The Philippines is rich in natural resources. That is obvious from the fact that this nation with a land area of 300,000 square kilometers (74.1 million acres) is composed of 7,641 islands. There is also the fact that the country is known as the Pearl of the Orient. Also adding to the proof that the Philippines is rich in natural resources, is the fact that it is the largest producer and exporter of coconuts in the world. It ships around 19.5 million tons of coconuts every year. That says a lot about this nation with over 100 million people.
There is also a unique socio-cultural aspect in this country where an internationally known boxer like Manny Pacquiao is also a senator. The country is also home to the infamous former first lady Imelda Marcos, who has been known to own over 3,000 pairs of shoes. The term imeldific, which means ostentatiously extravagant, was coined after Marcos.
The Philippines also values its religion. It ranks third among the countries with the highest Catholic population. At least 80% of Filipinos are Catholics, a legacy left behind by the country’s Spanish colonizers. The Americans also left an important legacy behind as the Philippines ranks fourth among the countries with the most English speakers. This comes in handy when the rest of the world visits the Philippines for tourism purposes.
With a reputation for its rich natural resources, it is no surprise that the country is home to at least 35 national parks. Here is a list of 10 parks that tourists should check out:
1. Aurora Memorial National Park
The beaches may be the most popular tourist destinations in the Philippines, but it also has some rainforests that are worth visiting. One of these rainforests is in Aurora Memorial National Park in the provinces of Nueva Ecija and Aurora. The park is within the Sierra Madre mountain range, the longest mountain range in the country. It was named after First Lady Aurora Aragon Quezon.
The local government is trying to promote the area as an ecotourism destination, and it has the potential with its montane forest and lowland dipterocarp. It has been an important spot among birders because of the presence of Luzon water redstart, which is endemic to the Philippines. The endangered Philippine eagle, which enjoys high altitude, is also spotted here. Among the other resident, birds are falcons, hawks, and vultures. The park is also popular among lizards, snakes, and turtles.
2. Bataan National Park
Bataan is one of the provinces in the Philippines that is rich in history, especially during World War II. It was the venue for the Battle of Bataan, the last stand for the alliance of American and Filipino soldiers before the Japanese forces conquered the area. It was also the starting point of the Bataan Death March. Nestled in the mountainous area of the province is Bataan National Park.
The centerpiece of the park is Mount Natib, a dormant volcano with an elevation of 1,253 meters. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, though, considers Mount Natib to become potentially active. There are five hot springs from the Natib caldera: Asin, Marmot, Paipit, Tigulangin, and Uyong.
The vegetation in the park is a tropical jungle while the mountain terrains have complementary bodies of water like rivers, springs, and waterfalls. The Dunsulan and Pasukulan Falls are favorite attractions among tourists. The flora and fauna are also rich including wildflowers and orchids, as well as wild monkeys and various birds.
An area is a great place for hiking and swimming. Walking up the mountains will give tourists an expansive view of the landscape that is so peaceful. The waters in the park are also very refreshing.
3. Caramoan National Park
The Caramoan Peninsula is one of the most visited places in the country because of its natural beauty and various adventure activities. Nestled within the hilly peninsula is the park, which features beautiful crystal blue waters. Tourists will enjoy the park’s limestone formations, gorgeous gorges, beautiful rivers, and white-sand beaches.
Caramoan is named after sea turtles that are abundant in the park. These marine reptiles are called “carahan” by the locals. There are so many activities to enjoy in the park. Since it is on a hilly peninsula, the hills are great for hiking and nature watching. Tourists will enjoy the unique and beautiful rock formations on the park’s Matukad Island. Tourists also enjoy spelunking in the park through the following caves: Culapnitan, Manipis, and Omang.
4. Guadalupe Mabugnao Mainit Hot Spring National Park
Cebu is one of the provinces in the Philippines famed for its beaches and waterfalls. But its lone national park has hot springs as the centerpiece. The park was established in 1972 to protect an important watershed area in the Mantalongon mountain range. A park is a great place for hiking. Some trails lead to some caves including Cave Lorett and Cave Moymoy. The Cave Lorett is also near a spring and four rivers.
Another cave is just being referred to as Cave 3. It features large stalactites that tourists enjoy watching and photographing. The park also has a freshwater pool that is a favorite during summer because it cools people down.
The Mangalongon mountain range is another favorite spot in the park that provides a different kind of attraction. The mountains are a cool hiking venue. The breeze is cool and the landscape is just a blanket of green grass with a smattering of trees. The area is also popular for its vegetable production.
5. Hundred Islands National Park
The Philippines is known for having more than 7,000 islands so it is just right that it has a national park known as the Hundreds of Islands. This was also the first national park established in the county in 1940. The park is in Pangasinan and the islands are scattered around the Lingayen Gulf, which was also a historically significant body of water as it provided some sort-of fence between the American and Japanese forces during World War II.
