Summer escape

By HENRYLITO D. TACIO

March 26, 2011, 3:51am

Pearl Farm Beach Resort

This summer, re-live the wonders of four local tourist destinations:

BOHOL: A geological marvel

“Bohol is like a jade brooch set on a velvet-blue sea,” one author wrote.  “Its fertile land has hills that roll gently around lush forests and grassy meadows. Marine life – from schools of tiny reef fish to bigger pods of dolphins and whales – teems in the surrounding waters.”

Carmen, an interior municipality, is home of the world-famous Chocolate Hills, an amazing geological curiosity that can only be found in this part of the world.  Nearly 2,000 regularly shaped hills, with their peaks ranging from 30 to 50 meters above a mainly flat land, never fail to amaze both locals and tourists with their collective splendor and the legend that surrounds them.

Boholanos are a deeply religious people, and the island has eight fine churches, including Baclayon, seven kilometers southeast of the capital Tagbilaran.  Baclayon Church is the best preserved Jesuit-built church in the region, although its facade and most of the stone structures surrounding it were built by the Augustininan Recollects in the late 19th century.   In 1995, the National Historical Institute declared the church as a historical landmark.

Like most islands in the Philippines, Bohol is also noted for its fine beaches.  Some of the more well-known beaches are found on Panglao Island.  The Alona Beach, named after the popular film star of the 1970s (Alona Alegre), has the greatest variety of beach front accommodations anywhere in the province.

Bohol may not be as famous Boracay, but is well-known locally as a paradise for divers.   The dive sites are noted for their deep, steep walls – the creation of continental shifts during prehistoric times.  Just over the causeway from Tagbilaran is Panglao Island with its spectacular drop-offs.

IFUGAO: Stairway to heaven

People flock to the province of Ifugao because of the gracefully contoured rice terraces nestled within the rugged Cordillera mountain range.  The rice terraces reach up to heights of 1,500 meters and if stretched end to end, will extend to over 20,000 kilometers. They are said to showcase an irrigation system, which uses gravity to bring forest waters from about 1,800 meters high down to the lowest tiers.

The rice terraces can be viewed from the town of Banaue.  However, the more spectacular terraces can be found in Batad and Mayoyao.  Batad rests snugly at the bottom of a magnificently steep circle of terraces, which resembles an amphitheater.  With no visible encroachment of civilization, the place is home to a village of authentic Ifugao people.

Mayoyao, on the other hand, is a three-hour ride from Banaue along a road which dips and climbs hundreds of meters along picturesque terraced hills, forests, and villages.  Houses here have huge roofs and a neater, less crowded layout.  The views of the terraces along the route are awesome.

SAMAL: Earthly paradise

Over 20 beach resorts (both commercial and privately-owned) dot the island’s 116 kilometer-stretch of white sandy beach.  Fellow travel writer Ronald de Jong observed: “The beautiful and serene seashore is endowed with mangroves, swamps and coconut trees. This earthly paradise has been praised for its beauty like no other island in the region.”

The Island Garden City of Samal is rich in coral reefs, ideal for scuba-diving and other aqua sports, such as snorkeling and sailing.  Two sunken World War II Japanese vessels await discovery by divers, just 60 meters away from the Pearl Farm Beach Resort.

The Haguimit Falls is located about two kilometers away from Peñaplata district.  It is a haven for picnickers, swimmers and nature trippers yearning for the simple, inexpensive pleasures in life.  The area is well-covered by a canopy of full-grown trees from the scorching heat of the sun.

Another must-see is the Monfort Bat Cave, whose bat colony was certified by the Guinness World Records as the largest colony of fruit bats in the world with a population ranging from 1.8 to 2.5 million as of 2006.  

For trekkers and nature enthusiasts seeking higher grounds, climbing mount Puting Bato, the highest peak in Samal, towering 1.362 feet above sea level, promises to be a great adventure.  According to those who have scaled it, the mountain slopes are stunning and the changes in the landscape are astonishing.

The combination of unparalleled natural beauty and exotic attractions, its breathtaking panoramas, the warmth and the hospitality of its people make the tropical island of Samal indeed a real paradise on earth.

PALAWAN: Nature at its best

Palawan is known for having one of the most beautiful seascapes in the world. Sprawled beneath the seas are nearly 11,000 square kilometers of coral reefs. Palawan was proclaimed as a fish and wildlife sanctuary in 1967 and to this day, this group of islands is probably the most protected province in the whole country.

One reason why people come to Palawan is the world-famous St. Paul Subterranean National Park, a massive white rock mountain which rises 1,028 meters above sea level and stretches towards Cleopatra’s Needle.  Its main feature is the underground river, with its 8.2 kilometers of labyrinthine caves carved by rainwater and the waves of South China Sea.

The Subterranean River is a maze of intricate caves and endless wonders.  Once inside, you can enjoy seeing rock formations which resemble the real things like giant mushrooms and jellyfish, a huge madre de cacao, a man and his dog, and skeletal stalactites that look like filigrees.

There are two more destinations you should not miss: El Nido and Honda Bay.  El Nido is the place with crystal clear waters and many wonderful dive spots with first class resorts.  It is named after the nests harvested from the islands’ limestone caverns and exported to some countries to be consumed in bird’s nest soup.

For divers, Palawan is a paradise.  The mid-east part of Honda Bay area is studded with coral patches up to 18 meters across, interspersed with sand patches.  There are plenty of small reef fish, parrot fish, snappers, and sometimes crayfish.  Because the area is inconsistent, the tourism department urges divers to carry a compass.

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