The Philippines Travel Guide

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the rice terraces of Banaue and Batad are simply breathtaking. The organised treks to discover and explore the eighth wonder of the world offer the kind of experience that will stay with you forever. The guides take you as close as possible to the rice terraces, in fact right through them in places. This is such an unusual and out-of-the-ordinary trek that you sometimes even end up asking yourself if you're still on the right track. The tour is simply replete with exciting experiences: walks along the edges of high drops as you make your way across the cliffs and rice terraces, climbs up vertiginous steps, bathing in glacial waterfalls, and on top of it all, the wonderful sensation of contemplating scenery so stunning that you can hardly believe it's real.

The Bacuit archiplago begins at El Nido on the island of Palawan. The area is a wild, untamed paradise. Visitors come here to relax and take things easy on the island's deserted beaches and splash around in the water among the myriad coloured fish. The sunsets are yet another natural wonder to be enjoyed at every opportunity at El Nido. The sky's colours change and transform with every passing second as you gaze on in wonder and astonishment.

It is possible to venture further north from the island of Palawan and on to the islands of Coron and Cuyo, where there are even more wild plants and animals to discover.

Boracay offers the kind of picture-postcard environment for snorkeling and diving you've always dreamed of. The island is famous for its white sandy beaches, which lead down to the waters of a turquoise sea. On the advice of both locals and tourists, we came here to take things easy and relax in the sunshine in the daytime and celebrate with the fire dancers at night.

You simply cannot visit the Philippines without making at least one trip to Manila. The city is the centre of the cultural life of the country. Each of its districts varies greatly from the next in terms of ambiance and atmosphere. Some areas are simply buzzing with people whilst others seem to belong to a different world entirely. Some are conducive to eating and drinking, others to thought and contemplation. It is up to you to decide what to do and how to spend your time in accordance with your own preferences!

The Visayas are a group of islands located at the centre of the Philippines. On Apo Island, which lies near the city of Dumaguete off the coast of the island of Negros, you will have the chance to go swimming with turtles. At Bohol, there are tarsiers and the Chocolate Hills to see. The former are the world's smallest primates (just 15 cm long excluding the tail!) and the latter a collection of more than 1,200 unique conical-shaped geological formations. They get their name from the colour they take on in autumn. And finally, there is Cebu City, which shares its name with the island on which it stands. It is the Philippines second largest city after Manila and the diving spots around it are as wonderful as they are numerous!