Aeta (Subic Trip) You get out of your tour bus and travel into the old Subic jungle by foot for a few minutes. Here you will encounter the Aeta jungle men. The first inhabitants of the Philippines forced into the high jungle mountains by the Spanish conquerors. For the ladies: they are wearing what looks like a topless string bikini made out of forest material. They will perform some of their typical centuries-old dance moves such as the “monkey dance.” Quite amusing.

ANGELES CITY

BARRIO BARRETO

Batangas (Puerto Galera Trip) Batangas is a city on the coast diagonally across Puerto Galera. This is where tourists find a boat or “banka” to continue (what would have been a 5-hour trip from Angeles) on the 1-hour boat trip to Sabang Bay (Puerto Galera). Batangas is an industrial city where large oil refineries can be seen along the coast. Soon, there will be a 70-meter statue of the Virgin Mary to be seen here.

Blue Rock (Subic Trip) You can rent jet skis here or at a rental place next to them. Jet-skiing is great fun as you can go island-hopping and enjoy the beautiful scenery at 40 mph.

CCP (Cultural Center of the Philippines)

China Town (Manila Trip) Churches (Manila Trip) Some of the most famous places of worship for Filipino Catholics are Malate Church (Our Lady of Miraculous Medal), Quiapo Church (Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene), San Sebastian Church (Minor Basilica of San Sebastian), Santa Ana Church, and Binondo Church (Minor Basilica of St. Lorenzo Ruiz). These churches are also known for their baroque Spanish Era architecture, with wide marble arches, cavernous domes, and gold relief glittering from almost every surface.

Coral Island (Hundred Islands Trip) We would recommend you start the day as early as possible with a snorkel session around Coral Island: possibly the main highlight of your trip. This island is situated conveniently at swimming distance across Quezon Island form which you may rent the snorkels. Other than what the island’s name suggests and a sanctuary of colorful fish, the main attraction is what looks like an underwater fantasy garden, filled with endless clusters of gigantic clams of all the colors of the rainbow as far as the visibility permits. Not even on the Discovery Channel will you see such a beautiful sight of so many giant clams in one area. See it to believe it.

Corregidor Island (Manila Trip) This island fortress is situated in the middle of the narrow mouth of the Manila Bay. Its ideal strategic location was perfect for defending intruders from entering the bay by sea. The island was used in World War 2 by the Philippines and the Americans to defend from the Japanese intruders who wanted to enter Manila by sea.
Against all odds, the island was successfully defended for 27 days despite overwhelming attacks before it eventually was given up to the Japanese.
You can see a number of large cannons all over the island as well as some worn-down barracks used to house soldiers. There is a helipad on the island on which it is possible to land and have a tour around the rocky island. You must, however, notify pilot Willy beforehand if you would like to do so.

Crocodile Fishing (Subic Trip) Here you tie a chicken on a fishing rod and try to catch a crocodile from a pond. With over a hundred crocs, the hard part doesn’t seem to be catching one: NOT catching one requires the most skill…

Fishnet Villages (Manila Trip) This is a long stretch of coast area on the north-eastern part of the Manila Bay, where once can see an endless, dazzling display of intricate hand-made fish ponds and fishnet structures as far as the eye can see. There are long stretches of fishing villages alongside the rivers that feed into the Bay.

Fort Bonifacio (Manila Trip) Fort Bonifacio is a rapidly developing area with skyscrapers popping up everywhere. This is another high-class zone with some of the country’s best restaurants, discos, and nightclubs. There is a new walking street with fine restaurants, coffee-shops and stores. Some of the finest restaurants are Le Soufflé and Chef Ludicio’s for high-class Filipino cuisine.

Governor Island (Hundred Islands Trip) This is one of the slightly larger islands. There is a long staircase to the top of the island which will lead you to a great view of the surrounding islands; though quite pointless since you have just come from the helicopter, it is however a nice opportunity to do some exercise. Furthermore, there is a single small house which can be rented for P3000 per night, and a mysterious cave: Do you feel courageous? On Governor Island, there is an “endless” cave in which no local dares enter more than 30 feet. The story goes that upon entering the dark cave, any light source (whether it be a fire torch or a flashlight) will eventually shut off somewhere in the middle of the cave, leaving the person lost in the world of darkness forever. There has been no scientific explanation of the phenomenon, which might just as well be a local myth. Though, would you risk it?

