Reasons To Visit The Philippines
The Philippines is home to world class diving among dazzling marine life. There are coral gardens, caves, deeply plunging undersea walls and isolated coral seamounts offering wall diving, wreck diving and muck diving. Every form of underwater life can be seen including whale sharks, turtles, manta rays and dugongs.
Festivals in the Philippines are plentiful. Every town has a patron saint, and each of these has its own feast day and there are also bigger week long parties like Ati-Atihan in Kalibo. Easter is also a big event in this predominantly christian country.
With over 7,000 islands there are mile of coastline in the Philippines. Away from the popular beaches of Boracay and Cebu there are a range of quieter spots especially in the Southern Visayas and around Palawan.
There are more than 100 cultural minority groups in the Philippines, and around half of these have unique linguistic cultures. The most well known are the Ifugao, and their culture is alive and well around the rice terraces of Banaue.
Most of the Philippine islands feature volcanic mountains, several of which have been increasingly active since the 1980s. The most accessible are Mount Pinatubo which last erupted in 1991 and Taal volcano one crater of which erupted in 1977.
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Famed for its stunning four-kilometre White Beach, Boracay is a popular destination for weekending visitors from Manila and has a wide choice of hotels, resorts, restaurants and bars.
The ultraviolet index is a measure of the risk of skin damage due to exposure to the sun. Be aware that the potential damage caused by the sun varies from person to person as well as by time of day, altitude and several other factors. We recommend contacting your GP for further advice.
Wear sunglasses on bright days; use sunscreen if there is snow on the ground (which reflects UV radiation) or if you have particularly fair skin.
Wear sunglasses and use sunscreen, cover the body with clothing and a hat, and seek shade around midday when the sun is most intense.
Wear sunglasses and use sunscreen having SPF 15 or higher, cover the body with sun protective clothing and a wide-brim hat, and reduce time in the sun from two hours before to three hours after solar noon.
Wear sunscreen, a shirt, sunglasses and a hat. Do not stay out in the sun for too long.
Take all precautions, including: wear sunglasses and use sunscreen, cover the body with a long-sleeved shirt and trousers, wear a very broad hat, and avoid the sun from two hours before to three hours after solar noon.
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Further reading:The PhilippinesWhen to GoItinerary IdeasPlaces to GoThings to DoAccommodationAbout The PhilippinesCountry Guides
Other countries in Southeast Asia:BorneoBurmaCambodiaIndonesiaLaosMalaysiaPapua New GuineaThailandVietnam