Boracay Island

General information

Boracay is a small island in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines, located almost in the geographical center of the country (Boracay Island on the map of the Philippines). It is very tiny, only 7 kilometers long, and a little more than 500 meters wide at the narrowest point, and the surprising thing is that this is the most famous and popular Philippine resort, which has become almost a household name for snow-white tropical sandy beaches.

The popularity of Boracay played against him, and due to the long-term influx of tourists, the natural resources and infrastructure of the island were depleted. As a result, in 2018 it was closed for restoration for 6 months, and reopened in October 2018. After the opening, the number of tourists visiting the island was decided to limit, for which it is forbidden to arrive here without a pre-booked hotel from the list of accredited ones. This does not create big problems for tourists, since there are enough accredited facilities for accommodation, but more on that below.

Holidays in Boracay

Holidays in Boracay are, of course, white sandy beaches and a developed tourist infrastructure. The beaches here are really wonderful, especially the main beach and the White Beach area, which is asking for its image to be captured on postcards, because it is considered the best in the whole Philippines.

• Holidays in Boracay
• Holidays in Boracay
• Holidays in Boracay
• Holidays in Boracay

But do not naively believe that the whole of Boracay is a quiet tropical paradise. In fact, the opposite is true: in the peak season, it is crowded with tourists and vacationers, and the locals and tourist businessmen are too caressed by their attention that they have become not at all as friendly and smiling as in the rest of the Philippines. Prices here for this reason, of course, are also higher than on other islands of the Philippines, but in general it can not be said that it is too expensive. In fact, vacation in Boracay is available even to budget tourists, you just need to properly organize the trip, which, in fact, tells this guide.

Boracay prices to guide in 2023:

• Accommodation in the hostel - from 400 pesos/person (6.88 USD).
• Hotel accommodation in a room for two - from 1500 pesos (25.8 USD).
• On-site excursions - from 700 pesos (12.04 USD).
• Eat in a cafe for locals - from 100 pesos (1.72 USD).
• Eat in the chain restaurant JolliBee with a drink - from 100 pesos (1.72 USD).
• Eat in a cafe for tourists - from 300 pesos (5.16 USD).
• Water 1.5 L. - in the supermarket 25 pesos / on the street 40 (0.69 USD).
• Local beer 0.3 L. in the supermarket – 60 pesos (1.03 USD).
• Local beer 0.5 L. in the supermarket - 80 pesos (1.38 USD).
• Milk 1L. in the supermarket 1-100 pesos (1.72 USD).
• Transportation (tricycle) - from 10 pesos, but in general you should count on a trip of 100 pesos (1.72 USD).
• Rent a motorcycle-2500 pesos per day (42.99 USD).

The center of the island is noisy and hectic, there are even traffic jams, the air is polluted. The work on the global reconstruction of the island also adds inconvenience: new roads are being built, old ones are being demolished and new buildings are being built. Due to the expansion of roads and previous violations during construction, old buildings are completely moved away from the roads and the coastline, for which they destroy the facade and move it further. In general, the work is boiling everywhere, because of what noise, dust and dirt. But soon, of course, it will end, and the authorities promise that the appearance of Boracay will be greatly transformed, and it will become more comfortable.

Boracay Beaches

The beaches in Boracay are undoubtedly gorgeous, but there are also features that you should definitely know about when you choose a hotel and an area for accommodation. Unfortunately, not all of them are suitable for a beach holiday, not all infrastructure is well developed, and in some places you should not settle at all. The best beaches and developed areas of Boracay are predominantly on the West Coast, while the East Coast is not very suitable for recreation:

