Puerto Galera is well-known for its beaches, the White beach and the Sabang beach. The island is family-friendly during the day, with water sports and jet ski rentals. At night, the bars and restaurants fill up with party-goers with fire dancers and sometimes steel drummers. Here are some tips on how to fully enjoy Puerto Galera!
How To Get To Puerto Galera, Philippines
It is only 3 hours away from Manila; two hours by land to Batangas City Port, and one hour by boat. Take the bus with the sign that say “Batangas Pier via Calabarzaon”. It can be found around corner of Gil Puyat Avenue in Cubao or Taft Avenue in Pasay City. The fare for the journey is around 170php. The journey will end at Batangas Pier where you will switch to a ferry going to Puerto Galera. The ferry ride will cost you 500php (this is a round trip – same ferry will take you back to Batangas pier the next day) and in addition, you will need to pay an ‘Environmental fee’ of 50php and a ‘Terminal fee’ of 10php.
Tip: The next day (going back to Batangas Pier FROM Puerto Galera), be sure to be at the docking area before the agreed time or you will be left behind. They usually arrive around 12:00 noon and stay for at least until 1:00 PM.
Where To Eat in Puerto Galera, Philippines
You’ll see a variety of restaurants on the beach, few of them are open 24 hours, rest shut by 1:00 AM After dropping our bags and resting in our hotel, we stopped at this restaurant. Food is good for the price and serving was also good. Nothing posh but still a good find. They have two branches there. The center branch gets full, so, go to the one near the docking area. This is a 24 hour food place. Normally, it might take a while for your order to be served since they are usually full (reason why we stayed a bit in our hotel). Nice scenic view while having lunch.
I had the chance to get a henna tattoo from a local named Randolf Anio for only 100 PHP. He has tons of designs to choose from but you can request your own too.
Night Life in Puerto Galera, Philippines
Earlier I mentioned that a few restaurants/bars are open 24 hours. Giving you lots of time to mingle, munch, and chat with your best buddies and enjoy the booze. There are also entertainers that appear on stage from time to time (pretty much what goes on in a comedy bar) and I tell you, I almost choked laughing. The entertainers were engaging. They would pick one person from the audience and either flirt or make fun of them the whole night. In this case, it was my friend (who happens to be sitting beside me) who they flirted with the whole night.
Day Two at Puerto Galera, Philippines (Breakfast)
Upon arriving you’ll meet locals who offer ‘tour packages’ that include a variety of watersports. We chose the banana boat ride. And it was… an AMAZING experience! Both parties agreed to meet the next day as we arrived late yesterday. The Banana Boat is an inflatable raft in shape of a banana designed to give you a wet and wild ride as you zip across the ocean and bounce over the waves (pulled by speed boat). The cost was around P200/person and it can accommodate 10 individuals. The person in charge of the boat knocked us off 4 TIMES (he offered to do it only twice but we’re too persistent).
Expenses at Puerto Galera, Philippines
Group
7000 php (2d1N) – Hotel/Accomodation with breakfast (White Beach Resort)
300 php – Food (from the market for dinner)
299 php – Mineral water (gallon)
2000 php – Booze (tower, beer, picka)
__________________________
7799 php /8 person
= 974. 88 php
Individual
170 php – Bus (Going to Batangas Pier from Manila)
170 php – Bus (Going back to Manila)
500 php – Ferry (round trip)
150 php (estimated) – Foodtrip sa Galera
50 php – Environtmental fee
10 php – Terminal fee
200 php – Banana boat
100 php – henna tattoo
__________________________
1350 php
Explore More Beaches in the Philippines
- POTIPOT ISLAND, ZAMBALES: A Comprehensive DYI Travel Guide
- CAPONES ISLAND, ZAMBALES: A Comprehensive DYI Travel Guide
- PATAR BEACH, PANGASINAN: A Comprehensive DYI Travel Guide
- KALANGGAMAN ISLAND, LEYTE: A Comprehensive DYI Travel Guide
- LANGTARAN GROVE, NORTHERN SAMAR: A Comprehensive DYI Travel Guide
Cool! I followed on the @thenicepeach. 😀 Let’s be friends!
Time to plan holidays!!!
OMG, I love Philippines so much and am now wondering why did I not visit this beach on our trip last month. Will love to return for the White Beach.
Phillipines has many great beaches. Cebu’s is maybe the most popular, but this white beach looks.. great
You make me want to visit the Philippines! Thanks for sharing your beautiful experiences with us.