Boracay Island
Boracay Island
Geographically, Boracay Island is located in the central part of the Philippines , approximately 315 km (200 miles) south of Manila, surrounded by the South China Sea on its northwest side, the Sulu Sea on the southwest and the Sibuyan Sea on the east. It is around 7 km long from tip to tip, but barely a kilometer wide at its narrowest point in the center. Click this link to view an interactive Boracay map in detail.
The Island
Boracay Island is divided into 3 geographical zones, known locally as "Barangays." At the northern tip is Yapak, to the center is Balabag and the southern end is Manoc-Manoc. Although forming part of the Municipality of Malay, Boracay is under the administrative control of the Philippine Tourism Authority in coordination with the Provincial Government of Aklan.
White Beach, the most popular beach, is a 4-km long stretch of white sand. It occupies a large part of the western part of the island, in the central Balabag zone.
This vacation beach resort is no doubt one of the top tourist destinations in the Philippines. Coming from Manila as the starting point, this island beach resort can be reached by plane either through the airport at Kalibo, the Capital of Aklan Province, or the airport at Caticlan, a barangay of Malay, Aklan. The flight from Manila to either Kalibo or Caticlan can take from between 45 minutes to an hour's travel time.
Boracay Jetty Port
by Boracay Chamber
The airport at Caticlan is just a few minutes ride by tricycle to the Jetty Port. If you decide to catch the flight to Kalibo instead, you need to travel inland by bus or jeepney (a popular mode of transport in the Philippines, originally made from left-over surplus of the military jeep used by the American forces during World War II) for another 90 minutes to the Jetty Port at Caticlan where you board a ferry to Boracay.< »» Read more about going to Boracay.
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Boracay Map
This interactive map of Boracay from the OpenStreetMap Project will help you find your way around Boracay Island - from the Caticlan Airport in Aklan, Panay Island to your chosen hotel in Boracay or to any place you wish to go when exploring Boracay Island. For those not familiar with interactive maps, you can click on the plus (+) sign (upper left corner of map) to zoom and make the image larger, or to get down to the street level details. Grab the map to move it around by clicking and holding it with your left mouse button.
»» Read more about Boracay Map...
The Philippines
A multi cultural nation, the Philippines is located in Southeast Asia with Manila as its capital city and the seat of Government. This predominantly Christian nation has a population estimated at over 90 million scattered across more than 7,100 islands.
»» Read more about The Philippines...
When To Travel
When going to Boracay, you have a choice on how to get there: by air, by land or by sea. Although this place is an island right at the center of the Philippine archipelago, it is very accessible whichever route you decide to take.
»» Read more about When To Travel...
A Romantic Honeymoon Hideaway
Boracay is also acclaimed by many happy couples, as one of the world's most romantic travel destinations.
Paradise Bliss
by SUR Beach Resort
It has been the setting of quite a few successful wedding scenarios &mdash not to mention the blissful honeymoon that usually followed these glorious events. »» Click here to get more info on Sur Beach Resort...
However, it is still relatively unknown in countries other than South Korea, China and Japan in Asia, the U.S. and Canada in North America, Germany, the U.K., Spain, France and Italy in Europe and Australia, down under.
Peak Season
by sirenna
Earlier this year, Koreans broke the record set by the Americans in 2006 as the Philippines top tourist arrivals. Koreans are going to the Philippines both as tourists and as investors. The Philippine Department of Tourism has released figures showing Koreans leading with 572,133 arrivals, followed closely by the Americans with 567,355, and the Japanese next with 421,808. Roughly, a third of the total tourist arrivals went to Boracay Island.
Coconut Palms
White Beach
What exactly attracts these visitors to this Island Paradise in the Philippines? Koreans are mostly attracted to the country's beaches, golf courses, cheaper education and other business opportunities. To others, undoubtedly, Boracay stands out as the ideal setting for a relaxing and enjoyable vacation. Quite a few love-struck couples have now experienced the exhilarating joy of tying the knot in Boracay and enjoying the blissful celebrations and honeymoon thereafter pampered like royalty.
Flights To Boracay
Another reason we could think of is the cheap travel packages currently being promoted by the major airlines most notable of which is the cheap student travel offer by Zest Airways.
There are other major airlines which have scheduled flights to Boracay such as Air Philippines, Cebu Pacific, Interisland Airlines, Philippine Airlines and Southeast Asian Airlines.
You can get updated Boracay flight information at their respective websites. »» Click here to find out more info about available flights to Boracay.
Clear Waters
Beaches in Boracay Island rival those found in the U.S. and Australia.