• Uyat Beach / White Beach - the best beach in the Philippines and the most developed area, 4 kilometers long. If you are in Boracay for the first time, it is best to come here.
• Diniwid Beach is a small beautiful and cozy beach in a bay not very far from the center. Here you can stay in a hotel, or visit here on foot from White Beach.
• Hagdan Beach / Hagdan Beach is a wild rustic beach, but very beautiful and clean. You can come here to relax during the day if you want to retire.
• Punta Bunga Beach – hotel beach, but access is open to all. You can come to rest for a day, and if finances allow, it is better to settle in one of the local luxury hotels.
• Puka Beach / Puka Shell Beach is one of the most beautiful and pristine beaches. It should be visited by every guest of Boracay, but you can not stay here, there are no hotels nearby.
• Ilig-Iligan Beach / Ilig Iligan Beach – a chain of several remote and quiet beaches, and an area where you can stay. Here you should choose a hotel if you want to be away from the center and parties, but it is better not to settle here during the high season from November to May because of the winds and waves.
• Manoc-Manoc Beach and Tambisaan Beach are unpopular beaches in the south of the island due to the fact that there are boat docks here, and the area is tourist underdeveloped. But objectively the beaches are not bad.
• Bulabog Beach / Bulabog Beach and Tulubhan Beach / Tulubhan Beach – two completely unsuitable for swimming on the Eastern Shore: too shallow and dirty. Bulabog Beach is a place for kitesurfing enthusiasts.

All the listed beaches in Boracay are free, access is not limited in any way, but there are strict prohibitions and rules, especially on White Beach:

• You can not place and rent sun beds and umbrellas (you can bring your own mats and mattresses);
• you can not litter, urinate, defecate, smoke;
• you can not build sand castles and figures;
• it is forbidden to eat and drink on the beach;
• you can not take with you sand and pebbles;
• drones without special permission are prohibited;
• you can not bring and bring pets to the beach;
• trade, massage, offers of tours and other services in the bathing area are prohibited.

The last rule is especially pleasant for tourists, since as a result, all sorts of molesters have almost completely disappeared. Now they are" on duty" on the footpath along Wyatt Beach, but do not poke into the sand.

Learn more about each of Boracay's beaches here...

• White Beach, Boracay
• White Beach, Boracay
• Dinivid Beach, Boracay
• Puka Beach, Boracay

Hotels in Boracay

You should book accommodation on the island in advance, otherwise Objects At Reasonable Prices may simply not remain. We recommend that you do this together with the purchase of air tickets, and not postpone for later. It is especially important to book in advance if you are going to relax during the high season from November to May. Inside the high season, there are also peak seasons, when both foreign and local tourists rush to rest: the period of celebrating Catholic Christmas (lasts all November), New Year, Chinese New Year, Easter.

You can book a hotel in Boracay through one of the sites of the world booking systems, all objects on them are accredited:

• 🛌 Book a hotel in Boracay on Yandex.travel
• 🛌 Book a hotel in Boracay on Booking.com
• 🛌 Search for hotels in Boracay on Trip.com (💥 our choice)
• 🛌 Search for hotels on Ostrovok.ru

Infrastructure in Boracay

The tourist infrastructure in Boracay is well developed, perhaps like nowhere else in the Philippines. It has everything that travelers and tourists with any size of wallet can need.

Most of the tourist infrastructure and urban infrastructure in general is concentrated in the center of the island, which is formed by the Main Street and buildings along White Beach. it is here that most of the accommodation options, shops and supermarkets, cafes and restaurants, travel agencies and entertainment are located. But objectively speaking, it is necessary to go a little beyond the center, as the infrastructure abruptly disappears, turning into an ordinary village.

The official representative office of the State Tourist Office is located on the D'mall shopping street. There you can get information on excursions, transport, but the most useful – you can take free maps and brochures. These cards will be useful not only for orientation, but they also have coupons and promo codes for discounts on travel services.

• Travel agencies and excursions

  Local travel agencies and hotels offer a huge number of excursions and tourist activities, including inexpensive group tours. The most options and lowest prices are best sought on the pedestrian street along White Beach, where distributors, travel agencies, diving centers and equipment rentals are found at every turn, and you can even bargain. There are Russian-speaking guides and travel agencies in Boracay, but our compatriots ask for excursions and transfers two to three times more than local ones. And yet, be careful of some of the travel agencies under the sign in Chinese or Korean: they conduct excursions exclusively in their own language, i.e. you will not understand anything even with a good command of English.

