Some of the world's best scuba diving facilities are found on the Cebuan shores.
Cebu's natural beauty is worth experiencing. Clear streams cascade from the mountains into the sea. Flocks of noisy birds and colourful butterflies co-exist in complete harmony. The demure dolphins and the whales can be seen in the neighbouring seas. The cool Cebu highlands are within a 30-minute drive of the Metro.
As you drive along, clumps of giant hibiscus, orchids and sweet smelling plumeria line the roads. Plants in the Philippines grow fast due to the rich soil and plentiful water available, making the area all the more beautiful and colourful. This atmosphere is inviting to the many species of local birds, apart from filling the air with fragrances that refresh and energize you day after day.
Mactan Island is a coral island popular for its scuba diving and for its beaches. The Export Processing Zone is also located here. Another famous island is the Malapascua Island with its west coast most suitable for swimming and snorkelling. Moalboal is a sleepy little market town that was one of the first places where scuba diving caught on in the Philippines.
One can drive straight from here to the Panagsama Beach where an unusual collection of anemones, coral, sponges and vibrantly coloured reef fish can be seen while snorkelling or diving. Olango Island in Cebu supports the largest concentration of migratory birds in the country. The birds migrating from Russia stop here midway to Australia.
Cebu is blessed with nature's wonderful bounty. This can be seen in the central mountains stretching to the coral sands where most of the archipelago's 8,120 species of flowering plants are found, out of which 5,832 are exclusive to the country. It's no wonder that people keep coming back again and again with their families - to relax and get energized.
The Olango Wildlife Sanctuary is one of the natural attractions of Cebu, supporting the largest collection of migratory birds in the country. The birds' breeding places are actually in Japan, Northern China and Siberia. It is from here that they commence their migration.
Midway, the birds stop at Olango to rest a little. They feed on the richly available invertebrates found in the inter-tidal mudflats and build up their fat reserves to help them on their next flight. This covers around 3,000 to 15,000 km of non-stop flying.
Cebu is one of the many provinces of the Philippines. To its east lies the Negros Island, to its west is Leyte and to its south the Bohol province. The Straits of Bohol (between Cebu and Bohol) and Tanon (between Cebu and Negro) lie on both sides of Cebu.
The large, long and narrow island of Cebu lies in the Visayas region of the Philippines, stretching 225 km from north to south. 167 smaller islands surround the island and include Bantayan, Camotes, Mactan, Malapascua, Badian and Olango Islands. The intrepid traveller, excited by the aspect of visiting an uninhabited island, is sure to have an adventure of a lifetime.
Also called the ‘Queen City of the South', Cebu City is the first Spanish settlement in the country. It is the capital of Cebu and is said to be the second most important metropolitan centre in the country.
Cebu City is located on the eastern area of the island. Its main highlight is its domestic shipping hub with more than 80% of the country's inter-island shipping companies having their offices here. With the many major international flights now available, Cebu is one of the most important centres of commerce, trade and industry in the southern part of the country, like Visayas and Mindanao.
