The Philippines Travel Guide

With 7,107 islands to choose from, the Philippines seem to have it all. The endless variety of scenery and activities caters for a smorgasbord of travellers and tourists; those with backpacks and those with Louis Vuitton compact purses. Lush, emerald rice terraces, immaculate beaches, a seething, graffiti scrawled city, tropical jungles, active volcanoes and stunning mountains; the Philippines will lure you in, ensnare and captivate.

So why should you visit the Philippines?

A country where East and West blur together in a colourful and unique melting pot. A country where the streets are lined with multi-coloured, honking jeepneys. A country where catchy music and (wonderfully terrible) karaoke filters out from the majority of street corners. All this combined with the beaming locals leave visitors with a skip in their step and a permanent pop song stuck in their head.

The Philippines are marine life lovers’ paradise

World-class diving opportunities are in salty abundance throughout the Philippines and as the Philippines make up part of the “coral triangle”, there are more marine species here than anywhere else in the world. Exquisite, rainbow corals and reefs teeming with glittery, silvery fish, set the underworld backdrop for life below the turquoise waves. From gigantic, migrating whale sharks to teeny-tiny bioluminescent plankton, the waters are abounding with marine magic. Thresher sharks, pygmy seahorses, giant manta rays, grey and white-tipped reef sharks, sea turtles and a colourful potpourri of fish varieties are here in glorious abundance.

Not only are the gorgeous marine life reason enough to try one’s hand at diving, but competing for divers’ attention, are many reefs, walls and wrecks. WWII shipwrecks, Spanish era gunboats and Vietnam era jet fighters are among some of the coral-covered historical wrecks that can be explored. A true delight for ocean devotees, professional and amateur divers, and underwater photographers.