Philippines, South East Asia Travel Tours & Trips

The South China Sea separates the Philippines from Southeast Asia's mainland, and in many ways separates the country from taking its place among the region's better-known tourism superstars. Go the extra mile and head for the Philippines and you swiftly realise that the water is also the country's biggest asset - the archipelago is home to more than its fair share of "world's best" list entries: beaches of whitest sand lapped by bath-warm waters; virgin reefs and mighty whale sharks to swim among; incredible limestone towers rising from crystalline waters - and all without the crowds you may experience elsewhere in the region. The diversity on display is incredible - this is after all a place where you could visit a different island every day for 20 years and never set foot on the same one twice. But perhaps the country's finest moment is reserved for North Luzon, where the Cordillera Mountains are jaw-droppingly adorned with sculpted rice terraces that truly deserve their title "eighth wonder of the world".