Apo Reef

Prepare for summer and make sure to bask in the tropical sun, sea and sand of Asia’s largest atoll-like reef – Apo Reef National Marine Park.

The 34-square kilometer marine park is located in the vast Mindoro Strait, off the coast of Occidental Mindoro, a marine protected area that serves as habitat of more than 350 marine species such as sharks, sea hawks, manta rays, stingrays and other tropical fishes and invertebrates.

There are three islands in the Apo Reef National Marine Park: Apo Island, the largest is a 22-hectare flat land with a shallow lagoon; Apo Menor or Binangaan Island, which is more of limestone rock; and Cayos del Bajo Island, a coralline rock formation.

Apo Island (not to be confused with Apo island in Negros Oriental) is where park rangers are stationed and also where tourists camp for an overnight stay. With its gradually sloping white sandy beach and turquoise water, it is your kind of tropical paradise.

For more information on Apo Reef, check out my Apo Reef Travel Guide.