News & Events

Aurora Park
Aurora Park is situated at the center surrounded by the St. William Cathedral Church, Laoag City Hall, Marcos Hall of Justice, Ilocos Norte Provincial Capitol and the Sinking Bell Tower. The plaza was called Plaza de Alfonso XII after the King of Spain. In the same plaza, there is a multi-tiered obelisk erected in 1881, dedicated to the Spanish King Alfonso XII for terminating the Tobacco Monopoly. Today, the Obelisk still stands and had defied deterioration through the passing of the time.

Laoag City Hall
The City Hall, once known as the The Casa Tribunal, is located on the western side of the town Aurora Park. It is made of bricks with roof of tiles. It houses the Executive and Legislative division of the city, as well the Treasury and other departments. Built during the Spanish era, an amount of 4,028.32 pesos was realeased on July 18, 1861 for its construction.

Bangui Windmills
Situated near the Bangui Bay in Ilocos Norte, Bangui Windmill Farm is the right destination for tourists who want to explore the northern region. It was Southeast Asia’s largest wind farm until its next-door neighbor, the Burgos Wind Farm, took the title in 2014. Even with the title stripped, it still draws more tourists than the Burgos Wind Farm because of its accessibility.

Maira-ira Cove
Branded as “The Blue Lagoon”, the Maira-ira Beach is one of the best beaches of Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte. That place is like the main attraction after enjoying the sights of many tourist spots such as Timmangtang Rock and Bantay Abot Cave along the road to the lagoon.

Sta. Monica Church
The Santa Monica Parish Church (Spanish: Iglesia de Santa Mónica), commonly known as the Sarrat Church, is a Roman Catholic parish church in Barangay San Leandro, Poblacion, Sarrat, Ilocos Norte, Philippines. It was built in 1779 and was originally known as San Miguel Church. The Santa Monica Church complex includes the convent connected to the church by an elevated three-level brick stairway.

The Grand Tour of Switzerland passes by a multitude of hidden gems – such as many places listed in the Federal Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites (ISOS). We’ve picked a selection of 5 villages to whet your appetite. You can learn more about these fascinating places here.

Morcote
From here, a spectacular Way of the Cross leads up about 400 steps to the pilgrimage church of Santa Maria del Sasso. A beautiful stream and multiple wayside shrines accompany those making the ascent. Once you arrive at the top, the church sits enthroned like a patroness, presiding over the village.

Pleujouse
Away from major lines of communication in a rugged topography, Pleujouse is situated at the entrance to a narrow valley that forms a magnificent wooded background. The fortified rocky peak overlooks a number of orchards, drawing attention to the fact that the traditional local economy is based mainly on the cultivation of damsons, a small purplish red plum from which Damassine AOP.

Sent
Sent's overall appearance is characterised largely by the emigration that has played a key economic role here since the 17th century. As in many mountain regions, many natives of Sent emigrated abroad, particularly to Italy. Some of these made their fortunes as mercenaries, confectioners or tradespeople, building impressive houses in their home village

Saint-Saphorin
The enchanting winegrowing village of Saint-Saphorin lies in the heart of the Lavaux vineyards, just at the foot of the first slope of Mont Pèlerin. Since the village was once threatened by landslides, the authorities decided to build arcades, on which the facades of the houses were then constructed. It is for this reason that Saint-Saphorin is also known as a fortified village.

Ernen
For centuries, Ernen lay on the Gomm valley road and therefore on the access route to the passes over Furka and Grimsel. With the opening of Furkastrasse on the opposite side of the valley in 1861, the old waypoint suddenly found itself apart from the traffic on the pass. The local economy collapsed and the settlement virtually stopped developing until the middle of the 20th century.

