Cavite is a province just south of Metro Manila, wedged between Manila Bay and the South China Sea. It punches well above its size historically — this is where Emilio Aguinaldo declared Philippine independence in 1898, and the province has produced more national heroes and revolutionary leaders than almost anywhere else in the country. The Caviteños are proud of that record, and rightly so.
Most travellers pass through Cavite City or Tagaytay Ridge on their way somewhere else, but there's enough here to justify a proper day trip: Fort San Felipe and the colonial-era fortifications of Cavite City, Corregidor Island accessible from Cavite port, and the Aguinaldo Shrine in Kawit where independence was proclaimed. The extraordinary Fort Drum — a concrete battleship-island at the entrance to Manila Bay — and Taal Lake below the Tagaytay ridge round out the province's unusual depth. The province is part of the Calabarzon region and connects easily with Laguna and Batangas for a wider southern Luzon loop.