Puerto Galera

Puerto Galera is a town of 42,000 people (2020) on the northeastern coast of Mindoro Island, Philippines. Puerto Galera is a fairly small town and not remarkably interesting, but almost all visitors pass through it because it has the ferry terminal, and some come into it for other facilities such as ATMs or supermarkets. However, the main tourist destinations are two beach areas nearby: Either of those is 20-minute (per trike) tricycle ride away. Either has a lot of tourist facilities &mdash; bars, restaurants, dive centers, and souvenir places &mdash; spread along a lovely beach. Sabang is more developed and somewhat livelier, and has more diving and more girlie bars. White Beach is quieter. See the linked articles for details.
 * Sabang, a barangay of Puerto Galera, east of the town
 * White Beach, in Barangay San Isidro, west

Travellers bound for either beach will usually just say they are going to Puerto Galera as it hosts the ferry terminal through which most people arrive. The boats come from Batangas City.

By plane
The closest major airport is Ninoy Aquino International Airport near Manila on the neighbouring island of Luzon. From there, most people travel by road to get to the port at Batangas City, then ferry to Puerto Galera.

There are at least three airports on the island &mdash; Calapan, Naujan and Mamburao &mdash; but there are no scheduled flights and the fields are primarily used for flight training.

By car
Puerto Galera is 90 minutes away from Metro Manila. If you're already in Manila, getting there is pretty easy. Having a car is very convenient, all you need to do is drive through South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) and Star Tollway and then head to Batangas Pier. From there, you can either park your car and ride a ferry going to Puerto Galera or have your car ride a RoRo (roll on, roll off) ship bound to Calapan so you could take your car with you to Puerto Galera. Its distance from Puerto Galera is about 51 km and takes about 1½-hour land drive with concreted zigzag road.

By bus
Puerto Galera is easily accessible from areas around Manila. Most tourists prefer to take a JAM transit or DLTB bus - from its terminals along EDSA Cubao. These ply every hour between Cubao or Buendia in Manila and Puerto Galera pier. The Sikat tourist service operates one trip per day and is convenient for people staying in Manila close to Ermita.



By boat
Scheduled ferries arrive at Puerto Galera mostly from Batangas City but also from other islands. At the Batangas pier, ignore all the porters and touts and walk past them to the ticket area where there are several windows where you can buy ferry tickets. From there, most people immediately depart for Sabang (known for scuba diving) or White Beach, a stretch of white sand with many small restaurants and bars.

Crossing the waters between Batangas Port and White Beach can be a thrill by itself, especially during the meeting of the tides when the sea can be quite rough. The first half of the journey is smooth. However, the boatmen know these waters very well, so there is no need to be hysterical. Buy a round trip ferry ticket to avoid a fully booked ferry on your return. Returning on a Sunday without reserving a ticket can leave you stranded with no options from Muelle or Balatero. You will have to go to Calapan to return to Batangas.

From Boracay you can go with the 2GO ferry to Batangas City and then from Batangas City a ferry to Puerto Galera/Sabang Beach, or a ferry from Boracay to Roxas then minivan to Puerto Galera.

Puerto Galera port is in a sheltered bay which serves as a "hurricane hole" for yachts, and many cruisers come for the diving or other attractions as well. There are usually twenty or so yachts in the harbor, mostly sailboats.

Get around
Within the town or either beach area (White Beach or Sabang), walking is the usual means of transport; distances are short and the terrain reasonably level. Walking from town to either beach is possible, but rarely done; the roads are steep, winding and not entirely safe for pedestrians. It takes about an hour to cover the 5 km (3 miles).

At the harbor you will find lots of people trying to get you to ride with their tricycle; this is the usual way to get to either beach. The official rate from the mayor's office is per person; drivers may ask for anything up to about  per trike but can usually be bargained down to about  per person. You may have to share the ride with 3-4 people, or pay something like to get a trike to yourself.

