Province of ZAMBALES

Wherever you travel in Zambales, you'll find abundant recreational adventures amid spectacular scenery!

Journey on . . .

Welcome to wonderful ZAMBALES !
Visit and experience the natural beauty, magnitude and cultural charm of this magnificent province! 

   This special page is my manifest desire to promote our country’s tourism and keep my kababayan informed, visually guided, and updated about our wonderful Province of ZAMBALES. 

  I’m sure you will be fascinated by its breath-taking natural wonders abound and various recreational facilities and FUNtastic attractions.

    Delight yourselves in the exotic paradise of beauty, interest and adventure, and feel the pleasures of the people’s bayanihan spirit and hospitality.

    Come along and experience the finest things the province could offer. Be captivated by its people distinctive qualities.

   Discover and appreciate the works of creative local artists, their handicrafts and souvenir mementos.

   Experience our rich cultural heritage. Learn more about our culture, traditions, and colorful history.  

   Dine and savor our tasty distinctive foods, innovative cuisine with a homemade touch, and accompanied with personable and attentive service.

  Traveling taught me a few things; one of the most useful is that the best way to know more of our local kababayan is through its markets. 

   Visit its markets that serve the best in fresh fruits, organic vegetables and gourmet food items. Your shopping list will engorge with goodies to bring home. 

   Learn the best places to recreate, enjoy and cherish a truly fascinating experience, and much, much more. In short, here is Just the Best!

Here’s to a worthwhile provincial journey !

Mabunying paglalakbay para sa lahat !

ZAMBALES Tourist Destinations

Zambales hosts 173 kilometers of beaches, with coral reefs, dive spots, surfing areas, hotels and day-use beach huts. The province is approximately a 3 to 4 hour drive from Manila, though this can vary greatly with traffic.

Zambales is served by the Subic International Airport , which is located in Cubi Point, Subic Bay Freeport Zone, located in the province of Bataan. Subic Bay Freeport Zone,  is host to many tourist attractions which include casinos, beach resorts, parks, beachside huts and cottages and historical artifacts.

Zambales hosts 173 kilometers of beaches, with coral reefs, dive spots, surfing areas, hotels and day-use beach huts. The province is approximately a 3 to 4 hour drive from Manila, though this can vary greatly with traffic.

HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL TOURIST ATTRACTIONS

Historical Attractions

Magsaysay Ancestral House

  Located in Castillejos, The old house of the seventh Philippine President, Ramon Magsaysay.

Fort Paynawen

   Loated in Barangay Parel, Botolan, The fortress that was once the most formidable garrison in Central Luzon. Its walls are on the bank of Bancal River.

Cultural Attractions

Botolan Resettlement Sites
   Located in Botolan, a model resettlement village located in Brgys. Baquilan, Loob-bunga and Taugtug. Baquilan offers a hilltop view of the volcano's crater. It is populated by hundreds of Aeta families who were displaced from their native habitat during the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in 1991. An optional visit for tourists who would rather engage in social and cultural exchange with the natives.

Casa San Miguel
   Located in San Antonio, set amidst a mango orchard in a town nestled between the mountains and the sea, Casa San Miguel Center for the Arts was built on the belief that art, in its various forms, can extend beyond its boundaries to create better quality of life to bring about communal, national and global change with Culture as the means to this end. The center is committed to the continued development and support of the Filipino artist and to the development of new artists and audiences for the next generation. Facilities include an artist's residence consisting of 7 bedrooms, a sunken terraced garden designed to offer visitors a meditative retreat while waiting for the beginning of a performance or enjoying a snack and a convenience store where books, postcards, community crafts, and souvenirs are available. The center is a popular venue for recitals and concerts.

Fiesta Poon Bato (literal translation is Feast of the Sacred Stone)

   Celebrated in January, is a religious festival that attracts over half a million people each year. The festival venerates Ina Poon Bato (literal translation is Mother of the Sacred Stone) also known as Nuestra Senora de la Paz y Buen Viaje (Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage), the oldest known image of the Virgin Mother in Asia^. The Barrio of Poon Bato located in Botolan, that is host to the image and the fiesta, was completely destroyed during the 1991 Mt. Pinatubo eruption. The icon was saved and moved, along with the barrio inhabitants, to nearby Loob Bunga Resettlement Area.

NATURAL AND RELIGIOUS TOURISTS ATTRACTIONS
 
Snake Island Lake
   Located in Subic, it offers complete recreational facilities, making it an ideal place of relaxation.

Balon Falls
   Located in Subic, a perfect paradise for nature lovers, with crystal-clear water.

Hermana Mayor Island

   Located in Sta. Cruz, an island in the middle of the sea popularly known as Ms. Universe Island.

