Within a few hours of Manila, yet worlds away, Mindoro
remains undeveloped even by Philippine provincial
standards. Much of the island is wild and rugged, with
some near-impenetrable hinterlands and an often
desolate coastline of wide bays and basic fishing villges.
The island, seventh largest in the archipelago, is divided
lengthways into two provinces, Mindoro Occidental and
Mindoro Oriental; the latter is the more developed and
visited. Most travellershead this way only for the
beaches, scuba diving and nightlife around the
picturesque town of Puerto Galeraon Mindoro
Oriental’s northern coast, a short ferry trip from
Batangas, but there is much more to Mindoro than this.
Few people, Filipinos included, realize that the island is
home to several areas of outstanding natural beauty, all
protected to some degree by local or international
decree. As well as the incredible marine environments
of PuertaGalera, and the world-class Apo Reef on the
west coast, Mindoro’s interior offers the chance to
experience genuine Mangyanculture, visit pristine
wilderness, and maybe see endangered species such as
the Mindoro dwarf buffalo, the tamarawat the Mounts
Iglit-BacoNational Park.
The BanaueRice Terraces are terraces
that were carved into the mountains of
Banaue, Ifugao, in the Philippines, by
the ancestors of the Igorot people. The
terraces are occasionally called the
"Eighth Wonder of the World".Itis
commonly thought that the terraces
were built with minimal equipment,
largely by hand. The terraces are
located approximately 1,500 metres
(4,900 feet) above sea level. These are
fed by an ancient irrigation system from
the rainforests above the terraces. It is
said that if the steps were put end to
end, it would encircle half of the globe