Travel Destinations in the Philippines

The Philippines is known as "Pearl of the Orient". It is because visiting the Philippines would be like visiting numerous wonderful places all over the world.

First just like the vast, beautiful lands of Australia, the Philippines could provide the visitor various interesting nature tripping adventures that you could engage in. Ibiza and the Bahamas offer beaches and nature, but read on why the Philippines beaches are also worth a visit.

Here are some tourist's spots that could make your visit worth the trip:

1. Boracay, Aklan - It's an island paradise with its fine white sand and beautiful beaches. Boracay has captured the hearts of millions of tourists who had trekked to the island every year. The beach and the surrounding environment is a blast for sea lovers and nature trippers.

In fact, just recently, Yahoo Travel announced the Most Popular Beaches of 2007 and Boracay has ranked first, even besting the wonderful Bahamas islands. What better testimonial than that coming from Yahoo! Travel?

2. Tagaytay - This city is great for outdoor activities. The air is cool and clean and one can go into several activities like horse back-riding, nature tripping, or just spend time basking in the beauty of nature. This is also one of the locals most frequented tourist spots. There are available comfortable lodgings, golf courses, guided tours and many more.

3. Baguio City Is the Summer Capital of the Philippines. This is because during the sweltering heat of summer, only Baguio maintains that bearable temperature. The city has also several interesting places to see. The Asin hot springs is an hour ride from the city proper. This place is usually frequented by believers in the healing power of the hot springs. "They're really hot; you can boil eggs in them.) You have also the Pink Sisters, a very quite and calm place to have a self-retrospection. This is where the best Yam and pineapple jam are made by enterprising native women. You can go horse back-riding too at mines view park; a park where you can see the breath-taking view of the neighboring towns where previous mines were located.

4. Banaue Rice Terraces, Ifugao Going further north, you can visit the Banaue Rice Terraces. This has gained notoriety because of the recent tragedy that occurred there but lawmakers are more vigilant and careful now. For Filipinos, these rice terraces believed to be the 8th Wonder of the World and had been nominated for the Online voting

of The New 7 Wonders of the World. This structure can only be appreciated in person. It bears witness to the ingenuity and resourcefulness of the native Ifugao in "carving" layers and layers of rice paddies right into the mountain and up to its acme, seemingly building a stairway to heaven. It is awesome and beautiful scenery.

5. Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro You would me amazed at the treasures of nature that has been in hiding in Puerto Galera , like Milton's Paradise Lost"; Roaring waterfalls, bubbling rivers , flora and fauna that you may have never seen could be a total blast for any visitor. You would feel like you came from another totally different place.

6. Chico River, Kalinga The last, but certainly not the least is the Chico River a long, winding river situated in the heart of the hinterlands of Kalinga. Although this is situated in the heart of the mountains and transportation is sometimes difficult, it is still a must see for adventurous visitors. Water rafting is becoming popular as more and more foreigners frequent the river to experience the thrilling and exciting activity. Aside from this, the towering, verdant mountains can provide enough adventure for those seeking for more. Just like Puerto Galera, Mother Nature abounds with its gems.

There are still various wonderful places to visit. There are the strawberry farms of Benguet, the Sleeping Beauty of Tinglayan, the Callao caves of Cagayan, the Chocolate Hills of Bohol, and many others.

This article was published at Helium.com

Boracay picture by wili_hybrid