Mention the Philippines and most thoughts go to the turquoise waters and white sand beaches, and with over 7000 islands, it’s no wonder! But this country has so much more - verdant rice fields graffiti-splashed jeepneys, active volcanoes, lush jungles, underground rivers, mammoth caves, tarsiers, spectacular waterfalls, fascinating colonial remnants and some of the best diving in Asia including UNESCO World Heritage dive site Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park. 

 

Colonized by Spain for over 300 years as a consequence of Magellan's voyage to circumnavigate the globe in the early 1500s, the archipelago was initially made up of of tribal kingdoms. It was taken over by the United States for another 40 years during the early 1900s, until it became independent in 1946. With its mash-up of Spanish colonialism and Southeast Asian tradition, it has a truly unique cultural heritage.