When travelling to the Philippines, we long to find paradisiacal beaches on its more than 7,000 islands, of which only about 2,000 are inhabited. And when we think about the beaches of the Philippines, images of the wonderful places such as Coron, Plawan or perhaps Bohol come to our mind. However, this country also offers other possibilities of exploring beautiful beaches, although less known by tourists. I would like to show you some of them near the Philippine capital, and where you can easily escape for a weekend trip from Manila.
LET’S DIVE IN BATANGAS
Batangas is the province located in the south from Manila that stands out for its economy based on silk, cotton and coconut oil and in which the Taal Volcano is also located, it is a wonderful destination to rest next to the shores of the sea and practice diving, since its underwater fauna and flora are very colorful.
Before the expansion of the Spanish Empire and the exploration of its coasts by the Basque general Martín de Goiti and the Mexican Juan de Salacedo in 1570, this part of the world was already densely inhabited, forming part of the Jade Maritime Route. Jade exploitations even date back to 2,000 BC. The native inhabitants were the Tagalogs, the largest ethnic group in the Philippines, and a highly developed society that used to trade with China, Japan or even India. Currently, their language is widespread in most parts of the Philippines, although after the Spanish and then American colonization, it is possible to find numerous terms from both languages in Tagalog.
TAKE A DIP IN THE WARM WATERS OF CALAGUAS
An extraordinary paradise is located 200km from Manila in the province of Camarines Norte, a wonderful archipelago Calaguas, whose white sand beaches and turquoise waters, will you make to fall in love with this place and make you wish to stay forever.
It still has a quite wild look without big constructions, so in Calaguas it will be necessary to choose between renting a cabin or a tent, which is cheaper, but no less comfortable. Next, there are numerous activities to enjoy this wonderful environment. I advise you to do island hopping, scuba diving, climb the nearby hills or simply walk along its beautiful beaches and bathe in the waters that will always stay warm.
LET’S SURF IN SAN JUAN IN LA UNION
I believe that on the beaches of the municipality of San Juan in the province of La Union, located about 280km in the northwest direction from Manila, I had the opportunity to watch the most beautiful sunset in Luzon. On the other hand, the magnificent waves of the sea have made this place the favorite spot for surfers from all over the world. However, if you still don’t know how to surf, don’t worry, you can learn how to surf with one of the many schools that are located next to the beach.
By the way, in these lands prior to the arrival of the Spaniards in 1582 and the foundation of the city of San Juan under the authority of the Augustinian Order, there was already a locality, whose name was Dalandan, due to the abundant presence of a fruit citrus in this area with the same name. The area was mainly populated by the Ilocanos, descendants of the Malays and the third largest ethnic group in the Philippines. According to their beliefs, they were animists, objects, places and beings were inhabited by good or bad spirits, called anitos. Nowadays, most of them are Christians, which you can easily see when walking the streets of the city and visiting its impressive churches.
TIPS:
• The beach destinations, described above, can be easily reached on your own by bus from Manila, from the Cubao or Passay station. But, if you prefer a more comfortable trip, I would recommend booking an organized tour that will take care of everything.
• You can make the trip as a weekend getaway from Manila, although for the Calaguas, I advise taking at least one more day, since you need more time to get there. To get to Calaguas, you must first take a bus from Manila. The journey which costs between 450-750PHP takes about 8 hours. In the ports of Paracale or Daet, you will have the possibility of taking a small boat to the islands and the trip will take about 2 hours.
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