3 National Parks to Explore in Bicol

A protected area which was declared as a national park covering 4,225 hectares in 1934, later extended to its present area of 5,201 hectares and was reclassified as a natural park in 2000. The park covers more than 30 percent of the country’s remaining total lowland rainforest area and is the habitat of rare hardwood and wildlife species, as documented by the National Museum. Its centerpiece is the 300-year old red lawaan dubbed as Bicol’s Mother Tree.

The Caramoan national park is in north-east Camarines Sur Province, opposite the island of Catanduanes. It is a hilly peninsula, with deep gorges and rough, rocky terrain. The IBA includes the Caramoan National Park area, located near the tip of the peninsula, and some substantial areas of old-growth forest in the hills to the west which are shown on recent forest cover maps.

The Mayon Volcano Natural Park is a protected area of the Philippines located in the Bicol Region on southeast Luzon Island, the largest island of the country. The Natural Park covers an area of 5,775.7 hectares, which includes its centerpiece Mayon Volcano, the most active volcano in the Philippines, and its adjacent surroundings. The volcano is also renowned for having an almost perfect cone. First protected as a National Park in 1938, it was reclassified as a Natural Park in the year 2000.