Geography

Northwest of Mindoro Island, Philippines is Puerto Galera with its long stretch of beach fronts. Hence, informally, it may be simply stated that Puerto Galera geography is basically seashores and the sea.

Generally, Puerto Galera geography is rugged. It is a mix of rocky and hilly grounds towards its center, criss-crossed by multiple systems of creeks and rivers, and sandy at its side. But less is known about the land form of Puerto Galera than its coasts. At the mention of Puerto Galera in the Philippines, people often think of fascinating beaches.

Puerto Galera is a third class municipality of Oriental Mindoro which is about 3 hours away from Manila, Philippines. Being known for its pristine world-class beaches and rich marine resources, the UNESCO designated the place in 1973 as a Man and Biosphere Reserve because of the unique Puerto Galera geography. Just consider the different and abundant coral reefs prevalent along its coasts.

Beaches and Underwater Geography

But unknown to many, aside from beautiful beaches and wonderful deep sea features, Puerto Galera geography also includes verdant mountain ranges connecting with those in central Mindoro, and which are still largely unexplored. These mountains are habitats for aborigines like the Mangyans and Irayas some of whom have no contact with the outside world yet.

And in the lush forests of Puerto Galera may be found rare and wild tamaraws or water buffalos. The backwoods of Puerto Galera, characterized by hilly portions, is where the Tamaraw Falls is located. It is slowly gaining popularity and mentioned more frequently now once Puerto Galera geography is talked about.

Size

Another aspect of Puerto Galera geography, with its total 247.90 square-kilometer land area, is that it has 13 barangays located mostly on the plains near the coast. The 5 main beach spots, Coco, White, Sabang, Big and Small Lalaguna, and Tamaraw, are located at the northwest tip touching some of these barangays.

The Puerto Galera peninsula, a bit y-shaped, is about 130 kilometers from Manila, Philippines just across the sea from Batangas, about 16 nautical miles from it. It is also some 50 kilometers from Calapan, the capital of Oriental Mindoro. Puerto Galera geography often notes that the main access to the place from Luzon is through the port of Batangas.

Aside from its beaches and dive sites, Puerto Galera geography is made a spectacular tourist attraction by its marvelous bays with their fishing activities from sunrise to sunset. Moreover, the zigzag roads headed inland from the bays are reminiscent of those in Baguio City, Philippines.

To get the most of Puerto Galera geography the next time one explores it, enjoy both its sea and land features.