The visual artists at Wow Tapes are no strangers to traveling around the world. Their latest film takes them to the Camarines and Biri Islands in the Philippines. These areas of the country were unfamiliar to the team, but they’d already formed an admiration for the Philippines after exploring other provinces years prior.

Fabio Reitano and Guiseppe Lombardi comprise only half of the team at Wow Tapes, and when Travelbook offered to take them here, how were they to say no?

The location of Biri Island, between the San Bernardino Strait and The Pacific Ocean, helps to shape it’s infamous cliffs- providing for a beautiful landscape. The only way to get there is by taking a plane to Catarman (another municipality in Northern Samar), striking your way to the main terminal, riding in the Jeep towards Lavezares, or taking the boat to Biri Town.

Camarines Sur is a province known for its 19th-century churches, active volcanoes, and black and white sand beaches. Since this area is easier to access than Biri Island, the presence of tourists is sometimes greater.

Tourists or not, the team at Wow Tapes has definitely got us adding these two vibrant and beautiful locations to our bucket list!

The post Exploring The Natural Beauty of Camsur and Biri, Philippines appeared first on Resource Travel.

Philippine Tarsier

Photo by Leocadio Sebastian via Flickr, CC Attribution

This tiny, bug-eyed monkey – the mammal deemed to have the biggest eyes in proportion to its body size – is odd at first sight. Adorable, but odd. The infant tarsier is born with hair and its eyes wide open; that, and females have multiple sets of breasts, with only one functional pair. They are able to hang from trees shortly after birth, and can leap from tree to tree soon after. Populations of the tarsier are found sparingly throughout the Philippines, and better yet – they share one of their homes with Bohol Island’s Chocolate Hills. These, rolling hills that turn into a rich brown color in the tropical rain, seem like a fitting residence for these cute oddities.

The sanctuary near the town of Corella, on the Philippine island of Bohol is having some success restoring tarsier populations. Photo by
Peter Hellberg via Flickr, CC Attribution

Photo by
Raymond Bosma via Flickr, CC Attribution

Photo by
Jan Hazevoet
via Flickr, CC Attribution

Dugong

While not endemic to the Philippines, it’s certainly an oddity amongst the elephants and cows in the room. What exactly is it? Its closest relative is the sea cow, but it bears more resemblance to an English bulldog; it’s sort of like a manatee, but somehow seems friendlier. The reason why one might find difficulty in pinning down its exact resemblance is because we killed off almost the entire Dugongidae family in the 18th century for its meat and oil, with the Dugong surviving as its only living member. Perhaps it persevered with its gentle, herbivorous nature and its unassuming, oafish appearance. But the dugong itself is at risk of extinction by the hands of net-bearing fishermen and destroyers of their natural habitat. Lest we want another extinction on our conscience, the human race must rush to protect this strange, lovable animal.

Photo by
Julien Willem via Flickr, CC Attribution

Photo by
Alex Goodey via Flickr, CC Attribution

Philippine Flying Lemur, or “Colugo”

Strong bite, tight grip, small ears, big eyes. Monster. But eh, not really. The Philippine flying lemur, also known as the colugo, was mistaken in Philippine folklore for being a supernatural creature that feasted on blood and flesh; but in reality, the colugo is a tree-hugging folivore that feeds on fruits, flowers, and leaves. It is a nocturnal animal that is slow and clumsy on foot, and therefore prefers to glide from tree to tree. It has become vulnerable to deforestation but it would like to stay on this earth – just maybe not on the ground.

Photo by
yeowatzup via Flickr, CC Attribution

Photo by
Lip Kee Yap via Flickr, CC Attribution

Palawan Horned Frog

This little guy may look like a thug, but he really doesn’t have much fight in him. His hops don’t carry him far off the ground. His dull brown color gives him the camouflage he needs to outstay predators, since he probably wouldn’t be able to outrun them, anyway. He’s a softie that likes to breed in mountain streams instead of the cold, hard ground. He lives in what is arguably one of the most gorgeous, untapped ecological havens left in the world: Palawan, an island on the western shores of the Philippines. Nickelodeon has certainly caught wind of this and is attempting to erect an undersea theme park – bad news for the Palawan horned frog’s marine compatriots.

