From Manila the road snakes up Northern Luzon, twisting through the Central Cordillera past the scenic hill town of Baguio (a popular, and cooler, summer retreat) and then jagging higher to coil through the stunning 2,000-year-old terraced rice fields of Banaue. The Central Cordillera also host Mt Pulag which at 2,922m is second in height only to Mindanao's Mt Apo far in the south. Southern Luzon is home to the dramatic, symmetrical and much-photographed Mayon Volcano. From here the southern island coastlines unfold in seas of breathtaking blue. Puerto Galera in Mindoro is a popular getaway that won't break the bank.

Accessible by banca from Caticlan, Boracay has captured the imagination as an island idyll. There is truth in this. Despite recent development, the island retains its rustic charms. At the signature White Sand Beach, as the name suggests, you'll find the purest powder to sink your feet in.

Accessible by banca from Caticlan, Boracay has captured the popular imagination as an exotic picture-postcard island idyll. At its signature White sand Beach, as the name suggests, you'll find the purest unsullied powder to sink your feet in

Farther south is Cebu, with international flights, Negros, and the island of Bohol (famous for its upturned teacup "chocolate hills"). The largest island beyond, and almost at the end of The Philippines archipelago, is the predominantly Muslim Mindanao and its capital Davao. A stone's throw from here is the small pearl farming island of Samal which offers some diving and snorkelling opportunities and good resorts.

The Calamian group of islands in the east are dominated by Busuanga and its main city of Coron. The island offers wreck diving and numerous snorkelling coves while Sangat Island provides reasonable style and good prices for serious underwater adventure. Lake Cagayan offers a pretty, fresh-water experience, while Calauit Island transports visitors to the African Serengeti. A large number of African wild animals were imported wholesale and turned loose here to provide an exotic safari experience.