Biri Island in Northern Samar is home to two of the most beautiful rock formations in the Philippines. A speck of land between the sea that divides the Luzon and Visayas Islands group, the island has been battered by harsh winds and tides that allowed these magnificent formations to take shape. Pictured here are the formations named as Magasang and Bil-at.

To get here, catch a Manila flight to Calbayog in Samar. Afterwards take a jeep from Calbayog to Allen and then a tricycle to Lavezares. In Lavezares hire a boat to take you to Biri Island. Within Biri Island you can go around with the help of a motorcycle contraption called habal-habal, with which you can go to the Magasang rock formations.

Photos by Dino Sandoval and AJFajardo

In the 2011 Travelers’ Choice Beaches Awards byTripAdvisor, Boracay was named as the 2nd Best Beach in the world, after Providenciales in Turks and Caicos. The list was based on reviews and ratings of TripAdvisor users, which are mostly based in North America.

Note that most of the beaches that made the list have high accessibility to high-end accommodations, restaurants and bars, which reflect the preference of the TripAdvisor users.

It’s not surprising that Boracay made it but we’re still glad to know that the Philippines has made this list as the 2nd best. With this recognition there’s still the perennial issue of sustainable development of beaches in the Philippines, in which the government has to get its act together.

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