Boracay – Philippines – Around The Island By Foot

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MARCH 2016:


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INTRODUCTION:

I was staying on White Beach Station 3 in Boracay Island for 5 weeks.

I wanted to see the rest of the island to see what else it had to offer…

BY FOOT:

The cost of a scooter in Boracay is a ridiculous PHP2000 / day.

You can take Tribikes to different places at PHP10 / kilometre (shared) or look to charter a Tribike for a day (which wouldn’t be cheap).

Boracay Island is only 10 square kilometres. So, I decided to walk it over 3 days: The South, The East, and The North.Boracay Walking Map

I like walking, and it gives me something to do (I am in Boracay for 5 weeks! I have plenty of time).

THE SOUTH:

There is no need to say any more about White Beach; it is a beautiful beach.

The southern end of White Beach (Station 3) is (IMHO) the best.

When the beach runs out, you can take a dirt path up to the main road.

The main road, itself, is just your normal ‘unkempt’ Philippines road.

You can’t cut back to the west coast down any of the paths / roads. This is private property and you will be stopped by a security guard.

THE PORT JETTY:

So, from White Beach, there is nothing of note until you get to the Port Jetty.

The Jetty has nice views out across the straight to Panay Island but, otherwise, it is just an ‘unkempt’ Jetty area.

Just north of the Jetty there is a beach but it is for industrial use with cargo stockpiled and cargo being ferried between boats and trucks.

THE SOUTHEAST COASTLINE:

As you head north, you can take a dirt track up over the hill past a smelly garbage dump area.

This will drop you down to a small fishing village on a small beach.

It was nice to see children playing in the water but, otherwise, not worth a trip.

TAMBISAAN BEACH:

You continue on and hug the coast to reach Tambisaan Beach. On the way I stopped to have a few games of ’61’ with some locals; which was a bit of fun.

Tambisaan Beach is a nice beach with 2-3 resorts: 1 of these resorts looked very upmarket but the other 2 looked like they could be reasonably priced: they may be worth a look if you are interested.

The wind on this coast is stronger than on the west coast; this kicks up the seas and offers good wind-based watersports.

During the day, the beach can be busy with tourist boats coming and going to places like Crocodile Island and Panay; which means that it isn’t that peaceful and that swimming can be interrupted.

Heading back along the Tambisaan Jetty Port Road I was called in by another group of Filipinos playing 6-Card: PHP20 per game. I played for a while and had some more fun for an hour. I left PHP40 down.

Contrary to the map, the road does join up with the main road. Again, it is just a normal ‘unkempt’ road and not very picturesque. I headed home.

The walk took about 5 hours including my pool stops.

IN CONCLUSION:

Tambisaan Beach was the only worth-while destination in the South.

The South of Boracay offers little of the beauty found on Tablas Island and Carabao Island.

The most enjoyable thing about this walk was meeting with and spending time with the local pool players.

It seems that the farther away you get from White Beach (and the other main tourist spots)… the friendlier people get.

THE EAST:

I started by heading south along the main road and, then, I cut across to Sagod Lagoon.

SAGOD LAGOON:

Sagod Lagoon was such a shame.

There are a couple of resorts there. Another has been left half built. Some locals were building a boat.

It is a beautiful lagoon – but the area, the beach, and the waters are riddled with rubbish. With a bit of effort, it could be so much better.

LIGUTAN BEACH:

You cannot walk along the beachfront, you need to double back and, then, head north to Ligutan Beach.

Ligutan is a nice ‘hide-away’ with one up-market resort and a couple of budget resorts.

For those seeking some peace and quiet, Ligutan Beach is worth a look.

MANGROVES:

As you head further north you pass a nice bay at the end of Ambulong Road before you cross a small bridge next to the Firehub Bar.

The bay is being planted with Mangrove Trees. I noted some nice housing on the southern hills; long-term stayers may want to check this area out for rental properties. I believe that these are (or are in the area of) the Monaco Suites de Boracay.

For those who like a drink or two, the Firehub has an ‘all you can drink’ beer night on Tuesdays between 6pm and 9pm for PHP250.

BULABOG BEACH:

There is nothing of note from there until you hit Bulabog Beach. Bulabog Beach is the main tourist alternative to White Beach. And, it was algae-free when I was there.

The beach is good. This is where most tourists come for wind-based watersports like kite surfing.

You will find a wide selection of resorts along the beachfront; there should be one to suit every budget. My friend on Carabao Island (Rolando) said that he had friends here and that you can get a decent room for as little as PHP500 / night in a Filipino homestay away from the beachfront.

Prices looked reasonable too with somewhere like Wolf’s Bar doing PHP40 San Miguels in their All Day Happy Hour.

MOUNT LUHO ROAD:

Continue north along Mount Luho Road and you climb up into the start of the northern hills.

This is the most scenic part of Boracay that I have found so far with picturesque views out across the waters and into small bays and beaches.

Long-term renters may want to check this area out; there are several accommodation options along this road.

The road finally drops down to a theme park. From there, I cut back across country to the west coast and headed for home.

CONCLUSION:

The east coast offers GRANDPAckers some options.

Ligutan Beach and Bulabog Beach offer short-term and long-term stay options.

Long-term stayers should definitely check out the area around the Monaco Suites de Boracay and the Mount Luho Road just north of Bulabog Beach.

THE NORTH:

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CONCLUSION:

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