Luzon Island
According to Top-mba-universities, the capital of the Philippines, Manila, is located on Luzon Island. The main excursions pass through the sights of the city. In 1945, it was bombed by American air forces, so miraculously little of the architecture survived. Worth seeing is Fort Santiago in the old center of Intramorus; Catholic Manila Cathedral, built in the Romanesque style. Walk along the historic Calle Real, where the Cathedral of St. Augustine (the oldest cathedral in the country) and the building of the monastery-museum are located, visit the Japanese and Chinese gardens. The Ermita area is home to the Cultural Center of the Philippines and the Philippine Ethnographic Museum. Manila – a large urban agglomeration with many satellite cities. In the satellite city of Quezon, which has been formally considered the capital of the state since 1948, the government meets and there are offices of the largest banks. The satellite town of Kalookan is home to the Paoai church and bell tower, which have been declared Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.
Of the natural attractions of the island of Luzon, Quezon National Park and the Zambale region, which is famous for the Sagada caves, can be noted. 63 km from Manila Macdapio waterfalls are located, here water flows fall from a 100-meter height, and the waterfall can be reached by canoe along the river rapids. There are about 20 active volcanoes on the island. Banahao volcano is now a place of pilgrimage and a sacred mountain for 17 sects, excursions to the Taal volcano, which is the smallest volcano in the world, are interesting.
In the picturesque valley of Hiden, located in the crater of an extinct volcano, springs with different temperatures beat, pools were built here, where this water is collected. You can take a bath in the salt, soda, scented and regular mountain water pools. In Banaue, in the north of the island, there are rice terraces on the slopes of the mountains. which are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The terraces are located in the Cordillera at an altitude of 1525 meters. They were made in the mountain range over 3000 years ago by local tribes who used only the most primitive tools. Water for irrigation itself flows from the forests from a height of 1800 meters. If you measure the length of all the terraces, then it will be 22,400 km! This is half the length of the equator. These rice terraces are often referred to as the eighth wonder of the world.
Mindanao Island
The island has many tropical forests in their original form. Here is the highest point of the islands – Apo volcano (3144m). At its foot is the Eagle Sanctuary, this is the only place in the Philippines home to the national bird, the Philippine eagle. The reserve is part of the Apo National Park, visiting which you will get acquainted with the life of the rainforest, see orchid plantations. Lake Cebu is the second largest in the Philippines in size, the Tboli tribe lives in its vicinity, which is isolated from the outside world, but excursions to this area are arranged. Also on the island of Mindanao you can visit a pearl farm (pink, white and gold).
Mindoro Island
The island is separated from Luzon by the Strait of Veras. The main city is Puerto Galera, which is located on the north coast. The island is known for its beaches and diving sites. Apo Reef is especially interesting for diving. In the local nature reserve on Mount Iglit, you can see the pygmy buffalo (the only large wild animal on the islands). It is worth a trip to the Aninuan and Tamarro waterfalls.
Palawan
Island Palawan Island is one of the largest islands in the Philippines and one of the most popular holiday destinations in the country. It is located in the western part of the Philippine archipelago. Palawan stretches from northeast to southwest for 425 km, its width reaches 40 km. The island is famous for its nature: dense tropical forests, coastal cliffs and the underwater world.
Of the main attractions of Palawan, one can single out St. Paul’s National Park, where the longest underground river in the world flows; the resort area of El Nido with quiet, secluded beaches and a marine reserve; the islands of Coron and Busuanga, in the coastal waters of which many sunken Japanese ships have been resting since the Second World War; and the Tubbataha Reef National Underwater Park, home to some of the best dive sites on the planet. All trips around the island start from the administrative center of Palawan – the city of Puerto Princesa. Cebu
Island
The island was discovered to the world in 1521 by Ferdinand Magellan, where he died at the hands of the leader of the tribe who settled on the neighboring island. In honor of the navigator at the end of the 19th century in the city A monument was erected in Cebu, and a wooden cross is still kept in the local chapel, which was placed by the crew of his ship when descending to the island. Cebu City is the first Spanish settlement and the oldest city in the country. The Church of Minore del Santo Niño, built in 1565, displays the image of the Holy Child Jesus, the oldest of the relics of the islands. It is a wooden figurine made by Flemish craftsmen, Ferdinand Magellan himself brought it to the island and presented it to the local queen during her conversion to Christianity. It is worth visiting Fort San Pedro, which was finally completed in 1738 to protect against pirate attacks. Cebu is famous for its guitar and Philippine mandalin craftsmen.
Bohol
Island The island is known for its bizarre landscape, or rather the “Chocolate Hills”. More than 1000 limestone hills covered with grass reach heights of about 40 m. They got their name because they look like chocolate truffles, especially since the grass turns yellowish-brown in the dry season. The smallest monkeys on Earth live on the territory of the island – tarsier lemurs, of which less than 200 remain today. These monkeys are from 9 to 16 cm in size, weighing from 70 to 165 g. Tropical forests have been preserved on the hills that grow in the National Forest Reserve Raha-Sitakuna.
History in Philippines
Already several millennia BC, the Philippines was inhabited by tribes whose culture was influenced by China, Vietnam, Indonesian tribes and the inhabitants of the Malacca Islands. Europeans learned about the existence of these islands in 1521, when they were discovered by Ferdinand Magellan. Unfortunately, this discovery turned out to be fatal for him: a conflict with a local tribe arose on one of the islands and Magellan died. Subsequent attempts by the Spaniards to capture the islands also failed, and, finally, in 1565, Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, who sailed from Mexico, managed to establish himself on the island of Cebu. He declared these islands to belong to the Spanish king Philip II, and named them in his honor – the Philippines. After that, a wave of conquistadors poured into the Philippines, and they easily captured the islands without encountering serious resistance. The conquistadors were accompanied by Orthodox priests who brought Christianity to the newly conquered territories. In 1898, after the Spanish-American War, Spain sold the Philippines to the United States. In the same year, the Philippines was formally proclaimed an independent republic, although the United States had a strong influence on their policy. In 1934, the United States passed a law granting full independence to the Philippines, and in 1946 the Republic of the Philippines was officially proclaimed. The Philippines is currently a member of the UN, World Bank, IMF, GATT.
