MANILA: TOURISM – Palawan waters among world’s bluest

MANILA, Philippines — Palawan was named among 13 places to see the bluest water in the world by international travel magazine Travel+Leisure.

“The sparsely-populated archipelago is made up of jungle-filled islands surrounded by stunning teal waters teeming with fish and coral reefs and an incredible array of lagoons, coves and secret beaches,” Travel+Leisure said.

Travel+Leisure cited El Nido and Linapacan as places people should visit when they are in Palawan.

“Explore the waters of El Nido, where tropical fish swarm around the coral reefs, go diving in the azure ocean off of Linapacan Island, or bravely swim through the world’s longest underground navigable river,” Travel+Leisure said.

Palawan was joined by other world-class destinations on the list such as The Maldives, Egremni or Egremnoi in Greece and Crater Lake in Oregon, among others.

Travel+Leisure recently included four Palawan beach-destinations in its list of 365 beaches to visit in 2018.

Seven Commandos and Payong-Payong in El Nido were recognized for the lush greenery surrounding them.

Travel+Leisure also pointed out the high cliffs found in Payong-payong as another attractive factor of the beach.

Also in Palawan are the Hidden Beach, which is secluded among high rocks, and Linapacan Island.

“Linapacan Island, in the Philippines, has overwater bungalows and waters in colors of blue you’ve only dreamed about,” Travel+Leisure said.

Palawan has been getting recognition among global tourists in recent years, with readers of Travel+Leisure voting Palawan as the World’s Best Island in 2016 and 2017.

Similarly, readers of Conde Nast Traveler named El Nido, along with Boracay and Cebu, as the top best islands outside of the US in 2017.

The travel magazine ranked El Nido fourth in the top 20 best beaches in the world in 2017.