When you think of exotic travel destinations, the Pacific Ring of Fire may not be at the top of your list. Likely you have your eye on the tropical islands of Hawaii and their many resort locations, but you have to admit that the costs are a little out of your price range. However, you can have a similar experience for a lot less money by visiting one of the more than 7,000 islands that make up the Philippines. Here are just a few reasons why an adventure vacation to the Philippine Islands is a great (and inexpensive) idea.
One of the many wonderful reasons to visit the Philippines is that it is eminently affordable. Whereas a room at a beachside resort in Hawaii could run you upwards of $500 per night, you can secure a deluxe room at beachfront property in the Philippines for around 1,500 PSN (Philippine pesos), which comes out to about $35 US. Of course, resorts in heavy tourist areas may cost you more (they tend to top out around $150 a night in Manila, for example), but you’re still going to pay a lot less than other island resorts. You might spend $30-$50 per person on a nice meal in Hawaii, and the same meal in the Philippines can be had for less than half that cost.
And this is a nation of foodies. A lot of people love to sample local cuisine when they go on vacation, and the Philippines can deliver in spades. Not only are the citizens of the Philippines extremely warm and accommodating to visitors, but they also take a lot of pride in the food they create, for themselves and for others. So don’t hesitate to partake of the delicious and varied cuisine that awaits you on your visit to the Philippines.
Plus, there are so many beautiful sights to see in the Philippines that you might have a hard time fitting them all in. There are natural wonders around every corner as well as plenty of fun activities to keep you occupied. You can frolic in the surf or go horseback riding on a white-sand beach one day, and hike or zip-line through a forest the next. You can paddle around exotic lagoons, ford a river to get to the waterfall that feeds it, go scuba diving in the crystal-clear waters of Palawan, or hike up to Mount Pinatubo’s crater lake (and sample nearby spas on your way out). And there’s much, much more. If you visited ten islands a day in this widespread nation, you still couldn’t see them all in a year (of course, they’re not all populated).
In any case, the point is that you’ll never run out of amazing things to do and see on your adventure in the Philippines, whether you’re bouncing across the waves in a speedboat or over hilly terrain in an off-road vehicle (although hopefully not hard enough to drop your Grand Cherokee transfer case!). And you can do it all for a lot less than you’d spend in similar locales. So if you weren’t thinking about a vacation in the Philippines before, now is definitely the time to start.