A Peek Into 3 All Time Favorite Philippine Tourist Attractions

Travel and tourism in the Philippines is currently very much alive. Thanks to the efforts of the Department of Tourism with their vigorous promotion through the “It's More Fun In The Philippines” campaign.

If you're an adventure seeker or just an eager holiday maker, take the chance to tour the archipelago. Peek into its popular landmarks, exciting Philippine tourist attractions spread throughout the entire country.

One of the top tourist attractions likewise, significant landmarks of Luzon popular among foreign tourists is the perfectly cone shaped Mayon Volcano in Albay, Bicol Province. Amazingly, it stands more than 8,000 feet or 2,400 meters above sea level.

It's not just a beauty to behold but it's also a venue perfect for climbing, hiking, camping, bird watching and many more. Photographers delight in capturing images of this wondrous creation especially during its period of outbursts.

History tells us that the Philippines' most active volcano has erupted more than 49 times in the past 400 years, the most destructive of which happened on February 1, 1814. The surrounding towns were destroyed by the bombardment of volcanic rocks, leaving an ancient church buried deep into the ground. Today, what remains is only the belfry of the baroque church which is currently part of the local attractions in the area.

Another most visited tourist attraction found in the Visayas region is the Chocolate Hills of Bohol Province. These unusual geological formations is an all time favorite of many tourists, both foreign and local. Imagine witnessing the magnificent chocolate colored mounds scattered all throughout the interior of the town of Carmen, numbering all but 1,268 hills!

To add to its alluring beauty is the unique appearance of almost symmetrical and same-sized formations. Covered with green grass, these mounds range from 98 to 164 feet or 30 to 50 meters high. It's only during the dry season that the green grass turns brown, making them look like chocolates.

That's where this exciting wonder got its name. No one knows exactly how these giant mole hills were formed. However, experts theorized that the Chocolate Hills are the weathered rock formations of a kind of marine limestone on top of an impermeable layer of clay.

Down south of the country, in Mindanao, standing mighty proud is the Philippines' highest peak, the Mt. Apo. This wonderful giant easily accessible from either Davao City or Kidapawan City, is perhaps the most visited by the brave of heart.

Apart from the vast variety of flora and fauna thriving in its forest. Mt. Apo is home to the Philippine monkey eating eagle, one of the rarest and largest eagles in the world.

International as well as local travelers from around the country are somewhat mesmerized by its exhilarating natural beauty that the place never seems to run out of visitors. If you're itching to reach the place, visit Davao in April and early May.

These are the best times to climb the Apo. Experts say that it takes four days to complete the trek which is described by those with experience as exhausting rather than trying, delightful rather than difficult. But take note, only the physically fit from age seven to seventy can conquer the dormant giant.

When in Davao, never miss to go sightseeing in the numerous breathtaking places of interest around the city. Make your Philippine vacation filled with memories you'll cherish for a lifetime.

Philippine Tourist Attractions - Contributing To More Fun

The Philippine economy has grown considerably since the Department of Tourism launched their widely publicized tourism marketing campaign aptly dubbed 'It's More Fun In the Philippines'.

The said campaign attracted a large number of tourists from Asia and around the world to see for themselves the popular Philippine tourist attractions. South Korea was listed as having the most number of guests totaling 1.17 million who visited the country in the year 2010. It is followed by the United States, Japan, China, Australia and Taiwan.

So many websites listed their own top destinations or attractions. Such include white sandy beaches, lush mountains, virgin rainforests, primitive exotic islands and incredible diving spots scattered all throughout the seven thousand islands in the archipelago.

Apart from the wonderful natural creations, the country also has a rich historical and cultural heritage plus the regional festivals and fairs that are as well flaunted as among the well known attractions of the Philippines.

Among the many interesting destinations, listed below are perhaps the most popular in terms of tourist visits:

1. Agusan Marsh - This Wildlife Sanctuary in Northern Mindanao is a giant maze of interconnecting rivers, channels and lakes. Considered as one of the most ecologically significant wetlands in the Philippines, it's here where Lolong, the one-ton crocodile was captured.

This vast expanse of marsh contains nearly 15 percent of the country's fresh water resources in the form of swamp forests.

2. Chocolate Hills - The world renowned cone shaped geological formation in Bohol, Central Philippines, is Nature's expression of beauty, romance and mystery. Famous for the sun, sea and beach lovers,

Bohol province is home to the tarsier, the smallest monkey in the world. Aside from the world class resorts, tropical forests are still in existence.



3. Donsol - In Sorsogon province boasts of being the ideal place to unwind and experience Philippine's tropical playground. It has the best waters providing nourishment for the butanding, whale sharks, gentle giants that feed only on plankton, fish eggs, and small fish.

Butandings are said to be the largest fish species in the world, with a length of 18 meters long and weight of up to 34 tons.

You can search the web to make your own list then pick which one you think is the most visited tourist attraction. Get all the info you want before visiting the place and when you're actually there, be the judge.

After the awesome sceneries, get into action by joining the festival of your choice. The most popular ones include Sinulog Festival of Cebu, Panagbenga Festival of Baguio and Ati-atihan Festival of Kalibo, Aklan.  Such festivities never fail to amuse and amaze visitors, thus adding more fun.

There are still so many spectacular things to do as a tourist when you're on Philippine soil. You'll never regret you have to come to this beautiful nation called the Pearl of the Orient.

How To Get To The Hottest Philippine Tourist Attractions

With 7,100 islands comprising the Philippine archipelago, it's small wonder that countless magnificent attractions are enticing travelers wanting to get a firsthand experience. Certainly, you won't be able to resist the temptation of coming and seeing any, if not all of them. Consider such as your once in a lifetime event.

With so much to discover, so many delicacies to savor, countless festivals to join, you would think it's difficult to reach your dream destination when you're in the country. However, there are also several varied ways to get to the hottest Philippine tourist attractions without the fear of getting lost.


•    By just simply leveraging the World Wide Web, you can be 'there' in no time at all. With just a click on that button on any site about the Philippines' top tourist attractions and presto! All the exciting information completed with ravishing photographs will come rushing before your very eyes. Feast your eyes on vibrant real looking pictures at social media sites and it would seem like you're actually there.

http://www.philippinetouristattractions.com

•    Secondly, view maps and get driving directions. There are a lot of sites that give accurate pleasant view of the tourist destinations all over the Philippines. No sweat, but you'll get to your target tourist site without any delay.

•    Ultimately, once you're on Philippine soil and ready to embark on your journey, you'll never go awry with the warmth and hospitality of the locals. Yes, island people, even the ever smiling kids are just as willing to guide you anywhere you please to go.  They can direct you to the best bargain shops, the restaurants that offer the freshest and the cheapest meals, the cleanest hotel, and so on. They can even teach you simple common Filipino greetings like 'kumusta' or how are you in English, 'salamat' for thank you, and a whole lot more.

•    Next on the list are the travel blog sites that feature fantastic stories about travel experiences around the country and with vivacious real life pictures to enliven such stories more. You can spend hours reading from page to page and you'll get your share of the same experience once you're actually in the place.

Doing your own diligence will get you to uncover more exciting info about the best tourist attractions the Philippines has to offer.

So, come and make memories you will long cherish forever as you tour the most popular tourist destinations in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.