Boracay, Philippines

     

       
Boracay is deemed as one of the most beautiful islands in the Philippines and has marked its way up to be named one of the most sought-after tourist destinations, not only in the country, but in the world.  It is located approximately 315 km south of Manila and thus offers a perfect getaway from the hubbub of the city life.  With its pristine waters and white sand beaches and other stunning vistas, such as the amazing dive sites, Boracay qualifies as the perfect holiday destination.  Various activities like scuba diving, windsurfing, snorkeling, cliff diving, kite-boarding and beach sports activities are what draw tourists to this exceptional tourism site.  People from across the globe come to the place to witness how beautiful this island is.  

Boracay shores are now dotted with various stalls where vendors sell collectible items ranging from necklaces and bracelets made from sea shells, t-shirts with statement about Boracay printed on them, food and sporting equipment.  Most of the Boracay sites captivate and entice tourists from all over the world.  There are a lot of activities to do and places to go in this stunning island – Boracay, Philippines.

    

     White Beach is at the top of the list if we talk about popular beaches in the island.  With its beautiful white sands that contrast the azure waters amidst the expanded blue sky, it is not a wonder why tourists place this spot at the top.  This is also the commercial site of the island with its numerous prime resorts and hotels, restaurants, bars, cafes, shops, bakeries and internet cafes and a lot more. 

      Puka Beach is another popular beach here in the island and won’t be left behind when we talk about amazing tourist attractions.  It also boasts of blue waters, white sands and palm groves.  The name “puka” was derived from puka shells, which are used for fashion accessories and usually line the shorelines of this island.   

     Bat Cave is located in the western part of the island.  It is a unique tourist spot as it houses lots and lots of bats seeking shelter in the cave.  To go to this spot, tourists have to hike through the forest to reach the mouth of the cave.  This tourist spot is more popular to photographers, nature lovers and adventure seekers.  

      Baling Hai Beach is another beautiful and popular beach in Bocaray where tourists can enjoy swimming, snorkeling and dining in a relaxed, peaceful environment. It boasts of a restaurant on top of the cliff that overlooks the whole area and provides visitors an amazing view of the island.

Another tourist attraction in the island is Mount Luho, which is the highest peak in Boracay.  It rises up to an altitude of 100 meters above sea level.  Upon reaching the top, one can have an exhilarating view of the island.  

Come and visit one of the top tourist destinations in the world – Boracay Island!

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Philippines

Philippines, which is officially known as the Republicof the Philippines, is a beautiful country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean.  Taiwan lies to its north across the Luzon Strait and Vietnam lies to its west across the South China Sea.  The country is an archipelago comprising 7, 107 islands and has the 5^th longest coastline in the world.  The islands are categorized mainly into three geographical divisions:  Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.  Manila is its capital city. 

With an estimated number of 92 Million people, the Philippines is the world’s 12^th most populated country in the world.  The country boasts of its diversity in terms of ethnicities and cultures owing to the presence of the numerous tribes in the country.  All year round, the country mostly enjoys a tropical climate which is one of its pride as a beautiful country. 

There are a lot of tourist attractions and destinations scattered around the country, Philippines.  Tourists from all over the world flock to this amazing country to enjoy the sun, the fun, the sights and sounds, the foods and the white sand beaches yet to be discovered.  Vacationers will have the glee of swimming with “butanding” or whale sharks, explore tropical islands, admire mountains, volcanoes and the ancient Banaue Rice Terraces, enjoy world-class beaches and dive sites and venture into rainforests to visit native tribes. 

Filipino People

Filipinos are widely known as being hospitable.  Tourists to the country are greeted with warm smiles and sincere hospitality that is distinct to the Filipinos.  Upon visiting their towns or provinces, vacationers will enjoy the bountiful food and be amazed as they witness elaborate festivities in the country.  Gregarious locals everywhere dispense smiles everywhere they go, a picture of a happy people. 

Transportation

Transportation in the Philippines consists mainly of buses, taxis and jeepneys, which are unique to the Filipinos.  In the provinces, there are also “tricycles,” a motorized ride with a side car wherein only accommodate about 4 to 6 people at the most.  In very remote places or inside the villages, there are means of transportation called “tricicad,” which is a bicycle with a side car which can seat only two people and is driven as though the driver is biking. 

