Lykwatsera Travel Stories

About 400 kilometers from Manila is the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Vigan. The preserved old spanish houses made this tiny city to be recognized by UNESCO.  How to go Vigan City The tiny city of Vigan can be reached by an overnight bus from Manila or buy an airplane ticket from Manila going to Laoag City, the nearest airport near Vigan City. Must things to do in Vigan 1. Take the kalesa or tricycle tour 2. Stroll Calle Crisologo at night 3. Feast on delectable Ilocano dishes

Before heading to Ilocos for our adventure in Ilocandia, we spent a day at Manila Ocean Park. This oceanarium is in front of Rizal Park near Manila's kilometer zero. In here you have a lot of tourist attractions and ocean encounters to choose from. Shark and Rays Encounter Sharks and sting rays are located just beside Hotel H2O. Sting rays have large bodies and their venoms can harm people. One interesting fact about them is that they are closely related to sharks. Bamboo sharks are found in Manila Ocean Park and their sharp teeth can kill humans. We are required to put on proper attires, life vest and aqua shoes for protection. Sting Rays Oceanarium An overhead view of 14,000 marine creatures of 277 aquatic species from the Philippines and Southeast Asia.  Trails to Antartica This is the first world-class facility park in our country. It gives us a walkthrough of how it is like in a frozen continent of Humboldt penguins and an additional Christmas village. Yexel's Museu...

The capital of Ilocos Norte, Laoag City attracts travellers because of its two popular sand dunes destinations. First is the La Paz sand dunes. The sand dunes in La Paz has been the favorite filming destinations of our local movies while the second, Paoay sand dunes has become more popular because of the heart pumping 4by4 ride adventure offered at this place. One can already experience this adrenaline ride for a minimal price. The Php 1500 price for the 4by4 vehicle can be divided up to five people. Plus the fee is sandboarding. Truly, this adventure is one thing you should not miss to include in your itinerary when you travel up north.

Located at the north tip of Luzon facing the South China sea is the fourth class municipality of Pagudpud. A lot of people come to visit Pagudpud because it is the home of many tourist attractions. Saud Beach Saud beach is dubbed as the Boracay of the North because of the view of the windmills. The sand is not as fine as Boracay but the waters of South China Sea is magnificently blue. Patapat Viaduct This elevated road 30 meters above sea level connecting Laoag to the Cagayan Valley Region is one of the most scenic roads in the Philippines. Timangtang Rock Bantay Abot Cave Blue Lagoon You can try the longest zipline above water at Hannah's Beach Resort for a price. Bangui Windmills Bangui has the largest windmill farm in Asia that makes it the capital of green energy in the country. Kapurpurawan Rock Formation “Kapurpurawan” is an Ilocano term which means “white” which describes the color of this huge rock formation. Cape Bojeador Lighthouse Cape B...

Near the tripoint of the Philippine provinces of Zambales, Tarlac and Pampanga is an active stratovolcano Mt. Pinatubo . On June 5, 1991, the Philippines has listed the second-largest volcanic eruption in the century and the crater lake of Mt. Pinatubo was formed after this climactic eruption. How to go to Mt. Pinatubo Crater Lake The jump-off point to start the trek to Mt. Pinatubo is in Sta. Juliana, Capas, Tarlac . You can ride on Victory Liner buses bound for Baguio and drop off at Capas Public Market . From Capas Public Market, you can ride a jeepney or hire a tricycle that will take you to Sta. Juliana . All trekkers to Mt. Pinatubo are required to register at the satellite local tourism office in Sta. Juliana. The cut-off time for registration is  6:00AM . Necessary Fees: Environmental fee of Php 500 per person Guide fee of Php 500 for a group of 1-5 people 4by4 ride rental fee of Php 3000 per vehicle (the vehicle can accommodate up to 4 to 5 people only)...

Taal Volcano Crater Lake Situated in Batangas is a volcano island within a lake, Taal Volcano Island. Taal Volcano is the smallest active volcano in the world. An adventure to this unique geological wonder is one thing you shouldn't miss.  From Manila, take a bus going to Tagaytay. When in Tagaytay there are a lot of tricycles that will take you to the starting point of the adventure in Talisay, Batangas. To reach Taal Volcano island, you have to traverse Taal Volcano Lake through a boat. Taal Lake was once part of the ocean. It was an arm of Balayan Bay which opens to the South China Sea. Volcanologists record series of eruptions since 18th century. There were once many towns on the lake's shore but are uninhabited today because of destructive volcanic hotspots. Getting to the crater lake was an adventure itself. You may go for a horseback riding to reach to the top for a fee. You don't have to be an experienced horseback rider because the fee already includes a guide. If ...

Approximately a six-hour ride from the capital of Palawan lies the unspoiled coastal town of El Nido. In  Puerto Princesa International Airport  travel agencies will you offer you their tour packages but if you want to do it yourself one can easily ride the van that will take you straight ahead to El Nido town. I first headed to Austria's guesthouse that offers affordable rooms for backpackers but unfortunately all the rooms and beds are occupied for that night so I decided to stay in  Baller's Lodge  that offers single fan room for Php 500 per night. That was my home for four days and four nights in El Nido. The caretaker was nice for taking care of its guest. Xie xie!  In El Nido, there are five kinds of tours that you can choose from: El Nido Island Hopping Tour A,  El Nido Island Hopping Tour B, El Nido Island Hopping Tour C, El Nido Island Hopping Tour D and El Nido Inland Tour. I personally chose Tour A and Tour C. Lunch is already includ...