About Boracay

BORACAY: SHORT DESCRIPTION

Boracay is a part of Aklan province in the island of Panay about 315 km from Manila (about 40 minutes by airplane). In 1212, the first settlers in the Philippines came into this island that is why Aklan is considered the oldest province in the Philippines. These early settlers were tribal men from Africa called “Atis” or “Negritos”, under the leadership of their king Marikudo. Soon after, 10 groups of migrating Borneans under the leadership of their chieftains also settled into this island. When the Atis came and saw the powdery white sand of the island, they called the place “boray” meaning white bubbles. Hence came the name Boracay.

Before, Boracay was quite a secret place that only very few knew of its existence. Then in 1970 a German traveler “Jens Peter” accidentally discovered the island. He was very much captivated by the island’s natural beauty, which he described in his book as “paradise on earth”. Soon after, Boracay continued to captivate hearts of a wide variety of travelers. In 1990, it was voted by the BMW Tropical Beach Handbook as one of the best beaches in the world and again in 1996 by British publication TV Quick as the world’s number one tropical beach. In 2007, Boracay island topped the list of the World’s Most Popular Beach according to Yahoo! Travel.

Today, Boracay is hailed as one of the finest beaches in the world because of its white, talcum-fine beach, balmy weather and warm crystalline waters. The powdery white sandy beaches stretch up to 4 km and is composed of different beaches such as White Beach where most of the finest hotels and resorts in the Philippines are located and is preferred by tourists who love to sunbathe or stroll in a peaceful ambiance; Bulabog Beach which is preferred by most kite-boarders due to big waves and strong wind; Puka Beach and Ilig-iligan Beach which are preferred by tourists who require solitude and quiet vacation.

Boracay is a small haven for your dream vacation! There are a wide variety of hotels in the island that you could choose from 5 star hotels to cottages and apartments appropriate for every tourist. The island also offers activities for active leisure from water sports to diving. Most of the basic services can be found in D’mall on White Beach such as souvenir shops, markets, banks, money changers, coffee shops and restaurants. Boracay is also known for night life, pubs and bars which are usually open the whole night! 

GEOGRAPHY AND WEATHER

Geography

Boracay is located in the province of Aklan. Aklan is part of the group of islands called Panay. This is in the central part of the Philippines called Visayas. On a bird’s eye view, Boracay is like a butterfly which is 7 km in length and about 1 kilometer in width. White Beach and Bulabog beach are located on the opposite sides of the island and are the most popular among the tourists.

The small island of Boracay is located about 2 km (10 minutes by boat) from Caticlan where the nearest airport is located. Boracay is divided into 3 main parts called stations: Yapak on the north (Station 1), Balabag on the center (Station 2) and Manoc-manoc on the south (Station 3). Station 1 offers the finest and luxury hotels in the island. If you want white sandy beach, 4-5 star hotel, quiet ambiance but a few minute walk to the central part, then we recommend that you pick a hotel from this station. Station 2 offers all the basic services that a tourist may need from restaurants, souvenir shops, supermarket, ATM machine and many more. The central part of Boracay called D’mall is also located in this area. If you want white sandy beach, good hotel, near with all the basic services, bars and restaurants then this is the perfect place for you to choose a hotel. Station 3 offers a wide variety of hotels from 3-4 stars resorts to budget-type apartments and cottages. Most tourists who stay in this area come in big groups or families. If you want white sandy beach and affordable accommodation then we recommend this station.

There is a central sea port in Cagban which is located in the southern part of the island. There are 12 beaches in Boracay. Among them, the popular are: White beach where most of the hotels, restaurants, sunbathing and footpath areas are located; Bulabog Beach which is popular for water sports, diving, kite-boarding and is surrounded by beautiful coral reefs; Puka Beach which is located on the northern part of the island. In comparison with the rest of the beaches, Puka Beach offers privacy and solitude where private villas and hotels are located. All of these beaches are accessible either by walking along the beach, by boat or by riding the basic land transportation in the island – the tricycle.

Weather

Basically the weather all year round is hot and humid. But since the island is surrounded by seas and small islets, the climate could vary considerably compared with other surrounding islands. Mostly there are two major seasons:

Dry season: From December to June, temperature ranges from 25-32^oC, no heavy rains, consistent dry winds blowing, especially from December to January making it suitable months for surfing and kite-boarding. However, since Boracay is in the tropics rain can fall from time to time usually as a nice afternoon shower to cool you down and wash the dust away, more relieving than anything else.

