Introducing Panay

Even though Panay is a microcosm of everything the Visayas has to offer, the long white-sand beach at Boracay is all that many visitors to the region, or for that matter the country, ever see. The rest of the region keeps a low tourism profile, which helps explain the appeal of tropical Guimaras - just a short commute from the pleasant and lively regional capital of Iloilo City. Panay's little-explored interior is ringed by a rugged coastline to the south and west and a more domesticated one, dotted with impressive Spanish churches, to the north and east. Adventure sports (particularly mountain biking, trekking, kayaking and rock climbing) can be arranged out of Iloilo City.

The amazing Ati-Atihan Festival, held in Kalibo in January, is the most famous fiesta of its kind in the Philippines. Much of Panay's festive tradition can be traced back to its indigenous tribal groups, namely the Ati and Ata. There are communities of both groups on the mainland.