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Combined tours throughout Asia!
This time we will get a little closer to the possibilities of combined dive tours in the Philippines . It turns out, going for a whole kaleidoscope of impressions, sometimes tourists do not necessarily have to be patient for internal flights or even move to long distances. Take, for example, the Bikol region of the Philippines. What happens if you look closely at him?
Bicol is a new region for the domestic tourism industry from six provinces: Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Albay, Sorsogon, Catanduanes and Masbate. Known for its original cuisine, production of pedicabs and nutlets, it will be a real boon for those who do not like to sit still. By the way, residents of other areas of the Philippines do not understand the local language of bicolano and its dialects - and communicate with them mainly in English.
So, we fly to Manila. The visa is not needed now: the main thing is that the passport is valid for six months. We get from the international airport to the airport for domestic airlines, 25 dollars for a ticket, 45 minutes in the air - and here is our first destination: the city of Legaspi, the province of Albay
Whale sharks and diving
At some point in the domestic diving environment, the enigmatic words "Donsol" and "Sorsogon" sounded, and immediately the groups of "pinnipeds" were pulled into a hitherto unknown region where it is hardly possible to find a decent hotel. This is not surprising: divers in the pursuit of whale sharks travel around the planet, and in Donsol (Sorsogon province, an hour drive from Legaspi), if you are lucky, you can meet from 5 to 15 sharks per day. With so many of these giant fish, Donsol pretends to be the world capital of whale sharks!
Meet whale sharks (or butending, as they are called local), starting somewhere from October-November to the peak period in February-May. Authorities and WWF do not allow scuba divers to communicate with whale sharks, so divers will have to leave their gear and join the normal waterfowl. In any case, sharks are swimming at shallow depths and they can be observed even from the boats.
Exit to the sea will take from one to four hours, if desired. Specially trained guides in the title "butanding interaction officers" track down sharks and instruct tourists. The basic rules are simple: do not interfere with the animal to swim, do not move closer than 3 meters to its body and 4 meters to its tail: these amazing creatures are harmless to humans and feed on plankton and krill, but when such a friendly giant (and whale sharks reach 13 meters long), wagging its tail - it does not seem like a lot.
There are no problems with public catering in Donsol, but the accommodation is still rather modest: however, if it confuses, you can stay in the city Hotel Legaspi and go to the sea for day . Individual tourists with a bus ticket from Legaspi to Donsol and back, renting a boat, park registration and renting a set No. 1 (mask, fins, tube) will cost $ 106 for two . The more people in the boat - the cheaper trip, but one shark is allowed to "hunt" no more than one boat or six divers . It is better to get up to 12 am: the water is more transparent and the sharks are better seen (especially since the flashbulbs will have to be left above), plus everything , at this time there are more of them .
By the way, tourism not only economically develops the regions but also rescues these rare animals from poaching extermination: even a festival has been organized marking the annual return of butaneering to the waters of Dosnov.
However, whale sharks are not the only "bait" for divers in the region: 55 km from Donsol there is still one Mecca of the underwater world - Tikao Island with the famous Manta Bowl dive site . From October to May, you can see 5-10 stingrays for diving . At night, trips are offered to observe fireflies - a magical entourage to the already fascinating the open sky . If you do not want to get far beyond diving, you can dive in the marine reserve of the island of San Miguel just 15 minutes by boat from Tabaco (and half an hour from Legaspi) .
Quadrocycles and volcano Mayon
The symbol of Bicol is an almost perfectly symmetrical cone of the Mayon volcano. This volcano is one of the most active volcanoes in the country: on its account there are about 50 eruptions in the last 400 years. Wherever you go in the vicinity of Legaspi, Mayon will invariably rise from one side, giving a special picture to any picture and frame. The most famous photo, which is not missed by any local guide: the surviving belfry of the Kagsava church against the background of the city destroyed by the eruption of February 1, 1814.
Here we are waiting for an adventure for a good half of the day: we saddle ATVs (for tolerance to different types of road surface, including water, here they call them ATV - all terrain vehicle, I mean all-terrain vehicle), smearing sunscreen - and on the way.
