The Wonders of the Philippines
Thirty headline wonders and seventy more places to explore, from limestone lagoons to rice terraces carved by hand.
Headline wonders
The Chocolate Hills
About 1,776 rounded hills rising out of the Bohol countryside, green after the rains and chocolate brown in the dry season.
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The Rice Terraces of the Cordilleras
Stone and earth terraces climbing whole mountainsides in Ifugao, built and farmed by hand by generations of Ifugao families.
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The Puerto Princesa Underground River
A river that runs through a limestone mountain and out into the sea, explored by paddle boat in the dark.
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El Nido's Big and Small Lagoons
Two hidden lagoons inside the limestone cliffs of Miniloc Island, reached by kayak or a swim from the boat.
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Mayon Volcano
The most perfectly shaped volcano in the Philippines, and one of its most active. Admire it from a safe distance.
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The Historic City of Vigan
Cobblestone streets, kalesa carriages and stone-and-wood mansions in a Spanish colonial town that has lived on for centuries.
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Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park
Two coral atolls in the middle of the Sulu Sea, far from any town, and open to divers for only three months a year.
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The Baroque Churches of the Philippines
Four Spanish-era stone churches, built to stand up to earthquakes, typhoons and raiders, and listed together by UNESCO.
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Kayangan Lake, Coron
A short, steep climb over limestone cliffs leads to one of the most famous views in the Philippines, then down to a lake of startlingly clear water.
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Intramuros
For more than three centuries, the walled city was Manila. Walk its ramparts, churches and gardens in a single day.
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Taal Volcano and Taal Lake
A small, restless volcano on an island in a lake that fills the crater of a much bigger one, an hour or two south of Manila.
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Boracay's White Beach
Four kilometres of fine white sand facing the sunset, cleaned up and calmer since the island's famous six-month closure.
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Siargao
A teardrop-shaped island off northeastern Mindanao, famous for one wave and loved for its palm forests, lagoons and slow island days.
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Kawasan Falls
Milky turquoise water tumbling through jungle pools in southern Cebu, and the end point of the island's famous canyoneering run.
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The Moalboal Sardine Run
A shimmering wall of millions of sardines, just a short swim off a Cebu beach, any day of the year.
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Malapascua's Thresher Sharks
At first light, deep-water thresher sharks rise to shallow cleaning stations off a small Cebu island, and divers wait for them.
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Bantayan Island
A flat, laid-back island off the northern tip of Cebu, with long white beaches, low-tide sandbars and very little to do but swim.
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The Philippine Tarsier
One of the world's smallest primates, with eyes bigger than its brain, sleeping in the forests of Bohol.
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Panglao and Balicasag
Bohol's beach island, with a short boat ride to one of the best-known marine sanctuaries in the Visayas.
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Siquijor
A small, easygoing island with turquoise waterfalls, a coral-stone church and a long reputation for magic.
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Batanes
Wind-swept green hills, cliffs and lighthouses at the very top of the Philippines, where people built their homes from stone to survive the typhoons.
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Sagada
A cool mountain town in the Cordilleras, where coffins hang from limestone cliffs and morning clouds fill the valleys below.
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Mount Pulag
Luzon's highest mountain, where hikers start before dawn to watch the sun rise over an ocean of cloud.
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Mount Pinatubo
A turquoise lake sitting in the crater left by one of the largest volcanic eruptions of the 20th century.
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The Hundred Islands
More than a hundred small, tree-topped islands scattered across a bay in northwestern Luzon, a day trip by bangka from Alaminos.
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Pagudpud and the Bangui Windmills
A row of giant wind turbines along a wild northern shore, and some of Luzon's best beaches just around the headland.
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Surfing in La Union
The surf town closest to Manila, with gentle waves for first-timers and a relaxed beach scene of cafes and sunsets.
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Puerto Galera
A bay of green hills and beaches on Mindoro, beside some of the richest reef waters on Earth, a few hours from Manila.