  White Beach Tour seller

• Shopping

  Boracay is not a shopping center, but you can buy everything you need here without any problems. The main platform for tourist shopping is located in the heart of the tourist area – this is the D'mall shopping center. Rather, it is not quite a shopping center, but just a lot of different shops, shops and cafes gathered in one place on one street, but the locals call it a shopping center. The only shopping center under the roof-City Mall, is located on the Main Street Main Road opposite the beach Dinivid Beach. It is small, but it has the largest supermarket on the island, there is a food court, and several departments with different goods.

  To buy drinks, snacks and other products, it is best to visit one of the two Budget Mart supermarkets, where prices are as low as on the big Islands. There are also chain supermarkets 7/11, Minisop, etc.

  Shopping street in D'mall

• Food, where to eat

  Inexpensive local cafes, restaurants for tourists are found at every turn. There are even a few dining areas along the Alona Beach promenade. In the center on the main street there is a local chain restaurant JolliBee, we recommend it for everyday food. This is the local equivalent of McDonald's, and the prices in the Boracay restaurant are the same as throughout the country.

  At the same time, outside the center and Alona Beach, places where you can eat inexpensively and tasty are almost not found. There you will find either very cheap cafes with tasteless food and unsanitary conditions, or expensive tourist restaurants at hotels.

  In general, food prices here are slightly higher than in all other Philippines. The only exception is, perhaps, only restaurants directly on the beaches, where prices are significantly higher. For reference, for 50 pesos you can have a snack in a cheap cafe for locals, for 100 pesos you can order rice with chicken and a drink in JolliBee. But to sit in a tourist cafe or restaurant with drinks or a chicken dish will cost from 300 per person, and twice as much for a seafood dish.

  Fruit can be bought in markets from stalls and in supermarkets, but prices are high, especially in the high tourist season (winter), when it is not the season for fruit to ripen. Even bananas and pineapples, which are exotic for Russia, are more expensive here than at home, not to mention apples, pears and grapes.

  Fruit tray

• Currency exchange in Boracay

  Exchange currency on the island is not difficult, the exchange rate here is acceptable. For example, at the same time, the exchange rate in Cebu was 50.6 pesos per dollar, at Manila airport - 50.8, in Cebu Airport - 47 (do not change it), and in Boracay you could find the rate - 50.4. carry with you, of course, you need US dollars or at least euros, and all other currencies change at an unfavorable rate, USD.

  Биржевой курс обмена (филиппинский песо) на сегодня (13/02/2025)

  Реальный курс обмена валюты *

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  Калькулятор валюты*

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  But a good course here is also to be looked for, it differs from place to place. Exchangers are on the Main Street and in the alleys, on White Beach, find them and compare rates while walking without problems. For small bills up to $ 50, the rate is lower. The most profitable one is traditionally offered in exchangers at micro-loan offices under the signs M. Lhuillier and Forex, Western Union transfers in the very center on the street of the D'mall shopping mall. An acceptable course is also offered at the marina in Caticlan, from where boats depart for Boracay, but at Boracay Airport./Caticlan exchange and there are no ATMs.

  There are plenty of ATMs in Boracay, but a commission of 250 pesos is withheld for each withdrawal (4.3 USD, see for more information about the Philippine currency and Exchange Rate) in addition to your bank's Commission. At the same time, the maximum amount of issuance in most terminals is 10,000, and as a result, considerable losses are obtained compared to cash exchange. There are few places where you can pay with a card: local shops and cafes accept cards only for purchases over 500 pesos (8.6 USD), and sometimes restaurants and travel agencies add their commission, check before paying.

  You can also pay directly in dollars in large stores, restaurants and hotels, but the conversion rate will be unprofitable for you, for example: at the exchange rate of 50.2 in the store, 48 is recalculated.

