Besting perennial contenders for the best island award such as Bali in Indonesia and Santorini in Greece, Boracay emerged as the top island destination of choice among respondents who answered a survey to rank their favorite islands according to its activities and sights, the choices in food and its restaurants, natural attractions, the people and of course, according to value, only a year after Boracay came in 4th in the same survey conducted last year. .
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Boracay has long been a favorite destination for tourists around the world because of the powderlike consistency of its white, sandy beaches with White Beach being the most visited and its laidback island vibe. The calm, azure blue waters surrounding the island teem with fish, corals and other forms of colorful marine life and are also ideally suited for a variety of watersports activities including diving and snorkeling, windsurfing, kiteboarding and kitesurfing and a host of other forms of enjoyable actvities you can do on the sandy beaches or the water itself. People can be seen tossing frisbees, playing a spirited game of football, strolling around the beaches and bars and some opting to laze around in hammocks or lounge in chairs under the gently swaying leaves of palm trees which fringe Boracay's many beautiful beaches.
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Getting to Boracay Island |
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With the Philippines being a vast archipelago comprised of many islands, the best option and the fastest way to get to Boracay would be take a short flight on any of the local budget airlines which ply the domestic route from any of the country's major airports, namely: the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila, the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport in Clarkfield, Pampanga, the Mactan International Airport in the island province of Cebu and the Francisco Bangoy International Airport which serves the city of Davao and its surrounding areas in the southern part of the country. The island is served by two airports – the Caticlan Airport (Godofredo P. Ramos Airport) which is for small-bodied aircraft and the Kalibo International Airport which can accommodate larger Boeing 737s and Airbus A319 and A320 planes and a select number of international flight carriers such as China Airlines. Flight going to Boracay are relatively cheap and quite short, with flight times estimated at around 2 hours.
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Once you arrive at Kalibo, you can choose among motorized tricycles, jeepneys, minvans, buses or coasters for hire to take you to the Caticlan Jetty Port where you will take a short boat ride to get to the island itself. The boat ride itself takes around 90 minutes and the waters are usually calm except during the habagat or monsoon season when the seas around Boracay get a bit choppy. The best time to visit is usually during summer months but this is also the time when majority of tourists both foreign and local come to Boracay so its advisable to book your flights and accommodations early to avail of discounts and promos offered by airlines and tourist resort operators in Boracay. |
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Upon arrival in Boracay, it's time to do as the locals do, as transportation in the island usually menas having to take a ride on motorized tricycles which serve as the island's de facto taxicabs and constitute the majority of the island's traffic. Fares usually avarage no less than 2 USD per trip (around 50-100 pesos). There are other options on getting around Boracay and these include renting scooters for a price as well as mountain bikes which are available at most of the resorts in the island. Motorized bancas or outriggers can also be rented from the locals while sailboats are also available for the more affluent.
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