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Binondo
Manila's Chinatown, founded in 1594, where four centuries of Chinese-Filipino life come together in dumplings, temples and crowded streets.
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Camiguin
A small volcanic island off Mindanao, with a white sandbar, a cemetery swallowed by the sea and mountains that still steam.
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Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar
A whole old town of Spanish-era houses, taken apart across the country and rebuilt piece by piece beside the sea in Bataan.
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Anilao
The birthplace of Philippine scuba, where divers hunt for tiny, impossibly colourful creatures a few hours from Manila.
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Anawangin and Nagsasa coves
Grey volcanic beaches shaded by pine-like agoho trees, born from the ash of Mount Pinatubo.
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Kapurpurawan and Cape Bojeador
Wind-carved white rocks on the shore and a Spanish-era lighthouse on the hill above, on Luzon's far northwest coast.
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Ilocos Sand Dunes
A strip of desert-like dunes on the Ilocos coast, made for 4x4 rides, sandboarding and huge sunsets.
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Bolinao
A laid-back corner of Pangasinan with white sand, cave pools, waterfalls and a lighthouse on the cliffs.
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Masungi Georeserve
Rope bridges, a giant web and limestone peaks in a rainforest conservation area just outside Manila.
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Baler
A Pacific surf town with a place in Philippine history, waterfalls in the hills and empty coves along the coast.
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Pagsanjan Falls
A canoe ride up a jungle gorge to a thundering waterfall, then a wild ride back down the rapids.
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Kalinga
Remote mountain villages, rice terraces and a living tattoo tradition in the northern Cordillera.
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Apo Island
A tiny island whose fishing community chose to protect its reef, and now shares it with turtles and visitors.
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Manjuyod Sandbar and Bais
A white sandbar that rises from the sea at low tide, cottages on stilts and dolphins in the strait beyond.
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Sipalay
A slow, sunset-facing corner of Negros, with long beaches, coves and dive sites far from the crowds.
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Guimaras
A small, unhurried island of mango orchards, quiet coves and islets, fifteen minutes from Iloilo City.
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Iloilo City
A gracious old city of heritage streets, coral-stone churches and some of the country's best food.
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The Ruins, Talisay
The concrete shell of a mansion built out of love, burned in wartime, and glowing gold at sunset.
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Loboc River
A jade-green river, floating restaurants with live music, and an old stone church restored after the 2013 earthquake.
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Oslob and Sumilon
The world's biggest fish, guaranteed every morning, and an honest look at why that worries scientists.
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Romblon
A quiet island province of marble workshops, white sandbars and one of the country's toughest mountains.
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Lake Sebu
Misty highland lakes, a chain of waterfalls and the living culture of the T'boli people of Mindanao.
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Samal Island
Davao's island playground: white beaches, cool waterfalls and a cave of more than a million fruit bats.
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Aliwagwag Falls
A giant staircase of white water pouring through untouched forest on Mindanao's Pacific side.
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Bukidnon highlands
Cool air, rolling grasslands and some of the country's highest peaks, plus a festival of seven indigenous peoples.
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Grand Mosque of Cotabato
Golden domes and soaring minarets on the edge of Cotabato City, the largest mosque in the Philippines.
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Hinatuan Enchanted River
A short, deep river of startling blue, where swimmers clear the water each noon for a crowd of fish.
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Tinuy-an Falls
A broad, three-tiered curtain of white water in the forests behind Bislig.
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Port Barton
A laid-back fishing village with reefs, turtles and palm-lined beaches, halfway up Palawan.
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Balabac
Remote islands at the very end of Palawan, with sandbars, turquoise water and wildlife found almost nowhere else.
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Calaguas Islands
A long arc of powdery white sand on a Pacific island with no roads and few buildings.
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Caramoan
Jagged limestone islets and hidden white coves on a remote Bicol peninsula.
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A cool ridge town with a grandstand view of Taal Lake and its island volcano.
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Nacpan Beach
Four kilometres of pale sand and coconut palms, a short ride from El Nido town.