Greenbelt (Manila Trip) Greenbelt is the number one high-class area of the Philippines situated in Makati. Expensive luxury stores, chic restaurants, 5-star hotels, high-class bars and discos surround the beautiful Greenbelt park. The Greenbelt and Glorietta mall can also be found there.

HUNDRED ISLANDS A few of the hundred plus islands consists of: an island with a 30-meter long underground river (in which you may swim through to the other side of the island), a turtle-less Turtle Island, Children’s Island (perfect for children), an island with a large open cave, an island with another even larger field of giant clams. Furthermore, there is another island on which there is a dive center for scuba diving.

Intramuros (Manila Trip) The Old Spanish Town. This walled city was the former capital of Manila built in the 16th century. Here is where one can see the history of the Spanish period in the area. Among the ancient buildings are the Manila Cathedral, St. Augustin Church and Fort Santiago. An interesting note about the Manila Cathedral is that from the air, it is in the form of a cross.

Lahar (Mt. Pinatubo Trip)

Jungle (Subic Trip)

Malacañang Palace (Manila Trip) Do not fly over Malacañang (the President’s House) or you will be shot down immediately! Though Pilot Willy is obviously aware of this…

Mall of Asia (Manila Trip) Not the biggest mall of Asia nor the Philippines.

Makati (Manila) When flying past Manila, you will only fly at a distance from the Makati skyscrapers. Though, upon request, you may ask Pilot Willy to fly through the skyscrapers to further spice up your trip. There are many more landmarks and other interesting things to see in the Manila area. Just ask Willy to fly over a specific place or route if there is anything you especially would like to see.

MANILA Manila is a great city to go sight-seeing by helicopter, especially during the heavy traffic hours on the weekdays when you can point at the cars stuck in the traffic jam and laugh.

Manila Bay (Manila) Home to a number of floating restaurants, and the construction sight of the planned mega-Pagcor Casino district. The bay is best viewed from Roxas Boulevard, which is lined with hotel skyscrapers on one side, and KTV bars and restaurants on the other.

Marcos Island (Hundred Islands Trip) Marcos Island is a 2-minute banka trip or 5-minute kayak trip from Quezon Island. You will encounter a medium-sized cave filled with bats here. You can enter the cave by land through a steep staircase, or by kayak through a crevice in the water. Despite the bats, this cave is a truly romantic place to bring your lover when you two are alone.

MT. PINATUBO After take-off from Clark, you first travel over the endless lahar plains and rivers. You will see many trucks collecting the lahar sand near the rivers which is used for cement in buildings, such as your fine ABC Hotel.
Going towards Mt. Pinatubo, you will find that the vegetation gets extremely thick, as the lahar sand is very fertile. The thick vegetation on and around Mt. Pinatubo is a big factor that adds to the beauty.

On reaching the dormant volcano, you must fly to the right and enter through a “crack” where the crater’s lake leaks into a river. The front of the volcano is too steep for the helicopter to climb. Do expect a little turbulence in and around the volcano as the winds culminate in the crater to cause some unpredictable air currents.
The rest of the trip we leave to your imagination.

PUERTO GALERA Puerto Galera is popularly known as one of the top 5 best diving destinations in the Philippines. There are dive centers everywhere.
The hotspot is split into big LaLaguna, small LaLaguna bay and Sabang bay, which are separated by a rocky cliff with only a steep staircase from one to the other. Big and small LaLaguna are smaller beaches which are a lot quieter and only have few resorts. Sabang Bay is a long stretch of beach (around a mile or so) filled with rows of resorts and bars. There is a narrow walking street (parallel to the beach) filled with bars, restaurants, coffee shops, spas, and a few nightclubs. The beach feel here is cozy and the tiki-themed atmosphere is perfect for a nice San Mig on the beach. Do note that things are still quite primitive here.
You will land on an open field behind big LaLaguna. If you would like to spend a night in Puerto Galera, try the Out of the Blue Villas on small LaLaguna. This is the only resort with nice accommodations in the entire Puerto Galera.
Furthermore, you could do water sports or rent a “bangka” and go island-hopping for the day. There are a few more isolated beaches with finer sand to visit such as White Beach, Coco Beach, and others.

