MY FIRST trip of the year was to the Philippines, a place I have always wanted to visit. My girlfriend and I spent a month finding hidden beaches, swimming in crystal clear lagoons, speaking to locals in some of the most beautiful rice terraces I’ve ever seen (despite the rain and fog) and meeting the huge whale sharks of Cebu. It was one of my favorite destinations to date, and the incredible culture, people, and landscapes have lead me to plan my return to the Philippines already! Here is a collection of my favorite photos from the trip. Enjoy!

All photos by the author. To see more of Jordan’s work follow him on Instagram.

1

El Nido is full of amazing places to explore and enjoy. We stumbled upon this beach and decided that one day we should live there.

2

The North of Bohol is filled with many hidden treasures and is absolutely one of the most beautiful places in the Philippines.

3

Shortly after this photo was taken, we found out the light on our motorbike had broken, so we had to drive almost forty miles down snaking mountain roads in the pitch dark. On the positive side, we had never seen so many stars in our lives.

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4

A short hike behind the infamous Kawasan Falls in Cebu brings you to these small fairy pools, where you can get away from the tourists that crowd the main waterfall.

5

Believe it or not, it only took her two dives to get this shot.

6

We arrived at Kawasan falls really early in the morning to avoid the crowds, and man was it worth it.

7

We got lucky and chose a particularly good evening for a sunset ride to Osmeña peak, the highest point in Cebu.

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8

Sunrise is my absolute favorite time of the day to shoot, and this shows you why.

9

Traveling with an animal lover means we make friends with every dog, cat, and monkey that we come across.

10

On our way to the North of Bohol, we spotted this secluded beach and couldn't believe we were the only ones there to enjoy these views.

11

Besides busy Nacpan beach is this little hidden gem. We were the only tourists on the entire beach and got this amazing sunset all to ourselves.

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12

Hunting for beach swings is one of my favorite past times.

13

Tumalog Falls is one of the most beautiful waterfalls I've been to so far.

14

Swimming (I'm not sure you can call it that) from the boat to a nearby rock to get this shot with my camera above my head must have been a sight! Always remember your waterproof casing.

15

After a last minute flight to Coron, we were more than happy to swim through the Twin Lagoon on a steaming February morning.