“Dulungan”, or the Walden Hornbill

Photo by
Callan Bentleyr, CC Attribution

This beauty is a bird of a thousand names: the dulungan (as natives call it), the Visayan horn bill (after the region it is endemic to), or the Walden horn bill (named after the Scottish ornithologist Viscount Walden). Unfortunately horn bills do not reproduce at the rapid pace necessary to equalize the impact of deforestation and hunting; the dulungan has been declared extinct in the Philippine island of Negros, and its numbers continue to dwindle. It is a free spirit that loves to make loud noises in small numbers. It lives amongst fruit-bearing trees in the lush, green rainforests of the tropics, greeting each member of its disappearing breed with a piece of fruit in its beak.

Photo by
Magalhães, CC Attribution

Comparatively speaking, too – travel is dirt cheap once you get to the Philippines. All you have to do is save up for that $700 ticket!

The post 5 Weirdest Animals You’ll Find in the Philippines appeared first on Resource Travel.

Vandeputte’s latest film, “The Philippines“, keeps his camera under the warm sun as he and a small team of content creators traveled to the islands of Palawan and Cebu. After watching the two-minute short film, it is easy to see why Vandeputte returned with a fully charged creative battery.

Anywhere I went and everything I saw I just wanted to capture. I had never seen (or felt, those rocks are sharp!) limestone karst cliffs like on Coron island or swam among schools of fish which didn’t seem to care about you being there. I shot a ton of footage which resulted in a few weeks of editing and fine tuning but in the end I’m very excited to have a new style of video in my portfolio that combines all the things I love into one. Slow motion and timelapse photography are on opposite ends of the ‘time spectrum’ and I believe that’s why they work so well together.

The Philippines Tourism Board has a slogan…”It’s more fun in the Philippines”. Is this actually the case? And why?

In my opinion, yes. Not only were the visuals stunning, but I really did just have a ton of fun. You just get a vibe there that puts a smile on your face. The people are so laid back and friendly. Combine that with an enormous offering of experiences and natural beauty make it like no other tourism destination in the world. Snorkeling in the clearest of water. kayaking in secluded coves…to me, it really was more fun in the Philippines.

In following your work, it seems that you are drawn to tropical environments. As a filmmaker, what is it about the warm visuals that you find so appealing?

I’m drawn to any beautiful environment, it just so happens that the last few projects have taken me to some very tropical ones. The added bonus of showing these is that hopefully it makes people appreciate them and makes them think about how beautiful our planet is and how we can take care of it.

With the increased attention Palawan gets these days, is it still possible to find your own secluded piece of paradise?

When we did our day trip around Coron island in Palawan we were the only boat on the eastern side of the island. When we visited one of the lakes on the western side the day before, where you’d expect a rush of people we only saw about ten other people. At the end of the island hopping tour we stopped at Cyc island (the really small one that features in the drone’s top shot) there were a handful of boats and half of them were locals and their relatives.

 

So yes, it’s getting more and more attention and campaigns like these (hopefully) make an impact on the tourism industry (which is great for the locals as it drives a lot of the economy). That being said, from talking to the tour operators they seem to have an enormous amount of respect for their natural assets such as coron island and are trying to keep it the way it is.

 

So the idea is that nothing will ever be built on it except for huts that you rent from the indigenous people where you can have your lunch etc.

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Last May, Black Eyed Peas member Allan Pineda Lindo, better known as apl.de.ap, planned a trip for nearly two dozen social influencers to accompany him to his home country of The Philippines. Sponsored by the country’s Department of Tourism and Tourism Promotions Board, the travelers were taken on a guided tour through the entire nation, from Pineda’s hometown Pampanga in the northern mountainous to the countless sandy beaches of the smaller islands.

