relaxation and peace. True to its name, Amanpulo means ‘peaceful island’ which it really is.

The island is located southwest of Manila, east of Palawan. You can get there via a small 19-passenger charter plane, the plane ride lasts about an hour. The island is privately owned, exclusive only to the Amanpulo Resort guests. The Amanpulo resort has plenty of cottages, and you can stay by the hillside, on the treetop, or on a villa, whichever you want. The weather is tropical, so the perfect time to go is from November to May when the season is hot and dry.

Amanpulo resort’s main building is the Clubhouse. The resort boasts of many wood sculptures and rattan chairs proudly made in the Philippines. While on the island, you can participate in many leisure and recreational activities. Aside from the usual diving, swimming and snorkeling, you can also do sailing, windsurfing, sunset cruises, picnicking, fishing and more. The resort has a hundred foot long pool! Apart from sea and beach activities, you can take a hike along the island nature trails, explore, and even play golf.

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Philippine Tarsier

The Philippine Tarsier (Tarsius syrichta or Carlito syrichta), known locally as the Maumag in Cebuano/Visayan and Mamag in Luzon, is an endangered species of tarsier endemic to the Philippines. It is found in the southeastern part of the archipelago, particularly in the islands of Bohol Island, Samar Island, Leyte Island and Mindanao. It is a member of the approximately 45 million year old family Tarsiidae, whose name is derived from its elongated "tarsus" or ankle bone.

Its geographic range also includes Maripipi Island, Siargao Island, Basilan Island and Dinagat Island. Tarsiers have also been reported in Sarangani, although they may be different subspecies.

The Philippine Tarsier is not a large animal; it measures only about 85 to 160 millimetres (3.35 to 6.30 in) in height, making it one of the smallest primates. The small size makes it difficult to spot. The mass for males is between 80–160 g (2.8–5.6 oz), usually lighter for females, somewhat heavier than other Tarsius such as the Pygmy Tarsier. The average adult is about the size of a human fist and will fit very comfortably in the human hand.

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Mayon Volcano

Mayon Volcano has a worldwide reputation as the most perfectly formed volcano in the world because of its near-perfect conical shape and form. Mayon Volcano is the champion among the best competitors for the world's most perfectly coned volcanoes like Osorno Volcano of Chile, Mount Fuji of Japan, Mount Taranaki of New Zealand, Mount Cotopaxi of Ecuador, Volcan Arenal of Costa Rica and Shishaldin Volcano of Alaska, USA. Because of its natural elegance and beauty, it is listed on the World's Top 10 Wonders of Nature. Visitors traveling to Mayon Volcano from Manila would take an hour by plane getting to Legazpi City then 10 miles north of Legazpi city is the magnificent Mayon Volcano, the most popular landmark of the province of Albay, Philippines.

Geomorphology

Mayon Volcano is an active stratovolcano. The current cone was formed through pyroclastic and lava flows from past eruptions. Mayon is the most active of the active volcanoes in the Philippines, having erupted over 49 times in the past 400 years.

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Chocolate Hills in Bohol

 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.

The Chocolate Hills placed Bohol on the tourist map long before the beautiful white beaches of the island became major tourist destinations. The most famous and signature tourist attraction of Bohol, it is a prime tourist destination in the Philippines. This is because the Chocolate Hills are incomparable and is one of the country's most spectacular sceneries. Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who admits that she is the No. 1 tourist of Bohol for having visited the province so many times, said: "Bohol is a major tourist province. The fame of the Chocolate Hills is not only known in the country but worldwide." The national government has chosen the Chocolate Hills as one of its "flagship tourist destinations".

Of the 1,247 hills, two have been developed into resorts for tourism. The original resort is located in Carmen, Bohol located in Barangay Buenos Aires, only a few minutes drive from downtown Carmen. The resort in Carmen is called Chocolate Hills Complex. The more recent one in Sagbayan is called Sagbayan Peak.

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Puerto Princesa Subterranean Rive

The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River is one of the world's longest underground river and the previous record holder of the longest underground river in the whole world. The Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to diverse species of plants and animals (flora and fauna). The park has over 800 plant species and over 300 animal species. Being 30 miles north of the city of Puerto Princesa (Palawan province), it is about 3 to 4 hours of travel by boat.

Flora

The Park has a range of forest formations representing eight of the thirteen forest types found in tropical Asia, namely forest over ultramafic soils, forest over limestone soils, montane forest, freshwater swamp forest, lowland evergreen tropical rainforest, riverine forest, beach forest, and mangrove forest. Researchers have identified more than 800 plant species from 300 genera and 100 families. These include at least 295 trees dominated by the dipterocarp type of species. In the lowland forest, large trees such as the Dao (Dracontomelon dao), Ipil (Intsia bijuga), Dita (Alstonia scholaris), Amugis (Koordersiodendrum pinnatum), and Apitong (Dipterocarpus gracilis) are common. Beach forest species include Bitaog (Calophyllum inophyllum), Pongamia pinnata, and Erynthia orientalis. Other notable plant species include Almaciga (Agathis philippinensis), Kamagong (Diospyros pulganensis) Pandan (Pandanus sp.) Anibong, and Rattan ('Calamus sp.)

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