Places to visit in LUZON.....
VIGAN - Vigan is an island, which used to be detached from the mainland by three rivers - the great Abra River, the Mestizo River and the Govantes River. It is unique among the Philippine towns because it is the country’s most extensive and only surviving historic city that dates back to the 16th century Spanish colonial period
PANGASINAN - That’s a whole lot of beach for a country that’s about the size of Italy. The province of Pangasinan contains a whopping 44 towns and four cities—15 of which are along the shoreline of the Lingayen Gulf. So you won’t run out of beaches or charming coastal towns.
APAYAO - According to the local Isneg, Apayao means “negotiable river.” This new province is perched high above the Cordillera region. Literally sandwiched between Ilocos Norte, Cagayan, Kalinga, and Abra, the province is branded as “Cordillera’s Last Frontier of Nature’s Richness.”
KALINGA - A land deeply entwined with the local ethnic groups’ culture, Kalinga gives you a peek into the fascinating mountain way of life care of its devoted inhabitants. (http://itsmorefuninthephilippines.com/apayao/) AURORA - Aurora is a province blessed with an abundance of tourist attractions. It has its share of historical sights such as the home and resthouse of former Philippine President Manuel L. Quezon. The province also has a beautiful Catholic church and several historical markers. Its natural attractions include picturesque waterfalls, lush greenery on mountainsides, and panoramic beaches. Surfing, snorkeling, scuba diving, mountain climbing and trekking are only some of the activities a tourist can enjoy in Aurora.
MINDORO - Most tourists head to the dive resorts around Puerto Galera on the north coast, but there is much more to Mindoro. If you prefer remote to resort, venture into Mindoro Occidental where virtually tourist-free Sablayan, jumping-off point for the pristine dive mecca Apo Reef, awaits. Better roads are making this once hard-to-reach province more accessible than ever.
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ILOCOS NORTE - Ilocos Norte is also known as a northern tourist destination, being the location of Fort Ilocandia, an upper class hotel and beach resort famous among expatriates, and Pagudpud.
BATANES - From emerald pastureland to windswept massif, stunning cliffs rising above exposed beaches and astonishing roads carved out of mountainside — wherever you go you will find exquisite scenery in Batanes.
ABRA - Giant footsteps, an underground river, a heroine, and old churches make Abra a place worth discovering if you have an explorer’s spirit. Huddled in between the Ilocos and Cordillera Mountain ranges, it’s been described as “rugged” by travel books, but won’t be under-the-radar for long.(http://itsmorefuninthephilippines.com/abra/)
BENGUET - The province of Benguet is indeed blessed with natural resources, deeming it worthy of the moniker “Salad Bowl of the Philippines.” Its topography also makes mining a booming industry here. And with Baguio City leading tourism in this region, Benguet is really abuzz with progress.
In a coconut-filled tropical dream of a country, Benguet is known for strawberries — from strawberry jam and strawberry ice cream to silken tofu infused with strawberry sauce. It’s not surprising that the Strawberry Capital of the Philippines is here, which is La Trinidad . From Baguio, visitors can take a short ride to this capital and enjoy vegetable and fruit picking, apart from the munching. METRO MANILA - Metro Manila. It’s a megacity with a huge appetite for fun. From its historic neighborhoods to the outrageous housing developments, Metro Manila is a maze of vibrant energy with bits of calm in between. This mighty megalopolis, is a grouping of 16 cities and one town. Eleven million people live here—that’s more than double the population of the entire Republic of Ireland!
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ILOCOS SUR - The province of Ilocos Sur is where the Ilocos Region’s myriad of cultures and histories converge to become a living museum of a spirited past. A national shrine, a national landmark, a national museum, heritage museums, ancestral houses, period houses, cobble-stoned streets – they all share space in the timeless land of Ilocos Sur.
ISABELA - Isabela province is wonderfully unique. It has a signature noodle dish – Pansit Cabagan. It’s home to the world’s largest butaka (chair with long arm rests). Red bricks make up Tumauini Church. Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park is the largest preserved jungle in the country. This is a place made for exploring.(
MOUNTAIN PROVINCE - There are no flights directly to this area; but the drive, whether from Manila, Baguio or Banaue, is well worth it. Yes, the roads may be rough at times, but the awesome view of vegetable gardens, unspoiled forests and rip-rapped rice terraces won’t disappoint even the most seasoned adventurer.
BICOL - Full of volcanoes, beaches, caverns, coves, lakes, parks and other natural wonders. While the Survivor and Amazing Race television series have put places like Caramoan and Albay on the world adventure map, the less known islands of Calintaan (in Sorsogon), Sombrero (in Masbate), San Miguel (also in Masbate), and Misibis (in Albay) are just as enchantingas as well as the Calaguas Islands of Camarines Norte.
PALAWAN - Nothing defines Palawan more than the water around it. With seascapes the equal of any in Southeast Asia, and wildlife terrestrial and aquatic, the Philippines’ most sparsely populated region is also the most beguiling. Because of its silhouette – a long sliver stretching 650km all the way to Borneo – there’s a certain liberating logic to travel here.
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LA UNION - La Union is Philippine surf’s best kept secret, with clean waves reaching 8-10ft on a good swell, it is perfect from beginners to advanced surfers. It is located in the north Luzon, roughly 5 hours travel time by car from Manila.
NUEVA VISCAYA - This landlocked province is famous for its high quality citrus fruits. Unsurprisingly, this has given it the nickname of “ Citrus Capital of the Philippines.” (
IFUGAO - Etched along the contours of the hills and mountains around the province, you will find a 2,000-year-old man-made engineering feat—and it looks like a staircase built for the gods. So brilliant is this terracing tradition – it even has its own irrigation system – that UNESCO deemed the Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras as a World Heritage Site, calling it “an outstanding example of a living cultural landscape.”
LAGUNA - Laguna is notable as the birthplace of Jose Rizal, the country's national hero. It is also famous for attractions like Pagsanjan Falls, the University of the Philippines Los Baños campus, the hot spring resorts of Los Baños and Calamba on the slopes of Mount Makiling, Pila historic town plaza, Taytay Falls in Majayjay, the wood carvings and papier-mâché created by the people of Paeté, the annual Sampaguita Festival in San Pedro, the turumba of Pakil, the tsinelas footwears from Liliw, the Pandan Festival of Luisiana, the Seven Lakes of San Pablo (the first city in the province), and the Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery in Nagcarlan
ROMBLON - Utterly authentic and only lightly touristed, Romblon Island is the charming gem at the heart of its self-named province. A small island, it's even smaller for the visitor, as nearly everything you want to see is within a few kilometres of its main port and only significant settlement, Romblon town. This includes a handful of excellent resorts, eateries and activities, more than enough for a few relaxing days.
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