Sensing an opportunity for quality video content, Pineda reached out to Tapestry Films Creative, the commercial branch of the more recognizable Tapestry Films, to capture the entire trip and turn it into a series of webisodes to be featured on his Facebook page. Director Jonny Zeller and producer Tim Frazier took on the task, planning what turned into a 12-day excursion for a group of nearly 70 people across half a dozen of The Philippines’ most exotic and exciting locations.

The purpose of the trip as a whole was to introduce The Philippines to a diverse group of people at the top of their industries. Many were Filipino-Americans, seeing the country for the first (or second) time. Others were repeat visitors. Vine star Liane V. brought both of her parents, who hadn’t been home in decades. Comedian Jo Koy left The Philippines as a child and has spent very little time there since. Though not Filipino, Chanel West Coast took the opportunity to film her latest music video on the beaches of Boracay. Other than that, a bunch of executives from Google, YouTube, Netflix, and a myriad of others also tagged along.

Working with Neng Miranda of the Tourism Promotions Board, Ernie Manansala of Kolab, and Audie Vergara, Pineda’s business manager, an itinerary was hammered out and pre-production began in earnest. But how to film so many characters in such a remote location with constant travel? “That was the biggest hurdle we had to take on,” Zeller said. “The creative was really the easy part. Putting a bunch of interesting people in one of the most beautiful and exciting places in the world, all out of their element – getting quality content wasn’t going to be an issue. But how do we get it?”

Ultimately, they decided to bring along an impressive camera arsenal: four RED Dragons, a Steadicam, a DJI Phantom 4 and a duffle bag full of GoPros. “Our DP, Steve Conry, was the only person that Tapestry Films Creative contracted out of the U.S. We picked up the rest of the crew and the gear locally, and they certainly had all the right tech. The only thing that felt a little dated was the Steadicam. It was an old-school Steadicam, meaning it weighed about a ton. I thought it was going to be an issue, but it didn’t stop our local operator from lugging it on an ATV out to a rural basketball court to catch apl.de.ap and will.i.am playing ball with a group of kids,” Frazier said. “In true Filipino fashion, the crew worked long hours in unbelievable heat without a single complaint.”

Though of course the crew weren’t the only stars. “Working with celebrity talent is always a unique experience,” Jonny said. “What made this different than most was that we weren’t just seeing each other from call till wrap. It was all day, every day. We traveled together, ate together, stayed at the same hotels… It was a lot of facetime. Fortunately, everyone had a great attitude.” From what we understand, it probably helped that massages, mud baths, and time by the pool were all baked into the schedule, for the talent at least.

“We really asked a lot from the talent,” Frazier explained. “The schedule was non-stop, and keeping everyone happy while they were jostled down back roads in a coach bus on little or no sleep wasn’t always easy. I think that everyone was so excited about what was happening next that they just didn’t have time to think about how nice a few more minutes in bed would have been.”

“The local camera department armed themselves with a slew of cinema lenses,” Jonny elaborated a bit on the technical aspects of the project. Staying true to the adventure doc aesthetic, three of the cameras lived on shoulder mounts while the fourth ran on the Steadicam. “We shot at various frame rates with the majority being shot at 6K resolution. The cameras were lensed with the Fuji 14.5-45mm Alura and Fuji 18-80mm Alura, Zeiss 70-200mm, and Zeiss 15-30mm. The majority of the scenes were exteriors so heavy NDs were utilized to maintain a more shallow depth of field. All of the dialogue sequences were shot at 23.98, but off-speed frame rates were used to showcase the talent and the country’s beauty through slow motion.”

According to Frazier, getting all that gear from location to location was a new kind of production challenge. “I’m used to company moves, but moving fourteen people and 45 or 50 cases of camera equipment in a puddle jumper was a whole new issue,” he claims. “We traveled pretty light from LA to Manila, but that’s where we really geared up. From Manila we drove north to Pampanga, then back to Manila for a flight to Boracay, from there to Cebu, Cebu to Bohol, then back to Manila, and finally back to LA. The small aircraft had strict weight and cargo regulations, and they don’t make accommodations for media gear like a lot of U.S. carriers. We eventually had to ship some equipment ahead, leave some behind, and check or carry on the rest.”

