The Philippines is the second largest archipaelago in the world, with 7,107 islands, spread over 36,000 miles of coastline.

First and foremost, the Philippines is a place of natural wonders - a string of coral-fringed islands strewn across a vast expanse of the western Pacific.

Below sea level, the Philippines boasts some of the world's best diving and snorkelling, including wreck diving around Coron and swimming with the whale sharks off Donsol.

Above sea level, it has a fantastic landscape with wonders enough to stagger even the most jaded traveller: the Chocolate Hills of Bohol, Banaue & The Rice Terraces and fascinating reminders of the islands' history in places such as Samar & Leyte and Vigan.

If you're after palm-fringed, white-sand beaches, try laidback Sipalay or flat-out party town Boracay.

Of course, any traveller who has been here will tell you that it's the people and their culture that makes the Philippines unique. Long poised at the centre of Southeast Asian trade, colonised by a succession of world powers, the Philippines is a vivid tapestry that reflects its varied cultural inheritance.

The Filipinos themselves are among the most easygoing people anywhere. The Philippines truly qualifies as one of the last great frontiers in Southeast Asian travel.

Cross whichever ocean you need to and see for yourself.

MANILA

The capital is situated on the east coast of Luzon, the largest, most northerly island, as well as being the most developed. At the centre of modern Manila is Makati, the commercial centre for the country. Here, you can shop, eat and drink to your heart's content.

BOHOL

In most tourism brochures a bug-eyed tarsier clinging to a tree superimposed on a background of the Chocolate Hills is shorthand for the island of Bohol; it seems white sandy beaches are too common to warrant inclusion. While this distinctive pairing draws the domestic crowds, it's the lush jungle interior, rice terraces and offshore islands, most prominently Panglao Island and its great diving, which truly captures the imagination of travellers; a tour of the towns will reveal some of the country's best examples of colonial Spanish churches, many of which are made from coral stone.

BORACAY 

Like an ambitious and beautiful pageant winner unwilling to relinquish her crown, Boracay primps and preens year after year, going through its own version of cosmetic surgery in the off-season in order to maintain its crown as the trophy beach of the Philippines. Despite oft-heard nostalgic laments ('In the '80s, the only sound was from the fruit juice shaker machines'), Boracay, little more than a speck off the northwestern tip of Panay, still satisfies the planeloads of holidaymakers looking for sun, sand and nonsobriety. Of course no place (including White Beach, where the action is and all that most people see of the island) can ever live up to the hyped up superlatives bandied about by tourism-department officials. Hotels, restaurants and shops are crowded along the beach like spice shops in a Middle Eastern bazaar, and vendors selling watches, sunglasses, jewellery and boat trips do pester you like flies on honey, and the colourful paraws are sometimes lined up on the beach as if it were a mall parking lot. But all this aside, Boracay, which is only about 9km long and only 1km wide at its narrow midriff, is an intoxicating mix of yes, sun, sand and nonsobriety.

CEBU

Cebu is the hub around which the Visayas revolves. It is the most densely populated island in the Philippines.

The beaches at the northern tip of the island and on its southwest coast have the whitest sand and the most spectacular diving.

To the north, the idyllic offshore islands of Bantayan and Malapascua are steadily increasingly in popularity, and deservedly so. To the south, Moalboal's Panagsama Beach packs a concentrated dose of dive centres and budget hedonism.

Mactan Island, a short drive from Cebu City, may be little more than an overdeveloped mudflat, but divers and bird-watchers still flock to Olango, a reef-ringed outcrop just off its eastern coast.

DAVAO

There are many places to go and things to do in Davao. Just 5 kilometers north of the city is Lanang Golf & Country Club with an 18 hole course. To the south of the city are Apo Golf & Country Club and New Davao City Golf Club. The region has many hotels and resorts to relax and unwind. For the gourmet, Davao offers a wide variety of local and international cuisines at very reasonable prices. Davao is known for its fresh seafood, notably the grilled yellow fin tuna, tiger prawns, barbeques and other delightful specialties. Not to be missed when in Davao is the Durian, the fruit that smells like hell but taste like heaven!

Pearl Farm Beach Resort is the most famous tourist destination in Davao. The Pearl Farm is located on Samal Island just a short boat ride from Davao City. The 11-hectare resort was once a real pearl farm that cultivated oysters imported from the Sulu Sea, and produces some of the best pearls in the country. Now the white sand beach resort is a top tourist attraction in Davao with cottages inspired by the Isamal native design.

PALAWAN

Palawan is one of the real treasures of the Philippines. Stretching from the Mindoro Strait down to the tip of Borneo, it is a magnificent, coral-fringed range of jungle-clad mountainous islands jutting up dramatically from the Sulu Sea. Due in equal parts to its rugged topography, its small population and its distance from other islands in the archipelago, Palawan has managed to stay largely pristine.

Palawan's world-class diving, snorkelling and jungle trekking make it a must-see destination for nature lovers and adventure-sports fans. The fantastic seascapes of the Bacuit Archipelago, the wrecks around Coron Town and the magical lakes of Coron Island should rank high on any visitor's list. You could spend a lifetime discovering new islands, beaches and reefs, particularly around northern Palawan and Busuanga Island.

With convenient and quick plane and ferry connections from Luzon, Palawan is easy to get to. 

We consider Palawan to be one of the most rewarding outdoor-sports destinations not just in the Philippines, but in all of Southeast Asia.