Region 4A

1. Rizal

1.1. Rizal province has been named in honour of Dr Jose Rizal who is a Philippine national hero who was executed by the Spanish on the 30th September 1896. It has fantastic views of the Sierra Madre Mountain ranges and Laguna de Bay. The province is not particularly popular for tourists, but it has some nice places to stop whilst travelling further south. Rizal province is bordered to the north by Bulacan and to the south by Laguna de Bay. It is the nearest eastern neighbour to Manila and to the west lie the provinces of Laguna and Quezon.

2. Cavite

2.1. As far as a tourist destination goes Cavite is not one that rolls off the tongue. It does not have spectacular beaches or natural surrounds, but for those in between flights from Manila, it can make for a pleasant day trip. Cavite is famous for the island of Corregidor, from World War II, which is proudly part of the province. The province is bordered to the north by Manila Bay and the city of Manila and is directly across the bay from the province of Bataan. To the east you will find the provinces of Rizal and Laguna and to the south Batangas, with the west border being the South China Sea.

3. Laguna

3.1. Laguna province has some fantastic freshwater lakes, rivers and spectacular waterfalls. In particular, a must see is the Pagsanjan Falls, the falls have become a bit notorious for the boatman overcharging and being a bit unreasonable, but if you put it all in perspective the visit is worth it. Two boatman or banqueros will paddle you up stream to the falls where you can there transfer to a bamboo raft and be pulled into the falls themselves. The whole gorge is spectacular. The trip back down the river is fast, furious and unforgettable, don't miss it! Laguna has an enormous number of hot springs, combined with the rugged terrain, rivers, gorges and volcanoes it literally abounds in natural wonders. It is located on the centre of Calabarzon Region and is bordered by Rizal to the north, Quezon to the south the Sierra Madre Mountains to the east and to the west by Batangas and Cavite.

4. Batangas

4.1. Batangas province has some fantastic beaches, made even more enjoyable due to the ease of getting here and away, being only an hour and a half journey by road from Manila. This province is usually more used by tourists as a transit area to get themselves to the more popular Puerto Galera on Mindoro. But for those not wanting the bigger crowds and more developed tourist spots, I would recommend a visit to Anilao, a world class diving spot with lovely beaches. Another must see is a to take a day trip to see the world's smallest volcano, Taal Volcano, which is in a lake, don't miss it. Batangas is bordered to the west by the South Chinas Sea and to the south by the Verde Passage which sep arates Luzon from the island of Mindoro. To the east are the provinces of Quezon and Laguna and to the north is Cavite and Laguna.

5. Quezon

5.1. Quezon province is extremely popular during Lent as thousands of people flock to the province. Numerous different religions and sects celebrate with annual ceremonies. The traditional celebration, Pahiyas, to give thanks for a bountiful harvest is honoured here on the 15th May each year. Decorations, Kiping, are rice paper are the main feature. Quezon is the gateway further south of Luzon. The province is huge, it has borders to the north with Aurora and Camarines Sur in the south. To the west is Aurora, Batangas, Bulacan, Laguna, Nueva Ecija and Rizal and to the wast with Camarines Norte and Camarines Sur.