The Philippines is a country blessed with natural resources. Amongst these are natural tourist spots that have attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors through the years. Here’s a collection of some of these places:

1. TAAL VOLCANO is reputed to be the world’s smallest active volcano. It is a volcanic island at the middle of a lake in the Southern Tagalog province of Batangas. Inside the volcano is the Crater Lake, and inside this lake is yet another volcanic island called Vulcan Point. A magnificent view of Taal Lake and volcano can be seen from the nearby Tagaytay highlands. Visitors need a boat ride from the shores of the big lake to get to the volcano, and horses are available for rent to explore the island.

2. From a distance, the CHOCOLATE HILLS would resemble Hershey’s kisses scattered across a green background. In reality, they are a group of almost symmetrical dome and cone-shaped limestone hills in the Visayan island of Bohol. Numbering around 1250+ individual hills, these hills are scattered across 3 towns and the biggest of these vary in sizes from 30 meters to 120 meters in height. During the dry season, the grass covering these hills dry up and chocolate brown earth is exposed hence the name.

3. The TUBBATAHA REEF is a gigantic coral reef found in the Sulu Sea, off the western province of Palawan. The reef is composed of two attolls separated by a deep channel around 5 miles wide. It is home to over one thousand species of marine animals, many of which are endangered. These species include sharks, manta rays, clownfish, and tortoises. The reef is a declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, and is currently nominated as one of the world’s wonders of nature.

4. PAGSANJAN FALLS is the Philippines most popular waterfalls and is situated in the rugged highlands of Cavinti in the Tagalog province of Laguna. The base of Pagsanjan Falls is a huge natural swimming pool with crystal clean and cool water. To reach the waterfalls, visitors ride upstream on bancas (local canoes) handled by skillful boatmen. Many smaller waterfalls are visible on the way to the main falls especially during the rainy weather. The ride downhill is a swift one where visitors get to shoot 14 roaring rapids in less than an hour.

5. The HUNDRED ISLANDS are a group of 124 islands covering an area of 4,557 acres in the northern Philippine province of Pangasinan. One of the islands feature a cave that is only accessible during lowtide, and contain defined formations of stalactites and stalagmites. The islands are believed to have existed over 2 million years old and to date, only three of these islands have been developed for visiting tourists.