The first stop is Mount Lynon, neighboring with Mayon, the former volcano .The park is equipped with a walk through the tunnels in the mountain, dug by the Japanese during the Second World War, chic views of Legaspi and Mayon, and at will: a short but memorable trekking to the former crater of the volcano, engulfed by a rainforest, descent on the suspension along a steep wall ( rapelling), high-speed descent along the cable (zip-line) .In general, a full set of adventures .Finally, we return to our "iron horses", we put on masks (more for the species: there is not so dusty) and move to the path .Journey to the volcano - this is an amazing beauty episode of the journey .Brown-black volcanic sand and stones under the wheels of your ATV, a view of emerald in the sunshine of the valley with protruding hats of palm trees, hiding in the cloudy haze of the Mayon cone, the intersection of rivers, steep hills, the valley like the dried bed of a deep and powerful river, and - the wall giant stones from the lava, blocking the path ... Arrived .
The last eruption of the volcano was in 2006 - it was after him that this lava wall remained, towering above the ground and hiding palm trunks for a good two-thirds .We climb up to the view of the river of black stones flowing from the crater .In the depths of this still stream, the lava has not cooled down yet, and small clubs of steam are rising here and there between the stones .The wisest return to the valley by a rapid descent along the cable - the longest and, perhaps, the most exciting in the country .The rest go on foot .A paintball field is organized nearby, but there will be enough impressions for a few days ahead .
By the way, around the volcano there is also a cycle track: an 80 km journey with a possible addition - 9 km in a hill to the park of Mount Lignon.
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Trekking
Several paths for trekking are laid on the very Mayon (by the way, you can meet 21 kinds of birds around the volcano) of different levels of complexity. They rise to an altitude of 2,200 meters and take from three hours to one and a half days with an overnight stay. True, now Mayon was given the level of danger "2 out of 4": this means that the volcano has woken up and requires close monitoring, but so far it does not pose a direct threat. Therefore, routes for trekking can be limited.
Fans of trekking and tropical flora with fauna can go to local waterfalls: in 45 minutes from Legaspi there is Busayi waterfall - or rather, it is a cascade of waterfalls with a total height of 91 meters. The lowest 40-meter waterfall and the lagoon below it are very popular with local residents, but the picturesque cascades upstream are completely deserted.
An hour and a half drive from Legaspi, in Malinawo, is the Vera waterfall, breaking from the 25-meter height into the bright blue lagoon, and Palaela, which at one time brought terrible floods to local residents, and now, surrounded by lush vegetation, which is a beautiful sight in a good weather.
Two hours' drive from Legaspi, at the foot of the volcano of the same name, there is Lake Bulusan, which gave the province the title of "Philippine Switzerland" because of its similarity with the Alpine lakes .The main track around the lake takes an hour, although it is said that in the park of the Bulusan volcano (incidentally, acting) amidst endemic flora including wild orchids, there are many more paths, including the crater - but they are not well maintained courageous adventurers .By the way, around the volcano Bulusan a lot of medical hot springs, and on the way to it you can glance at Risal beach near the city of Gubat: a rare case of a luxurious beach with complete absence of people .
But that's not all: there are parks in the vicinity of Legaspi, which offer excellent opportunities for trekking, climbing and even caving: Albay Park & Wildlife, with 347 animals of 75 species and Bacman Eco-Park with a double waterfall Botong, a fruit bats reserve, a garden butterflies, the boiling lake of Nag-Aso and the hot springs of Inang Maharang.
Beaches
It turns out that for rare black volcanic sand, it's also not necessary to go to Hawaii: Mount Mayon generously supplies them with the north and east of the province of Albay. Within half an hour drive from Legaspi, there are about three resorts with beautiful black beaches of Bacakay, Santo Domingo and Tivi. Caution: the sand there is granular and quite hot in the sun, although the local people are sure of its therapeutic effect.