Bucao River

   Located in Botolan, now covered with lahar and volcanic materials, this serves as the trekking area towards the foot of Mt. Pinatubo when it is dry.

Religious Attractions

Grotto of Our Lady of Pardon

   Located in Barangay Mabayuan, Olongapo, catholic devotees pray and pay homage to the Lady of Pardon in this sacred place.

Botolan Church
   "Old Catholic church built in 1700 out of coral blocks.

Birthmarker of the Late President Ramon Magsaysay

   Located in Iba,  the historical place of birth of the most beloved Philippine president on August 31,1907.”

MAN-MADE AND FESTIVAL TOURISTS ATTRACTIONS

Man-Made Attraction

Rizal Triangle Monument
   Located in Olongapo, dedicated to the lasting friendship between the American and Filipino nations. It sits right beside the City Hall where most of the city activities and programs are held.

Marikit Park

   Located in Olongapo, considered to be the main city park, where some of Olongapo’s big activities are staged. Features a playground for children, big shady trees, and an amphitheater-like section for big audiences.

Volunteers Park

    Located in Olongapo, situated adjacent to the main gate of the Subic Bay Freeport Zone, this long, narrow park stretches along the Perimeter Road. It is dedicated to the 8,000 volunteers who established the foundation of the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.

Volunteers Wall

   Located in Olongapo, dedicated to the pioneers of the Subic Bay Freeport Zone, it is made from granite slabs on which the names of the 8,000 volunteers are engraved.

Volunteers Monument (Children of the Sun Returning) (SBMA)
   Located along Waterfront Road within the Subic Bay Freeport Zone, it signifies the birth of a new Philippines.

Subic Bay Lighthouse

    Located in Subic, this structure stands on a small precipice along the northbound lane of the national highway. It commands a panoramic view of Olongapo City, Subic Bay Freeport Zone and Subic Bay.

Spanish Lighthouse

   In Capones Island,  Barangay Pundaquit, San Antonio, built during the 1800s.

Festivals

Caracol Boat

    Celebrated in Subic, second Sunday of May. Coincides with the barangay fiesta of Calapandayan, Subic. An image of the town patron, San Roque, is paraded at sea on a basing or big boat with banda.

Binabayani

   Celebrated every 30^th of November , the Zambales version of the world-famous Ati-Atihan. It is a war dance between the Christians and Aetas that is performed on the feast day of San Andres, patron of the town of Masinloc. The townspeople believe that, by performing the Binabayani, they are assured of a bountiful harvest.

Dinamulag-Mango Festival

   A celebration that revolves around Zambales mangoes, considered as the sweetest mangoes in the Philippine archipelago. The "Mango Festival" is held in the provincial capital of Iba every April, and the

Domorokdok Festival

   A Sambal word for Dance is held each May in Botolan. These include street dancing, agricultural shows, competitions like sand castle building and "bikini open" beauty pageants.

SPECIAL INTEREST TOURS

Scuba Diving / Snorkeling

   In San Salvador Island, in Masinloc, the abundance of marine resources has made the island famous as a scuba diver’s paradise in Central Luzon.

Scuba Diving / Snorkeling

   In Subic Bay, Olongapo City, enjoy the fine beaches of the island amidst rare aquatic resources.

Scuba Diving / Snorkeling

   In Silaguin Bay, San Antonio, endowed with abundant marine resources, it is one of five caves poised to be developed into a fish sanctuary.

Trekking Jungle Tour
   An educational tour to the rainforest of Subic Bay Freeport with Aeta guides providing an outdoor orientation on basic mountaineering, fire building, trap making, wildlife identification, and other wilderness survival techniques. Tour Inclusions: guided tour of the JEST Forest Trails, rolling tour of Subic Bay Freeport, duty free shopping.

Trekking Mt. Pinatubo

   In San Marcelino, where Mt. Pinatubo made famous by its catastrophic eruption in 1991, is now a source of travel and study for tourists and travelers visiting Central Luzon.

Trekking Mt. Mabanban

   In San Antonio, an ideal setting for summer camping and mountaineering.

Trekking Sto. Nino Cave

   In Candelaria, carved out of a fissure on the earth’s crust, the cavern measures about 50 by 75 meters. At its central wall sits an altar with the images of the Holy Family.

Trekking Baloc-Baloc Cave

   In Sta. Cruz, A brief but arduous trek through a rocky path leads to the magnificent spectacle of a waterfall right inside the cave.

Trekking Sagrada Familia Cave

   In Sta. Cruz, found along the cliffside of the Zambales mountain ranges, it is known for the mysterious formation resembling the image of the Holy Family that was caused by a continuous dripping from the apex of the cavern.

Surfing
   Popular activity in Barangay La Paz, San Narciso. Surfboards and instructions are available.

Province of ZAMBALES