  Boracay currency exchange

Boracay weather, tourist seasons

Borkakai is a year-round resort, it is always warm here. But if you want the holiday to be perfect, it is best to come here during the high season.

• High season in Boracay runs from November to May. This is the best time to visit the island, as there is little rain, the sun almost always shines. But sometimes the bad weather goes to November and December, so many locals say that the best time to go here is from March to May – this is the perfect time. Accommodation in hotels during the high season becomes more expensive by a third, but there are also peak seasons when it becomes more expensive by almost half. These are the periods of Catholic Christmas, New Year, Chinese New Year, Easter, and for holidays on these days it is worth booking in advance, at least a month in advance. And yet, the Filipinos themselves celebrate Christmas and pass the school Christmas holidays almost all of December, so it makes sense to book in advance for this whole month.

• The low season lasts from June to October. At this time it often rains, a lot of clouds. Sometimes it can be lucky, it can be dry and clear for weeks. But you should be prepared for trouble – typhoons.

  Several times a year, the country is hit by tropical storms that can turn into typhoons. They form and pass most often through the northern part of the country, but also affect Boracay. During typhoons, even with the epicenter far from Boracay, ferry service can be completely interrupted, flights are canceled, sometimes even evacuation is announced. Usually it lasts 1-3 days, no more.

Seasons in Boracay by month, when is the best time to go

Current Boracay weather and forecast

* - прогноз указан по местному времени. Данные получены с https://openweathermap.org. Если отображаются устаревшие даты, обновите страницу с помощью F5+Ctrl.

How to get to Boracay

The island is located in the Western Visayas region a couple of kilometers from the north shore of the Big Island of Panay (Boracay on the map of the Philippines). Geographically, it is almost the center of the country, so from Russia and other countries it is equally convenient to get to it through one of the two main international airports in the country: Cebu airport or Manila airport. There is no way to get here directly from other countries, in any case, you will have to change at one of the airports.

Boracay does not have its own airport and seaport, so in any case, one arrives here via the city of Caticlan on the large island of Panay, which is connected to Boracay by a well-organized boat and ferry service. i.e. in general, your route to Boracay, whether on your own or via a tour, will look like this:

If you come to Kalibo, you'll have to travel by land to Caticlan. But on the other hand, Kalibo airport is international, so sometimes it is more convenient to get directly to it, rather than through Manila or Cebu. In addition, it carries out seasonal charters from Khabarovsk. And of course, according to this scheme, options and deviations are possible. For example, you can get from Cebu by land with transfers to ferries, but it will be even more expensive than a flight.

See separate detailed instructions:

• All the ways to get to Boracay
• How to get to Boracay from Cebu
• How to get to Boracay from Manila

If you do not want to get involved with self-organizing a trip to Boracay, it is best to purchase ready-made tours. They are offered with departure from different regions of Russia, and the price includes an individual and group transfer directly to the hotel with all transfers. Now it is most profitable to purchase tours directly from tour operators, and not from intermediary travel agencies. Compare prices and pick up tours from many tour operators you can on one of the trusted sites:

• Philippines tours on Level.Travel
• Philippines tours on Travelata.ru (promocodes here)
• Philippines tours on Onlinetours.ru

Transport in Boracay, what to move

Public transport in Boracay is poorly developed, and travel is quite expensive for tourists. Therefore, tune in either to pay a lot by local standards,or to walk more. In general, the island is not very large, the length of its main road is 9 kilometers, and if you do not settle somewhere on the outskirts of remote beaches, then you can walk from the hotel to the center or the main beach of White Beach.

In fact, there is only one public transport route: from the Cagban jetty in the South (Cagban Jetty Port, this is the main marina where all boats and ferries with tourists arrive) along the Main road to the village of Yapak in the North (Yapak, here is Puka Beach). Classic old tricycles, eco-friendly E-trikes, and something like jeepney-electric cars constantly ply the route. They stop anywhere on demand, and theoretically, you can get to anywhere on the island, if combined with a walk from the main road to the right place. Again, theoretically, the prices for travel on this route are fixed and regulated by the administration of the island. But in practice, tricycle drivers usually announce their arbitrary price, especially when you've just arrived on the island at the Cagban Jetty Port.