In May, 2007, two noted American newspapers, the New York Newsday and the Chicago Tribune reported that users of Yahoo! Travel rated only three other countries outside of the U.S. in the Ten Top Beaches in the world: Cancun, Mexico (3rd place), Boracay Island (7th) and Sydney, Australia (9th).
Among its beaches, White Beach, as Boracay's crowning glory, is the most popular and developed beach. It has fine — some say — cotton-fine, white sand along the 4 kilometer long western side of Boracay Island.
Paraw Boat
Perhaps beach resorts in the U.S. are more accessible to travelers. However, Boracay Island stands out from the rest. Visitors especially like the treatment they receive in the Philippines because Filipinos are very hospitable.
The Filipino hospitality is a unique trait among Filipinos. There is this unusual desire to please the guest, no matter what the outcome. All Filipinos know this, but foreigners who have never associated with Filipinos before are unaware of this distinctive Filipino character.
Scuba Diving
There are so many unusual sights & exciting things to do in this little-known paradise in the Philippines that this alone is enough reason to visit the place. However, the one exceptional advantage it has over the rest of world is — the Filipino hospitality.
When you travel to Boracay, Philippines, you do not go there just for the beaches. You visit the place because of its appealing holiday atmosphere. You go there because Filipinos treat you as someone special and not just as a tourist out for a good time.
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Exciting Things To Do While In Boracay
Now is the time to go. Experience this wonderful feeling of being looked after as someone special. Here's what you can do in this tucked-away haven:
- Go on an adventure trip to Ariels Point Buruanga and enjoy cliff jumping, snorkeling, resting in a hammock and watching the monkey Michelle traverse a tightrope across the precipice. Freshly made delicious, barbeque, buffet lunch and unlimited drinks complete everybody�s delight.
- Participate and have fun in the annual celebration of the Ati-Atihan Festival either in nearby Aklan or right in Boracay itself.
- Witness the excitement of the Boracay Bunboard Cup -- an annual windsurfing event sponsored by the Asian Windsurfing Tour (AWT).
- Ride the zorb — an activity of travelling downhill inside a large air-cushioned hollow ball -- and get the thrill of a lifetime.
- Go on day trips island hopping, sightseeing and snorkeling with Captain Joey on his Red Pirates sailboat.
- Be thrilled by the fierce competition of the banana boat race
- Play recreational Frisbee with the locals or compete with more seasoned players on the famous White Beach.
- Try your skill at skimboarding -- the sport of riding a skimboard over shallow water on a beach and into oncoming waves close to shore. The board is usually tossed ahead and jumped on after a running approach.
- Discover scubadiving spots surrounded by exotic coral gardens with their colorful tropical marine life.
- Test your beach volleyball skills against other visiting players along white sand beaches.
- Visit the Butterfly Garden and marvel at the rare collection of exotic tropical butterflies like the Red Helen.
- Experience the thrill of kiteboarding -- the adrenalin sport -- in perfect wind conditions at Bulabog Beach.
- Enjoy the awesome and spectacular views of the Boracay sunset, then check out the Boracay Nightlife — disco bars and nightclubs.
- Pamper yourself and your loved ones by sailing off into the blazing sunset on the Tamarind — a 40-foot yacht
- Go on a picnic with friends or relatives at a secluded beach such as the Balinghai Beach or the Barazula Beach.
- Visit a barangay celebrating their local fiesta and enjoy Filipino delicacies most famous of which is the Lechon or Pit Roasted Pig.
- Visit the Boracay bat caves, home of the nearly extinct Boracay fruit bats.
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Tell Us About Your Boracay Holidays
This website is NOT just our website, it is yours too...
Do you have your own special Boracay hotel — the one that you stayed in which you feel that people planning to visit Boracay should know about? How about that special nightclub or disco bar where you and your family or friends were entertained in, or that special restaurant that you dined in while in Boracay. Don't you think that travelers should also know about them?
Whatever it was that made you enjoy (or dread, ugh!) your vacation in Boracay is something worth telling about. Would you like to write about it and share your story with other travelers? Tell us what it was that you liked — or disliked — about this hotel, nightclub, disco or restaurant.
If you are a Boracay hotel, disco, restaurant or shop or service owner yourself and would like to write up a page about your special gem, please do so (you can upload your favorite photos as well). You're most welcome. »» Click here to start.
If you have any problems, »» click here to contact us directly.
Share Your Boracay Experiences
Have you been to Boracay lately? Did you enjoy your vacation there? Tell us about it!
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