Beaches, Beaches, Beaches

If you're looking for still virgin territory, Palawan's the place for you. It has: rainforests, wilderness and jungle, mysterious caves, secret lagoons, exotic flora and fauna...and my recipe for paradise: its deserted beaches and coves, crystal clear seas, coral gardens teeming with aquatic life...a diver's haven. Most of Palawan's forests have been declared national parks or wilderness areas. Conservation areas worth visitng are: the Game Preserve and Sanctuary on Calauit Island, the Bird Refuge on Ursula Island and St. Paul Subterranean River National Park. The game preserve and wildlife sanctuary on Calauit Island is like something out of Africa. Zebras, giraffes, elands, impalas and gazelles graze in the grasslands. These refugees from Kenya were given a permanent home here in 1977 when the Philippines responded to an appeal by the International Union of Conservation of Nature to save endangered African animals. This conservation area is also the habitat of some of the Philippines' rarest and most endangered species: Philippine mouse deer, Calamian deer, Palawan bearcat, leopard cat, tarsier, Palawan pheasant peacock scaly anteater and monitor lizard.

The swamp is also the domain of the man-eating Philippine crocodile. The surrounding shores are the nesting grounds for sea turtles, the giant clam, sea cows and a variety of fish. St. Paul Subterranean River National Park covers 5,390 hectares of lush forest, marble mountains, caves and silica beaches. The underground river snakes for more than 5 miles under the marble mountains and can be explored by a small boat provided by the park authorities equipped with a kerosene lamp. The cave has many interesting stalactites. Some 60 species of birds have been identified, such as the white-bellied sea eagle, Philippine cockatoo,Pacific reef egret and Tabon bird. The park does not have lodging or cottages but there is a camp site. El Nido (nest) in Northern Palawan has towering black limestone cliffs where siftlets build their nests in the caves. El Nido Resort offers facilities for scuba diving, windsurfing, canoeing, snorkelling and water-skiing. You can also sail to other islets in a glass-bottom boat and view the giant rock formations, particularly amazing at dawn. (Source: The Philippines by Evelyn Peplow) For some of the photos while in Palawan, click here.

The Philippines
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