Island Hopping

Boracay is a top destination in the Philippines. This island became famous in the seventies and it is still one of the best places in the Philippines. Previous inhabitants of the islands were the aetas who made a living out of fishing in the island. Some women made handicrafts. The island became famous because of a German tourist who featured it in his best selling book for tourists.

You can reach Boracay by riding a local airline for an estimated six thousand Pesos for a roundtrip flight. If you are in a budget you can ride the local Roro which is a big barge that travels from Batangas to Katiklan. The airport is found in Katiklan and from there you will take a banca ride to the island. There are several hotels in the island. During the lean or rainy season you can have a room for as low as one thousand pesos while on the peak season most rooms can reach up to three thousand pesos. There are many bars and restaurants in Boracay and you can have a budget of one thousand five hundred pesos for three days of stay.

A vacation in Boracay is not complete if you don’t do island hopping. In Boracay there are several boatmen who will walk up to you and offer the island tour adventure. Others offer boat rides with glass bottom, banana boats and para-sailing. Some boatmen would give in to other requests like an extra tour of another island. It is best to island hop in the beginning of the day like seven in the morning which means that in one of your stops you can have your lunch. Some tourist packages include this adventure already so before you book your accommodations you can ask for this with your travel agent.

Your island hopping adventure typically starts at the Crystal cave where you can snorkel in the island called crocodile. Some people bring bread so the fish would come to them so they can enjoy the snorkeling better. There are times when there are less corals to see because of a recent typhoon. Check the current first before going out of the boat to snorkel. Then the boatmen will take you to a cave known as the bat cave. You can explore the cave as well as the sea. You can swim around the area or snorkel too. You can see several kinds of sea animals like starfish, fishes and sea urchins. You can even find a clownfish once in a while. There are several corals in the area as well.

After all the snorkeling and swimming you can get hungry since by that time it will be lunch time. Many boatmen would suggest the Puka beach. The beach is typically quiet and there are no restaurants in the area. It got its name from the puka shells that are typically found in that beach. There are many vendors of the puka jewelries as well. The necklaces or bracelets are made by the local people living there.

Many tourists like buying them as souvenirs to take home. You can have a small picnic in the beach and you can also swim afterwards. Some puka jewelries in the island are cheaper than those found in the resort areas. It is highly suggested that you haggle with the seller especially if you are planning to buy a lot of them. This is where the island hopping adventure usually ends and the boatman would take you back to your resort or hotel.