The Philippines - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 622

EATING
The Summit Ridge development opposite Josephine's in
Tagaytay has several inexpensive chain restaurants, a
Starbucks with wi-fi, a couple of ATMs and a Robinson's
supermarket.
Gourmet Café Aguinaldo Highway, a short drive out of
town T 046 414 1049, W gourmet.com.ph. This pretty little
café is merely the window into the wonderful organic world
of Gourmet Farms. Great salads, sandwiches, shakes, teas
and coffees, plus an excellent farm shop selling everything
from polvoron to peanut brittle. Daily 7am-10pm.
Josephine's On the Manila road, main ridge road in
Tagaytay. A local legend, Josephine's has won scores of
awards for its culinary delights, such as kilawin (pickled
shrimps, oysters or fish) and baked shellfish, topped with
garlic, butter and cheese. The views overlooking the lake
and volcano are astounding. Mains P250-400. Free wi-fi.
Mon-Fri 9am-9pm, Sat 7am-10pm, Sun 7am-9pm.

and beaches, a good range of affordable
accommodation and excellent diving,
with around thirty listed dive sites . As
well as being the name of a small town,
“Puerto Galera” is generally used to refer
to the area between Sabang, 5km to the
east, and White Beach, 8km to the west.
he area's extensive and diverse coral
reefs have been declared a UNESCO
Man and the Biosphere Reserve - a
marine environment of global
importance. he direct protection that
comes from such a declaration is
minimal, but the reefs remain intact
thanks to the efforts of local people,
hotel owners and dive operators, who all
cooperate to ensure that the undersea
riches are not ruined.
Boats and yachts lie at anchor in Muelle
Bay, and in the background looms the
brooding hulk of Mount Malasimbo
(1122m), invariably crowned with a ring
of cumulus. here's plenty on offer in
addition to diving, including dazzling
snorkelling, trekking into the mountains
and beach-hopping by Bangka. As if all
this weren't enough, thrill-seekers can
get their fix at Puerto Galera X-Treme
Sports Adventure Park ( T 043 287 3436,
W extremesportsphilippines.com),
where exhilarating activities including
paint-balling, go-karting, zorbing and
ziplining are on offer.
Sabang is by far the busiest area, with
plenty of good restaurants and divers'
bars, but as the evening progresses the

DIRECTORY
Banks and exchange There's a BPI and a BDO, both with
ATMs, at the Tagaytay roundabout.
Internet Several internet cafés (P40/hr) around
Olivarez Plaza in Tagaytay, and many cafés offer wi-fi,
including Josephine's .

8

PUERTO GALERA
PUERTO GALERA , on the northern coast
of Mindoro , is one of the Philippines' top
destinations for travellers, and rightly so,
though backpackers on a very tight
budget will notice that some prices can
be on the high side. Easily accessible from
Manila (via Batangas City), it has a
stunning natural harbour, countless coves

THE PHILIPPINES UNDERWATER
With more than 7000 tropical islands and 40,000 square kilometres of coral reefs, it is no
surprise that the Philippines is one of the world's top diving destinations. The archipelago,
part of the Coral Triangle, has one of the most productive marine ecosystems on the planet,
with an outstanding diversity of marine life. Its waters, enriched by currents from Japan, the
South China Sea, the Indian Ocean and the Celebes Sea, abound with rare species of fish,
marine invertebrates and more than 500 coral species and organisms. Divers will be
overwhelmed by the variety of underwater activity. Dugongs , found in Palawan, are more
closely related to elephants than any other sea animals. They are the only herbivorous marine
mammal and can consume up to 50kg of sea grass daily. Those seeking an adrenaline rush can
dive at Malapascua, where thresher sharks are common. Their large upper caudal fin is used
to stun prey and can reach the same length as the shark's body itself. Docile whale sharks ,
meanwhile, are the world's largest fish and mainly feed on plankton and microscopic plants.
Donsol provides the best opportunity to swim with these curious giants. For those wanting to
immerse themselves in a bit of history, the renowned Japanese World War II shipwrecks off
the coast of Coron provide just the opportunity.