Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro

Imagine yourself! Far from the madding crowd, yet just three hours from Manila; relaxing at a peaceful and safe seashore resort where you are never far from white sandy beaches, pristine waters for swimming and diving and as the sun goes down, plenty of choices for evening dining and entertainment. This is the resort town of Puerto Galera, well known among expats in Manila as a weekend playground.

mindoro isle
Puerto Galera is just 102 Kms south of Manila, across the water from the bustling port of Batangas. The main town is reached by a comfortable one hour boat ride – take the ferry or the catamaran depending on the time of day. There are plenty of public buses plying the route from Manila and you can choose between air conditioned and non air-conditioned.

The name Puerto Galera was taken from the galleons that used the bay as a refilling station and repair area. It means Port of Galleons in English. A mountain range whose highest points are Mt. Halcon and Mt. Baco serves as a natural boundary between the two provinces that make up the island: Mindoro Oriental famous for Puerto Galera and Mindoro Occidental, also called "Marine Wonderland." The mountainous coastline of Puerto Galera, 42-kilometers long, is composed of numerous beaches like Long Beach, Halige Beach, Aninuan Beach, Talipanan Beach, and Paradise Beach.
Sabang Beach, Puerto Galera, Mindoro.
UNESCO declared Puerto Galera as “Man and Biosphere Reserve” because of its outstanding natural beauty and charm thus, making it as one of the few marine sanctuaries in the world.

Varied dive courses are being offered by local dive shops from beginners to professional level. Opportunity for macro photography is great. Stingrays, clown fish, turtles, sharks are some of our picturesque underwater creatures The possibilities are endless: from wall, wreck, drift and shallow dives. Dive sites and centers are mostly located in Barangay Sabang

The township offers plenty of shopping and waterfront restaurants plus a couple of reasonably priced hotels while the nearby villages that make up this rambling conurbation offers the full spectrum of fun and entertainment.
La Laguna Beach
If you are with your family, looking for an inexpensive weekend getaway then you will probably want to head for White Beach. This area of Puerto Galera offers a number of small family owned chalets for rent at reasonable prices and right on the beach. Prices start from around P500 per night upwards. There are plenty of restaurants and eateries also on the beach – hey this is the Philippines, you will never go hungry. At night, there is a small open bar area and prices are very reasonable. Sip your beer or favorite cocktail and feel the sand between your toes. There is also a small disco at White Beach, or at least it calls itself a disco. Not recommended except for desperados.

The alternative to White Beach is Sabang. This area is popular with divers and the single set. If White Beach is the place for families then Sabang is the place for those after the “action”. It is one of those places that looks scruffy by day but at night time it comes into its own. Plenty of bars, plenty of booze and plenty of girls. Accommodation in Sabang ranges from the up-market resort hotel to smaller b&b type places.

The alternative is to stay at one of the specialized resorts in the area of which there are two main ones. Coco Beach is large and caters mainly to European tour groups while Coral Cove is smaller and is a specialized dive resort that also does good business during off peak season as a conference center.

Whatever option you take, Puerto Galera offers a safe and relaxing environment for all ages and tastes. Wherever you go, you are never far from the mountains, the beaches and the water. Indeed the coral formations of Puerto Galera, the reefs and shipwrecks are acknowledged as providing one of the best locations for divers in the world.
tropical island paradise dive.
The island of Mindoro, four hours south of Manila, is a welcome and pleasant contrast to the congestion and chaos of the Philippine capital. As an air conditioned bus whisks you south along a combination of superhighways and pot-holed gravel roads, the hazy air slowly clears and the vegetation becomes brighter and more abundant. Gradually, the edginess of Manila subsides into island tranquility.

The most popular and accessible destination on the island of Mindoro, the Philippines' fifth largest, is the city of Puerto Galera and its surrounding beaches. While the city itself offers few diversions, it is close to a variety of beaches, each providing a slightly different feel. Want to party the night away? Then bustling Sabang Beach is for you. For a quieter and more laid-back visit, White Beach, Small or Big La Laguna Beaches and Coco Beach are probably better alternatives.
beach banana
Puerto Galera has more than 30 dive sites waiting for you to discover... Coral gardens, Canyons and Shark Caves, old Chinese Shipwrecks and Spanish Era Galleons. The underwater world of Puerto Galera boasts a rare collection of marine life.

Whichever sandy stretch you choose, there's plenty on offer. Puerto Galera's coast boasts some of the finest diving in the Philippines (and, some argue, the world), with pristine coral reefs ringing the coastline. Take a tour of Mindoro Island's interior; you'll see lush tropical rain forests and get a glimpse of local Mangyan village life. After a long day of diving in sparkling waters and lazing on the beach, swing by Sabang Beach for a nightcap.

Most establishments offer the basic "island paradise" theme, but a few unique eateries and watering holes can be found. The Sunshine Coast Bar and Restaurant proudly proclaims its status as winner of the 1997 national meat pie contest. Le Bistrot is an airy bar-cum-caf with pool tables, darts and a lounge from which to soak up the passing nighttime parade. As Filipinos would say, Puerto Galera can be quite "Imeldific!"

Thanks to its special geographical position, it is a destination suitable for people fond of trekking, hiking, diving and beach sunbathing. But above all people come here to relax, to enjoy our crystal clear waters, the wide sandy beaches and rugged mountain scenery of Mindoro. The coral formations of Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro, the reefs and shipwrecks are acknowledged as providing one of the best locations for divers in the world.

Boat trips are organized on a daily basis. It takes only a few minutes by boat to reach different diving and snorkeling sites. Boat trips are organized in such a way to suit both scuba divers’ and non scuba divers’ needs and to visit several beautiful beaches around Puerto Galera.

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