At Muelle Port, there is a jeepney to Sabang town for at the main road. After dark, the rates are higher (for example, instead of you pay ). Some hotels can arrange a free fastcraft ferry shuttle to White Beach, like Minolo Shipping Lines.

In Sabang there are 3 motorcycle rental providers. For you can rent a scooter for the whole day. You have to mind the local traffic rules, of course.

See

 * Beaches: White Beach is a good alternative to Boracay if you do not have much money or time. Other beaches include Talipanan Beach, Bayanan Beach, Haligi Beach, Long Beach, Panlilio Beach, Coco Beach, La Laguna Beach, Encenada Beach, Bulabod Beach, Boquete Island and San Antonio Island. About 32 beaches are found around Puerto Galera meaning there's a lot to choose from. Avoid April and May when room rates rise triple or double of the ordinary price because many flock to the beaches during the long weekend in Holy Week. The waters of Puerto Galera are home to giant clams as well as dolphins and corals.
 * Lush Forests: The forests of Puerto Galera are home to many flora such as orchids, birds and fauna such as orchids and waterfalls.
 * Coral Reefs
 * Coral Reefs

Do
Accredited masseuses can give you massage right on the beach. To prevent hanky-panky, in-room massage, other than in an especially designated room at the hotel, is prohibited. Aside from Scuba Diving, golf is also another activity, a golf course is available.

Diving
Most visitors to Puerto Galera are attracted by the excellent scuba diving provided by the protected marine sanctuary. There are a number of dive shops in the area (estimated at around 35) that provide access to a macro (i.e. small life) heaven. The dive sites that feature a large variety of small sea life with the occasional shark or turtle. Several sites are drift dives and often turn into (strong) current dives with the best diving (for coral and small life) being at 20 m (60 feet). Almost all of the dive sites are within a 10 minute boat ride of Sabang which allows you to spend your surface interval on the shore and it also allows most shops to offer as many as four dive trips (single tank) each day. Prices for a single dive are US$26-32 for a single tank dive, including equipment rental, boat and dive guide, with discounts for more dives and if you have your own equipment.



Eat
There are many restaurants near Muelle Pier, Puerto Galera and Sabang Beach.



Drink
Sabang beach at night is famous for girly bars that tend to close just as quickly as they pop up. It also has billiard rooms and discos where you can party into the wee hours of the morning.

Floating Bar - enjoy a beer on a boat off the coast of Sabang.

Sleep
Puerto Galera has numerous hotels and resorts that tourists can choose from. Tourists will also find many cheap bungalows to stay on white beach. These cost a night; you can get better rates during week days.



Palangan
Palangan is a barangay between PG town and Sabang, at the base of the peninsula that has Sabang at the tip.

Stay healthy
PG has no hospital but there is an urgent care clinic toward the south end of town; there is a turn-off with a sign a bit south of the bus station.

Cope


There are at least three ATMs in town. Walking from the port, turn left onto the main road and PNB is a short distance on your right. Go past the top of the hill and take the first left, with a sign for Sabang, to reach the other two. Sabang also has some ATMs but White Beach does not.

Go next

 * Calapan
 * Roxas
 * Batangas
 * Jeepney to Calapan (1 hr 15 min) leaves from the end of the main road several times daily. Air conditioned mini vans now operate also for the same price and have fewer stops.  From Calapan you can take a minivan (3 hr) to Roxas. To get to Calapan from Balatero (west side of PG), take a tricycle ( per person) to Bayan Jeepney Terminal near the Puerto Galera wet market.  to the Calapan City Center and 100php to the Calapan Pier. AC minivans also travel this route and the price is the same as the jeepney. 60-90 minutes. If all the ferries are fully booked at Balatero port, this is the next option to get a ferry to Batangas. Updated June 2019.


 * Jeepney/tricycle to Balatero where a boat, M/S Caribbean, leaves daily at 10AM for Abras de Llog, one-way,  terminal fee. Easy entry into Mindoro Occidental. An easier and cheaper option compared to chartering your own pumpboat or going to Abras via Batangas.