Puerto Galera Tourist Information

Puerto Galera has been attracting tourists for many years. It is actually a town located at the northeastern section of Mindoro, Philippines. In truth, tourists flock to the neighboring towns of Sabang and White Beach and not to the actual Puerto Galera town.
All of these towns, however, including the actual small town of Puerto Galera are all generally lumped together and referred to as Puerto Galera. Here you will learn what to expect, so you will be able to prepare for your trip.

Hotels and Resorts

You will find many options when it comes to Puerto Galera accommodations. There are different kinds of rooms and huts to fit varying budgets. Prices can actually range from Php300 to Php10,000. Make sure you know what you are looking for in accommodations so you can make the right choice for yourself. For example, does your hotel of choice have a back-up generator in case of power failures because these are fairly common on the island?

Climate

Like the rest of the country, Puerto Galera has a relatively tropical climate. It can be humid, however, on the island. The island’s dry season is actually difficult to pinpoint; however, the island experiences heavy rainfall or typhoons from July to October. Usually, people enjoy a cool climate from November to February while it can be hot from March to June. The island’s temperature is usually above 30 degrees Celsius.

Food

You will find a variety of Filipino dishes being readily served on the island. The choices are practically limitless. Of course, you can also find Western dishes being served in resorts as well. You can even enjoy the occasional hamburger and French fries. You will also enjoy German, Italian, Swiss, Spanish, Italian and Austrian dishes. You will also find Asian delicacies like Chinese and Thai food. Seafood abounds, however, which is normal considering where Puerto Galera is. Food prices on the island are fairly comparable to what you will find in Manila or other places.

Shopping

You really won’t find branded products on the island. You will however find small stores or stalls all over Puerto Galera. These stores generally sell native products or handicrafts. Although you will find an occasional beach stall selling t-shirts or sarongs. Prices vary, however. There are stores that sell souvenir items for as low as Php20.

Places

There are actually many places that you can visit in Puerto Galera. First of all, you can visit White Beach and Sabang Beach. Many people flock to these resorts and beaches for some ocean fun. You can also visit the lush forests of the island and check out the water falls. The island also boasts of great diving spots with beautiful coral reefs.

What to Do

With great diving spots, it is fairly common to see many tourists coming to this island just for the island’s diving opportunities. Naturally, you will find numerous dive shops scattered all over the island. Aside from diving, you can also enjoy other activities in Puerto Galera. These activities include jet skiing, island hopping, mountain biking, banana boating, sailing, motor biking and snorkeling as well as many other options.

Going to Puerto Galera

There is no airport so you can only reach the island via land and sea routes. From Manila, you need to drive to Batangas and take a two-hour boat ride from Batangas Pier to Puerto Galera. If Sabang is your destination, you will need to take a trike or jeepney from the port to get there.

There are really many places that you can visit in the Philippines, but one of the most popular places is Puerto Galera. One visit there and you will soon discover why.

The Puerto Galera Yacht Club

Puerto Galera Yacht Club was established in 1991 by a group of enthusiastic yachtsmen who had the desire to make the bays of the island their home as well as a venue for welcoming other cruising boats passing through the country.

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Located within one of the rarest and most picturesque natural typhoon shelters, Puerto Galera Yacht Club is considered as the center of all cruising routes going to and from the West Pacific.

History of Puerto Galera

Similar to Oriental Mindoro where it is located, Puerto Galera boasts of a rich history. The island, which has a literal meaning of “Port of Galleons,” was a popular route among sea travelers during the Galleon Trade of the 10th century. It became a regular stopover for merchant ships sailing along vital routes along the coasts of the Near East, Indian, Indo-Chinese, Sumatra, Java, China, and the Philippines.

The Pier in Muelle Bay, for instance, was extensively used for dock repairs as well as a safe anchorage for all kinds of sailing vessels.

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Geography

Puerto Galera is bordered by the sea on one side and the province of Mindoro on the other. It is world-renowned for its dive sites since the waters underneath are protected by the UNESCO and is home to several species of marine life.

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The Climate

Puerto Galera is known for its tropical climate and relatively high humidity. On the average, it has an annual humidity of 84.6%. There is no permanent dry season but the occasional typhoon that hits the province of Mindoro from July until mid-October brings heavy rainfall for three consecutive days followed by a couple of weeks of nice weather.The months of November and February are the cool relatively cool.

Tourism

Puerto Galera is a favorite destination for both local and foreign guests alike. Going to the island is relatively cheap, even the accommodations. It provides tourists with cheap lodgings. Likewise, there is no need to worry about food and drinks as their cost is affordable as well. Even with only $150 as your budget, this will be enough to cover the cost of food, accommodations, and travel from Manila.

Puerto Galera has a lot to offer to tourists. It provides great opportunities for diving and snorkeling. The island is recognized by UNESCO as a Man and Biosphere Reserve so guests can be treated to a wide array of coral reefs.

The island is an excellent venue for trying out different kinds of activities such as strolling, swimming, hiking, island hopping, jet skiing, sun bathing, beach volleyball, and other sorts of activities.

Puerto Galera received an award in 2005 as “The Most Beautiful Bay in the World” making it the 32nd bay to bag the award and the third in the Southeast Asian region after Vietnam’s Nha Trang and Along Bays.

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Money - ATMs - Money Changers

For those who are traveling to Puerto Galera, it is important to consider matters concerning money as the destination is still not that urbanized enough to accommodate modern conveniences regarding money matters. As such, it is best that one brings enough cold, hard cash as relying on ATMs at the destination wouldn’t be advisable. The nearest place where ATMs can be relied upon to be online for most of the time would be the city of Calapan, which is a four-hour drive from Puerto Galera. Hence, if one does not want to make any unplanned four-hour trekking it is best that one brings enough hard cash. As far as currency exchange is concerned, Puerto Galera has enough money changers for tourists who wants exchange their foreing currencies into peso or vice-versa. One last note regarding money matters: it is best that one always bring all of one’s money wherever one goes as theft would not be unlikely in a crowded tourist destination where everyone has cash at hand.

Internet Providers

Seeing that connectivity to the Internet is becoming more and more a necessity and given the ease of acquiring the services of an Internet service provider in the Philippines, most hotels and resorts in Puerto Galera (particularly those that charge $30 and above a night) provide wireless connectivity to their clients.

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Electricity

Puerto Galera’s hotels and resorts have their typical voltage set at 220 volts although some may offer both 110 and 220 volt outlets to their guests. Even though it has been a prime tourist destination, Puerto Galera still experiences intermittent blackouts that range from a few minutes to several hours. Some accommodations, especially the upscale ones, have generators that will provide temporary electricity but the generator will only be enough for lighting up the bulbs and some outlets but not for more energy consumptive appliances like air conditioning systems.

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Visa for Foreign Tourists

Visas are issued to tourists upon their arrival in the Philippines. The visa is good for twenty-one days from the day of the arrival. One does not need to have any arrangements prior to getting this visa as long as one’s passport has at least six months of validity left on it. For tourists who want to have their visas to be effective for fifty-nine days, one has to have some arrangement with the Philippine Embassy in their respective country.

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Visa Extensions

For those tourists who want some extension for their visa, processing the extension is quite easy and fast. There is a branch of the Bureau of Immigration stationed in Mindoro. If the branch is closed, one can easily requests one’s resort or hotel to have anyone run the processing to Batangas.

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