Basically during dry season you will encounter two distinct differences. December to February is generally cool and dry. January is the coolest month of the year that means an average of 25^oC, which is really quite nice.

March to June is hot and dry. May is the hottest month of the year, with temperature ranging from 30-38^oC.

Is this a good time to visit? You bet it is, basically the Philippine climate is the best during the months of December to May.

Tourists’ arrivals usually take its peak on these months especially December and January during Christmas and New Year, then April during the Holy Week. If you are planning to visit the island during these peak seasons, we recommend that you book your hotel and local air-tickets 4-5 months before your arrival date.  

Wet Season: From July to November. July is usually when the monsoon rains come. Typhoons usually also come from July to mid September. If you are travelling to Boracay during these months expect rain and cloud cover from time to time. A typical rainy day in Boracay is characterized by a few-hour-combination of sun, rain and clouds.

Typhoons usually take half to 1 day to pass or cross the country. During this time expect 2-4 days of intermittent rains. One of the good aspects of travel during the wet season is the cloud cover. I know you want the sun, but don't forget that the sun can be pretty unforgiving in the tropics and after half an hour of unprotected sun exposure you could get burnt red like a cooked lobster. The clouds can be your friend, shielding you from the harshest direct sun and also providing cooler temperatures. Also these months are considered lean season for tourists so the resorts will be quieter and cheaper and that has to be good!

The down side of course is the rain and the odd storm, but typical of tropical climates, the afternoon showers are a relief and something to look forward to. There is nothing better than having a cool drink overlooking the deep blue of the ocean watching the storm build and break and then disappear, it is better than watching the next blockbuster at the cinema.

You can check live weather in Boracay at http://www.earthcam.com/world/philippines/boracay/

GETTING THERE

By Air:

From Manila or Cebu, there are domestic flights (approximately 1 hour travel time) going to Caticlan Airport which is a small airport 10 minutes away by boat from Boracay. Generally, local airline companies give a 10 kg free allowable baggage to passengers arriving and departing via Caticlan airport. Tourists usually prefer this airport because it is the nearest to Boracay.

Basically, the route will be like this:

From point of origin (Manila/Cebu) to Caticlan airport = 1 hour by airplane

From Caticlan airport to Caticlan jetty port = 3-5 minutes by local transportation

From  Caticlan jetty port to Boracay’s Cagban port = 8-10 minutes by boat

From Cagban port to hotel = 15-30 minutes depending on hotel’s location

Kalibo Airport is a larger airport 2 hours away from Boracay by car. Aside from domestic flights, this airport has also some international flights from Incheon, Hongkong, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Taiwan and Beijing. Domestic flights allot 15 kg free allowable baggage to passengers. Tourists usually choose this airport because of the direct flights from China and Korea, therefore saving money and time instead of arriving and staying overnight in Manila. The price of domestic air-tickets via Kalibo is also cheaper than via Caticlan especially during peak season.

Basically, the route will be like this:

From Manila to Kalibo airport = 1 hour by airplane

From Kalibo airport to Caticlan Jetty port = 2 hours by car

From  Caticlan jetty port to Boracay’s Cagban port = 8-10 minutes by boat

From Cagban port to hotel = 15-30 minutes depending on hotel’s location

Airport Transfers: For your convenience, we organize airport-hotel-airport transfers which include van or bus, boat, environmental fees and porter. If you need, we could also additionally provide you with guides fluent in Russian/Mandarin/Cantonese/Japanese during transfers. We could also help you book domestic air-tickets, just email us the following: arrival and departure dates or details, place of origin and destination, names of passengers, indicate birthdates for infants 2 years and younger.  To book for transfer, call us at +63.920.969.2788 or email us at boracay_traveltours@yahoo.com

By Land and sea:

Caticlan jetty port has ferries that travel from Caticlan to Batangas port and vice versa. Batangas port is located 3 hours by car from Manila. These ferries could also accommodate passenger buses from Caticlan to Manila or vice versa in a series of sea and land route passing several islands. There are buses in Manila (Cubao Bus Terminal) which travel to Caticlan. Travel time is about 8-16 hours depending on type of ferries and weather condition.

