Credits:  Elements – scarlet hells media- JScollabed 2, Sclengeman- Carnival tag 2; Papers – hroselli carnival paper – turquoise, mlima – carnival paper, mmartin carnival paper

Travel doesn’t get much rugged than this. This remote province is only accessible by cargo ship, light aircraft or a trek of several days across the Sierra Madre mountain range. We opted to fly.  In June 2002, we found ourselves exploring Isabela’s best-kept secret, Palanan.   There were lagoons so blue, they called it Blue Lagoon (haha!), we likewise hiked to a really beautiful cascading waterfalls (name escapes me right now), and endless stretches of white sand beaches in the middle of nowhere with hardly anyone except for some occasional encounters with Dumagats fishing.

Declared a wilderness area in 1979, the Palanan Wilderness Area is home to several threatened bird species including the Philippine Eagle. Still inhabiting the Palanan coastline, the Dumagat’s lifestyle is relatively unchanged because of the area’s remoteness.

Its inaccessibility is both a hurdle and a lure to adventure-seekers.  Nestled in the farthest eastern corner of the province of Isabela, bounded by the Pacific Ocean.  Palanan is what I call P.A.R.A.D.I.S.E!

Not only is it paradise, it has its fair share of history as well.  It was in Palanan that the Philippine-American war ended in Mar 23, 1901 when Emilio Aguinaldo was captured by American forces who gained access to Aguinaldo’s camp by pretending to surrender to the Filipinos.

An off the beaten path worth exploring.

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