La Union is a Philippine province located in the west of the island of Luzon. You can get here by bus from Manila - about a five-hour journey, and you'll you'll find yourself on some of the country's best beaches. AIn addition to beach lovers, you can meet divers and snorkeling fans here. Until 1992, not far from the local airport there was an American military base where 1.5 thousand soldiers served. Unfortunately, it didn't go for the natural ecosystems - virtually all the surrounding reefs were destroyed. However, a couple of interesting diving spots still remain.
3 km from the provincial capital of San Fernando is the most popular dive site - Fagg Reef, on which three Wolverine tanks from the World War II rest at a depth of about 40 meters. Today, in their hulls you can see a variety of marine life, including 65-kilogram moray eels, and around them are whale and white-tail sharks, leopard rays, napoleons, barracudas and turtles.
In San Fernando Bay there are two more interesting dive sites - Red Buoy and Black Buoy. The attraction at Red Buoy is a huge depression, similar to an amphitheatre, the so-called "fishbowl", in which you can always in which you can always see a variety of fish. Black Buoy is famous for its caves with lobsters living in them.
In Lingayen Bay along the beach Long Beach stretches reef Riserch with coral beds and caves, grottos and canyons. The place is considered ideal for night diving.
Tourists have long favoured the beaches of Bauang town, as well as the more remote ones in the north of the province, which are ideal for snorkelling, surfing and other sports.
The capital of La Union Province, San Fernando, was founded by the Spanish in 1786. Today it is home to just over 110,000 people. 8 km from the city on a wooded mountain is the La Union Botanical Garden, which has an area of 20 hectares where various plants representing the Philippine flora are collected, as well as some species of animals.
