Travel ideas for Philippines - unique sights, worth Guinness records

The abandoned Diplomat Hotel has to be mentioned among the unique attractions of the Philippine Islands. Locals don’t dare to approach to this building even in the daytime. This amazing facility was built on top of Dominican Hill in Baguio in 1911 and housed the seminary. During the World War II it came to desolation, and then was used as a shelter by Japanese deserters. During the war, dozens of bombs fell there and a great number of people were killed in its walls.
In 1973, the government decided to restore the building and founded a hotel there. Diplomat Hotels Company took control over the destroyed building. From the first days, its staff and guests were bothered with unexplained phenomena: horrible screams and moving objects, loud sounds of banging doors and explosions. Manager of the hotel, Tony Agpaoa, died a few years after opening. Since then the restored building lies in ruins. Despite the fact that people have long left this terrible place, the ghosts of Diplomat Hotel still continue to disturb local residents. At night, the building literally comes to life, voices of people can be heard there and doors are slammed so hard that force residents of nearby houses to wake up from a deep sleep. ... Complete sights collection

Active Mayon volcano is situated on Luzon Island, which is part of the Philippine archipelago. It features not only an increased pace of activity, but also a very unusual shape close to the perfect cone. The volcano has being officially monitored last 400 years, during this time more than 50 major eruptions have happened. Height of the volcano is about 2,460 meters, but it changes after each eruption. The length of volcano’s base is about 130 kilometers.
One of the most serious eruptions of Mayon volcano occurred in 1814; it claimed lives of 1,200 people. As a result of the disaster, Cagsawa town located in the foothills of the volcano has been completely destroyed. In 1993, disaster has repeated killing 79 people; during the next eruption several small settlements were wiped out from the face of the earth. Another phase of Mayon volcano activity came in 2009 causing evacuation of thousands of local residents. In 2013, four climbers from Germany and their guide have died during the ascent to the mouth of the volcano. However, numerous tragic events didn’t confuse modern tourists.
The volcano is situated in the unique natural reserve, Volcan Mayon, which is famous for natural attractions and largely owes its existence to volcanic activity. Fans of more peaceful and secure trips can walk along the coast of Luzon and admire lava flows. Given their ubiquity, you can fully evaluate the scale of disasters occurred previously. ... Complete sights collection

On Bohol Island, which belongs to the Philippines, there is a wonderfully beautiful place - the chocolate hills. On the territory of the extensive tropical forest, a few hundreds of hills rise, reminiscent of the giant chocolate truffles. For many years, the mysterious hills have been one of the most unusual sights of natural origin on earth. Until now, the scientists are unanimous about the version of their show. The locals connect a lot of the interesting legends with the chocolate hills.
The exact number of hills is unknown. According to some data, there are from 1 500 to 1 700 hills. With a view to the fact that the surface of the picturesque island forms 50 sqkm, this dense arrangement of the hills seems really strange. The height of the hills is different and forms from 30 to 121 meters. However, not all hills can be called 'chocolates'. Almost all the hills are covered with the lush green grass, and when it begins to fade, it gives the hills the coffee shades. The hills look particularly impressive after the rain when the grass gets wet.
The fantastic landscape that can be seen on the Bohol Island is unique. According to the main version of the scientists, it has formed as a result of volcanic activity. Until recently, the hills called Carmen Hills. As a 'chocolate hill', a tourist from the USA called it. He compared the panorama from one of the high hills with the box of 'Hershey Kisses' chocolates. Since then the landmark has an original unofficial name. ... Complete sights collection

The Philippine Islands represent a real treasure trove of natural attractions. One of the most famous among them is located on the island of Palawan. Here, in one of the caves, the underground river with the beautiful name of Puerto Princesa flows. It’s located close to the town of the same name. The length of the river is about 8 km. It’s worth noting that the cave is one of the largest in the world. It has several large rooms that strike with diversity and beauty of the stalactites and stalagmites.
At present, the underground river is located in a large national park that also features valuable rare species of flora and fauna. Despite the fact that the underground river is open for tours, it's not as easy to visit it as it might seem at first glance. In recent years, a number of tourists on the island of Palawan increased so much, that it has become a threat to the preservation of the unique natural monument.
Authorities of the island were forced to introduce a limit on the number of people who can visit the cave every day. No more than 900 people are allowed to have a tour daily. Even with such a huge flow of tourists, it’s necessary to book an excursion for a few weeks in advance, as a queue of those wishing to take a boat ride on the underground river is incredibly high. You can try booking a tour while checking in a room of a hotel. One of the best options to stay in the city is Sabang hotel. The thing is that guests of Sabang hotels enjoy special privileges. They don’t need to wait for a permit for a tour for several weeks. ... Complete sights collection

Mindanao Island, which is part of the Philippine Islands, has become one of the most dangerous places on the planet by a will of fate. The incredibly beautiful island with white sand beaches and lush tropical vegetation has been at the epicenter of hostilities, so it is currently impossible to visit this amazingly beautiful place. Previously, the island was very popular not only among fans of scenic walks, but also among fans of diving.
The island of Mindanao houses one of the major attractions of the archipelago, Mount Apo, which is the highest mountain in the Philippines. Mindanao is one of the twenty largest islands in the world, with an area of ​​about 97 500 square km. There is the large river of the same name. Picturesque lakes are another important part of the local landscape. Constantly the island is home to more than 22 million people. A large part of the indigenous population is engaged in the development of mineral deposits and agriculture.
Since the 70s of the last century, the major separatist groups act at the island. Their clashes with government troops make a charming island of Mindanao one of the most troubled and dangerous places. Despite the fact that in recent years several peace agreements were signed, fights do not stop on the island. This means that the place continues to be closed for tourists. Travelers and those who still decide to visit it are risking their precious lives. ... Complete sights collection

SM Megamall is the biggest mall in the Philippines and one of the biggest in the world. It is situated right in the centre of Manila. 800 thousand people visit this mall every year, most of them are tourists. The shopping mall was opened in 1991 and contained of two huge halls - "A" and "B". The mall is appealing to people not only for the variety of shining shop-windows but also for cozy cafes and restaurants, among which there are the exclusive one.
On the first floor, basically, you will find gastronomical and entertainment shops. And also, there are some areas with rides and arcade machines for children. On the second floor the visitors can find exclusive expensive restaurants and of the same level shops. In these shops people can buy clothes and accessories of the world leading brands. One of the biggest ice skates is placed in the mall. It is highly popular among the visitors. The first ice skate was opened in 2009 but it was reconstructed and became bigger in 2014.
A simple walk around the hypermarket will give you a lot of emotions. The most beautiful part of the mall is the atrium that connects two buildings. Together with shops and restaurants there are special areas which you can rent for events. Those, who like to go shopping to the luxurious shops, will like new "Mega Fashion Hall". There are located multilevel world-known brand shops, such as H&M and Uniqlo. ... Complete sights collection

San Roque Dam in the Philippines is one of the biggest rock-filled dams in the world. It is placed on the Arno River. This dam is in a list of 20 largest dams of the planet. Its high is 200 meter and width – 1 200 meters. The dam composes a large artificial lake, which area is about 12 000 square meters.
Year by year the lake engorges with water during the rainy season. Then this water is used not only for electricity output but also for irrigation of the nearby fields. The dam was finished in 2003 and now its water is enough for all year-round irrigation of 700 square meters area.
Earlier it was quite difficult for locals to service the agricultural crops. The Philippines climate is quite drought. During this time, it is very hard to maintain the necessary moisture level on fields. When the dam has appeared there, everything changed. Now regions have water all year long and are protected from the flooding. Even more, the quality of water has improved. ... Complete sights collection

The Philippines has an active volcano too. It is one of the well-known and visited touristic place of the whole archipelago. The smallest supervolcano that has formed on the planet 500 000 years ago. The volcano’s caldera has a wonderful lake, which changes after every eruption. After the last, the lake has received a new 23 square kilometres island.
Taal Volcano is one of the most active volcanoes in the world. The scientists keep an eye on it from 1572. Since that time, it has erupted more than 30 times. The last large eruption was in January 1911. It has taken 1 335 lives. The last eruption was in 1975 year and 200 people lives were ended. In the 1990s the volcano began to show some actions of activity. Until now their number continues to increase.
Unfortunately, it is quite hard to foresee the eruption of the supervolcano. The researchers claim that it can begin at any time. The volcano high isn’t so tremendous, just 311 meters, its crater diameter is 400 meters. Notwithstanding such decent sizes, the afterwards could be rather catastrophic. Now Taal Lake is a popular touristic place. Travellers can order a boat trip and walk along the wonderful lake shores. ... Complete sights collection