Philippines

Virtual travel to Philippines in VR180

Cruise through crystal-clear waters to discover limestone cliffs, hidden coves, and endless blue seas. The Philippines’ 7,000+ islands offer tropical paradise after paradise: pristine beaches, vibrant marine life, and some of the world’s most photogenic landscapes. Experience island hopping in 8K VR180.

The Philippines set is Palawan, and mostly El Nido, which is the stretch of coast where limestone karst towers rise straight out of turquoise water. It is one of the very few landscapes that looks unreal in photographs and completely believable in VR180, because the format restores the one thing a photo cannot carry: how far away those cliffs actually are, and how much water is sitting between you and them. Above El Nido Bay climbs the jagged limestone to look down on the boats heading out for the day, and Lagoon View holds still over Cadlao Lagoon where the turquoise runs right up to the rock.

Three of these are filmed from a kayak, and that changes what they are. Kayaking the Big Lagoon, Kayak Under the Cliffs and Paddle Through Paradise all sit the camera at water level with a hull in the near field, and that near-field object is what makes stereoscopic depth click into place: your eyes have something close to lock onto before they reach out to the cliff. Tropical Lagoon Boardwalk does the same trick with timber underfoot and traditional banca boats bobbing alongside.

The calm, clear window on this coast runs roughly November through May, which is when it looks the way it looks here: glassy water, high sun, visibility straight to the bottom. Outside that the sea turns over and the boats stay in. The quiet end of the set is filmed on open sand rather than in the lagoons, and it is worth keeping for last. Palm Tree Beach Walk moves along the waterline of a deserted beach under palms, and Sunset on NacPan holds a fixed frame while the day goes gold over the South China Sea. The Lost Island is the one that keeps moving, cruising out towards a deserted beach scattered with palms.

Two to open with: Kayak Under the Cliffs, water level with limestone overhead, and the fastest way to understand why this coast suits the format. Sunset on NacPan is the one to finish on, held still on an empty beach while the light goes.

If it is the water and the sand you came for rather than the country, these also sit in Beaches and Relaxing.