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Quiapo Church
The busy heart of popular faith in Manila, home of the Black Nazarene.
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Sibuyan Island
A wild, forested island under a saw-toothed mountain, with rivers clean enough to drink.
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Malcapuya Island
A long white beach and clear water in the islands east of Coron.
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Carcar
Lacy wooden mansions, a hilltop church with onion domes, and a market famous for lechon.
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Manila Bay sunset
The city's free evening show, when the sky over the bay turns gold, orange and red.
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Makati and BGC
Glass towers, green parks and busy streets: the modern face of Metro Manila.
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Pinto Art Museum
White galleries and leafy courtyards full of Filipino contemporary art, in the hills east of Manila.
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Dapitan
The quiet bayside city where Jose Rizal spent four years in exile, farming, teaching and healing.
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Cagsawa Ruins
A lone, moss-topped bell tower with Mayon's perfect cone rising behind it.
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Tinago Falls
A wide veil of white water at the bottom of a hidden ravine in Iligan, the city of waterfalls.
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Culion
An island once feared as a place of no return, now a quiet town with a powerful story.
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Cebu Taoist Temple
Green tiled roofs, dragons and a pagoda on a hill above Cebu City.
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Temple of Leah
A hilltop temple of columns and statues, built by a husband in memory of his wife.
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Fortune Island
Greek-style columns on a cliff above clear water, a boat ride from the Batangas coast.
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Lake Holon
A clear blue crater lake high on a sacred mountain, reached on foot through T'boli country.
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Twin Lakes Balinsasayao and Danao
Two quiet lakes in deep forest, high in the hills behind Dumaguete.
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Marinduque
A quiet, heart-shaped island that comes alive with masked Roman soldiers every Holy Week.
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Lambug Beach
A long, quiet public beach of pale sand facing the sunset in southern Cebu.
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Casaroro Falls
A slender column of white water dropping into a narrow, mossy gorge in the hills behind Dumaguete.
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Maligcong Rice Terraces
Stone-walled rice terraces in a quiet Cordillera village, seen at dawn above a sea of clouds.
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La Trinidad farms
Strawberry fields, flower farms and highland vegetables in the cool valley next to Baguio.
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Subic Bay
A former naval base where rainforest meets a deep, sheltered bay, now a playground a few hours from Manila.
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Towing Falls
A quiet, four-tiered waterfall in the pine hills below Baguio.
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Ille Cave
A lone limestone tower in the farmland north of El Nido, holding thousands of years of human history.
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Hinulugang Taktak
A small waterfall with a big place in Filipino song and memory, close to Manila.
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Kandungaw Peak
A jagged ridge in Cebu's highlands, with cliffs dropping into green valleys and the sea beyond.
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Mount Kapigpiglatan
Rolling grassy ridges that glow gold at sunrise and sunset, a few hours north of Manila.
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Calatagan
A quiet peninsula of calm beaches and shallow reefs, guarded by an old Spanish lighthouse.
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Dingalan
Rolling green headlands and cliffs where the Sierra Madre drops into the Pacific.
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Roxas City
A river city on Panay's north coast where the day's catch goes straight onto the grill.
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Anda
White beaches, blue cave pools and reefs on the far side of Bohol.
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Lakawon Island
A banana-shaped island of white sand off northern Negros, with a floating bar offshore.
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Sorsogon
Luzon's southern tip, with whale sharks, pink-sand coves and a lake beneath a volcano.
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Calbayog
A gateway city to Samar with waterfalls in its hills and long golden sunsets on its coast.
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Cagayan de Oro
A friendly river city in Northern Mindanao, famous for its whitewater and green hills.
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Zamboanga City
A city with a Spanish-flavoured language, a 17th-century fort, rainbow sails and pink sand.
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Cagbalete Island
A quiet island where the sea pulls back at low tide to reveal vast rippled flats.
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Manaoag Basilica
A hilltop basilica in Pangasinan, home to a beloved centuries-old image of Mary.
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