Calabarzon
Calabarzon is a region of southwestern Luzon, the main island in the Philippines.
Not very far from the sprawl of Metro Manila, it provides a variety of tourist spots, from heritage towns to luxurious beach resorts. Laguna hosts a number of hot spring resorts as well as mountains and heritages towns. Batangas houses numbers of beach resorts, heritage towns, and the world's smallest volcano, Taal Volcano.
Most of the inhabitants of the region are Tagalogs, but there is a significant Visayan minority. Most locations in the province showcase the rich Tagalog culture.
Provinces
| Batangas Cradle of Tagalog culture, and home to resorts, Spanish-era town centers with heritage churches and houses, and the world's smaller volcano, Taal Volcano. |
| Cavite Most densely populated province, home to sprawling suburban bedroom communities, but filled also with history as one of the provinces that led the Philippine Revolution. Tagaytay, one of its cities, has a cool climate, and is an easy getaway from Metro Manila's noisy and crowded environment . |
| Laguna Economic center, with an expanding economy depending on industry and agriculture. Major destinations are its hot springs in Calamba (Pansol) and Los Baños, Mount Makiling, the Rizal mansion in Calamba, and Pagsanjan Falls. |
| Quezon Gateway to Bicol, also a growing eco-tourism destination |
| Rizal A province east of Metro Manila, with mountainous terrain. |
Cities
- 🌍 Antipolo - de facto capital of Rizal. The Shrine of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage and Hinulugang Taktak are its primary destinations, as well as overlooking panoramic views of Metro Manila.
- 🌍 Batangas - capital of Batangas, a transport hub and major waypoint for travellers between Manila, Mindoro and Visayas by sea and land travel.
- 🌍 Calamba - Regional center, home to Jose Rizal's mansion and hot spring resorts
- 🌍 Santa Rosa - Bedroom community in Laguna, home to Enchanted Kingdom and Nuvali and a major stopover for trips to Tagaytay.
- 🌍 Tagaytay - Resort city on the mountain ridge south of Metro Manila. Its cool climate and its view of Taal Volcano attracts tourists, thus providing an easy getaway from the heat, noise, and congestion of Manila.
Other destinations
Beaches and diving spots
- 🌍 Mabini - A scuba diving and smorkeling destination not far from Manila
- Polillo Island – Unspoiled paradise off the Pacific coast of Quezon
- San Juan
- Western Batangas – Traditional beach destinations of the region, and home of the historic town of Taal.
Mountains and volcanoes
- Mount Banahaw - the highest peak in the region
- Mount Makiling
- 🌍 Taal Volcano - Batangas's crown jewel, but it is an active volcano. This is mostly visited through package tours from Tagaytay.
Understand
This is an overview article; detailed information are found in the provincial articles.
The region is historically inhabited by the Tagalog people; the region formed the larger Southern Tagalog region that was soon split into this region and MIMAROPA. Waves of migration from the rest of the Philippines have diversified its population, and you can find Visayans, Filipino Chinese, and Muslims at the cities. CALABARZON has some of the most populous provinces, like Cavite, and urbanization continues with economic developments around Metro Manila
The regional center is Calamba, but economic activities are spread out in the province; Industrial activity is concentrated on Cavite and Laguna. Tourism is a major source of income for provinces like Batangas, with its heritage towns and world-class beaches.
CALABARZON are one of the very liberal regions of the Philippines, and is a rising ecotourism hub; environmental protection plays an important role in politics, as the region has one of the very sensitive natural environments, like the Verde Island Passage in Batangas or the rainforests of eastern Quezon. The Roman Catholic Church also plays a role in environmental policy. Most provinces, especially Batangas and Quezon promote ecotourism, so, nature resorts are continuing to grow. The situation in Quezon is however complicated, with a conservative majority and liberal minority, that locally hated coal-fired power plants continue to be constructed around the rainforests while the province is striving to promote ecotourism.
Get in
The region is well connected to other regions by road and sea. There is no major airport in CALABARZON, and the main entry points are by land or sea.
By bus
The region is well served by a number of bus companies from Metro Manila and elsewhere. The major plied routes are Manila-Calamba, Manila-Batangas, Manila-Dasmarinas, Manila-Nasugbu, and Manila-Lucena. Major terminals in Metro Manila remains scattered, but most come from Cubao (in Quezon City), Buendia and EDSA Rotonda (in Pasay), Uniwide Coastal Mall (in Paranaque), and Alabang (in Muntinlupa).
By car
The region has good road connections with the adjacent regions. From Metro Manila, toll expressways like the South Luzon Expressway and STAR Tollway serve as the major road connections. Travelers from Bicol Region will take the Maharlika Highway, but expect a zigzagging road in the countryside and frequent rainstorms because of the rainforest climate of the areas passed through.
By sea
Batangas Port is the second busiest seaport in the Philippines, and provides connections to the rest of the Philippines. Interisland ships and RoRo services serve the port, as well as fast craft and motorboat service.
By rail
Philippine National Railways provide train service through Laguna and Quezon to Bicol Region, but it remains suspended as of 2017. A commuter train from Tutuban station in Manila serves the major cities in Laguna, but it only operates in the evening hours and becomes extremely crowded in the rush hour. Batangas City is once served by a single railway line from Calamba, but it has been abandoned, and there are efforts by the Duterte administration to revive the connection to the Philippines' second busiest seaport.
Get around
Most travel within the region is by land. The key cities and towns are served by a network of national roads, and travel by bus, jeepney or car is the common way of transport. Expressways remain sporadic, and traffic jams are commonplace. Drivers are usually aggressive, as in the rest of the Philippines.
Stay safe
There is a considerable risk from the weather. Most of CALABARZON is characterized by frequent rainfall, so don't forget to bring an umbrella when visiting any location within the region. The only exceptions are the westernmost areas, where there are dry and wet seasons, but still expect rainfall. Typhoons are also a danger during the rainy season.