Mindoro Occidental

The Mounts Iglit-Baco National Park is dominated by the twin peaks of Mount Baco (2488m) and Mount Iglit (2364m), which offer some challenging climbs; it can take up to two days to reach the peak of Mount Iglit, so these climbs are tough and not to be underestimated. Vegetation is so dense there have been no officially recorded ascents of Mount Baco. This is also a New People’s Army (NPA) area and while there have been no notable events involving tourists, it’s worth asking around for the latest information.

There are also a number of more leisurely treks through the foothills to areas in which you are most likely to see the endangered tamaraw (Bubalus mindorensis), a dwarf bovine of which fewer than two hundred exist. The tamaraw, whose horns grow straight upwards in a distinctive “V” formation, has fallen victim to hunting, disease and deforestation, and to create more awareness of its plight there is talk of designating it the country’s national animal. Apart from the tamaraw, the park is also prime habitat for the Philippine deer, wild pigs and other endemic species such as the Mindoro scops owl and the Mindoro imperial pigeon.

To visit the park, you’ll first have to secure a permit (P50) and arrange a guide (P1000 for three days), either in San José at the Protected Area Office or the Sablayan Eco-Tourism Office. Both of these offices can help put together all of the logistics for your trip, including camping options, and can also advise on visits to the “Gene Pool”, a small laboratory where scientists are trying to breed the tamaraw in captivity. Reaching the park by public transport from Sablayan means taking one of the regular buses or jeepneys south along the coastal road to the barangay of Popoy, then a jeepney up the bumpy and rutted track to the park itself.

Idyllic North Pandan Island (P150 entrance fee), ringed by a halo of fine white sand, coral reefs and coconut palms, lies two kilometres off the west coast of Mindoro. In 1994 a sanctuary was established around the eastern half of the island so the marine life is exceptional; with a mask and snorkel you can see big grouper, all sorts of coral fishes, even the occasional turtle.

If you want to visit the island it’s easy to arrange a boat to Pandan (20min; P600 return for a boat which can hold 15 passengers) from the Sablayan Eco-Tourism Office. You’ll need to pay a P75 fee to set foot on the island.

The island is the site of the well-run Pandan Island Resort (t0919/305-7821, wwww.pandan.com), a back-to-nature private hideaway developed by a French adventurer who discovered it in 1986. There are four types of accommodation at the resort: budget rooms (P500–999) standard double bungalows (P1500–1999), larger bungalows for four (P2000–2499), and family houses for up to six (P500–999). During the diving season (Nov–May) the island is so popular that all rooms are often taken, so it’s important to book in advance. Guests are required to take at least one buffet meal at the resort restaurant every day, and this is no bad thing: the chef dishes up excellent European and Filipino cuisine (try the tangy fish salad in vinegar) and the beach bar serves some unforgettable tropical cocktails.

On most days the resort’s scuba-diving centre organizes day-trips to Apo Reef, and longer overnight safaris both to Apo and to Busuanga off northern Palawan if there are enough passengers. Even if you don’t dive, there’s plenty to keep you occupied on and around the island itself, including kayaking, jungle treks, windsurfing and sailing.

Lying about 30km off the west coast of Mindoro, Apo Reef stretches 26km from north to south and 20km east to west, making it a significant marine environment. There are two main atolls separated by deep channels and a number of shallow lagoons with beautiful white sandy bottoms. Only in three places does the coral rise above the sea’s surface, creating the islands of Cayos de Bajo, Binangaan and Apo. The largest of these, Apo, is home to a ranger station and a lighthouse. The diving is really something special, with sightings of sharks (even hammerheads), barracuda, tuna and turtles fairly common. Most of the Philippines’ 450 species of coral are here, from tiny bubble corals to huge gorgonian sea fans and brain corals, along with hundreds of species of smaller reef fishes such as angelfish, batfish, surgeonfish and jacks.

If you’re not staying at the Pandan Island Resort, you can head to the reef on one of the liveaboard trips offered by many dive operators in Coron Town (in Busuanga) or Manila. Alternatively the Sablayan Eco-Tourism Office can organize a 10-person boat out to the reef for P6500. However you get here, to snorkel on the reef you need to pay a fee of P350, or P1300 to dive.