GETTING AROUND

There following transportation could help you get in and around Boracay:

1. Tricycle (three-wheeled motorcycles) – This is the most common public transportation in the island. There are tricycle terminals at the Caticlan airport, Cagban seaport, and each station in the main road of Boracay. Minimum fare between each station for individuals riding with other passengers is 10 pesos, if chartered – 60 pesos, fare from Cagban port to hotels located in stations 1,2&3 is 15-20 pesos if individual and 100-150 for chartered depending on hotel’s location. Tricycles are not allowed on the beach, so if your hotel is not along the main road, the driver will drop you off on the road nearest to the path leading to your hotel.  

2. Hotel’s shuttle service – some big hotels located far from the centre (D’mall) have free shuttle services and pick-up in-house guests from hotel to D’mall and vice versa. Just inquire from the reception about the schedule. 

3. Bicycles for rent – There are bicycles for rent in D’mall.

4. Motorcycles for rent – There are motorcycles for rent in front of Lake Town near D’mall. Be sure to wear helmet and bring any identification card for possible checking by the traffic enforcers on the road.

5. ATV or buggy – All terrain vehicles and buggies are only allowed from station 1 to Yapak area. They are not allowed on station 2 since this is the central part and is frequented by most tourists. We organize sight-seeing tour on ATV or buggy, just click “Activities” for details.

6. Outrigger boats – you could rent a boat to see the surrounding small islands and beaches in Boracay. We organize island hopping tours around Boracay on outrigger boats, just click “Activities” for details.

7. Sail boats “Paraw” – these are native canoe-like boats and you could find them along station 1 in White beach.

MONEY

The currency is Philippine peso. (See current dollar-peso rate: http://themoneyconverter.com/USD/PHP.aspx) There are many money changers along White Beach and D’mall. You can also change money in banks and hotels. Most of the accepted currencies are US dollar, euro, Japanese yen, British pound and Chinese yuan. There are also Automatic Teller Machines for cards like as Visa, Mastercard and American Express. If you ran out of cash, big hotels and restaurants accept credit cards as payment however souvenir shops, grocery stores, markets and other basic establishments accept only peso. Personal cheques are not accepted, but traveler’s cheques could be changed in banks.

SHOPPING

There are souvenir shops along White Beach and D’mall. Some of the popular items which tourists buy are pearls, personalized T-shirts, key chains, mugs, organic soaps, virgin coconut oil, coconut pie, dried mangoes, native coffee, table cloths and clothes made of pineapple, native bags, Philippine rum and sweet delicacies.  There are also markets called “Talipapa” (all 3 of them) where you could buy not only cheap souvenir items but fresh fisherman’s catch as well like fish, lobsters, crabs and shellfish. There are lots of local restaurants in the D’Talipapa (located along main road near Boracay Regency Hotel) where you could bring the seafood and they will cook it for you home-style.

Generally, you can buy or bring with you any souvenir from Boracay, except big natural shells and white sand because these things are strictly confiscated at the airport. 

COMMUNICATION

The most reliable cellular phone service providers are SMART and GLOBE. Tourists can purchase local SIM cards with telephone numbers and loads (user minutes) in many kiosks and phone stores in the island. The price for SIM card is less than 100 pesos, while the price of the load will depend on how many minutes you want to call. Generally, to send a text message within the Philippines costs only 1 peso per message, to abroad is 15 pesos. Call rate is 10 pesos per minute for local call and about 30 pesos for international call. The country code of the Philippines is +63.

There are also internet cafes in D’mall area. Most hotels have Wi-Fi access, and so are in some restaurants and bars.

There is a post office in the tourist center along White Beach and also in Balabag Plaza in Station 1 in front of Willy’s Beach Hotel.

For your shipping needs, there are couriers such as DHL, LBC, FedEx and Air 21 in Boracay.

          

VISA EXTENSIONS

Tourists can extend their visas at the Bureau of Immigration office, which is located in Nirvana Hotel, Station 2, along main road. The price depends on the desired length of stay. The requirements for visa extension are filled-out application form and photocopies of your passport. They are accepting applications on Tuesdays and Fridays.