Where you want to go?: BORACAY

Geography

Boracay is in the province of Aklan. Aklan is located in Panay. This is the center of the Philippines. These central islands are the Visayas, region 6.

The Island of Boracay is shaped like a dog bone. It is 8 km long, and 1 km wide at it's narrowest. White Beach and Bulabog beach are the primary and secondary tourism beaches, both located opposite of each other.

Boracay is located 2km from Caticlan, the mainland gateway for sea and air access to Boracay. There are ports both in the south of Boracay (Cagban Port) and Caticlan (Jetty Port) to ferry passengers across the Tabon Straight.

Boracay has 12 beaches. White Beach is the most famous with most of Boracay's establishments lined along the 4km long beach and footpath. Bulabog Beach, directly opposite, is the secondary watersports beach and protected by a great reef. There is also the beautiful and undeveloped Puka Shell Beach in the north. The remaining other beaches are either deserted, remote, or have private resorts and villas. You can access nearly all beaches by a series of paved or gravel roads, or by sea.

Getting There

By Air:

Caticlan Airport is a smaller airport 5 minutes from Boracay. There are domestic flights from Manila and Cebu. A motorized trike will take you to the Jetty Port, less than five minutes away. This is definitely the preferred airport for ease and convenience. Due to the small size of the runway, smaller turboprop airplanes are used. As of March 2013 and are the only airlines using Caticlan.

Kalibo Airport is a larger airport 90 minutes from Boracay. Kalibo airport that has some international flights, and accommodates larger jet airplanes. There are vans and busses outside the airport. Prices fluctuate. As of March 2013:

By Plane

The most popular means of travelling to boracay in Malay, Aklan is by air via Kalibo. There are regular cheap flights from Manila to Kalibo Airport in Aklan on Panay Island. The flight takes less than one hour, but an additional 90 minutes bus trip to Caticlan Jetty Port is required.

From Kalibo to Caticlan
Southwest Tours, Star Express and 7107 Island Tours ply the route from Kalibo Airport to Caticlanwith air-conditioned buses or coasters. Included in the price is also the boat transfer from Caticlan to one of Boracay's boat stations. Other means of reaching Caticlan are mini-vans, which are a little cheaper, but don't provide boat service to Boracay. The trip takes 1 to 1.5 hours.

Smaller turbo planes fly directly to Caticlan Airport, This is the fastest way and fromCaticlan Airport, only a short tricycle ride to the jetty port.

BY BOAT -> ( http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g294260-i6038-k5129103-Manila_Batangas_to_Caticlan_Boracay_by_ferry_from_460php-Boracay_Visayas.html )

By Land:

The Strong Nautical Highway is a both an overland route and a series of Roll-on/Roll-off ferries. The trip is 16-20 hours with stopovers and dependant on sea conditions. It's locally known as the RORO Boracay route. (A/C bus 1500 PhP)

LAND Manila -> Cubao | 2 hours
LAND Cubao -> Batangas | 3-4 hours
SEA Batangas -> Calapan | 2-3 hours
LAND Calapan -> Roxas | 2-3 hours
SEA Roxas -> Caticlan | 4-5 hours

Getting In

1. Caticlan Airport to Caticlan Port - After getting out of the small airport, there will be a line up of Motor Tricycles. The ride costs 50 PhP per trike for the five-minute trip to the port.

2. Caticlan Port to Boracay Port - The Jetty Port has Bangka pump boats that ferry between the Caticlan mainland and Boracay Island from 5:00 in the morning to 9:00 in the evening. Flights are now coming into Kalibo all night, so the Bangkas are running all night. You may need to charter a Bangka for 1000 PhP (nighttime) . The Bangka trip is 30 PhP, however non-residents also pay a 100 PhP environmental fee, and a 100 PhP Terminal fee. You need to purchase these tickets outside the Jetty Port before you enter. The trip from mainland to the island is 10 minutes. If you have heavy luggage, there are porters to assist you at 20 PhP per item tip.

3. Boracay Port to White Beach - Depending on the season, you will arrive at one of two Boracay Ports - Cagban Port in the High Season and Tambisaan Port in the Low Season. In low season you will likely get your shoes wet. The distance from either port to White Beach is about ten minutes. There will be a long line of Motortrikes to take you from the port to White Beach. This trip is 100 PhP per trike, more if you look like a foreigner. Agree to the price ahead of time. The trikes are now displaying price sheets.