Quezon Island (Hundred Islands Trip) This is where your ABC tour guide will be waiting for you on the helipad. The very hospitable man will assist you in everything you may need and anything you want to see or do on his islands. On Quezon Island, you may rent kayaks, snorkels, a banka, and a small bamboo hut for the day. You can also buy some fresh fish for a nice lunch-time BBQ in one of the bamboo canteens or on the island’s fine beach.

Roxas Boulevard (Manila Trip) Also called Baywalk. A very nice strip with palm trees along Manila Bay. Along this road are famous landmarks: the World Trade Center and the Cultural Center of the Philippines. It is also lined with hotel skyscrapers and government establishments like the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

Sabang Bay (Puerto Galera) see PUERTO GALERA

Safari (Subic Trip) You’ve probably been to many zoos and safaris in your life and they are all pretty much the same. This one however, despite the sad sight of chained tigers (which you can take a picture with), is quite worth the trip with their main attraction: The Tiger Tour.
You will be in a well-protected vehicle covered in chicken wire fencing as you enter the tigers’ territory. As soon as you enter, the hungry tigers immediately rise up as they eye the inside of the vehicle for their next lunch. You yourself would probably be a tasty lunch, but there’s something else in the vehicle they’re drooling for: a few flaps on the side allow chicken pieces to be hung out inches from your face. The tigers attack with the ferocity that they would have when attacking a deer in the wild. Their smelly, yellow teeth just inches away from your eyes as you see the inside of their throats gobbling the chicken from your hands.

Skyscrapers (Manila) From slums to luxury, you will then reach the metropolitan and highly-developed areas of Manila. Skyscrapers abound in Roxas Boulevard, Makati, and Fort Bonifacio.

Shipyard (Manila Trip) The industrial ports and shipyards along Manila bay.

Slums (Manila) The Manila slums are surreal from the air and the large number of small shacks built on thin bamboo stilts along the coast are quite a sight.

SUBIC The trip continues to Subic, where you will pass large cargo ships on the coast and pass by Olongapo. You may land the chopper near the coast or at the airport and chill out on the beach for the rest of the day. If you would like to land, do notify pilot Willy and the reception as you book the helicopter as this will have to be put into the flight plan.

Subic Bay (Subic Trip) Grab a jet ski and cruise the coast. When you look out at sea, you will see two large seaport cranes on the other side of the water in the distance. Get your jet skis (always go with at least 2 other people when going far) and go over there. Continue past it along the coast for another 3-5 minutes. You will find yourself in an untouched paradise, surrounded by thick beautiful rain forests. There are some small virgin beaches where you may land your jet skis and further enjoy the environment for a moment. Watch out that you don’t hit any rocks.

Taal Lake and Volcano (Puerto Galera Trip) After passing Corregidor Island, you will fly over some beautiful mountain scenery covered in thick coconut jungles, before reaching Lake Taal. Taal volcano can be found in the middle of the lake. If weather conditions are acceptable, it is possible to fly over the crater which houses another lake within the lake. This is another great spot to see.

Theme Parks (Manila Trip) Notable theme parks are Star City and Boom na Boom Carnival.

Universities (Manila Trip) The most prestigious universities in the Philippines are University of the Philippines (UP), Ateneo de Manila University (AdMU), De La Salle University (DLSU), and Unibersidad de Santo Tomas (UST), which is also the oldest university in the country.

Zambales (Hundred Islands Trip) On your way back to Angeles, you may choose to take a route along the coast and you may also pass by Subic if you wish. This however will take around 10-15 minutes longer as you will not be traveling in a straight line. On this trip, you will fly over long stretches of wide beaches with the occasional island here and there. There are bright blue rivers to be seen which is caused by the residue of nearby platinum and other ore mines. The mouth of the main river from Mt. Pinatubo, coming from the Zambales mountain ranges on the left, meets the sea across the area you will pass. This trip is a gorgeous one.