The Bakone Malapa Northern Sotho Open-Air Museum

Just outside Polokwane (formerly called Pietersburg), the capital of Limpopo province, is a showcase of the culture of a sub-group of the Northern Sotho people that revels in a mouthful of a name, the Bakone Malapa Northern Sotho Open-Air Museum, more often simply called ‘the Bakone Malapa Museum

Wildlife safari Giant elephants and baobabs – The Valley of the Olifants route

The Valley of the Olifants' totem tree, the baobab, is the world’s largest succulent. But that’s not all you'll see on this route. It's a place of giants, and elephants are also plentiful in this area. Meet a tree, ride an elephant and learn about the rain queen.

The culture of Basotho

The Basotho associate and identify themselves through the use of their clan names, which specify their ancestral origins; namely the Bataung, Basia, Bafokeng, Makgolokoe and Bakuena et al. The royal family of Lesotho is largely made up of Bakuena.

The Ndebele of South Africa

Beadwork, wall paintings, architecture and distinctive ways of dressing are more tangible ways of Ndebele identity and culture through which they have maintained a consciousness of belonging in the midst of precarious existence that confronted them since the late 19th century.

Xhosa cuisine: the dishes and traditions

Sheep heads and trotters, and chicken feet and heads are eaten as snacks, accompanied by samp or mieliepap. A cow head can feed a family and is not as expensive as regular meat such as steak and brisket, which is why it’s so popular. A cow head is usually given to men when they attend a ritual, while the women are given tripe.

There are 4 ways to get from Johannesburg to Polokwane by train, plane, bus, or car. The journey time between Johannesburg and Polokwane is around 3h 50m by car or car train, and 4h 25m by bus.

Wet 'n' Wild Hawaii
Put on your swimsuit and get set for some wild, wet, watery fun. Swirl in a 45-foot-high water funnel. Body surf or grab a tube to ride two-foot swells in a 400,000-gallon wave pool. Speed down a slide that catapults you into the air before you free fall into a 12-foot-deep pool. Experience the thrill of white-water rafting around sharp turns and over steep drops. Get wet, get wild! The name of this 29-acre water playground says it all. Wet ’n’ Wild Hawaii offers rides and attractions that pump up your heart rate and make you scream with delight.

Maui Ocean Center
State-of-the-art marine park with interactive displays attracts thousands of visitors a year. With outdoor touch pools, interactive displays and a 750,000-gallon Open Ocean Exhibit with more than 2,000 fishes, it’s no wonder Maui Ocean Center in Wailuku is one of the island’s most popular attractions. About 400,000 people visit this $20 million state-of-the-art marine park every year, learning about the endangered Hawaiian green sea turtles or browsing the largest collection of live coral in the U.S.

Kualoa Ranch
A 4,000 acre working ranch offers a wide-range of activities and adventure. Fun guided eco-tours go to many locations seen in the 50-plus movies and TV shows that have been filmed at Kualoa since the 1950s, including Jurassic Park. Reserve a full day for a visit; there’s that much to do. For example, go horseback riding, drive an ATV, cruise around an 800-year-old fishpond in a catamaran. Paddle a canoe; rumble through a rainforest in a four-wheel-drive vehicle; stroll through gardens of fruit trees and fragrant flowers.

Panaewa Rainforest Zoo and Gardens
Spy the state bird, the nene (pronounced neh-neh), plus ibis, macaws, parrots, pueo (owl), amakihi honeycreepers, whistling tree ducks and more. The reigning reptiles are the Asian Forest Tortoises, which weigh 50-85 pounds and have large carapaces of 16-24 inches. The free zoo also has a variety of turtles, geckos and iguanas, red tegu lizards, skinks, frogs and a butterfly house. Botanical wonders include the Giant Victoria Waterlily, which seasonally blooms 18-inch blossoms during the summer.

Mountain Tubing
The sugar plantations play an important part in Hawaii’s history, and this unique inner tube tour takes you through the historic irrigation system of the former Lihue Plantation. This water system runs through some of the most beautiful and remote parts of Kauai and provides views of the ocean, coastline, mountains and valleys. The water flow originates near the top of Mount Waialeale, the wettest spot in the world, and is channeled through ditches and tunnels manually created by plantation workers more than a century ago.