PUERTO GALERA: ₱1,000 budget and things to know

Puerto Galera, panoramic view

The famed Puerto Galera in Mindoro, Philippines- known to be second most popular beach after the internationally acclaimed Boracay and second in amount of foreign and local tourists attracted. Puerto Galera has very fine white sands that are of rather very, very light gray in color. It is a better diving spot than a white beach destination, matter of fact, it is known to be in the coral triangle- rich in thousands of coral species and marine biodiversity. 

 

The backdrop of the beach is a mountain range, green huge mountains. While underwater there are rather countless colorful corals and other marine lifeforms, the trees and skies are dominated by birds. Ever-present Maya birds(Eurasian Tree Sparrows), pigeons, Sunbirds, and Yellow-Vented Bulbuls, White-Breasted Woodswallow, and even a majestic and rare Sea Eagle. 

The beachfront is not lined by hotels and resorts like most other beaches, it is lined by restaurants, stores, and bars. A few steps behind those stores and restaurants are where the hotels and resorts are. So you'll basically be having your meals, your morning coffee, or late night beer by the shore- a very sumptuous experience with nature.

Puerto Galera is not your laid-back beach. There are a lot of tourists all year round, much more during summer. The beach front is mostly lined by restaurants and bars, and in the back of those restaurants are the hotels and inns. There are endless activities to be enjoyed- parasailing, diving, banana boating, jet skiing, volleyball by the shore, watching fire dancers, partying, and the list goes on.

The sands of Puerto Galera are fair and very fine, it would easily be blown by wind and would stick to your skin like powder. The sand is not as fair as Boracay, Calaguas, or Cagbalete. It is very light gray that is fair enough to look white on your pictures. Where the sand and sea water meets, and where the sand is wet, the sand color turns to a dark gray color. Other "true" white beaches retain a white  or creamy white color even when wet, even underwater. There are also a lot of medium to large stones on the shallow part of the waters, which could hurt your feet a bit. It would be recommended to wear water shoes(swimming shoes). On the deeper parts of the water the stones aren't present anymore. The water is very clear, and is not itchy. There are no jellyfish or sea urchin. Puerto Galera is better of a diving spot than a white beach. Local and international tourists flock Puerto Galera for its wondrous underwater life.

While secluded beaches offers utmost serenity, calmness and unification with nature, developed beaches like Puerto Galera offers convenience. There are lots of stores and accommodation to choose from. Forgot your fedora or shades in Manila? Just buy one from the stores around. Picky about your accommodation and wants the finest rooms, or budget conscious and wants to enjoy the beach on a budget? There are lots of accommodation to chose from.

How to go to Puerto Galera:

1. From Metro Manila, ride a bus in Cubao that goes to Batangas Port. The bus fare costs around 165Php and some of the buses that has trips to Batangas port are Jam Liner and ALPS Bus.

2. At Batangas Pier, go to Terminal 3 and get your ferry ticket(pay the environmental fee at the same time). The ticket price is 250php one-way, and there are different trip schedules. Travel time is 45 minutes to 1 hour. When going back from Puerto Galera to Manila, the last boat leaves at 3PM.

Where to stay:

There are accommodations from budget -friendly ones and five star accommodations for the picky vacationers. There are even accommodations that cost less than 1,000Php for two days, one night stay.

You can check out these links or simply go directly to Puerto Galera without booking and there are lots of agents making offers wherein you can bargain with them:

https://www.pgyc.org/puertogalera.php

http://www.puertogalera.org/