The Philippines: Metro Manila

Makati skyline at night. Blue Horizons’ office is on the left side of the photo.
Image courtesy of Frank Attwood.

The Philippine capital city of Manila is a sprawling predominantly English-speaking and cosmopolitan metropolis located in southwestern Luzon, the country’s largest island. Lying at the mouth of the Pasig River that bisects the city in the middle, it hugs the eastern shore of a strategic harbor and bay of the same name. Manila is a city that offers everything for every kind of visitor – history buffs, shopping aficionados, nighttime party people, sports enthusiasts and those who enjoy fine dining and accommodations. The city is bordered by several municipalities and other cities that make up Metropolitan Manila: Quezon City to the northeast, Caloocan City and Navotas to the north, Mandaluyong City to the southeast, as well as Pasay City and Parañaque to the south.

The country’s signature means of public transportation, the Jeepney, is ever-present on Manila’s roads. Those distinctive vehicles represent the ingenuity of Filipinos who converted surplus U.S. Military jeeps left behind by the Americans after WWII into practical and decorative passenger vehicles. They ply through routes that pass by Renaissance cathedrals and monuments, ultra-modern shopping malls and traditional native markets, financial and commercial districts, thriving bars and restaurants and many other places to see and visit within and just outside the city.

Global appeal is what characterizes Manila, with an international and cosmopolitan blend making tourism extra special within the city, and, throughout the entire Philippines. The Spanish and Americans colonized, early Chinese traded and stayed, and migrants from every part of the Philippines who speak upwards of 100 dialects have come to live in the city. The resulting mixture is vibrant and alive, continuously delivering superb entertainment and genuinely fun times.

There are also art, theatre, financial and commercial opportunities within the city, and directly outside Manila are a number of picturesque provinces. In addition to scenic and historic sightseeing, they provide excursion opportunities and action-packed activities of every sort – including golfing, diving, and every sport imaginable under the Philippine sun. Manila is one-of-a-kind experience, incomparable in many ways to what might be expected from other tourist destinations.