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Church of San Juan Bautista
The lovely 19th-century facade of the Church of San Juan Batista, with greenery growing out of the cracks in the mighty masonry, is a must for colonial architecture buffs. Some of the bricks bear individual masons’ marks – a rarity in this country.
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Picnic Grove
This is at best a moderately adventurous adventure park, with horse-riding (per hr P200), a fish spa (per 20min P200), souvenir stands, a nature walk, great views and a fairly tame 250m zip line over a small gorge. It’s 4.7km east of the rotunda.
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Malate Church
This attractive baroque-style church was first built in 1588; this version dates from the 1860s and was was thoroughly renovated in 2015. A greatly revered image of the Virgin Mary, called Nuestra Señora de Remedios (Our Lady of Remedies), roosts here.
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Daraga Church
Set on a hill splendidly overlooking Mt Mayon is the baroque-style Daraga Church, constructed completely from volcanic rock in 1773 and with detailed sculpted reliefs on the columns. From Legazpi take any Daraga-bound jeepney (P8) along Rizal Ave.
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Museo San Pablo
The Museo San Pablo, inside St Paul Cathedral, is a good place to see old santos (religious statues). Make sure to have a look at the wonderfully aged photo collection of a German pharmacist who lived in Vigan for a number of years in the late 1800s.
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Binondo Church
At the northern end of Paredes St stands the attractive granite-stone bell tower of Binondo Church, an unusual octagonal structure dating back to 1596. The rest of the church was rebuilt following destruction sustained by American bombing in WWII.
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Ninoy Aquino Parks & Wildlife Center
This park and wildlife rescue centre runs a mini-zoo where injured wildlife are nursed back to life. A few patients who never checked out are on display, including a Burmese python and various birds, reptiles and monkeys. Theres also a peaceful lagoon here.
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ABCD Beach
The best surfing on Calicoan Island is at ABCD Beach, named after the four reef breaks along this coast, and also after ‘Advance Base Construction Depot’, which is one for the WWII buffs. It has great left- and right-handed reef breaks between June and October.
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Bugtong Bato Falls
This series of seven scenic cascades at the end of the TEA Park road can be ascended one by one, offering some fine swimming holes. The first fall (around 60ft) is reached after a pleasant 30-minute hike; get your guide at the barangay booth (P100 for five people).
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Ramparts
Most of Intramuros’ walls, gates and bulwarks are accessible, although some are weedy and a bit seedy. You can walk along the top of the ramparts for all or part of their approximately 4.5km length. There are several places inside the walls to ascend and descend.
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Palawan Butterfly Eco Garden and Tribal Village
An outdoor space near Santa Monica village where you can see different species of fluttering butterflies. Before entering, you can watch a short video that explains the life cycle of these delicate creatures. Now tribal dance performances are offered to groups.
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Museo Ng Makati
Down by the river, the Museo Ng Makati is a classic old Manila house from the 1800s (look for the capiz-shell windows), with some great photos of old Makati and murals of past mayors, among other exhibits. It was closed for renovations at the time of research.
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Beach
The beach in front of Sabang is quite nice and the warm, calm waters are perfect for swimming; another white-sand beach lies just across the Poyuy-Poyuy River. There are sand flies in the afternoon, so take precautions and consider swimming rather than sunbathing.
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Magellan’s
The owner of Magellan’s is a pioneer of wreck and archaeological diving in the Philippines. It’s popular among more advanced divers. The premises house a small museum with porcelain and other treasures salvaged by the owner from ships sitting on the sea floor.
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Casiawan Falls
A bit north of Cabucgayan, these falls can put on a good show depending on the amount of recent rainfall, and remain appealingly undeveloped. They’re a 20-minute drive on a track off the south coast road at Cabucgayan, and then another 10 minutes by foot.
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1335Mabini
Another small step in the revival of downtown Manila is the arrival of this art collective whove set up shop in the colonial Casa Tesoro mansion. It features regular changing shows of experimental art and installations in its ground- and second-floor galleries.
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Ganduyan Museum
This small museum is packed with an anthropologist’s dream of sculptures, jewellery and other Kankanay artefacts. Be sure to chat to owner Christina Aben, who is a fount of information about local culture and history. Ganduyan is the traditional Kankanay name for Sagada.
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Casaroro Falls
Four kilometres from Valencia are the glorious, 30m Casaroro Falls , which are most refreshing after the climb down the 335 steps to get to them. The best way to get to the falls – other than walking – is to hire a habal-habal from the market to take you to the steps.
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Hagimit Falls
Near San Jose in barangay Cawag, Hagimit Falls has a seemingly endless number of small cascades and pools you can navigate in your own private slip n slide tour. This is a very developed site with concrete paths and picnic huts, not a place to commune with nature.
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Balete Tree
Just west of the village of Campalanas is a tremendous balete tree (banyan tree), estimated to be 400 years old and believed by some to be enchanted. In front of the tree is a spring-fed pool filled with flesh-nibbling fish – dangle your feet in for a free fish spa.
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