Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park

The Sierra Madre runs down Luzon's Pacific flank as the island's rain shield and its last great forest, and the northern section, first set aside as the Palanan Wilderness Area in 1979 and made a natural park in 1997, is the largest protected area in the Philippines - some 359,000 hectares of lowland dipterocarp rainforest, mossy ridges, rivers and a wild coastline. Its species list is the reason biologists care: the Philippine eagle nests here, the critically endangered Philippine crocodile survives in a handful of creeks and wetlands around San Mariano where community sanctuaries protect it, and dugongs, marine turtles and whales use the coast at Palanan and Divilacan. For visitors the park is not a drive-through: access means arranging permits and guides through the protected area office, then reaching trailheads by river boat or the light aircraft that serve Palanan, and staying in homestays or camps. The rewards are birding of the highest order, empty rivers and beaches, and forest that still looks the way Luzon looked before the sawmills.

What you'll find

• The rainforest - lowland dipterocarp forest on the Pacific slope.
• The crocodile sanctuaries - community-protected creeks near San Mariano.
• The wild coast - Palanan and Divilacan's empty beaches.
• The birding - eagles, hornbills and Luzon endemics.

When to go

February to May, between the northeast monsoon and the typhoon season; the Pacific side is among the wettest and most storm-exposed parts of the country the rest of the year.

Things to know

This is expedition travel - permits, guides, boats or light planes, basic homestays, no signal. Weather cancels flights and river trips routinely. Wildlife sightings need patience and local knowledge; the eagle is rare and never promised.

Nearby

Tuguegarao's Callao Cave and the Cagayan valley lie north; Baler's surf coast is far to the south along the same range.

Key facts