Their park comprises 124 islands during low tide and 123 during high tide. Only three of them have been developed for tourism: Children’s Island, Governor Island and Quezon Island. The bird’s eye view of the park shows very green islands surrounded by turquoise waters. That should be enough to entice people to drop by. These islands, according to geologists, are two million years old. They were believed to be corals from the seabed of the ancient sea. However, as the sea level was lowered, the formal corals came onto the surface.
While the islands show off a truly green landscape, experts wanted to monitor if there is true biodiversity in most of the islands for wildlife to thrive. Among the animals found in the park are elephant tit, grey-backed tailorbird, lemon-throated leaf warbler, Philippine Bulbul, Philippine coucal, Philippine duck, Philippine hawk-cuckoo, and white-eared brown dove. Divers and snorkelers in Lingayen Gulf may spot some angelfish, butterflyfish, ghosts and hermit crabs, and thresher sharks.
6. Kuapnit Balinsasayao National Park
The park traverses the municipalities of Abuyog and Baybay in the province of Leyte in the Visayas. The area is on the south part of the Anonang-Lobi Range, which has the highest peaks in Leyte: Mount Burauen Graben, Mounta Camaiyak, Mount Lobi, which is the highest at 1,346 meters.
The park is mostly covered in old-growth forest. This makes it ideal for hiking in the morning or afternoon because of the shade that the trees in the forest produce. The area is also exciting for birders as it is home to some of the birds endemic to Eastern Visayas, where Leyte is part of Samar Hornbill, yellow-breasted tailorbird and Visayan broadbill. Other animals in the area are the Philippine deer, Philippine warty pig and the tarsier, which is considered endangered in the Philippines.
This national park is a hidden gem in the Philippines. Not even Filipinos are aware that there is a national park in this part of Leyte. Going there will be a challenge as well but the effort will be worth it.
7. Libmanan Caves National Park
Located in Camarines Sur, the park’s centerpiece is the 2,586-meter Colapnitan Cave. It is the 10th longest cave in the Philippines. The park is home to at least 18 more caves that have distinctive physical attributes. Since the park is popular for its caves, it also follows that the park’s most famous residents are the bats that consider cave as its natural habitat. As a result, naturalists have also collected guano in the park. Guano is bat excrement that can be used as fertilizer.
Swiftlets, popular tropical and subtropical birds endemic to South Asia, are also common residents of the park. But tourists have to be careful, too, as the park is also home to some long-armed spiders that are known to be poisonous. But they aren’t that many and should not deter visitors from enjoying the natural cave formations in the park.
8. Mount Dajo National Park
Sulu is part of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. It is located near the southern tip of the country. Within this province is the Mount Dajo National Park. The centerpiece of the park is the Bud Dajo, the second-highest peak in the province at around 600 meters. The volcano is extinct and forms part of the Jolo Volcanic Group.
Bud Dajo and adjacent lands were declared as a national park in 1938 to preserve the geologic significance of the cinder cone. There were also press reports that the mountains in the area have been deforested, which prompted the government to make the area a protected one to revitalize the game population. The park is home to some vulnerable and endangered animals: gray imperial pigeon, Philippine cockatoo, Sulu hornbill, Sulu woodpecker, and Winchell’s kingfisher.
The park is also historically and culturally significant among Filipinos because the mountain was the venue of the First Battle of Bud Dajo, where the Moro people rebelled against the United States Army.
9. Naujan Lake National Park
The entire park, which is located in the province of Oriental Mindoro, is also designated as a Ramsar Wetland Site since 1999. The national park was established in 1956 yet. The park’s centerpiece is the Naujan Lake, which is the fifth-largest freshwater lake in the country. The lake is also bounded by the Naujan Mountains.
Tourists can enjoy a whole day just relaxing in the park, which also has ready facilities like picnic tables. There are also various viewpoints in the park where tourists can enjoy different vistas of the surrounding natural resources. Tourists can also paddle in the lake. Birders will also enjoy the variety of species that can be spotted in the park. It is famous for its marsh birds and is considered to have a wide breeding place for these aquatic fowls. A Biodiversity Monitoring System is being administered in the park every quarter.
10. Pagsanjan Gorge National Park
Located in the province of Laguna, the Pagsanjan Gorge National Park is also considered a tourist zone by the Philippine Government. The park is home gorgeous Bumbungan River (also referred to as the Pagsanjan River), which is responsible for the series of beautiful gorges. But the centerpiece of the park is the Pagsanjan Falls. The town’s name is almost synonymous with this waterfall.
Tourists should try either paddling or bamboo rafting on the Pagsanjan River leading to the waterfall. The paddling upstream will give tourists a perfect vista of the park’s lush forests on both sides. As long as there are no children in the group, one of the most exciting experiences in this park is paddling the bamboo raft through the cascading water, which will hit tourists with such an impact that is surprising but not at all painful. Couple this with the sound of the cascade and it will surely be a visit one will not forget.
The trek in the park is also popular, but it is not for the faint of heart. There will be a lot of climbing involved and the trip down to the waterfall is steep. The view, though, is just exquisite.