Philippines is one of National Geographic’s best new travel destinations
Posted on November 6th, 2009
Contrary to travel advisories some countries are giving their residents against going to the Philippines, the National Geographic Magazine has included our country in the list as “One of 25 Best New Travel Destinations in the World in 2010.” The Philippines’ ancient cultures, structures and biodiversity were cited as key reasons to visit the country.
The “25 brand new adventures” presented by the National Geographic were said to be, “all of them just right for right now.” The list is directed for “travelers who want their money to do more – for others, for the planet and for themselves.”
In its November 2009 Adventure issue, the magazine said the Philippines has “as many islands as the Caribbean and some of the most spectacular reefs on the planet,” adding that travel organizations have “finally gotten wise.”
Wilderness Travel, a travel organizing company, is to be organizing a trip to the Philippines in May 2010 which will “lead clients high into the 5,000-foot Cordillera Central then deep into the world’s most biodiverse marine environment.” The 12-day trip to the Philippines costs $3,300.
In their website, www.wildernesstravel.com, the Philippines is described as a country which boasts of breathtaking hiking routes through ancient rice terraces and scenic mountain landscapes, cultural encounters with the Ifugao people, and world-class snorkeling in the “Coral Triangle.”
The 2010 journey, said Wilderness Travel, will explore the “emerald world” of the Ifugao tribe who has transformed the precipitous mountainsides of their homeland into steeply contoured rice terraces, complete with 2,000-year old indigenous irrigation system. The trip will also take travelers to Cabilao Islands in the Visayas to view stunning coral reefs that are part of the famed “Coral Triangle,” the world’s greatest concentration of marine biodiversity.
Philippine Ambassador to the United States Willy Gaa said the inclusion of the Philippines in the list shows the global community is “taking note of the natural and cultural wonders in the country as well as the efforts to protect and preserve them.”
