Discover Luzon

Introduction

Luzon is the Philippines' largest and most populous island, home to more than half the country's people and to Manila, the national capital. Founded on a Tagalog polity called Maynila and rebuilt as a walled Spanish city, Intramuros, from 1571, Manila anchors a region that runs from the volcanic plains of the south to the pine-forested Cordillera mountains of the north. Baguio, the "Summer Capital of the Philippines," was built by the American colonial government as Asia's only hill station, its cool climate a relief from the lowland heat. Further into the Cordillera, Sagada and Banaue hold two of the Philippines' most distinctive living traditions: Sagada's centuries-old hanging coffins, and the Banaue Rice Terraces, hand-carved into the mountains by the ancestors of the Igorot people and inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

South of Manila, in the Bicol region, Donsol has become one of the world's most reliable places to swim with whale sharks, known locally as butanding, under regulated, guide-led encounters. Luzon is also the geologically active heart of the Philippines: Mayon Volcano's famously symmetric cone, Taal Volcano's crater-within-a-lake, and Mount Pinatubo, whose 1991 eruption was the second-largest of the 20th century, are all found here. This page covers Luzon as a whole; its five cities -- Manila, Sagada, Banaue, Baguio and Donsol -- hold the detail.

Geography

Luzon is the Philippines' largest island, running from the mountainous Cordillera in the north, through Manila and the central plains, to the volcanic Bicol Region in the south. Manila sits on Manila Bay on Luzon's western coast; the Cordillera mountains, landlocked and cutting across the island's north, hold Baguio, Sagada and Banaue.

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History

Pre-colonial Tagalog polities including Maynila; Spanish colonization from 1571 and Manila's rise as a global galleon-trade hub; the 1896 Philippine Revolution and the execution of José Rizal; American colonial rule, including the founding of Baguio as a hill station; the devastating 1945 Battle of Manila; and Philippine independence in 1946.

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Culture

Intramuros' Spanish-colonial architecture and Manila's galleon-trade history; José Rizal and the Philippine Revolution; Baguio's American-built hill-station identity; the Cordillera's Igorot peoples, hanging coffins and hand-carved rice terraces; and a Filipino culture layered across all of it.

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Climate Patterns

A tropical climate with a hot, humid character nearly year-round in the lowlands, and cooler, spring-like conditions in the Cordillera mountain towns of Baguio, Sagada and Banaue. Typhoon season runs June through November, with June-to-September the most active period and northern Luzon, facing the Pacific, at frequent risk of landfalls.

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Food & Traditional Cuisine

Filipino cuisine's Austronesian base layered with Chinese, Spanish and American influences: adobo, lechón, longganisa and other dishes found in countless regional variations across Luzon's provinces, from Manila's cosmopolitan food scene to Cordillera mountain cooking.

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Do I need a visa for the Philippines?

Visa-exempt visitors get up to 30 days without a visa, but must register on the government's e-travel system in advance and show a QR code on arrival.

How many days do I need in Luzon?

A week allows Manila plus one mountain destination (Baguio, or Sagada/Banaue together); 10-14 days allows a fuller loop including Donsol, given the region's long overland travel times.

What is Luzon known for?

Manila's Intramuros and José Rizal's legacy, the Banaue Rice Terraces and Sagada's hanging coffins in the Cordillera mountains, Baguio as the historic "Summer Capital," and Donsol's whale shark encounters.

When is typhoon season?

June through November, with June to September the most active period; northern Luzon faces the Pacific and sees frequent landfalls.

Is it safe to visit Luzon's volcanoes?

Check current PHIVOLCS alert levels before visiting Mayon, Taal or Pinatubo -- access can be restricted depending on activity.

See Luzon through traveler photos →

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