My first and last trip to Puerto Galera was about 14 years ago, after that I have not set foot on Mindoro Island again. I know for a fact that the island province has beautiful beaches, but coming back never happened until November 21, 2014. With a bunch of backpacker friends from work, and thanks to Cebupac's promo fares, I finally came back to Mindoro.
The trip, arranged by the ever reliable The Wandering Backpack, promised an awesome beach experience in this side of the Philippines. And TWBP delivered and exceeded our expectations. The 4D/3N trip was too good one would not want to go back to the hustle and bustle of the city life.
Day 1
We took the only flight of Cebu Pacific from Manila to San Jose, Occidental Mindoro. From the airport we took a tricycle ride to the Van station, then took a 2-hour land trip to Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro. After registering at the local tourism office, buying food supplies and having a needed lunch we hopped into a motor boat that brought us to Apo Reef Natural Park. On our way to Apo Reef a school of Dolphins raced with our boat, they are a natural charmer we were so excited to see so many of them swimming and flipping to our delight. The boat ride was almost 2-1/2 hours.
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| playful dolphins |
We were greeted by a beautiful white sand beach. There were no other guests for the day, so aside from our group of 8, there were only a few other people, the guide, boatmen and the DENR staff stationed in the island. Although there are two structure in the island, one houses the DENR office, the other one is not used and looks like an abandoned house but there is a water pump (poso) for bathing and flushing and a decent toilet. Our accommodation believe it or not is called 1 billion star, because we slept in tents where we can see a billion stars on clear night sky. It was not the most comfortable but I managed to sleep for a few hours. We used paper cups and plates and wooden spork for eating, actually I ate with my hands, and we used the same set for 3 meals. There is no electricity and cellphone signal, but who cares the place is too beautiful anyways.
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| I can get used to this view |
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| 1 Billion Star accommodation |
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| we used these stuff 3 times |
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| lagoon surrounded by mangroves |
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| lighthouse from this view |
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| the stunning sunset viewed from the lighthouse |
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| going down is a challenge |
Day 2
We rose early to see the amazing sunrise, and immediately after breakfast we hopped back into the boat in full battle gear, wearing a life vest and snorkeling gear we were asked to hold a rope while the boat is circling the island. I saw two sea turtles but I got too excited I pressed my waterproof camera twice, but hell the creature is too enchanting it was not captured in any of my photos.
We rose early to see the amazing sunrise, and immediately after breakfast we hopped back into the boat in full battle gear, wearing a life vest and snorkeling gear we were asked to hold a rope while the boat is circling the island. I saw two sea turtles but I got too excited I pressed my waterproof camera twice, but hell the creature is too enchanting it was not captured in any of my photos.
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| sunrise at apo reef |
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| I took this picture of her with one hand clinging to the rope and the other holding a go pro |
Too bad I have no photo of the sea turtle, but I managed to say hello. Apo Reef is a protected marine sanctuary so snorkeling or diving will give your money's worth. Never mind if you sleep in tents or eat with your hands, seeing those sea turtles for me is a once in a life time experience. I've never seen too many dolphins in the wild in any of my island hopping trips. After lunch, we went to another island and passed by the same spot where the dolphins live. They raced with our boat again and showed off their flipping skills. Places like this is one of the reasons why I love this country. I want to go to other countries but mostly on short holidays only and not to work or live there. There is no place like my beautiful Philippines.
Thank you God for your amazing work. You gave us a beautiful sunset, a sunrise that spells H-O-P-E, an ocean so rich with marine lives, and friends who will struggle with you, laugh with you and plans the next trip or two.
Thank you to The Wandering Back Pack for arranging this trip, it is worth very peso. Like their facebook page to get updates on up coming tour packages.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Wandering-Backpack/1491651507722966
Thank you God for your amazing work. You gave us a beautiful sunset, a sunrise that spells H-O-P-E, an ocean so rich with marine lives, and friends who will struggle with you, laugh with you and plans the next trip or two.
Thank you to The Wandering Back Pack for arranging this trip, it is worth very peso. Like their facebook page to get updates on up coming tour packages.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Wandering-Backpack/1491651507722966