However, it wasn’t all travel and logistics. “The research for this project was so much fun, but it didn’t even begin to prepare us for just how gorgeous the real thing was going to be,” said Zeller. With over seven-thousand islands to choose from, it’s easy to see how that could be true.

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To give you a glimpse of what I feel are some of the most beautiful islands in the world, I put together a few photographs on why you should go island hopping in the Philippines.

With islands scattered like flower petals from the North to South and in all directions, you will never run out of picture-perfect islands to chase. The islands of Batanes dishes a spectacular set of landscape consisting of rolling highlands, old towns, lush forests and almost deserted beach heads. Isolated, pristine and simply beautiful; what better way to start threading this archipelago nation than to start from this northern tip island.

The islands Batanes are situated in the northern tip of the Philippines © nomadicexperiences.com

Sandbars extended far and wide each time the tides lower during the day and adds a layer of allure in the many islands located all over the Philippines. One example of such is Kalanggaman Island which situates off the coast of Palompon, Leyte in the Visayas region.

Kalanggaman Island © nomadicexperiences.com

Lakes, lagoons, marine life, island life and what-haves are a common sighting in the island of Palawan. A month here is not enough because of the immense number of must-see places.

Kayangan Lake in Coron, Palawan © nomadicexperiences.com

Crystal clear waters everywhere you look © nomadicexperiences.com

Hop to other islands to pitch a tent under pine trees and over soft white sands. See the different characteristics of what Mother Nature can offer; the mangroves, the forests, the limestone karsts and the abundant underwater life.

A 2 hour boat ride over the Pacific Ocean brings you to Calaguas Island. Just one of the many barenaked islands in the country © nomadicexperiences.com

and while you’re at it – island hopping – taste some local cuisine featuring what the sea can offer such as big lobsters © nomadicexperiences.com

Over or under the water, the visual banquet never stops. The Philippines is a known scuba diver’s haven where one can find numerous diving spots all over the archipelago.

© Wowie Wong of Studio H20

Other than lounging by the beach all day; one can also experience all sorts of water-based activities such as diving, snorkeling, kayaking, kite-surfing, surfing and partying.

A Russian tourist watches the kite-surfing action in Boracay Island © nomadicexperiences.com

Isolated coves that instantly hides you from the rest of the world such as this one from Calayan Island, North of Luzon © nomadicexperiences.com

and experience local island culture such as this festival held at Cobrador Island in Romblon © nomadicexperiences.com

The Philippines is a diverse country with some of the most remarkable beaches in the world, and these slices of paradise should be on every travel junkie’s bucket list.

Photo Credits: Nomadic Experiences and Studio H20

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The word “faith” has increasing degrees of meaning towards different groups of people.  Many take the word lightly; attributing it towards the basic beliefs and rituals associated with a religion.  On the other side of the spectrum, a small portion of  people takes that word through a radical change where it manifests and evolves into an extreme form of devotion.

The Philippines is the largest roman catholic country in Asia.  The majority of the population believe deeply in the religion to the point where the constant unwavering traffic of Manila becomes dull and quiet every Sunday morning as a large number of the population is attending morning mass.  Catholicism plays an everyday role in many Filipino’s lives because factors such as poverty and social stature are important issues of the country.  Being an underdeveloped country, a majority of the population face the struggles of trying to survive day to day. These constant challenges have made faith and religion important facets in these people’s lives for the hopes of a better future.  Many are dealt bad hands and have nowhere else to look except towards divine intervention. Others,  because of these hardships, perform acts frowned upon in society to get ahead of their current situation.  If people decide to reconcile for their wrong doings, they search for some sort of penance through a priest led confession.   However, there are those who go to the most extreme degrees of penance to seek forgiveness.

