Planning a trip? Those who love to travel know the essence of all travel is about you and your enjoyment. Travelers know that the destination is a major part in planning a trip, experiencing and delving deeper into an unfamiliar places, people and culture is paramount.

Expand your horizons and set your sight to the Philippines, an off the beaten path travel site! An undiscovered paradise made of thousands of islands and white sand beaches all around! A tiny dot in the map of the world, and yet a haven for travelers, backpackers, retirees and even passersby.

It offers awesome tourist attractions, magnificent beaches, hot spring resorts, colorful festivals, hundreds of scenic spots and world-class hotels and facilities. Not to mention the tropical climate, the affordable prices as well as the friendly and hospitable, English-speaking people! You will be glad you came, and we’re sure, you WILL come back for more FUN in the Philippines!

 

BATANGAS

   When you travel to the Philippines, be sure to schedule a trip to Batangas.  You won’t regret it!  

 

Photo from:  wikipedia.org

 

Batangas is a first class province of the Philippines located on the southwestern part of Luzon. Its capital is Batangas City and it is bordered by the  provinces of Cavite and Laguna to the north and Quezon to the east. Across the Verde Island Passages to the south is the island of Mindoro and to the west lies the South China Sea.

Batangas is one of the most popular tourist destinations near Metro Manila. The province has many beaches and is famous for excellent diving spots including Anilao in Mabini,  Matabungkay in Lian, Punta Fuego in Nasugbu, Calatagan and Laiya in San Juan.

Tagalog is spoken in this province and a strong presence of the Tagalog culture is clearly visible to the present day.  However, same as with most Filipinos, people from the Batangas province can also speak and understand English in varying extent.

 

 Mt. Taal

 

Batangas is a combination of plains and mountains, including the world’s smallest volcano, Mt. Taal, with an elevation of 600 meters, located in the middle of the Taal Lake. Other important peaks are Mt. Makulot with an elevation of 830 m, Mt. Talamitan with  700 m, Mt. Pico de Loro with 664 m, Mt. Batulao with 811 m, Mt. Manabo with 830  m, and Mt. Daguldol with 672 m.

Batangas also has many islands, including Tingloy, and Fortune Island of Nasugbu.

Although attached to the big Island of Luzon, Batangas boasts of flora and fauna that is distinctively theirs. The local tree malabayabas is endemic to the province alone while the  endangered flying fox thrives there without fear. Batangas is also home to the kabag, one of the world’s smallest fruit bat. In the Municipality of Nasugbu, wild deers are still inhabiting the remote areas of Baranggay Looc.

 

 

But although Batangas has these land flying mammals, marine wildlife remains to be the province’s crowning glory. In fact, in the second half of 2006, scientists from the United States discovered that the Sulu-Sulawesi Triangle has its centre at the Isla Verde Passage, a part of the province. According to this study, made by the American Marine Biologist Dr. Kent Carpentier, Batangas Seas host more than half of the world’s species of coral reefs. It is also home to dolphins and once in a while, a passage of the world’s biggest fish the whale shark or the butanding, as the locals call it. The Municipality of San Juan, as a matter of fact, has a resident marine turtle or pawikan. Pawikans were also prevalent in the Municipality of Nasugbu during the 1970s.

Pineapples are also common in the province. Aside from the fruit, the leaves are also useful that it becomes an industry of its own. In the Municipality of Taal, pineapple leaves  are being processed to be a kind of cloth known as the jusi. This is further processed to become the Barong Tagalog, the National Costume of the Philippines. In fact, the Barong Tagalog that was used by the heads of states in the last Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation in 1995 was from Batangas. Princess Diana Spencer was also known to possess a scarf made of jusi.

 

 

The Capital City of Batangas hosts the second most important international seaport in the Island of Luzon. Next only to that of Manila International Port, Batangas International Port is a primary entry point of goods not only coming from the Southern part of the country but from everywhere in the world.

Like the rest of the Filipinos, people from other places find the Batangueños very hospitable. They will prepare extra food for you, more than the amount of food they usually eat. Actually, these folks would appreciate it greatly if they see that you are  trying to belong.

Make sure that you include Batangas in your itinerary and spend a few days on the beach when you visit the Philippines, it ‘s worth it!

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

Don’t Miss Visiting the Amazing Batangas Province

Magnificent Beaches and Dive Sites in Batangas!

Colorful Festivals in Batangas

Interesting Tourist Destinations in Batangas

Having Fun in Batangas

 

 

 

 

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