Currency

The unit of currency is the peso, divided into 100 centavos. Banknotes come in denominations of 20, 50, 100, 500 and 1000 pesos. The most common coins are one, five and 10 pesos.

Cash

Emergency cash in US dollars is very helpful in case you get stuck in an area with no working ATM. Other currencies, such as the euro or UK pound, are more difficult in this country.

Credit Cards

Major credit cards are accepted by many hotels, restaurants and businesses. Outside of Manila, businesses tend to charge from 5% to 12% extra for credit card transactions. Most Philippine banks will let you take a cash advance on your card.

Exchanging Money

Moneychangers are much faster than the banks and give a better rate for cash. They prefer US dollars. Ask your hotel front desk to recommend a local moneychanger. In the provinces, hotels will often change money for you.

Come, enjoy and witness the beauty of the country blessed with spectacular mountains, volcanoes, waterfalls, hot springs and cold springs and white sand beaches – The Philippines.  Do not forget that to top this all are the warm and friendly smiles of the Filipino people.  

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Boracay and Its Neighboring Dive Sites

Boracay, one of the famous tourist destinations in the world, is known for its powdery white sands, crystal clear blue waters that contrast the expansive clear blue sky.  Without doubt, Boracay is popular as one of the world’s best as to water activities such as swimming, jet skiing and other water sports.  Scuba diving is also included in the list.  There are at least 12 dive centers doing lucrative business around this island, which offer excellent diving lessons for those who are yet to start to learn the sport and provide dive equipment for the advanced dive enthusiasts. 

There are also several diving sites in the hard to reach locations in the neighboring islands such as Sibuyan Sea, Tablas, Romblon, Semirara Island among others.  Closer to Boracay, there are some first class scuba diving sites catering divers of all levels, that is, from the neophytes to advanced divers.  Some sites are excellent for snorkeling as well.  Some diving sites are between 10 to 18 meters deep and are the favorite dive sites for beginners.  However, advanced divers prefer deep dive sites such as the Friday’s Rock. Here you will find interspersed colorful corals, the variety of which range from soft to hard coral reefs.  A lot of variety of fishes can be found in these dive sites.  These include butterfly fishes, wrasses, damsel fishes, tangs, snappers, stingrays, lion fishes and scorpion fishes.  Most dive masters can take you to the fish feeding station where the fishes swarm around divers expecting to be fed. 

There are two dive sites situated a little northwest of Friday’s Rock named the Shallower Dive and the Deeper Wall.  You drop off to 24 meters then you’ll go deeper to 30 meters and down to 50 meters.  On the Shallower Dive, you will find that the top of the reef is covered with soft corals along with groups of angel fishes and trigger fishes.  Diving on the Deeper Wall, divers will find delightful large gorgonians of all colors as well as big stingrays.  There are also a lot of huge sweet lips, tuna and occasional barracudas and sharks.  

Found in the Southeast of Boracay is the Crocodile Island.  The island is named as such because of its shape which resembles to that of a crocodile.  The Crocodile Island is another popular dive site, but it has strong current owing to its location between Boracay and Panay.  The bottom seabed is about 234 meters at its deepest, but the top of the reef is only about 10 meters.  In this dive site, you can find sweet lips, wrasses, trigger fishes, butterfly fishes and snappers.  There are also pretty blue gorgonians found. Be careful as there are a few sea snakes found in the site. 

Another excellent dive close to Boracay is the Laurel Island.  Caution should be exercised as currents can get very strong here.  Yet, these strong currents encourage corals to open up their orange and yellow polyps to feed microscopic elements.  Big sponges and beautiful large gorgonians are found in this diving site.  

 

At the northern end of Boracay, divers can find Yapak.  This is a deep wall starting around 30 meters and descending beyond 60 meters depth. Currents are tricky in here and the water is usually rough, but for the advanced divers and enthusiasts for big animals, this is the best diving site Boracay has to offer.  Corals of different sizes, shapes and colors abound.  There are various fishes found in this dive site such as the snappers, sweet lips, surgeons, rainbow runners, pennants.  Barracudas, whitetip, manta rays, hammerhead and gray reef sharks are also sighted in this dive site.  This is definitely not a dive for beginners.      

Visit and explore Boracay!  The island is not only known for its excellent white sand beaches, crystal clear blue waters and expansive blue skies, but also is one of the most interesting and the most exciting dive sites in the country and in the world. 

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Ann Cervales, Philippines