During the holy week that leads up to Easter Sunday, a small portion of the Filipino population participates in these extreme forms of penance. The devout performs different forms of self-infliction of pain to achieve their vows of their sacrifice made with God.  The most common of these are self-flagellation and the reenactment of Christ’s crucifixion.  These performances have become so widespread and well known through the Philippines that there is a specific location that many people travel to witness it.

The host location for these live performances lies within the city of San Fernando, Pampanga. The entire city participates for Maleldo, the kampangan word for holy week, in one way or another.  The municipality oversees the entire week’s events and provides security during the staged performances.   Starting in the early 1950s as a play and staging of the Passion of Christ, these performances have transcended into much larger spectacles where penitents will participate alongside these performers.  Despite its origins as a reenactment, the penitents participation have increased the depth to its meaning.

The Penitents

Throughout out the holy week, especially on Holy Thursday and Good Friday, many penitents are seen throughout the town performing these acts of extreme penance.  While shirtless with masked faces adorned with floral crowns, the penitents inflict pain upon themselves through different forms throughout the entire day.  The most common of these is self-flagellation with a wooden tipped whip.  The participants will cut small incisions on their back and begin to whip their back from left to right for the entirety of a day to the point where the first layers of skin are eventually removed, and the blood-soaked whip spreads the excess droplets across the city.  The second most common form is the carrying of the cross.  Penitents will carry a cross through the entire city and make stops at different religious locations like churches and will be beaten by a stick of sorts.

Penitents have small cuts placed on their back that eventually get larger when they continue to whip it.

Penitents walk through the main streets before, during and after the Passion of Christ plays.

Some of these penitents are ex-criminals who seek redemption for their past sins.  They feel that doing these extreme methods measures up to their own wrong doings.  Along with performing these rituals, many are tattooed with the likeness of Christ and other religious symbolisms.

A tattoo of Jesus Christ on one of the penitent’s shoulder.

The Crucifixions

The main event of Maleldo are the reenactments of the crucifixion.  There are three main locations within the city that these crucifixions take place.  They happen at different times but there is a main reenactment that gains most notoriety due to the main actors long history of performing it.  These reenactments are performed along with a Passion of Christ play. These plays are performed by local organizations or schools along with a penitent volunteer as Christ.  One of these volunteers is Wilfredo Salvador, a local fisherman who has since participated in nine crucifixions.

A portrait of Wilfredo Salvedor.

In his early years, Salvador was plagued with depression to the point where it affected his family as well as his own state of mind.  It tormented him for years until one day he decided to create a vow of sacrifice or penata with God.  According to Wilfredo, this sacred promise has helped create a better well being for him and his family; and he will continue to do these reenactments as long as he can physiclly do them, or as he says “God is willing”.  Salvador is only one of many who perform these rituals hoping to receive penance.

Wilfredo smiles as we discuss his life on the morning of Good Friday.

The crucifixions all begin with the Passion of Christ play.  The Passion of Christ play are all the events leading up to Jesus Christ’s crucifixion.  It is reenacted by local actors from schools or other organizations and uses the entire town as the venue.  It is usually accompanied by strong narration and music that helps emphasize the intense nature of the play.  At the climax, the penitents are then nailed to the cross and are raised up to be crucified. They are left raised for a few minutes then brought back down to receive medical attention afterwards.

Wilfredo begins to dress in white robes to prepare for the play and his crucifixion.

Wilfredo shows the nails that will be put into his hands.

The actors do one last prayer before beginning the play.

Wilfredo is nailed to the cross.

Wilfredo Salvador, 58, portrays Jesus Christ in a reenactment of the Passion of Christ. The crucified are nailed and raised for a few minutes and then sent to a medical tent to receive treatment.

The play continues even after the crucifixion has occurred.

Wilfredo continues to show his unwavering faith even after he has been crucified and placed on a stretcher.

Wilfredo is treated after his crucifixion and will continue on normally with his day afterwards.

