2018 Surfing Philippines The town of El Nido looks out onto the limestone cliffs of the Bacuit Archipelago.

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• Publié par: siversonbernard87
• Publié le: 02 octobre 2016
• Nombre de lectures: 1
• Licence : En savoir +
  Paternité, partage des conditions initiales à l'identique
• Langue: English

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Surfing Palawan, Philippines

2015 Surfing Philippines The

The municipality of El Nido looks out onto the limestone cliffs of the Bacuit Archipelago.

At the core of this 1,760-island archipelago is a 270-mile-long sliver of island known as Palawan. Stretching all the way to the tip of Borneo in the south, and bordered by the Sulu Sea to the east and also the South China Sea to the west, it rightly promotes itself as the Philippines’ Last Frontier.

The island’s prized west coast, clad in rain forest, is virtually untouched save for a smattering of small coastal communities. Off the northwest tip lies Palawan’s showpiece: the Bacuit Archipelago. Rivaling Guilin in China, and Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay (see here and here) for sheer dramatic seascape, these 40 islands feature deserted white sand beaches surrounding jagged limestone outcroppings that soar hundreds of feet into the air. Best days are spent island-hopping in a bangka (a established outrigger canoe), swimming, snorkeling, sea kayaking, and sunbathing.

The humble town of El Nido offers front-row opening to Bacuit Bay’s offshore wonders, and its cluster of small hotels makes a convenient base. Opportunities include one of a handful of only one of its kind resorts built on private islands. At conservation-minded Miniloc Island Resort, you can kayak into hidden lagoons ringed by cliffs on which swiftlets to create nests using their own saliva. (El Nido is named after these nests, which are considered an aphrodisiac and are an ingredient in a soup delicacy found in much of Asia.) Nearby, the even more eco-chic sister property, the Lagen Island Resort, features romantic overwater bungalows.

On the east coast of Palawan, the provincial capital of Puerto Princesa is the jumping-off point for tours of Subterranean River National Park, domicile to one of the world’s longest navigable underground rivers. Experienced divers can explore the uniquely vibrant Coral Triangle ecosystem inside the Tubbataha Reefs, a protected marine reserve 12 hours southeast by boat. Live-aboard dive trips are the individual way to upshot these remote, world-tutorial waters surrounding two atolls that teem with six varieties of sharks, as vigorous as rays, endangered turtles, and iridescent schools of fish.

Where: El Nido is 148 miles/238 km northwest of Puerto Princesa, both serviced by ferries from Manila. Flights untaken from Manila to Puerto Princesa. El Nido Resorts: Tel [phone]; www.elnidoresorts.com. Values: Miniloc from $380; Lagen from $555. How: A number of live-aboards such as the Stella Maris are based in and depart from Puerto Princesa on 4- to 7-night trips. Best time: Feb–Mar for driest weather; mid-Mar to mid-Jun for greatest conditions at the Tabbataha Reefs.