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Here is the place most tourists arrive for all the different Puerto Galera destinations / locations. From here you take a jeepney - private or public - or a private trike to move onward to your final destination. Some destinations however also have direct ferry boats from Batangas to Sabang Beach and to White Beach !
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Puerto Galera pier with a few small nice restaurants and bars
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Typical Filipino ferry boats for transfer to and from Batangas. Transfer to Batangas usually is 1hr 45 minutes.
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Nearby yachting in Puerto Galera bay
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Small ferry boat arriving - with a beautiful exotic yachting scenery background
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Puerto Galera pier
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Puerto Galera as the typical start and entry point on the island of Mindoro deserves some extensive coverage in photos with brief description of Puerto Galera locations. Puerto Galera proper is the small city around Puerto Galera harbor. Politically also belonging to Puerto Galera are the typical tourist destinations:
Arriving Puerto Galera usually is from Batangas by small ferry boat. Accommodation in Puerto Galera is either in:
Hotels and resorts in Puerto Galera range from simple and cheap, i.e. in the range of 20 US$ up per day - up to luxury hotels 40-60 US$ or higher. Luxury hotels typically have internet ( often poorly maintained !!! ), swimming pool, restaurant with bar. A few places have a full 24 hrs restaurant. A few hotels / resorts however have direct beach in front of the rooms or house.
There are transportation by boat to almost all destinations along Puerto Galera area as well as by road. Road transportation is split into a well organized in most cases fixed and published price private jeepney and private trike system as well as public Jeepneys. Private Jeepneys and private trikes pick you up and drop you or bring you back as agreed upon in advance at the time you specify in advance. Public Jeepneys however wait until the jeepney is FULL - and I mean really FULL. FULL like a sardine can, stuffed and pressed side by side. To get a jeepney full the the very last seat ... takes a while, an hour or longer - and when you think NOW that jeepney IS full, you'll be amazed to see that another several passengers get stuffed into the very same already full jeepney. Needless to say that public Jeepneys are very cheap BUT quiet extremeley uncomfortable. Specially on longer trips, for example a 2 hours trip to Kalapan, the capital of Mindoro island in an over-stuffed jeepney may be anything else but a pleasure.
Private Jeepneys or private trikes are very affordable. For example from Sabang to Talipanan beach or Ponderosa and back including your sightseeing tour and several stops for photography and views may be less than 40 US$ for many hours / half day or so. The fare for private hire of Jeepneys is published at several public places to avoid disappointment or cheating in BOTH ways.
The typical voltage in resorts and hotels is 220 Volts. Some may offer 110/220 V outlets. The power situation has little changed / little improved over the past 6 or so years. Power black outs are normal and usually occur daily, up to several times daily for minutes to several hours. You may expect all resorts above 30 US$ to have a generator to provide emergency power in case of black out. In most cases it takes a few minutes to get the generator started. The generator power usually is for emergency use - hence light, and power outlets / sockets but sometimes NOT for air con !! If 24/7 aircon is important to you, then you have to ask if generator power also covers your aircon. Else you typically have water pump and all lights, bar, restaurant supplied with power.
Puerto Galera is a blessed place when looking at the fresh water situation. With high mountains just in the "backyard", there is ample of fresh, clean - almost drinking quality - water for shower and bathroom. The water is much cooler - around 20 degrees Centigrade / 70 F - than in other tropical Philippine regions thanks to the fact that you have mountain spring water. Hence showers are positively and lovingly refreshing without being cold. After a walk in tropical heat a fresh clean shower with mountain spring water truly is a blessing for your health and body.
Drinking water: I actually have used plain tap water for drinking during earlier visits, but it is much safer to have the tap water filtered to be sure of its hygienic cleanliness and safety for your body. After all we have to remember that we are in a tropical country with manifold possibilities of all kinds of Bacterias, fungi and other micro organisms. Local spring water is available as filtered, clean bottle water. In Sabang Beach for example it is Rocks Water - a local small water purifying business which supplies my preferred Philippine drinking water ! Since such water purifying plants are small, each location in Puerto Galera has its own and thus also its own brand name for the local mountain water. Avoid water imported from other islands - the travel in hot, sunny climate often changes the taste of water. Use local purified Mindoro water instead when ever possible. Mindoro has the best drinking water all over the Philippines ... in my experience / opinion!
Mindoro is an ideal place for a family vacation. Children love nature, children love to explore nature, to venture into new space. Mindoro offers a most beautiful natural environment ideal for kids to play, to meet local children, to climb trees, to observe insects, butterflies, flowers and plants. There are many safe areas for children to enjoy an adventurous vacation swimming, kayaking, walking and trekking into nature or go snorkeling in the clear ocean. Local children are very friendly and welcoming to all children. Hence if your child love to socialize with other children, here your kids easily find other local children as new best friends - may be friends for life! Mindoro above all is a vacation destination off the high tech track. Mindoro is for nature lovers. Hence Mindoro island is ideal for all those who love to enjoy the beauty of nature, the beauty and excitement of tropical vegetation and flowers and the beautiful views such a mountain island offers.