Along with the scorching heat, these extreme acts of penance are intense and emotional experiences to witness first hand. Even though it may not be for the faint of heart or those whom fear being covered in blood, it is truly a once in a lifetime experience, and I feel lucky to have witnessed it first hand. In some people’s eyes, these reenactments and extreme methods of penance are seen as taboo. However, to those that perform it, it gives them a sense of redemption that has hopefully helped them to continue on with their lives.

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In the town of Claveria, located at the northern tip of the Philippines, a group of locals gathered on the beach to await the final preparations of some fishermen.  Having had a late night yesterday, I decided that I would sleep in.  It didn’t turn out that way.  My cousin knocked on my door at seven in the morning and told me to come out to the beach.  I got up and looked out onto the beach and seeing what was about to happen piqued my interests.  I grabbed my camera, walked up to the beach and started to watch them prepare.  A local explained the process to me and what role everyone would play. The process for it, written out, seemed simple enough.  The boat would drop a net at two different points equal to the maximum length of the net. From there, two people would swim back to bring the net ashore and would then converge those ends to the middle.  It would then be reeled in from that point with the help of the locals.  Typing up the method seems to make it look easy. Watching it up close and experiencing it, the process is actually more intensive than it appears.

From the launch of the boat, I noticed that many of the people were very young.  Children and teenagers made up most of the crew that went out to sea.  I wasn’t sure if they were just some of the locals helping but it seemed like they were preparing to become part of the trade.

We watched as they arrived at the first point.  They dropped the first part of the net as someone dove into the sea to bring the rope back to shore.  The locals would then play their roles.  By connecting themselves to the rope, they would become anchors to prevent the net from drifting away; and would walk the net to the middle point.  While a slight drizzle began, we waited and we watched.  When the boat arrived at the other point, the same process would happen.

Once both sides have been anchored down, the locals converged to the middle and would begin to reel it in.  It was a game of patience. Much of the process until now was waiting and walking. It was only until the actual part of the net made it back to shore that things became thrilling.  Everyone began to look fired up while many of the fishermen were guiding the net in.  They were also making sure the fish stayed within the net.  You could hear the screams from nearshore of having a “good catch”.  While documenting, I noticed that there were more and more people arriving at the shore.  Some helped while others watched.  It felt like this simple fishing excursion became something more.

By the time the fish finally reached the shore, the number of people had doubled.  When they began to undo the net, many began to crowd around to see how much was actually caught. There were tons of fish.  They weren’t giant, but there were a lot of them.  The fishmonger began to divide the fish amongst those who had helped and then began to sell the catch right on the shore.

By the end of the excursion, everyone seemed really happy.  It was Christmas Eve after all, so everyone seemed in good spirits.  Being an outsider, you realize this is part of their daily lives.  You also realize it is a community that helps each other.  I may have only experienced this once but there was something about that day’s fishing trip that made it seemed more lively that I would have expected.  Maybe it was the holiday, but regardless, it was definitely something I was glad to have experienced.

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Whilst documenting the rugged beauty of the region, the filmmaker dived into all that Palawan has to offer with activities such as snorkeling, diving, kayaking, swimming and frolicking in pristine beaches. Who wouldn’t be enticed to pack their backpacks and go?

From long stretches of white sand bars, coral reef, shipwrecks, magnificent sunsets and a glimpse of island living while hopping from one island to another, this drone video captured it all. Even though I’ve been to Palawan numerous times in the past, I can’t help but plan another trip back after watching this amazing video. So who is up for a 5-day adventure in Palawan? I feel myself raising my right hand. My guess is, you wanted to join as well.

The post Breathtaking Video of Palawan, Philippines from the Air appeared first on Resource Travel.

Unbelievably clear waters surround thousands of deserted white islands, and they all welcome you as you hop off the boat. The Philippines, while lagging behind Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia in tourist arrivals, provides rich beauty and exciting exploration opportunities for the few travelers who stray from the famous South East Asia ‘banana pancake trail’. Travelers in the Philippines can’t help but extend their stay, and some never leave. The Philippines becomes home.