4. White Beach - The Motortrikes cannot go to the actual beach, but will leave you on the Main Road with a path that leads down to White Beach. You will likely need to walk down the path from the main road. The Motortrike drivers should know the right place to drop you off. Call our office if you aren't sure. We can help.

By Ship
An adventorous but more leisurely and romantic way to travel to Boracay is by Ferry from Manila to Caticlan or Dumaguit, near Kalibo. The trip to Boracay takes about 17 hours.

MBRS Shipping Lines have two boats plying the route from Manila to Caticlan. The ships leave Manila's North Harbor, Pier 8, every Friday, Monday and Wednesday and arrive in Caticlan the next day.

Other shipping companies service the route Manila to Dumaguit, half an hour east from Kalibo. The companies are WG&A and Negros Navigation.

By Land

Arriving on Boracay - The new Jetty Port at CaticlanBoracay Island itself is then reached by travelling on motorized bancas (motorized outtrigger boats), which is continously ply the short trail between the island. The boat trip takes 20 to 25 minutes and land at three defined areas, known as Boat Stations 1,2 and 3 along the shoreline of White Beach. If you're going to visit Boracay, it is advisable that you find out in advance which Boat Station is closest to the resort where you are staying. Most travel agency can arranged that for you.

TIP: it is best to wear casual clothes like shorts, T-shirt and slippers for arrival and departure boat trips. You may get wet while crossing the channel between Caticlan and Boracay Island, and usually one has to wade a short distance in shallow water from the boat to the beach.

Getting Around

From Caticlan Port, you will take the banca (pumpboat:photo left) to Boracay Island Port (Cagban Beach). This is a 10 minute boat trip, and boats depart frequently in both directions all day. When you arrive in Boracay, you will need to take a motortrike from Cagban to White Beach (ten minutes/125 PHP).You will get dropped off on the main road, and make your way to White Beach. The whole trip from the mainland to your resort should be less than an hour, and the route is very standard. Just follow the tourists. There are plenty of porters to help you with heavy baggage (20 PHP per piece)

Most visitors to Boracay stay on the White Beach on the footpath and travel by foot. It's an hour and a half walk from one end of the beach to the other. Motor vehicles are not allowed on the footpath and beach. There are motorbikes with sidecars (trike:photo left) on the main road running parallel to White Beach. The fare between boat stations is 10 PHP. You can also hire a trike and driver to take you around the island for 200 PHP/Hour. This is a good way to visit other beaches such as Puka Shell Beach, or the highest point on Boracay, Mt. Luho View Point. You can also rent a motorcycle from the vendors on White Beach, however they are quite expensive. Wear a helmet and go slow. Most hotels these days have air conditioned vans to service their guests.

Upon arrival at Boracay port, we were approached by a local lady asking us if we had already reserved a room to stay in the island. Normally, I would say yes, just so agents would stop bothering us and leave us alone immediately. But the lady seemed very nice and she mentioned that she was just there to help tourists to find a place to stay at no extra charge. So I told her, we planned to stay at Station 2 and we wanted to check out the rooms at Tan’s Guesthouse. She offered to take us there. Since I only have a few information on finding the guesthouse, I thought it would be best to have someone who knows the way to accompany us. This would save us time.
And if you just ask you will find more cheap guesthouse in boracay ...

Top Ten Things To Do In Boracay

THINGS TO DO IN BORACAY based on what we did on our trip (and a few things from my previous visits) to help you out for your own Boracay itinerary, especially for first timers and those traveling with family:

1. Have fun with water sports
Boracay has so many water sport activities, from the cheap banana boat to parasailing, snorkeling, and diving. So many local guys are lined up along the beach and lurking outside hotels to offer all sorts of water sports for tourists.

My favorite water sport in Boracay is the Flyfish, where you get on an inflatable ride then hold on for dear life as you get dragged along by a speedboat (and where the ride will literally make you fly off the water, depending on your appetite for speed). Best thrill ride on water. EVER. Tried this for the first time in 2008 then went on again in 2012 and it's still as fun as ever.

With the Flyfish costing at just P150-P200 per person (you can bargain away the price and they usually give big discounts for locals/Filipinos), the ride is really a deal. The jumping off point for the watersports activities is at the Station 2 area.

2. Go Helmet Diving/ Reef Walking

With my family, I was finally able to experience helmet diving off the coast of Boracay. Originally priced at P450, I was able to haggle this for just P150/person (and our contact even admitted that they offer this for the shameless price of P4000/pax for Japanese tourists!).

