The Pearl of Natural Discoveries

Banaue Rice Terraces, Tubbataha Reef Marine Park, Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, Chocolate Hills, Mayon Volcano, Boracay Beach, Siargao Island, Hundred Islands of Pangasinan, Pagsanjan Falls, and Taal Volcano, these are just some of the great wonders of nature to behold and enjoy by nature lovers only found in the Philippines.

Philippines is known to be the Pearl of the Orient Seas, comprised of 7,107 stunning islands. Its principal islands are Luzon, on the north;Visayas, on the center and Mindano, on the South. It is a country in the southeast coast of Asia. The capital city of this captivating paradise in Asia is Manila City.

Are you bothered of where to spend a travel in a tropical paradise? Then, Philippines is just perfect for you to enjoy natural wonders of discovery.Some of the featured places are included in the on-going search for the seven wonders of the world.

Banaue Rice Terraces, this wonder of nature is known to Filipinos as the 8th wonder of the world. This rice terraces has been carved into the mountains by the indigenous people of Mountain Province and Ifugao more than 2000 years ago. The Banaue Rice Terraces is included in the Unesco World Heritage List in 1995.
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Next is the Tubbataha Reef Marine Park, this Unesco World Heritage-listed marine park is located in the Municipality of Cagancillio, Province of Palawan. Tubbataha is made of about 10,000 coral reefs lying in the middle of Sulo Sea. Tubbataha is a nesting place for green sea turtles. It has almost 500 species of fish, about 45 species of birds, 9 species of dolphins and whales and it has about 400 species of corals.



Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, This great wonder of nature is another sight to enjoy. It is located in Palawan, Puerto Princesa. It has about 8 kilometers of navigable Underground River considered to be the longest in the world and features a limestone karsts mountain landscape. The river winds through a cave before it flows directly to the sea. This underground river has several chambers and also contains major formations of stalactites and stalagmites. Like the Tubbataha Reef, this nature park is included in the Unesco Heritage List.



Philippines also offers the very well- known Chocolate Hills located in Bohol, Philippines. It is made up of around 268 small cone-shaped hills that are almost of the same size and spread over an area of about 50 square kilometers. These coned-shaped hills are covered with grass and turns brown like a dark colored chocolate during summertime.


Another is Mount Mayon located is located in the province of Albay and about 15 kilometers northwest of the capital city of Legaspi.
Mount Mayon is an active volcano and has erupted about 47 times in the last 400 years. The volcano is known the world over as the most perfect cone shape volcano, surely, most of us knew that simple fact about Mayon Volcano.



Yes! We have the very famous Boracay Island located in the province of Aklan with a land area of about 10 square kilometers. The island is famous for its powdery white sand and now considered as one of the best beaches in the world. From an unknown travel destination years ago, Boracay is now teeming with upscale tourists from all over the world.



Then we have Siargao Island located in the province of Surigao del Norte. It has a land area of over 400 square kilometers. Siargao is known the world over as one of the best Surfing destinations, actually this isn't very familiar for me, but I guess this contribute much of the philippine wonders since it is home
to Siargao Cup, a Philippine and International Surfing competition sponsored by the local government of Surigao.



Then another familiar spot in the Philippines is the Pagsanjan Falls ocated south of Metro Manila in the province of Laguna. The place is very popular among domestic and international travelers. Shooting the rapids is its major attraction. Boatmen will take you in their banca (wooden boat) to the river upstream, go swimming and shoot the rapids on your way downstream.



Lastly, is also the famous Taal Volcano located in the island of Luzon in the province of Batangas, about 50 kilometers south of Manila. It is an active volcano with a large lake in its crater. The lake is popular fishing ground for residents living in the vicinity of the volcano.



That's the end of the travel we offer you, but hey, these aren't just the natural discoveries you'll love to visit in the Philippines, certainly there's so much more to discover as you, nature lovers come and experience our country's majestic creation! Mabuhay Philippines!



BY: BARBIE JOY PAET