Since almost all adventurous related to nature are free and on your own - that means that recreation potentially is free for all. There is abundant of exciting things to view and explore walking around. The few activities that may require a travel by jeepney are all fairly cheap and affordable. Like the one day trekking tour to Tukuran for example is some 30 US$ including transportation, eat all you can and drink all you can. Thus Mindoro offers excellent value and attractive activities for a family vacation! SCUBA diving classes are offered in Sabang Beach only as far as I have seen. The prices are international prices for all SCUBA classes.
People are social - no one wants to stay alone for life. Hence travelers expect some sort of night life. Places to find potential partners. However in Puerto Galera there is no nightlife except your own family or partner you bring along. One exception: Sabang Beach. Sabang is the only place with several discos open from around 8 PM till past midnight, some 24/7 places to hang out all night and some nice music places or Videoke.
The few tourist places described here all have some restaurants to dine out. The food is average - nothing breath talking. Sometimes even simple - like American style fast food. Valid for almost all Philippines - with the exception of Boracay island - and certainly for Mindoro is the general rule: Philippines are NO gourmet country. Food is safe but mostly simple.
Cook for yourself! Cooking for your family is like making love to your family! Since you find many nice oceanfront cottages with kitchen, fridge, cable TV in all Puerto Galera area, a good way to enjoy a more affordable vacation and best home made food is to cook yourself. Cottages typically have a small gas stove with 2 flames and all the kitchen equipment you need to enjoy your cooking. Local markets and super markets offer all the necessary grocery, vegetables, local tropical fruits, spices, herbs and ingredients you may need for self cooking. Remember: A lover loves as good as he/she cooks. Make some effort to be creative - in cooking as well as in loving!
A typical dinner in most restaurants with international food may be in the range of 8-10 US$ per person. Soft drinks and beer are in most places 1-1.5 $. Drinks in truly local places and local eateries of course are much cheaper - usually around half the tourist restaurant prices.
Puerto Galera certainly has one of the worlds most scenic yachting bay to drop anchor. Have a look at the earlier pictures I made to know why ancient ships loved to rest for a while. Puerto Galera offers all a crew needs - and the Capt'n as well. Above all Puerto Galera bay offers a beautiful secure shelter from waves and many winds - except Taifuns - for your ship. Taifuns - if hitting directly - destroy all, even inside the Puerto Galera bay. Just like the Taifun on December 5th 2006 wrecked some 150 boats off the beach of Boracay - more or less all boats being anchored off the island. There is NO real shelter when a Taifun hits your area directly. Even bringing the yacht ashore may be of limited or no real protection against the power of an up to 200+ knots Taifun twister! Since Taifuns are to some degree predictable and the course is known up to 3 or so days in advance, the safest procedure would be to bring your yacht to another region of the Philippine islands - at least some 100 to 200 miles away from the predicted Taifun path. There you would secure your yacht ashore !! High waves are normal even hundreds of miles away from the Taifun twister.
Puerto Galera with all its neighbor locations and all Mindoro island is a true paradise for nature lovers! Look at the photos and see for yourself. Just the small walks I made each day offered truly breathtaking views and sceneries amidst a lush tropical vegetation. No words can describe nature - hence let my pictures speak for Mindoro's beautiful nature sceneries. Trekking tours are available from easy half day trekking to Tukuran to a full or multi days trekking to various other paradise nature sceneries.
Below you find a few typical nature destinations - all easily reachable either by walking or for a few destinations you take a short jeepney / trike ride first.
Sabang Beach is a place I love very much since many years. Hence you find an entire page dedicated to such places I love.
Click on any thumbnail image to see the full size photo
Small cemented road from Puerto Galera to Sabang
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Sabang view from the hill coming from Puerto Galera
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Arriving in Sabang village by road
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View on Sabang harbor from a neighboring hill
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View on Sabang harbor from a neighboring hill
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An idyllic location for a short walk from either Panganan or Sabang. Round trip with easy walking and picture taking or enjoying the views is around 2 hrs starting from Sabang. A little shorter when starting from Panganan.
4 generations of lighthouse on one spot. The newest light tower with solar panel.
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Crystal clear beautiful blue ocean water around the lighthouse
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All below can easily be reached by walking from Sabang. The below photos show a small range of beautiful scenic views experienced just hundreds of meters out of Sabang village.
Sabang hills, scenic view and vegetation
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Sabang hills, scenic view and vegetation
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Sabang hills, scenic view and vegetation
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Sabang hills, scenic ocean view and vegetation
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Sabang hills, scenic ocean view and vegetation
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Sabang hills, scenic views and vegetation
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Sabang hills, scenic views and vegetation
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View the complete detailed page I have made about Sabang Beach with many photos and information.
Between Puerto Galera and Sabang - a small resort and tourist location. Mostly rocky coast with a small sandy beach in the center. Very quiet.