To drive at the official price or at least approximately at it, you need to get on passing transport with other passengers, preferably local, or explain to the driver that you are ready to go with other passengers along the way, they understand this as "Hop On – Hop Off". Otherwise, they try to understand any trip of a tourist, even along the main route, as a taxi ride, and voice prices at times more expensive.

Official Boracay fares in 2025 from Cagban Jetty Port to stops on the main road in the area:

• Station 3 (Station 3) at White Beach – 10 pesos / 0.17 USD
• Stations 2 and 1 (Station 2, Station 1) at White Beach – 25 pesos / 0.43 USD
• Dinivid Beach – 35 pesos / 0.6 USD
• To the village of Yapak and Puka Beach (Yapak, Puka Beach) – 40 pesos / 0.69 USD
• Travel between stations 1, 2 or 3 costs 10 pesos.

In reality, you will be asked for at least 150 pesos (2.58 USD), you need to bargain. And, of course, if you need to get to a particular hotel or place, even if it is right along the main road, as soon as you say the name of the hotel, the driver will also try to take this as an application for a taxi ride, so it's better to try to designate the route with the generally accepted numbers 1, 2, etc.

There is another alternative to tricycles-this is the Habal-Habal motorcycle taxi. They are officially banned, but are found everywhere. Work exclusively as a taxi, the price is negotiable.

Rent motobakyov (scooters) in Boracay is also possible, but the prices are prohibitively high. The reason for this is the local taxi mafia, which does not allow distributors to reduce the price. Asking just crazy by local standards 2500 pesos (42.99 USD) for rent for one day, or 600 per hour.

Attractions and entertainment, things to see and do in Boracay

Directly on Boracay there are no attractions worthy of attention, unless you consider as such several natural formations in the form of stones and rocks, and an observation deck. There are also mangroves, a theme park and a museum of Illusions, an ethnic village, but as usual in the Philippines, these places are in a neglected state and are of little interest to tourists. In addition, some of the notable places described in the old guidebooks no longer exist or are inaccessible. We even found on some sites fake descriptions of Boracay attractions that are on other islands of the country hundreds of kilometers away, but are attributed to Boracay. See the description of the few Boracay attractions here...

But you can still see something during your vacation in Boracay. On your own or with an excursion it is worth going to the Big Island of Panay (Panay), where there are several good natural attractions. Most often they visit the beautiful rock for diving Ariel's Point (tours from 2800 pesos); make trekking or day trips to the mountains to waterfalls, caves and springs for swimming (from 2800 pesos); visit the ethnic Museum Motag Living Museum.

The situation is much better with all kinds of tourist activities and entertainment for tourists. Diving, snorkeling, freediving, kitesurfing, parasailing, Island Tours, boat cruises to meet the sunset, windsurfing, kayaking, puddlebot and much more are offered. Relatively recently, surfing began to develop here. Of course, there are spas, massages, fish massage (fish spa), and even helicopter and airplane rides.

Night entertainment

The peaceful walking area of White Beach in the evening turns into an evening entertainment area with many bars and discos operating until late at night. It is difficult to recommend any particular institution, there are really a lot of them. Just take a walk in the evening and you will find a place to your liking: to sit and chat with new friends over a beer, have dinner in a restaurant accompanied by live music, dance to modern rhythms in a nightclub until late at night. You can also find girls: as soon as a single man appears here, the locals will immediately offer a girl or a boy, who likes what.

Entertainment and tours in Boracay can be bought in hotels and travel agencies, from distributors on the White Beach footpath (here it is Cheaper). Prices are highly dependent on the number of people in a group on tour or for training sports, but it is always possible to bargain or ask to join another group. You can also book excursions and entertainment in Boracay online at one of these sites: