Melo Villareal
The Philippines continues to move up on the roles of the best destinations to take a trip as great organizations like Travel+Leisure, Islands Magazine, and now National Geographic tell the world about why some of the top destinations on the globe are within the more than seven thousand islands we call home.
Sunset in El Nido
National Geographic Traveler Magazine has picked the best twenty trips of 2011 and guess what? No surprise that the Philippines made the list. To be more specific, Palawan. Along with amazing destinations like Croatia, Tasmania, Mongolia, and the Scottish Islands. Why Palawan?
Welcoming the Tourists in El Nido
First of all, Palawan has the natural beauty that people dream of finding in places like Hawaii or Tahiti without the overdeveloped tourist infrastructure. Second, Palawan is home to the Batak people, one of the most interesting and least damaged indigenous cultures on the planet. In fact, Palawan really has everything from the snow white sand beaches covered with swaying palm trees to the vibrant and living reefs that divers go crazy for. A visit to the limestone karst cliffs with azure waters and verdant vegetation is enough, but there is more.
Helicopter Island in El Nido
Palawan is one of the most biodiverse areas on the planet with a protected fish and wildlife zone that stretches over 1,200 miles and includes 1,768 islands in itself. Add to this the nomination of the Puerto Pricesa Subterranean River National Park as one of the modern seven natural wonders on the planet and it all starts to make sense. In fact, some would argue, that there is no better trip to take in 2011 than a trip to Palawan.
From macaques to exotic birds to ship diving, you can find a wonderland on land, in the air, and in the sea of Palawan. Exotic and unique human culture, wonderful handicrafts, friendly people, and just in case you want it, there is a tourist infrastructure but since most of Palawan has been protected since 1967, it doesn’t sprawl and spill into areas that are delicate as happens in other places.
To see the complete list of trips listed by National Geographic Traveler, you can visit the website at http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/best-trips-2011-photos/ . In fact, even though we think Palawan is the only place you need to go, we were impressed with the list of places and some of them look like they might even be ‘almost’ as great as our national treasure islands. Of course, there are other great places in the world, we’re just lucky to have the best.
