One of the most beautiful places that I've been to is Puerto Galera. The place started with backyard tourism years back and now considered as one of the most beautiful and developed resort in the country.
The breath taking view of the shimmering ocean and the lush mountain is quite a great combination. One can do a lot of things in this Paradise of Oriental Mindoro.
Our trip to Puerto Galera was arranged through a travel agency thus everything is well taken cared of. From Manila we took a bus from the assigned assembly point near the RCBC towers. We left at around 8 am and coursed through South Luzon Expressway going to Batangas. The trip on the bus is quite good and we arrived at the port of Batangas in comfort after 5 hours. From the port we took a 1 hour and 45 minute boat ride directly to White Beach. There are several points of entry to Puerto Galera, the place of our entry is the one nearest to the hotel where we will be staying.
We stayed at the Marco Vincent Hotel. The hotel is located 3 minutes away by foot from the shore. They have a swimming pool and can arrange the trip around. They also have Wi-Fi if you want to connect to the Internet.
I spent a pretty good time walking in the beach before sunrise. I walked as far as I could get and ended up hill where I could see a very good view of the shore. The view of the sea on my right side and the mountains on the left is splendid. I can see a lot of people in their tents by the shore.
The crystal clear water is shimmering as the sun goes higher and more people are dipping themselves into the sea. The water is cool and refreshing aside from being crystal clear, I guess the lush vegetation of its surrounding mountain makes the water more refreshing. The beach is merely white sand, it's not made of coral or lime.
There are a lot of things that one can do in a place like Puerto Galera. Landlubbers can pitch tents, light bonfires, play volleyball, toss a Frisbee, go beach-hopping, watch the sunset, gaze at the stars, hike, go rock climbing, carom off on a motorcycle, discover Oriental Mindoro's other tourist spots or simply live it up.
We get to visit the Tamaraw Falls. It is located 15 kilometers from Puerto Galera. One can simply rent an ATV and enjoy the adventure going around or can take the jeep going to San Teodoro. The waterfall is just by the road and is very hard to miss.
There are a series of small waterfalls that end in the final drop into the cool water of the pool at the bottom of the Tamaraw Falls. The water at first is quite cool, but extremely refreshing once you get over the initial sudden shock, it is not that the water is so cold, but rather the air temperature is so high that makes such a contrasting difference.There is a picnic area and a larger rock pool for swimming, a small fee is charged to enter the picnic area.
At night we eat in one of the series of grill stations by the shore and get to eat grilled squid, fish, shrimp and eggplants. The food is great and is not very expensive. There are a lot of places to eat so one can simply eat on a different place every meal. On a peak season the places are very crowded so it is better that you eat your dinner as early as 5:30 pm if you want to be comfortable.
The bars are open early for those who wants to drink and stays open until 4 or 5am. The place could have been different though on off peak season.
We haven't been around much during our stay but still it is a wonderful experience to see Puerto Galera and get to step on Oriental Mindoro. Hopefully soon I'd visit Puerto Galera again and see more of its beauty.
NOTES:
A Glimpse on History:
As early as the 10th century, Chinese, Indonesians and Malay merchants were already doing business with locals in what is now known as Mindoro, the tiny strip of land which the Chinese called "Mai" and which lay directly in the Asia-Pacific trade route. In route to Manila in 1570, a Spanish expedition led by Martin de Goiti and Juan de Salcedo stumbled upon the resource-rich island and christened the entire province Mindoro after the harbor at Minolo. Mindoro was later divided into the provinces of Oriental Mindoro and Occidental Mindoro. At the height of the raids mounted by Moro pirates in the 17th century. Mindoro was a defensive bastion, with fortresses in the nearby towns of Calapan and Mamburao. Puerto Galera, the northernmost strip so named because it served as a port for Spanish galleys, became the capital. Here, the Spanish found safe anchorage and put up dock-repair facilities for the galleons that plied the Manila-Acapulco route. The island's generally calm waters, however, belied a tumultuous streak, and once in a while giant waves would crush galleons and marauding vessels. Coins, jars, lamps, swords and other artifacts salvaged from shipwrecks and sunken vessels are displayed at the Poblacion Museum and at Capt'n Gregg's in Sabang, lending credence to the island's colorful history.
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