Pink sand can be found on the island of Subic, and the white beaches are generally the usual thing for Bikol. A good example is the luxurious resort of Misibis on the island of Kagrarej, with a swanky beach, an adventure park and one of the numerous caves of Bikol.
By the way, in the city of Tabaco next to Legaspi, there is a souvenir market, which even the owners of souvenir shops in Manila come to buy. In general, a good opportunity to take home a couple of "material" memories of the trip (just do not forget about the weight restrictions of luggage: 20 kg for Philippines Airlines and 15 kg for Cebu Pacific).
Surfing
We return to Legaspi and enjoy two hours of picturesque moving to the city (and airport) of Naga in the province of Camarines Norte. Another two hours drive from the small picturesque airport of Nagy is the town of Gives. Around him are a few spots, the most popular among them is the long beach of Bagasbas, beloved for convenient right and left waves along the sandy shore.
Spot is good for both beginners and experienced surfers, however there can be quite a lot of people: Bagasbas has received international recognition as one of the best places for surfing in the Philippines .Other spots: San Jose (9 kilometers from Bagasbas), The River's Mouth (there is an excellent fish market in the mornings, but behind the waves it will be necessary to row far from the shore - it's easier to hire a local outrigger boat), Tongs Point (short beach to the north of Bagasbasa) .In breaks, you can enjoy local coconuts and sweet and juicy pineapples of the unique "quince" variety .The best time for surfing is from June to November, when the southwestern monsoon "habagat" arrives .Accommodation here is represented by an assortment of local small private hoteliers .
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| Mayon volcano |
Desperate backpackers can, without climbing far, enjoy a beach holiday on the luxurious white beaches in the pristine entourage: in two hours of travel by boat from the coast of Daeta is the group of the islands of Calaguas .There is no water supply and sewage, but there are long empty beaches of white sand and bright blue waters of the Philippine Sea (read - Pacific Ocean) .There are no hotels yet: friendly fishermen live on the islands, and tourists are usually located in local huts or brought tents .Water is brought from the well, and in a kilometer walk along the jungle from the beach there is a local settlement where you can buy essentials .
Wakeboarding and water skiing
A 5-minute drive from the same airport, Nagi already on 6 hectares stretched Cam Sur Watersports Complex, or simply CWC .This is a year-round and round-the-clock Mecca for wakeboarding, wake-surfing, water skiing and nibauding .The cable system provides speeds from 20 to 65 kilometers per hour (but you can also order a boat), and conveniently equipped obstacles allow you to learn from scratch or perfect stunts to the regularly held international competitions .And all this - with magnificent views of the whole 360 ° and the incendiary atmosphere of the youth center .The whole day of riding will cost here 750 pesos (16 USD), equipment rental per day - 1500 pesos (32 USD) .
Accommodation - at your choice: from luxurious villas by the pool to painted in bright colors containers, equipped for a comfortable stay. But the most buzz is wooden houses. They are slightly different in size, but always very simple and at the same time quite comfortable (a small living room, bedroom, bathroom with shower), cozy and tasty smell of fresh wood. By the way, there is free Wi-Fi throughout the park.
From other entertainments on the territory of the complex, a swimming pool (well, somewhere around 100 rubles per day), air hockey, table tennis, pool, basketball, volleyball, darts, table football .For those to whom water and table sports are not enough, there is a skate park and a bike trial site .In the evening, you can pamper the tired muscles with a massage (300 pesos - about 6 USD per hour) and get to Nago: look at the local church with an unexpectedly futuristic architecture and arrange a test drive for a local (say quite good) nightlife .
It's time to go home: the return trip is straight from Nagy airport. Another 50 minutes to Manila, and already a little sad and I want to believe that sometimes you will still dream of the shining Pacific Ocean, a slightly foaming track from the wakeboard, oblique sunbeams in the emerald leaves of palm trees against the black valley and the ideal, symmetrical cone of the Mayon volcano , always whispering about something with the clouds ... you will certainly want to return to the Philippines: to a country with luxurious beaches, juicy fruits and the most fun-loving people on the planet.
Veronica Birman, CEO of Exotic Time
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