It was 4AM on September 26th when we headed for Manila Domestic Airport for the 7AM Asian Spirit flight to Caticlan. Like all other events in my life I have been anticipating, I was once again without sleep. Although I packed light (compared to my other vacations) the laptop added considerable weight to my backpack. We arrived early and were fortunate enough to get seats at the forward half of the plane. Around 6AM - the sun shone! It had been overcast and raining for the past week. Things were starting out well.
We boarded the plane - a 50-seater propeller plane - at 6:30AM and by 7:15AM we were airborne.
Boracay is an island off the northernmost tip of Panay Island. The nearest airport is in the town of Caticlan, just 15 minutes away by pump boat. Unfortunately the airport can accommodate only small aircraft and if you prefer a larger aircraft in which to travel, you can get to Boracay via Kalibo City which is 2 hours away from Caticlan by bus. While the eastern side of Boracay is lined by rocky beaches and visited by large waves, the western side is lined with beaches with the finest sand I've seen. The sea is calm and there are no sudden drops in the sea floor. The 'White Beach' as it is called is a 4 kilometer stretch of white sand lined with palm trees (and unfortunately, a growing number of resorts).
After an hour, we landed at a sunny Caticlan airport. The contrast with Metro Manila was striking. Mountains were visible in the distance and it was green everywhere.
We took a 10-minute tricycle ride (Php20/person) to Caticlan Jetty Port where we boarded a small pump boat (Php40/person) for the 15-minute ride to Boracay.
At 9AM we arrived.
Next: Accomodations
We boarded the plane - a 50-seater propeller plane - at 6:30AM and by 7:15AM we were airborne.
Boracay is an island off the northernmost tip of Panay Island. The nearest airport is in the town of Caticlan, just 15 minutes away by pump boat. Unfortunately the airport can accommodate only small aircraft and if you prefer a larger aircraft in which to travel, you can get to Boracay via Kalibo City which is 2 hours away from Caticlan by bus. While the eastern side of Boracay is lined by rocky beaches and visited by large waves, the western side is lined with beaches with the finest sand I've seen. The sea is calm and there are no sudden drops in the sea floor. The 'White Beach' as it is called is a 4 kilometer stretch of white sand lined with palm trees (and unfortunately, a growing number of resorts).
After an hour, we landed at a sunny Caticlan airport. The contrast with Metro Manila was striking. Mountains were visible in the distance and it was green everywhere.
We took a 10-minute tricycle ride (Php20/person) to Caticlan Jetty Port where we boarded a small pump boat (Php40/person) for the 15-minute ride to Boracay.
At 9AM we arrived.
Next: Accomodations
