The Philippines is one of the most popular travel destinations in Asia mostly due to its pristine beaches, interesting historic sites and cultural attractions. But just like any other trip to a foreign country, you have to be well prepared for travelling around the islands to make your holiday worthwhile.

Climate

The Philippines has a tropical climate and gets a lot of rainfall. The best times to visit are during the cool season from November to February and during the summer months of March through May. However, you might want to avoid travelling around the country during Christmas and Easter or the Holy Week because everyone is actually on the move during those times so it’s difficult to arrange for proper transport as all flights are booked.

Fiestas

If you’re looking to experience the many festivities in the country, best book your flight during the months of January, May or December because this is when most of the fiestas are held. It’s important to note, however, that the summer months including May can get really warm for comfort so make sure to bring cool clothing with you.

Clothes

Because of the climatic changes in the country, you’ll need a wide variety of clothes. You want loose and light clothing for visiting the beaches, sweaters for trekking the mountains or heading up north to the uplands. You might also want to bring flip-flops because they are the best footwear for walking the streets of various cities.

What to bring

When you’re travelling around the Philippines, you will need to bring as little as possible. You will need an umbrella, travel plug adapter, medications and your camera, of course. Don’t bring a lot of expensive valuables especially if you’re going to walk through crowded areas like Quiapo.

Over the past weeks, the Philippines has gone through a terrible beating by two raging typhoons. The country encounters several typhoons all throughout the year but these two have produced some of the worst casualties that it has ever encountered.

Ondoy

On September 24, typhoon Ondoy (international name: Ketsana) made landfall at 55 km/h and brought the worst rainfall to Metro Manila. It didn’t produce strong winds that were enough to cause alarm but extremely heavy rains were said to have surpassed the destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina in the United States a few years back.

Because of the heavy rains, flood water levels in the city reached a record of 20 feet high with Ondoy finally causing billions of pesos in damages both in Metro Manila and the nearby provinces and at least 337 reported deaths as of October 9, 2009.

Pepeng

A few days after Ketsana left the Philippine Area of Responsibility came typhoon Pepeng (international name: Parma). The tropical storm has raised the alert levels in the country once more while everyone was still reeling from the effects of Ondoy. A lot of places in Manila and other provinces are still submerged in water but everyone was still advised to get ready for another onslaught of rains.

And rain it did. For the next couple of days, Pepeng hovered over northern Luzon causing total power interruptions in many provinces, landslides in Baguio, Benguet, Cordillera and other upland areas and major flooding in Pangasinan and Nueva Ecija. Because of the heavy downpour, dams had to release a lot of water submerging most of Pangasinan, Nueva Ecija and some parts of Tarlac. Meanwhile, floodwaters which haven’t even receded in Manila continued to rise again. Parma left the country with more damages and at least 200 people killed mostly due to landslides.

Two typhoons later, the sun is shining again and the Filipino is seen in his best – in the midst of the disasters, the country is now slowly picking up the pieces through help from its citizens and from the international community. The flood water in many areas is slowly subsiding. It’s going to be a while before the Philippines is back on its feet again but Filipinos are known for their tenacity and their strength particularly during trying times.

‘Diverse’ is probably the only word that describes the culture, geography, history and people of the Philippines. What appears to be an unfortunate passing on of powers from colonizer to colonizer gave the Philippines a unique mix of Chinese, Japanese, Spanish and American influences, and is probably also the reason for its continuing identity crisis.

Stretched across the Philippine waters are naturally rich islands that make up the splendid archipelago. Poised forests, insane beaches, hidden caves, uplands, lowlands, marine life and exotic wilderness—all these are contained within the Philippine Islands.

Still unknown to many because of its off path location from other South East Asian destinations, this pearl of the orient teems with all the greatest natural wonders from north to south, and east to west. The greatest natural treasures lie in places such as Bohol, which holds the famed Chocolate Hills, and in Banaue, where the impressive manmade Rice Terraces can be found. The country’s tallest peak, Mount Apo in Mindanao is an intimidating yet overwhelming sight. Aside from the surface obvious riches, the deepest waters of the country also hold impressive assets. The shipwrecks and ruins down Coron and the rare whale sharks in Donsol are just some of these wonders. Natural for island filled places, the beaches in the country are forerunners in tourism. The prominent Boracay Island and Sipalay are among the greatest glimpses of beaches you would see in the country. The country also has a wealth of historic places where the fascinating record of times past can be recounted. The rich places of Vigan, Samar and Leyte and the capital Manila hold the greatest historical exhibits of the country.

Recently, the government launched the “More Than The Usual” tourism campaign to promote the Philippines to both leisure and adventure travelers. The video below is an good depiction of what you can expect: