Boracay is a tropical island about an hour’s flight from Manila in the Philippines. Its long white sand beaches rival the best beaches of more popular destinations such as the Caribbean, the South Pacific as well as neighbouring Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. Facilities are available to suit different levels of activity. For those wanting to just lounge around and take in some rays, beach-front hotels usually have lounge chairs set up just a few steps away from the hotel entrances. Facilities for the usual water sports activities such as sailing, wind surfing, snorkeling, diving and jet skiing are also widely available for those in search of more active pursuits.
The fun in Boracay also doesn’t end when the sun sets. Boracay nightlife is pulsating with many bars and restaurants serving food, drink and fun until the very late evening.
How to get to Boracay?
Whether you go by plane or by boat, the port of entry for Boracay Island is the small town of Caticlan on the mainland. Outrigger boats or “bancas” leave every few minutes from Caticlan’s jetty port. The short boat trip to Boracay’s jetty port at Cagban cost 20 Pesos. Tourists have to pay a terminal fee of 50 Pesos and an environmental fee of 50 pesos. Tricycles are available at Cagban to bring passengers to their hotels. Tricycle fare is from P20 per pax up to P150 per trip depending where your resort is.
By air: Boracay is accessible by air from Manila or Cebu through two principal gateways: Caticlan aiport or Kalibo airport. Currently, there is no direct flight going to the island of Boracay. The quickest way to get to Boracay is via Caticlan on board Cebu Pacific Air, Asian Spirit, Interisland Airlines, and Sea Air. You can also take a flight to Kalibo via Philippine Airlines. From Kalibo, you can take a bus or shuttle to Caticlan.
By sea: Another way to go there is via Negros Navigation, which offers direct 14-16 hour trips from Manila to Caticlan. It is recommended that you take the night trip so you will be able to arrive in Boracay early the next morning. When you arrive there, you would have to take a ferry boat.
By Roll-on Roll-off (RORO): The cheapest way to go to Boracay is via the RORO. It is a four-part travel: a two-hour bus ride from Cubao to Batangas Port; 2-3 hours RORO vessel trip to Calapan, Mindoro; 2-3 hours land travel to Roxas Port in Mindoro; and the last stretch is the 4-5 hours RORO to Caticlan Port. Traveling via RORO does come cheap but it is also the most tiresome way to go to Boracay. The series of short trips will only weary down the tourist before he/she can even reach the island
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Things You Need To Know
Main Tourist Spots: Boracay has two primary tourism beaches on opposite sides of the island: White Beach on the west and Bulabog Beach on the east. White Beach is the main tourism beach. It spans four kilometers long and is literally lined with resorts, hotels, lodging houses, restaurants, and other tourism-related businesses. Bulabog Beach is a secondary tourism beach and Boracay’s main windsurfing and kiteboarding area.
Places of interest in Boracay
White Beach - This is what most people are here for. Not only is it a lovely stretch of powdery white sand against azure water, it’s also the commercial center of the island. The long beach is divided into three sections, Station 1, Station 2, and Station 3. The widest beach front area is located at Station 1 where prime hotels and resorts are located. Although accommodations may be pricier, visitors can expect a more relaxing environment. A stretched grove of shady palm trees separates the beach from the line of restaurants, cafes, bars, internet cafes, shops, bakeries, etc. There is lots of room to stretch out on the beach with your sarong or you can rent a reclining chair from one of the vendors where they will be happy to keep you filled with food and drinks. Most people opt for the shade and tend to hang out under the palm trees.
Puka Beach - A quiet stretch of white sand along the northern tip of the island, Puka Beach is an image of what most people expect on a tropical island: white sand, azure water, and relatively empty. This is where locals gather the small puka shells for some of the jewelry that is sold on the island so expect the sand to be more coarse than on White Beach. The water tends to be a little rougher on this side of the island but it is much quieter. Similarly, there are fewer services — there are only a couple of restaurants, but you likely won’t have a problem getting a cold drink or an ice cream as there are a few vendors that patrol the beach. The main road in Boracay terminates at Puka Beach therefore you’ll be able to hire a tricycle to get there in less than 10-15 minutes from central White Beach. Make sure you arrange a pickup if it is a quiet day and no tricycles are hanging around the beach. Most people experience Puka as one of their sailboat or banca stops during a day trip. This is a good spot for a picnic, but be sure to bring your trash home with you.
Baling Hai Beach - This is a quiet little cove just north of Diniwid Beach, where you can enjoy swimming, snorkeling and dining in a relaxed, peaceful environment. There are some fantastic views from the clifftop restaurant. Baling Hai is often included as a stop-off on an island boat tour.
The Bat Cave. - One will see in several tour guides and maps of Boracay something called the Bat Cave, which houses many small insectivorous bats (the larger fruit bats roost in the trees on the hillside above Punta Bunga Beach), and locals will be more than happy to accompany you there for a fee, or “tip”. The cave is on the western-end of the island and down several dirt roads. The guide will then take you on a short hike through the forest to the mouth of a cave, which drops down at a very steep angle. The mouth of the cave is littered with large boulders, and is extremely difficult to enter and walk down. There is no visible path, no handrail, and the stones are extremely slippery with slime and bat guano, as well as extremely dangerous, since the cave is at such an extreme angle. Also, the air inside the cave is very warm and humid, and in addition to the amount of guano, is very difficult to breathe. Caution should be taken by those visiting and entering the cave. There are bats in the cave, but down at the bottom of it in the dark, and unless you have a flashlight or are there at dusk, you won’t see them. The ceiling of the cave is interesting, however, with multiple, small stalactites. Upon leaving, you will be asked for 200-peso entry-fee on behalf of the family that owns the land, in addition to paying your guide.
Boracay Activities
Reef walking
Sport Fishing
Kayaking
Swimming or Wading at the Beach
Massage at Sundown
Windsurfing
A Game of Beach Frisbee
Scuba Diving for the Adventurous
Kitesurfing/Kiteboarding
Paraw Sailing With the Red Pirates
from blog http://www.pinoyislands.com/boracay-travel-guide/