For just the P150, you go on a boat ride to a floating "house" just a few minutes from the beach, which houses all their equipment (complete with a desktop computer, where they transfer all you underwater pics on to a CD---and that's already included in the price). Then you get a briefing on how to "breathe" or equalize under water. Be sure to listen to the orientation as you might have a hard time underwater if you don't equalize.

The whole experience is very cheap, relatively safe, and altogether a quite extraordinary experience. You get to feed the fish underwater and get great photo ops, and be able to experience the feeling of being inside a giant aquarium. And did I say already that this was just for P150? :)

3. Go on a Paraw Sunset Cruise

The paraw is Boracay's local sailboat and along with the island's world-famous sunset, the paraw is part of Boracay's quintessential landmark/seascape. W you could only see blue and white sails on the paraws but now, during the summer months and with the increasing commercialization in the island, you can see the sails decorated with ads and brands.

The ride itself is both relaxing and exhilarating. You will marvel at the skill of the paraw captain as he maneuvers the boat without any motors, using only the sails and the winds. These paraw boats are scattered all over White Beach and you can bargain with the boatmen on the price (30 minutes on the paraw is good enough so you can get a lower price if you don't go on a full 1 hour ride).

4. Learn Skimboarding & Bodyboarding

Up and down White Beach, there are local boys offering to teach beachgoers how to bodyboard (especially nice during the habagat season) and to skimboard.

I enjoyed bodyboarding but skimboarding is more challenging as it takes lots of balance and timing. But they're both great to try out in the endless beaches of Boracay. Prices for these lessons are negotiable, and can also come in 1 hour or 30-minute rates.

5. Shop and Eat in D'Mall
D'Mall is an area in Station 2 of White Beach composed of shops and restaurants, and is really the central place in Boracay for shopping and fast food.

Our family tried the pizza in Aria, a Boracay-based resto that's now in Manila.

Other must-try food in D'Mall area are the ribs of Gasthof restaurant and the calamansi muffins from Real Coffee.

Great finds: wooden bracelets at D'Mall

6. Paluto in D'Talipapa
D'Talipapa is an area along Boracay's White Beach near Station 3 where there are more shops (cheaper than those in D'Mall) and more importantly, there's a wet market and nearby restaurants where you can have the fresh food you bought cooked, which they call "paluto".

There's a lot of fresh fish, seafood, and fruits in the talipapa.

We bought fish and pork in the market then had them cooked in this resto:

7. Jonah's Shakes

Jonah's Fruitshake (Station 1) definitely has the best shakes in Boracay and has already become a Boracay institution. No trip to Boracay is quite complete for me without ordering at least one of their fruit + milk combination shake.

8. Seaside Buffet for Dinner
A lot of Boracay's restaurants have nice set-ups for dinner by the beach (especially those along Station 2). There's a variety of selections for buffet, with prices ranging from P300-P600/person.

For seafood buffet dinner, try Paradiso or Paraiso grill (they're almost next to each other along Station 2). If you're not in the mood for buffet, other standout restos in Boracay: Spanish food in Dos Mestizos(Station 3), the Mongolian barbecue buffet in Seawind Resort (Station 1), the pizza in Don Vito Ristorante Italiano (at Boracay Mandarin hotel in Station 2), and the baby back ribs of Hawaiian Bar-B-Que (Station 2).

9. Enjoy the Boracay Nightlife
While the what-happens-in-Boracay-stays-in-Boracay parties may be best left to the youngsters, it doesn't mean that families can't enjoy what Boracay's nightlife has to offer. There will always be the super long happy-hour cocktails and the ubiquitous Boracay fire dancers, which can be enjoyed by kids of all ages ;).

10. Lounge Around, Marvel at the Boracay Sunset, and Take Nothing But Pictures

11. Ride the Zorb in boracay

Get a massage.

Back on the White Beach, lounge on a massage table and let experienced hands knead and stroke your muscles till all your stress melts away. There are quite a handful of by-the-beach massage spas you can choose from, which go for about P300 on average.

Ease away muscle tension with a massage by the beach.

Dive off a cliff.

Ariel's Point is located at a fishing town called Buruanga, thirty minutes away on boat from the White Beach. There are five different levels for cliff diving! Gather your courage, fly into the air, and plummet into blue green waters. Swim back up for barbecue and beer.