The Philippines is located in the coral triangle, the most bio-diverse region in the world. When asked “what wildlife can I see in the Philippines”, with over 52,177 species of wildlife, the answer is “a lot”.

For animal lovers, there is plenty to be seen above and below the water. The most famous wildlife found in the Philippines is the whale shark, but there is also the Philippine Tarsier, the smallest primate in the world, and the Philippine Eagle, the largest eagle in the world, and endemic to the Philippines. Do you know where to find the world’s largest flower, the Rafflesia, in the Philippines?

At Moalboal Eco Lodge, we are huge animal lovers, and are surrounded by nature day and night. Regardless of whether wildlife is big or small, bird, insect, or fish, we are passionate them all. In this article, we share 10 different wildlife which we feel are the most impressive for various reasons. Some of the wildlife featured are only found here in the Philippines, some are iconic, some are weird, and some are just beautiful.
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So for visiting nature lovers this is wildlife of the Philippines.

Do you have a bucket list of ideas or a compilation of “things to do before you die”? Did you know that some of the most popular bucket list experiences can be achieved in the Philippines?

The Philippines is often on people’s travel bucket list of places to visit due to its abundance of paradise white sand beaches and spectacular marine life, but it also has many other bucket list activities. Scuba Diving, Skydiving, swimming with turtles, all of these and many more can be found and achieved in this beautiful archipelago of over 7,000 islands.
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In and around Cebu you can have an adventure filled visit, ticking off more than just one activity from this bucket list. Cebu is an international and domestic hub of the Philippines, and if these bucket list experiences are not found in Cebu, they are a short convenient plane or boat journey away.
Moalboal Eco Lodge share an exciting bucket list of ideas and experiences you can have in the Philippines.

As travel resumes following the COVID-19 pandemic quarantine and lockdowns, extra precautions will need to be taken. Living a “new normal” life will include more thought and preparation if we are to remain safe and healthy, but it shouldn’t be at the expense of our planet.

Single use face masks, small hand sanitiser bottles, latex gloves, polystyrene take-out containers, plastic bags – it’s already polluting our planet and having catastrophic effects on the war against single use plastic. Disposable masks and gloves have been found on beaches which are washed into the ocean during high tide, and have been discovered littering nature trails, park-lands and green areas.

Sustainable practices often take a back seat in times of crisis, but for people who wish to travel responsibly, we have to continue fighting. Until a vaccine is found we will all be living with the threat of COVID-19, but staying safe during Coronavirus doesn't mean more plastic. The way forward is not to disregard all we have learnt about zero waste and using less single use plastics, but to continue with the good practices already in place. 

YES YOU CAN BE PLASTIC FREE AND ZERO WASTE DURING THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC.

Moalboal Eco Lodge want to help you travel eco-friendly after COVID-19 quarantines, so here are our 12 plastic free and zero waste travel tips during Coronavirus.

The Philippines; an archipelago of thousands of tropical islands in South East Asia, is a bucket list destination for many travellers. But how well do you know the Philippines? 

Officially Republic of the Philippines, with a population of over 110 million people covering an area stretching 1,850 kilometers (1,150 miles) – by anyone’s stretch of the imagination, this means a lot of diversity and culture.
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Famous for powder soft white sand beaches, emerald waters, and lush green mountains, Moalboal Eco Lodge help you discover some quirky and fascinating facts. Hope you enjoy our compilation of Facts about the Philppines: 21 interesting, surprising and fun facts. 

Have you ever dreamt of snorkelling with turtles, and swimming with sardines? If this is on your must-see bucket list of things to do when visiting the Philippines, Moalboal’s sardine run at Panagsama Beach, Cebu needs to be added to your travel itinerary.

Moalboal’s main tourist attraction is the sardine ball where literally millions of silver shimmering sardines can be seen just off the beach. Every day of the year you can swim, snorkel, freedive or scuba dive with the sardines. This natural phenomenon is in a marine protected area, is 100% ethical, with  no feeding or human intervention to keep them here.
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If you are interested in snorkelling with sardines, Moalboal Eco Lodge will show you the experience of a lifetime – swimming with sardines in Moalboal, Cebu, Philippines.

In the Philippines, the Filipino jeepney is considered the “King of the Road”. A national symbol, this iconic form of public transportation is proudly Pinoy, and the most popular way for locals to travel around. A jeepney is crowded, cheap, and no two jeepney’s are the same.

Many are decorated with bright colours and flashing lights, jeepney art will be appreciated by street art and mural lovers. The painted jeepneys are all unique way, and are anything but boring!

Jeepneys are embedded in Philippine culture and art. London has a red double decker bus, New York has the yellow taxi cab, and the Philippines have jeepneys. All are iconic, all are insta-worthy.

If anything is an expression of local culture in the Philippines, it’s a jeepney, and Moalboal Eco Lodge share a pictorial guide to jeepney street art in Moalboal, Cebu, Philippines.

One of the top things to do in Cebu, Philippines is swim with the Oslob whale sharks. However, questions regarding whether or not it is ethical are constantly asked, and concerns raised by WWF, Greenpeace, National Geographic and Marine WIldlife Watch for a species classified as “vulnerable to extinction” are real. 

The whale sharks in Oslob are hand fed to guarantee sightings for tourists 365 days a year. It’s showing no signs of slowing down, in fact it’s the opposite. Tourist agencies boast “99% guarantee of seeing the whale sharks”. 

Are these whale sharks ambassadors for the marine world or just being exploited for money?

Outside of the Philippines, safety of the whale sharks is threatened by the illegal global shark fin trade, and they are considered to be one of the most vulnerable marine species in the world. Should we be jeopardising the health and mating routines of a vulnerable to extinction species? Are the Oslob whale sharks helping people from around the world respect them more? What are the chances of people involved in the global shark fin trade visiting Oslob, falling in love with the whale sharks then deciding not to take their fins?

Whale shark tourism in Oslob is about money, BIG money, and it’s a lucrative multi-million dollar business which have received 2,000 visitors PER DAY at certain times of the year.
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Moalboal Eco Lodge have carried out extensive research to ask, is Oslob whale shark watching ethical?

Sustainable tourism, or “green travel” and wanting to be a responsible tourist are something we should all try to do. Changing our mindset about ecotourism and the way we travel is the key, all we have to do is be a respectful traveller; whether we are on a two week holiday, taking a sabbatical/gap year, or just getting away for the weekend, we should all try to lessen the impact we have on any place we visit. 

Why is environmentally friendly travel important? Developing tourist destinations or poorer countries do not have proper waste management systems meaning little or no recycling facilities, this causes plastic pollution problems They are receiving visitors faster than they are able to keep up with trash/water/electricity demands, and up-and coming destinations do not have an abundance of resources for us to waste.

Questions regarding ethical travel and animal welfare are constantly raised, overtourism is increasing, our coral reefs are being destroyed, and our desire to travel to as many countries as possible seeing as much as we can has a detrimental effect. If we enjoy travel, love seeing nature and the underwater world, why are we destroying it?

No one wants to be made to feel guilty about travel, or to be told they are being an irresponsible tourist, but we cannot bury our head in the sand. Global warming is real. Climate change was last decade; we are now in a CLIMATE EMERGENCY.
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If you ask “Can I travel in a sustainable, ethical way?” the answer is yes, so let Moalboal Eco Lodge show you how to be a responsible tourist.