Mindoro, Philippines
Tourists Destinations in Occidental Mindoro
Apo Reef National Park -UNESCO World Heritage Center
Apo Reef National Park is acclaimed as one of the best diving sites in Asia. It is a 34-kilometer reef, with a narrow channel running east to west, dividing this reef into two lagoon systems, north and south. Apo Reef is the second largest contiguous coral reef in the world and the largest one in the Philippines.
Mt. Iglit-Bacu National Park- UNESCO World Heritage Center
Mt. Iglit is one of Mindoro's reservation areas, declared as a game sanctuary for tamaraws, wild animals found nowhere else in the world. The tamaraw bears a close resemblance to the Philippine water buffalo, commonly known as carabao.
Mamburao Beach Resort
This resort is within a completely secluded cove covering 14 hectares of developed beach resort amidst coconut trees. It has a four-kilometer long light grey sand beach. The place is ideal for swimming, boating, scuba diving, wind surfing, snorkeling, deep-sea fishing, and water skiing. Water sports facilities such as glass-bottomed boat, speedboat, hobbie cat, and outrigger boats are available.
Mina de Oro Beach Resort
This resort serves as a jump-off point to other attractions of the island of Ilin. There are ancient burial caves of early Chinese traders, ethnic fishing villages, and numerous dive sites from which to view many tropical fishes.
Ambulong Island
The 3,000-hectare Ambulong Island is one of the three islands found in San Jose, Occidental Mindoro. It is characterized by white sand beaches, cliffs along pillars jutting out of the water, and underwater caves. Coral gardens and tropical fish are abundant in several coves.
Ilin Island
Ilin Island is the biggest among the group of islands located in San Jose. It lies between San Jose and Ambulong Island. The area abounds in shells which can be obtained inexpensively on the island.
Lubang Island
It was in this island where a Japanese soldier named Hiroo Onoda was found in 1974. He surrendered as a prisoner of war after 30 years of hiding in the mountains. Another Captain of the Japanese Imperial Army, Fumio Nakahira, held out for another six years before being discovered in April 1980 at Mt. Halcon in Mindoro.
Ambil Island
An interesting attraction of Ambil is the scenic Besay Falls.It features a series of waterfalls, each cascading into a crystal clear basin, about five meters in diameter.
Pandan Grande Island
Pandan Grande Island is a 30-hectare islet surrounded by a white sand beach. This beautiful little coral islet is located with snorkeling distance from a submarine drop-off, inhabited by schools of reef.
White Island
It has an almost mile-long beach with smooth and powdery white sand. The tranquil and peaceful island is an ideal place for swimming, scuba diving and fishing. Turtle eggs are occasionally found buried in the sand and visitors are cautioned to keep them undisturbed.
Enjoy your stay in these beautiful islands of the The Pear of the Orient-Philippines.