Sinandigan rocky coast - ocean view
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Sinandigan rocky coast - ocean view
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Sinandigan rocky coast - palms view
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Sinandigan beach |
A small bay with beach between Puerto Galera and Sabang. A few tourist places, cottages, Diving. Small beach - apparently with lots of pollution problems - at least during my recent visit. While people say "its the wind" of course the wind only can blow back the pollution created by mankind. Hence the source of pollution never can be the wind but humans lack of love for God's nature and God's creation!!!
Panganan - main road in the center
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Panganan - center with ocean view and a mess / huge "cable-salade" from palm to palm
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Panganan - ocean view
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Panganan - beautiful ocean view with young palms on the Panganan beach
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Panganan - ocean view of the shallow bay area
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Road into Panganan village - arriving from Puerto Galera
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Very disgusting pollution directly next to below "palace" on the Panganan beach in the center of the village
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All Panganan beach is severely polluted. While in Sabang the beach is cleaned every single day, even during off-season - here apparently no one cares about the cleanliness of the only beach Panganan has to offer.
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A "palace like" resort right in front of the above shown polluted Panganan beach. Obviously things often are different from what they are advertised in tourist magazines and tourist pages.
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5 km worthy to walk at least one times completely. Every corner, every 10 or so meters you get a new view to the ocean or one of the bays, beaches on either side of the small, clean concrete road. Every now and then you'll find a small store roadside for a refreshing drink or even a small meal local Filipino style. If ever you get tired walking - there are trikes and Jeepneys passing by every few minutes ready to pick you up and rive you to your destination or back home.
Cove with blue water
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Ocean view along the road Puerto Galera to Sabang
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Ocean view along the road Puerto Galera to Sabang
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Ocean view along the road Puerto Galera to Sabang
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Exotic view along the road Puerto Galera to Sabang
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Magic views with blue ocean, coves, bays surrounded by lush tropical jungle
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Jungle forest down to the water
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Mangroves growing in shallow ocean water
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Mangroves in shallow ocean water
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Idyllic ocean view along the road Puerto Galera to Sabang
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Ocean view with palmtrees
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Ocean view with palmtrees
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Exotic view along the road to Sabang
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Large cove along the road Puerto Galera to Sabang
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Ocean view
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Palms with ocean view
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Many exotic flowers and a blue sky along the road Puerto Galera to Sabang
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Popular but by far no match to Boracay's world famous White Beach is Puerto Galera's White Beach. A small beach with a few resorts and recreational facilities.
White Beach is just a few kilometers west, outside Puerto Galera proper. You get there by trike or jeepney withhin a few minutes.
White Beach neighborhood - walking distance
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White Beach neighborhood - walking distance
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White Beach neighborhood - walking distance
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White Beach neighborhood - walking distance
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White Beach neighborhood - walking distance
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White Beach - Puerto Galera
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White Beach - clear water for snorkeling
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White Beach
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White Beach seen from rocky corner toward Talipanan
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A little secret - an idyllic small beach area with a clean sandy / gravelly beach and crystal clear warm water = Talipanan. The end of Puerto Galera toward west. Several small resorts, beautiful hills and mountains just a few hundred meters behind the beach scenery. Ideal for beach / water and nature lovers. Talipanan is a very quiet place - no restaurants, no night life, just peace and nature. The nearest place besides your own resort to eat out or go out would be White Beach - just some 2-3 km walking along the beach or on the road away from Talipanan.
Because it is a little away from all crowd, Talipanan also offers most likely the lowest priced rooms and cottages in entire Puerto Galera. Offseason daily prices range from US $ 10 up for small family style resorts with running water/shower, electricity, generator and in house restaurant. NO TV and NO Internet in Talipanan beach area.
If you love nature, walking or small trekking tours combined with daily swimming, then Talipanan may be a paradise vacation destination for you. For families with children ideal! Lots of clean nature, beach to play, clear water to swim or snorkel - all just in front of your resort or cottage.
Beautiful tropical hills and mountains for trekking and walking tours just behind the beach.
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A long beautiful Beach - Talipanan
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Filipino fisher boats and tourist boats
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High tropical mountains for trekking or daily nature walks just behind the Talipanan beach
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Clean well maintained Talipanan beach
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Talipanan beach
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A mountain region just a few kilometers away from Puerto Galera proper - near Talipanan / White Beach. A beautiful view from Ponderosa toward all sides of Puerto Galera from the distant Sabang, Puerto Galera harbor and yachting bay to white beach and Talipanan - all within sight. Spectacular for ocean view photography - even more spectacular for your health - enjoy walking in clean tropical air to reinforce your immune system and clear your body of city waste and industrial toxins.
Ponderosa - Ocean view toward Sabang ( distant red/white tower ) and Puerto Galera yachting bay
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Ocean view toward White Beach
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Ocean view toward White Beach
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Ocean view from Ponderosa toward Puerto Galera proper and Sabang
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