100 Places To Visit in Bicol (Part 1 of 7)
If you’re planning a visit to Bicol Region, but you’re not sure where to go, don’t worry, we gotchu covered. Visit Bicol has compiled a list of 100 places that you must visit before you die (sign of the cross).
An area rich in natural beauty and cultural legacy, Bicol is home to some of the most stunning places in the Philippines. This first installment of our seven-part series will take you on a tour of 15 must-see locations around the six provinces of Bicol. Allow us to provide you with a taste of the vibrant customs and varied landscapes that set this area apart. Every area in Bicol, from breathtaking beaches to important historical sites, offers a distinctive experience that will enthrall you.
(These are just lists, by the way. Detailed guides will be posted in this website soon.)
Let’s start with
Maligaya Falls is in Submakin village in Labo Camarines Norte, and is accessible via a trek from Maligaya Elementary School. There is a small natural pool just above the falls. Camarines Norte has more than 50 falls that you can choose from, and this is definitely one of their best.
The first ever monument dedicated to Jose Rizal is still standing in Daet, Camarines Norte. Visit Bicol published an article about why Daet is the “Home of Firsts,” and we invite you to read it here.
Uma Koinonia prides itself as the first farm tourism site in Masbate province. Before you ascend the 140 steps to the farm’s view deck, where you will see the rest of Masbate City, you will be asked to grab a stick from the receiving area. The sound of the stick hitting the pavement as you walk is said to ward off bad spirits and snakes, whichever might disturb your peace first.
The best time to take a raft cruise via the Camaligan River is just before sunset. It’s enough time for you to see the white-winged black tern that grace the skies before sundown. This fish-shaped waiting shed is just close to the dock where you will board the raft. There’s a nice view of Mt. Isarog, too!
Monreal, Masbate has some of the best islands in the Bicol Region, so it’s definitely a place where you must take an island hopping tour. See this guide that I posted in my previous blog before. We were told there were sharks near Halea Nature Park, and as a shark lover, I got excited. We saw none, to our disappointment. It only means one thing: We must return.
I told you Monreal has beautiful islands. The Borobongkaso Rock Formation is also one of the islands that you will visit when you avail the island hopping tour.
Caramoran’s Palumbanes Group of Islands doesn’t have many visitors to spoil your peace and quiet, so if you’re looking for a place to escape the busy cities where your sorry ass is from, this should be a top choice. I promise you I have never seen bluer waters.
Green hills that kinda look like Bohol’s Chocolate Hills but with Mt. Mayon’s perfect cone shape in the background. Yup. I must be in Quitinday. The best time to visit is before sunrise, but you must contact the hills’ caretakers at least a day before. Send us a message here if you need their contact details.
Ramon Magsaysay awardee Jesse Robredo is a former mayor in Naga City and one of its most beloved politicians. While serving as the Department of the Interior and Local Government secretary, he died in a plane crash on Aug. 18, 2012. This city’s love for Robredo is somehow immortalized in the Museo ni Robredo which houses among many other artifacts his Magsaysay medallion.
Now back Daraga town, NMP Bicol used to be in the second floor of Tabaco National High School’s library in Tabaco City after Reming (international name: Durian) triggered typhoon-induced lahar that covered parts of Albay. The museum features natural history and the geological landscape of Bicol (including this pictured columns of lava), but my favorite is its butterfly garden.
This museum in Virac, the capital of the island province of Catanduanes, is at the second floor of the provincial tourism office. They have relics from the ‘40s used to store food, abaca products (the province is still known for abaca plantations), old Filipino coins, an old Daguerreotype camera, and knives and uniforms from World War II. They also frame old Philippine Daily Inquirer articles about Catanduanes including one from my former professor, Sir Ephraim Aguilar.
This museum is the second oldest school-based museum in the Philippines, and the oldest museum in the Philippines. They recently relocated to a new building inside the university, but its museum curator and volunteers have heavy work to do: Some of the artifacts here lack labels, so they have to invite experts to help them identify them more accurately.
This museum houses Gen. Simeon A. Ola memorabilia including his saber, his saddle, and Ola’s handwritten translation of Jose Rizal’s “Mi Ultimo Adios.” There is an elitist perspective that Ola’s attack-and-hide strategy during the Philippine-American War was cowardly, but given the context and the resources he had as a small, local leader of the resistance, that strategy made total sense.
Museo de Sorsogon is now in the old provincial jail of Sorsogon. It has galleries about the natural heritage of the province, its history, World War II history, and a gallery dedicated to the most beloved sons and daughters of Sorsogon.
This view is from Parroquia de Nuestra Señora de Candelaria Church in Paracale, Camarines Norte. From here, you can see Guinintuang Bulwagan, the municipal building, the Paracale Historical Market, Candelaria Street, and the Freedom Fighters Memorial. Paracale town is famous for its gold. So if you’re visiting, make sure to enter the municipal building and visit their Gold Museum.
If you want to know the other places included in this list, make sure to follow Visit Bicol on Facebook. What are your favorite places in Bicol? Let us know in the comment section or via email (contact@visitbicol.com).
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