A travel & adventure blog by Kara Santos
Taal Lake is the third-largest lake in the Philippines. Within the lake, you can find Taal Volcano, one of the smallest active volcanoes in the world. Most people admire panoramic views of the lake from Tagaytay City in Cavite, the most popular (and usually crowded) weekend tourist destination near Manila. Those who want to enjoy a more peaceful and serene trip can visit the towns of Batangas surrounding the lake.
Aside from being a source of clean energy, wind farms around the Philippines have become tourist attractions. There’s really something about these scenic spots that appeal to travelers. They just have that air of romance about them. Maybe it’s the sense of solitude brought about by their remote locations. Or maybe it’s the sheer size of the turbines dwarfing all those who visit that never fails to amaze visitors.
Mention Mindoro and most people immediately think of Puerto Galera. This party beach that’s easily accessible by sea travel from Batangas Port is one of the most popular weekend destinations for those based in the metro. But that’s literally just the tip of the island. The rest of Mindoro has much more to offer. Mindoro is actually the seventh largest island in the Philippines and is composed of two provinces: Oriental Mindoro and Occidental Mindoro.
Mindoro is home to majestic Mount Halcon and Mounts Iglit–Baco National Park, a protected area and ASEAN Heritage Park. It’s the only place in the country where you can find the critically-endangered tamaraw (Mindoro dwarf buffalo). Mindoro is also the home of the Mangyan, eight distinct indigenous groups with their own tribal language, ancient script and customs.
Continue reading “Road Trip Guide: Mindoro Loop”A couple of days before we were supposed to ride through lahar in the foothills of Mt. Pinatubo in Pampanga, I couldn’t decide whether or not I wanted to actually ride. There was an overwhelming sense of excitement and dread forming in the pit of my stomach. Excitement because damn it would be cool to ride through the post-apocalyptic landscape of volcanic mudflow formed by Mount Pinatubo. Riders even have their own hashtag for it: #Lahardcore.
Dread because I could already envision myself crashing and falling royally in front of all the seasoned riders and motoring journalists who’d be ready to capture every move because “semplang” shots always make more dramatic video footage.
Continue reading “Riding through Lahar in Pinatubo’s foothills in Pampanga”Sagada is a scenic town nestled in the Mountain Province in Northern Luzon of the Philippines. For those coming from Manila and the rest of Luzon, it’s one of the best destinations you can travel to purely by land (no air or sea travel involved). The roads leading up offer the most spectacular view of mountains and cliffs. Once you get there, you can enjoy the cooler climate because of its high elevation and soak in the well-preserved culture of the Cordillera region.
Most riders and cyclists I know have a thing for taking photos with reference points, road signs
The Holy Week exodus has started, with thousands of Filipinos heading from Manila to their home provinces and popular vacation destinations around the country this Lenten Break. With the streets in the metro practically empty, this is the perfect excuse for cyclists and riders to gear up and ride to churches and pilgrimage sites.
Here are a few suggestions for religious-themed rides and notable pilgrimage destinations relatively near the metro that you can ride to.
Continue reading “Holy Week Rides & Road Trips near Manila for Bikers”There are destinations where you ride fast just to get to where you need to go and other places where you just want to take it slow. And I wanted to savor every minute and every mile while going around the island province of Camiguin. This compact island has a 64-km circumferential road, which locals say you can loop in just over an hour or so if you wanted to. But why do that when you can just stop and admire the view?
I’ve always been attracted to retro-styled scooters. In terms of style, I personally like the classic look and vibe of this style of
Sometimes you just want to get away from the city and sleep outdoors somewhere cool and refreshing. And Laguna is one of the destinations near Manila you can do that. You can find resorts and campsites all around Laguna especially near Caliraya Lake.
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