Magical Places in the Philippines that you may never heard off before
By: Troy

The Chocolate Hills in Bohol

The Chocolate Hills are probably Bohol's most famous tourist attraction. The hills, which look like giant mole hill, are considered unusual geological formation that consists of at least 1,268 individual mounds that are scattered throughout the municipalities of Carmen, Batuan, and Sagbayan. The hills range from 30 to 50 meters high and are covered in green grass, which turns to brown during the dry season, making them look like chocolate mounds. ( Quoted from "Your Guide to Bohol" by Sanchez-Bronce, Loop and Carpentier)

Legend has it that the hills came into existence when two giants threw stones and sand at each other in a fight that lasted for days. When they were finally exhausted, they made friends and left the island, but left behind the mess they made. For the more romantically inclined is the tale of Arogo, a young and very strong giant who fell in love with an ordinary mortal girl called Aloya. After she died, the giant Arogo cried bitterly. His tears then turned into hills, as a lasting proof of his grief.

However, up to this day, even geologists have not reached consensus on how they where formed. The most commonly accept theory is that they are the weathered formations of a kind of marine limestone on top of a impermeable layer of clay.

The Mayon volcano, in Bicol

Also known as Mount Mayon, is an active stratovolcano in the province of Albay, in the Bicol Region, on the island of Luzon.

Renowned as the "perfect cone" because of its almost symmetrically conical shape, Mayon forms the northern boundary of Legazpi City. Local folklore refers to the volcano as Bulkang Magayon (Filipino: 'Magayon Volcano'), after the legendary heroine Daragang Magayon (Bikol: 'Lady Beautiful').

Rice terraces at Cambolo near Banaue

Banaue is a town on the Cordillera mountain range in the north of the island of Luzon, in the Philippines. It is mainly visited for its stunning rice terraces, which are a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Sometimes called the "Eighth Wonder of the World", the 2000 years old Banaue rice terraces are a UNESCO World Heritage site, and while many are still in use today, the outer rims are showing signs of deterioration. They were created by the Ifugao (local native people), in a massive engineering project to cover the sides of the valleys (probably 200 meters from floor to rim) for several miles, irrigated by means of mountain streams and springs that have been tapped and channelled into canals that run downhill through the rice terraces.

Malpascua

The first image Malapascua offers will stay with you for a long time: an exceedingly beautiful pristine stretch of white sand, crystal clear waters bordered by coconut trees and a dozen of scattered native style resorts. Malapascua is known to the locals as Logon and this vision of secret beach is whimsically named Bounty beach. It lays 8km off the north of Cebu, has a community of about 4000 inhabitants. A walk or a tour unto the whole Island will take you about 3 hours. One way or another it's main resource is the sea: divers and fishermen work side by side with force of compromises.

Taal Volcano, the smallest volcano in the world

It is situated between the towns of Talisay and San Nicolas in Batangas. It consists of an island in Lake Taal, which is situated within a caldera formed by an earlier, very powerful eruption. It is located about 50 km (31 Miles) from the capital, Manila. It is one of the active volcanoes in the Philippines, all part of the Pacific ring of fire.

Tabon Caves - Quezon

The Tabon cave complex consists of 29 explored caves, but there are 200 caves known on Lipuun Point. They are maintained and managed by the National Museum. Diwata Cave and Liyang Cave are open to the public. The Caves were the discovery site of the Tabon Man, one of the oldest discoveries of human inhabitants found in the Philippines.

El Nido

Is a coastal town in Palawan. El Nido composes of 45 islands and islets, limestone cliffs are also found here which are similar to those found in Ha Long Bay, Krabi and Guilin. It is a popular destination for locals during the long holidays of the Holy week. Beaches, clear waters, limestone cliffs and stunning inlets are some of the breathtaking wonders El Nido has. Early times before the place had become a popular tourist destination, fishing was the main source of income but to this modern time tourism has become the municipality's main source of revenue. El Nido is also known for its best spots for water sports such as diving, snorkeling and kayaking.