The Babuyan Islands in Batanes.

The Babuyan Islands is an archipelago located in the Luzon Strait and north of Luzon island in the Philippines. It is separated from Luzon by the Babuyan Channel and from the Batanes Islands up north by the Balintang Channel. Whether whale watching or discovering a great beach destination is your goal, Babuyan Group of Island offers a lot for the active traveler. Babuyan Island adventure is all about dreaming a vacation after it was over. Its gives you a never-ending discovery, almost impossible to forget. The experience maybe unforgiving but truly it was a walk to remember.

Cruising directions.

The Babuyan group of islands which include Calayan, Dalupiri, Fuga, Camiguin and Babuyan Claro is about fifty nautical miles north of Aparri. There are no luxury resorts in these islands and no regular ferries but the trip here with all its inconvenience is well worth the effort.

Explore Camiguin!

Camiguin is a Tropical Island Paradise in Asia and a sole combination of perfect beauty and old world charm. Often described as the most beautiful island in the Philippines. Camiguin’s insular is regarded as the Philippines’ Garden of Eden. With a reputedly beautiful volcanic island, complete with virgin jungle, exotic orchids and other flora, natural hot and cold springs, majestic waterfalls and black and white sand beaches. It is mainly volcanic in origin and is entirely made up of deposits attributed to its volcanoes. The highest peak in the island is Mt. Timpoong which rises 1,580 meters above sea level. Because of the island’s volcanic form, several hot sulfur springs and geothermal vents exist. Waterfalls thunder down into natural pools sorrounded by wild ferns and orchids. The island has a pristine lagoon, refreshing cold springs, invigorating hot springs and soothing, sparkling soda springs. During the third week of October, the townspeople rejoice and celebrate the famous Lanzones festival. The celebration pays tribute to the gratuity coming from the volcanic soil and the sweet and juicy lanzones fruit.

How to get to Camiguin Province.

To get to Camiguin, one has to travel one and a half hours from Cagayan de Oro City to Balingoan, Misamis Oriental, and take any of the hourly scheduled ferries across the channels of Mindanao Sea, which dock in either ports of Guinsiliban or Benoni. There is a regular sea and air transportation from Cebu to Camiguin and vice versa. Once in Camiguin, one can go around the 64-kilometer circumferential road in just one hour and a half time through public or private transportation

Discover the world of Sagada.

The township of Sagada in the Mountain Province is an entirely distinctive world for the traveler. It is a fairly modern town in terms of architecture, as you will see many new houses made of limestone and tin. But you will still see old tribal houses and structures. It is a very popular tourist destination and is considered an alternative vacation spot to Baguio, which has become too crowded especially during the Christmas and summer breaks. Sagada features caves that can be explored even by non-experts with the aid of local guides, an interesting trek along an underground river, a waterfall and pool to cool off in after a day of exploring, and a quiet serenity only found off the beaten path. The descendants of the current residents practiced an unusual burial practice by hanging and stacking coffins, hewed from tree trunks, in the limestone karst cliffs and caves near town.

Ready for a getaway trip?

Sagada is situated 275-km north of Manila near the provincial capital of Bontoc. It’s a long day bus ride starting from the Dangwa bus station in Baguio over the narrow mountain tracks traversing the Cordilleras. A way trip to Baguio from Manila is 5 to 6 hours. Sagada is a 6 to 7-hour drive from Baguio. This route offers a ride through Halsema Highway and a view of the Benguet countryside. Another way is to go via Banaue, which is 10 hours from Manila by land. This is a longer route but more preferred because it offers tourists a chance to see the breathtaking Banaue Rice Terraces

See the world’s most perfect cone…

Mayon Volcano reaches 2,460 meters and is the central highlight of the Albay Province, of which Legazpi City is the capital, about 300-km southeast of Manila. It must be one of the most beautiful volcanic cones anywhere in the world and is visible for miles around in the otherwise flat landscape of the region. Mayon is a near-perfect cone; its steep, forested slopes look rather like a bull’s eye when viewed from above. For scale, Mayon’s circular footprint is about 16 km in diameter. There is a research station (PHIVOLCS) located about one-third of the way up that is accessible by road and is the jump-off for climbers. The volcano is still active and has erupted in 2000 and 2001.

Guimaras Province of the Western Visayas region.

Guimaras Island is the youngest and smallest of the six component provinces of the Western Visayas Region .The province is composed of five municipalities, namely: Jordan, the provincial capital; Buenavista; Nueva Valencia; and the newly created Sibunag and San Lorenzo. Guimaras occupies about 3% of the region’s total land area. It has 8000 hectares of mango where some 50,000 of these trees are planted. It has also been proclaimed as the “island to watch” due to unspoiled natural beauty as for its potential. Guimaras’ largest event of the year is the Mango Festival. The variety of mangoes produced are also best for making dried mangoes. The people of Guimaras is considered as Ilonggo and their language is Hiligaynon as it was once a sub-provice of Iloilo. Hiligaynon is the major language spoken although the people can understand and speak Tagalog and English.

Fastest route.

The fastest route to the province is by means of a pump boat which is about 10-15 minutes ride from Iloilo City.

A quick visit to Vigan in Ilocos Sur.

Vigan is located 408 kilometers north of Manila on the National Highway on the western side of the main Philippines and includes area of the China Sea as a buffer zone on the western side of the town. Local and foreign authorities describe Vigan as a “place like no other”. Its uniqueness lies in its historic townscape which is an architectural blend of Asian, European and Latin American influences. Vigan brings images of antiquated houses, cobbled narrow streets, calesas and friendly faces peering out of large windows; a place where “time stood still”. Yet, despite all the romantic images this place provokes, much is still unfamiliar about Vigan.

The name came from the Ilocano word “kabiga-an” pertaining to the plant “biga” abounds. Biga is a tuberous plant (alocadia indica) that once grew along the banks of its rivers. Today, Vigan was recently included in the prestigious UNESCO World Heritage List and soon to become a city. In partnership with the government of Spain, the Vigan Master Plan is in the process for the revitalization of the historic Vigan.