Philippines. A country of friendly, sincere, cheerful people who give smiles and compliments without borders, a country known throughout the world for its healers - this phenomenon has been studied for more than 50 years by many luminaries of science, but so far no logical explanation has been found for the talent of these folk healers. Vacation in the Philippines? Of course, yes! People come here for impressions, health improvement, emotions and exoticism. A hot Latin American heart and the mystery of the Eastern soul - this is what makes the Filipinos such an interesting people for tourists living in another world, with different principles, mentality and environment.
Philippines, vacation - 7107 islands, some of them have not been visited by man for many years, others are famous resorts, attracting thousands of tourists from all over the world every year. A country of exotic nature and contrasts (luxury hotels and skyscrapers in the central part of the capital combined with huts made of palm leaves and oilcloth instead of windows), a country that speaks English fluently.
Tours to the Philippines open up an extraordinary country for you, a country of bright colors, an abundance of exotics and tropical fruits, a country with the taste of mango and the aroma of pineapples. The charm of provincial towns with their stone forts, the coziness of quiet streets and ancient churches, unforgettable canoeing, hiking mountain trails, a touch of extreme sports in active recreation (rock climbing, diving, rafting), horse riding, the elegance of golf... A variety of activities that you can do will make your vacation in the Philippines bright, rich, unforgettable! The special atmosphere of this country will fill your impressions with pleasant emotions: the spirit of exotic lands, the comfort of the beaches and the originality of the people against the backdrop of the charm of underwater life with colorful schools of fish, colorful mollusks, funny sea cucumbers. All this and much more will take you from everyday life to a fairy tale.
Geography
The Philippines is located on the Philippine Islands, a state in Southeast Asia (west coast of the Pacific Ocean), stretching from north to south. Bashi Strait, Taiwan are neighbors in the northern part, Malaysia (Alice and Balabac, straits) is a neighbor in the south, as is Indonesia, the east of the Philippines is washed by the waters of the Pacific Ocean, the west - by the South China Sea. Many inland seas and straits saturate the territory of the Philippines. The country with a total area of 300,000 km2 has water areas of more than 1.8 thousand km2.
More than 7.1 thousand islands form the composition of the country. Of these islands, only 1000 (approximately) are inhabited, while the rest are not only uninhabited, but do not even have names. The islands are divided into 3 groups: the northern island of Luzon with its adjacent islands, the central group of the Visayan islands (about 6,000 islands), and Mindanao, the southern island. The capital of the Philippines is Manila.
Recreation
When planning a vacation in the Philippines, be sure to consider visiting the following places: Cebu, famous for its beaches and coral reefs, Beguito, famous for its hot springs, Baguio, a mountain resort. To broaden your horizons and expand your knowledge, you can visit the following cultural places: Pasay, the Lopez Memorial Museum, In Manila, go to the Santo Tomas Museum (it has a famous collection of exhibits on natural history and archeology). The National Museum with departments of anthropology, zoology and art, botany and geology, the Casa Manila Museum, the Metropolitan, the Museum of Art. The old city, located along Roxas Boulevard, is beautiful and bright, the botanical garden is beautiful. Visit Beguito (the summer capital of the country), the municipal museum (a collection of household items and art of the Igorot tribe).
Diving
The Philippines has a highly developed diving infrastructure, with a large number of diving centers, and this is not surprising: there are 39,000 square kilometers of shallow reefs here, and many sunken ships and vessels (most of which date back to the Second World War) attract the attention of divers from all over the world. In Subic Bay alone, there are 31 underwater objects, and more than 20 sunken ships. You will be interested to see the sunken cruiser of the US Navy "New York", at a depth of 27 m. Near Olongapo there are more than 60 sunken ships and aircraft. Near San Jose, on the island of Midoro, there is the famous Apo reef, as well as reefs near the island of Ilin. The town of Anilao in the province of Batangas attracts underwater photography enthusiasts from all over the world: famous underwater hot springs. Sea snakes, whose poison is deadly to humans, live near Gato Island. The tiny volcanic island of Maripipi is familiar with schools of dolphins and reef sharks. The pearl shoals of the Sulu Archipelago are famous throughout the world. The area around Coron Bay, located in the center of the Calamianes Islands, attracts tourists with a great number of sunken ships (from the period of World War II). Some of the best diving in the world (but also some of the most unsafe for people) are considered to be the southern coast of Mindanao Island, the islands of Ajo, Bohol, Cabilao, Balicasag, Basilan, Bantayan, Lapinin, Mahanay, Tawitawi and Jolo, Pamilacan. Tiger sharks and hammerhead sharks love the waters of these islands from November to April!). To the east of Bantayan Island, near Malapasca Island, manta rays live, gathering in huge schools - an amazing sight!
Climate
The climate in the Philippines is subequatorial marine, monsoon. The year is conditionally divided into 3 seasons: 1) the rainy season from June to September (formed by the north-eastern monsoons "amihan" and "habakat"), the average temperature in this period is + 23-33C, precipitation is over 1000 mm. 2) the cool dry season (from October to February), with a temperature of + 23-29C, precipitation up to 400 mm. 3) the hot dry season, from March to May, the temperature is above + 35C, precipitation does not exceed 300-800 mm. The average temperature in any season of the year is about +27 C. November and December are the coolest months (the daytime temperature during this period is +28 C, before dawn on the coast it can drop to +17 C), while the air humidity is quite high all year round (1000-4000 mm of precipitation falls), of all the months, August is the wettest. Frosts are not uncommon in the mountainous regions. From mid-summer to October, destructive typhoons are common.
The best time to visit the Philippines is from late September to mid-May.
Language
The official language is Filipino. English and Spanish are also spoken.
Time
The Philippines time is 6 hours ahead of Kiev time in winter, 5 hours in summer.
Currency
The country's currency is the Philippine peso (equal to 100 centavos). The price level on the islands is quite low, so small bills are mostly in circulation: 5, 10, and 20 pesos.
Population
The population of the Philippines is about 86.3 million people. More than 80% of the inhabitants are Filipinos (Tagalogs, Moros, Visayas, Iloks, etc.), and there are also large groups of Malays, Hindus, and Chinese.
Religion
The majority of believers in the Philippines are Catholic Christians, 83%, and Protestants (9%). The Philippines is the only country in Asia with a predominance of Christianity. There are also Muslims (5%), Buddhists, etc.
