DID YOU KNOW THAT ? PALANAN ISABELA

A New Paradise Found Nestled in the furthest eastern corner of the province of Isabela, bounded by the Pacific Ocean, the relatively small and unknown coastal town of Palanan provides a number of empty and peaceful island alternatives when its neighbors are jam-packed with beach frolickers. But the road to this new-found paradise wasn’t easy. With only horses, tricycles and motorized bancas as the only modes of transportation, our group, led by tour guide Reynante de Vera, had to endure a two-hour travel, traversing the rough road from Barangay Marikit to Barangay Culasi, to the rough waters of the Pacific Ocean before reaching these paradise islands. And prior to that, was a 30-minute plane ride from Cauayan Airport via Cyclone Airway’s DC9, crossing the majestic Sierra Madre Mountain Range.

There are no roads going to Palanan, so the other option of taking the foot trail, known as Aguinaldo trail, from San Mariano in Cauayan is already out of the question. We were told by Reynante that, that’s like five days of hiking! Several bodies of water traverse the municipality, which finally drain to the coastal area. Most, if not all, of these waters are used as fishing grounds and means of transportation. It has two big rivers with numerous tributaries. The Palanan River, which is almost parallel to the municipality from south to north and the Dibenbenan River, which originate from the western part of the municipality. According to Department of Tourism (DoT) Region 2 Director Blessida Diwa, for a long time, tourism has not been given much attention here despite its diverse offerings to both environmentalists and tourists. But the DoT, with the help of the local government of Isabela, is trying to change that now. Palanan’s colorful historical background, natural harbors, abundant corals, prolific marine life, rich terrestrial areas, numerous picnic grounds, and large tracts of virgin forest are just among the resources that it can offer for eco-tourism destinations. These same resources also interest the scientific communities and academia to conduct research.

source: http://origparanan.wordpress.com/