The United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) have included six places and four Catholic churches in the Philippines in the list of world heritage sites. (Two of which landed on the top ten list for the New Seven Wonders of the World).
The list includes the historic city of Vigan, Ilocos Sur; Nuestra Señora dela Asuncion also in Ilocos Sur; Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park and Tubbataha National Marine Park both in Palawan; Banawe or Ifugao Rice Terraces in Ifugao; Apo Reef National Park and Mt. Iglit-Baco National Park both in Mindoro; Sto.Tomas de Villanueva Church in Iloilo; San Agustin Church in Manila and Church of San Agustin in Ilocos Norte.
Tubbataha Reef National Marine Park, Palawan
It's home to over 300 coral species and 400 species of fish. It is currently ranked number 5 on the list for the New Seven Wonders of the World.
Tubbataha is a reef ecosystem made up of two atolls located in the middle of the Sulu Sea. It is a sanctuary for marine life. The reefs lie on the Cagayan Ridge, a line of extinct underwater volcanoes which starts from the north at the Sultana Shoal and it ends in the south at the San Miguel Islands. It was proclaimed as a National Marine Park on August 11, 1988 and inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage in 1993, in recognition of its outstanding universal value in terms of marine life species diversity and richness.
Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park in Palawan
It boasts of the world's longest navigable underground river. This site is currently ranked number 8 on the list of New Seven Wonders of the World.
The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park is located about 50 km north of the city of Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines. It features a limestone mountain landscape with an 8.2 km. navigable underground river. A distinguishing feature of the river is that it winds through a cave before flowing directly into the South China Sea. It includes major formations of stalactites and stalagmites, and several large chambers. The underground river is reputed to be the world's longest navigable. At the mouth of the cave, a clear lagoon is framed by ancient trees growing right to the water's edge. Monkeys, large monitor lizards, and squirrels find their niche on the beach near the cave.
Ifugao or Banawe Rice Terraces in Ifugao,
It cover about 20,000 hectares of the Cordillera mountain range.
The Banawe or IfugaoRice Terraces (Tagalog: Hagdan-hagdang Palayan ng Banaue) are 2000-year old terraces that were carved into the mountains of Cordillera in the Philippines by the indigenous Ifugaos. The Rice Terraces are commonly referred to as the “Eight Wonder of the World”. It is commonly thought that the terraces were built with minimal equipment, largely by hand. The terraces are located approximately 1,500 meters (5000 ft) above sea level and cover 10,360 square kilometers (about 4000 square miles) of mountainside. They are fed by an ancient irrigation system from the rainforests above the terraces.
Apo Reef National Park - Occidental Mindoro
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-Baco National Park
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 (water buffalo -Bubalus mindorensis).
Historic City of Vigan in Ilocos Sur
Known for its Spanish colonial houses.
Old Vigan Colonial Houses - the ancestral houses were built mostly by rich Chinese traders. These great big houses are made of thick brick walls and plastering with red clay. Tile roofs are made to survive earthquakes. The Mestizo district is the place where you can see more than a hundred houses line side by side along Calle Crisologo.
Santo Tomas de Villanueva Church in Miag-ao, Iloilo
A church built by the Agustinians as a fortress-church in Baroque-Romanesque style on a hill in 1786.
The Church is an Augustinian mission station built as a squat, massive fortress to protect townsfolk from Muslim invasion.
Nuestra Señora dela Asuncion in Santa Maria, Ilocos Sur
Located on a hill surrounded by a stone wall. The best way to appreciate the architectural mood is to ascend the church's grand stairway of 85 wide steps starting at the town proper.
San Agustin Church in Intramuros, Manila
Built as early as 1586, San Agustin Church is the oldest extant Christian sanctuary in the Far East, and the Philippines' oldest stone edifice.
Church of San Agustin in Paoay, Ilocos Norte
A church made of coral stone and was adorned like an Asian temple. A church made of coral stone and was adorned like an Asian temple. Built from 1694 to between 1702 and 1710, it is the premier example of Philippine Earthquake Baroque, an architectural solution to the area's challenging and natural setting.
Come and visit these beautiful and world class sites. You will surely enjoy your trip in the Philippines once you have visited these UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