Here are eight reasons why you should visit us here in The Philippines in 2016.

The Rock Formations

Stunning rock formations litter the Philippines’ coastline, formed over thousands of years by the relentless waves of the furious Philippine Sea.  This rock formation from Biri Island is one of five gigantic natural attractions surrounded by natural pools with crystal clear waters and soft hills, perfect for camping.

Biri Island © Nomadic Experiences

The Islands

You could spend a lifetime island-hopping in the Philippines, and you’d still never see them all. Off-the-grid islands, such as Calaguas Island, tempt travelers and locals alike. Walk along blindingly white, clean sand and listen to the hissing of the waves.

Calaguas Island, Daet Camarines Norte © Nomadic Experiences

White Island, Camiguin © Nomadic Experiences

Palawan

More than 1700 islands and islets surround the island province of Palawan. The province is renowned as one of the best island destinations in the world and is blanketed in virgin forest and dramatic mountain chains. Adventurous travelers will discover limestone caves, hot springs, majestic lakes and white, sandy beaches. A full-range of activities from mountain climbing, scuba diving, snorkeling, kayaking and beach bumming awaits.

View from the way to Kayangan Lake in Coron, Palawan © Nomadic Experiences 

Grab a beer and enjoy the isolated Nacpan Beach in El Nido, Palawan © Nomadic Experiences

The Highlands

When you’ve had enough beaches and are tired of the island life, you can cool off in the highlands. Snaking mountain ranges offer views of the lush forests teeming with wildlife, volcanoes, waterfalls, lakes and rolling hills as far as the eyes can see.

in the northernmost part of the Philippines, the rolling hills of Batanes presents a never-ending beautiful scenery © Nomadic Experiences

Tinuy-an Waterfalls in Bislig, Surigao del Sur © Nomadic Experiences

Tinago Falls in Iligan Province © Nomadic Experiences

Mayon Volcano in Legazpi, Albay is known for its almost perfect cone-shaped peak © Nomadic Experiences

Mount Pinatubo crater lake in the southern part of Luzon is a popular hiking destination © Nomadic Experiences

The Charming Towns and Local Delicacies

If you travel across the Philippines, you’ll pass through countless charming towns, offering a glimpse of the simple life in the countrysides and the legendary hospitality of the Filipino people. Indulge in the many colorful traditions and cultures by immersing yourself in local life.  Sample home-cooked delicacies and party at the numerous festivals celebrated throughout the country all year long.

The ‘Dinagyang Festival‘ is celebrated in Iloilo City every January © Nomadic Experiences

Visit Philippines Again © Nomadic Experiences

The People

The Filipino people are known to be among the most hospitable bunch in the world. With a smile on their faces ready to greet you “Mabuhay” (long live), you will never feel out of place in the many islands all over this archipelago. Each encounter will surely make your trip more memorable. As you trudge along the many regions in the country, you will live out a different travel experience thanks to the many people, languages, set of cultures and traditions and local cuisines that will surely satisfy all your senses.

‘Sinulog’ Festival celebrated every January in Cebu City is highlighted by its fun street parties at night © Nomadic Experiences

The Marine Life

The Philippines is a marine biodiversity hotspot, making it a favorite destination for keen SCUBA divers – don’t forget your underwater camera!

Nagsasa Cove in Zambales is just one of the hundreds of white sand beaches where you can pitch your tent and camp © Nomadic Experiences

Sunset and Sunrise

End your day by appreciating the splendor of your surroundings, highlighted by the stunning backdrop of the rising and setting sun. Watch the sunset from afar while drinking an ice cold beer in the many paradise-like settings of the Philippines.

Grab a beer and toast the heavens for the good life traveling around the Philippines © Nomadic Experiences

Visit the Philippines and see it for yourself. Be ready to extend your stay, most travelers find it hard to leave.

The post 8 Reasons Why You Should Visit the Philippines in 2016…And Bring Your Camera appeared first on Resource Travel.