Boracay is a tropical
island located approximately 315km (200 miles) south of
Manila and 2km off the northwest tip of the island of
Panay in the Western
Visayas region of the
Philippines. It is one of the country's most popular
tourist destinations. The island comprises the
barangays of Manoc-Manoc, Balabag, and Yapak (3 of the 17 barangays which make up the municipality of
Malay), and is under the administrative control of the Philippine Tourism Authority in coordination with the Provincial Government of
Aklan.
Boracay Island is located off the northwest corner of the island of Panay, and belongs to the
Western Visayas island-group, or Region VI, of the
Philippines. The island is approximately seven kilometers long, dog-bone shaped with the narrowest spot being less than one kilometer wide, and has a total land area of 10.32
square kilometers.
South-facing Cagban Beach is located across a small strait from the jetty port at
Caticlan on Panay island, and the Cagban jetty port serves as Boracay's main entry and exit point during most of the year. When wind and sea conditions dictate, east-facing Tambisaan Beach serves as an alternative entry and exit point.
Boracay's two primary tourism beaches, White Beach and Bulabog Beach, are located on opposite sides of the island's narrow central area. White Beach faces westwards and Bulabog Beach faces eastwards. The island also has several other beaches.
White Beach is the main tourism beach. It is a bit over four kilometers long and is lined with resorts, hotels, lodging houses, restaurants, and other tourism-related businesses. In the central portion, for about two kilometers, there is a footpath known as the Beachfront Path separating the beach itself from the establishments located along it. North and south of the Beachfront Path, beachfront establishments do literally front along the beach itself. Several roads and paths connect the Beachfront Path with Boracay's Main Road, a vehicular road which runs the length of the island. At the extreme northern end of White Beach, a footpath runs around the headland there and connects White Beach with Diniwid Beach.
Bulabog Beach, across the island from White Beach, is a secondary tourism beach and Boracay's main
windsurfing and
kiteboarding area.
Boracay is divided, for land use and conservation purposes, into 400
hectares of preserved forestland and 628.96 hectares of agricultural Land.
[4][5][6]ClimateAmihan and Habagat
Weather in Boracay is generally divided into two seasonal weather patterns known locally as the
Amihan and Habagat seasons. In the
Tagalog language, Amihan means a cool northeast wind, and Habagat means west or southwest wind; south-west monsoon. Amihan and Habagat seasons are generally associated respectively with the
El Niño and
La Niña global weather patterns. The Amihan season is characterized by moderate temperatures, little or no rainfall, and a prevailing wind from the east. The Habagat season is characterized by hot and humid weather, frequent heavy rainfall, and a prevailing wind from the west.
On Boracay, the main indicator of the switch between the Amihan and Habagat seasonal patterns is the switch in wind direction. In most years this transition is abrupt and occurs overnight. In some years there is a period of perhaps a week or two where the wind will switch between Amihan and Habagat patterns several times before settling into the pattern for the new season. As a general rule of thumb, Boracay will be in the Amihan weather pattern from sometime in September or October to sometime in May or June and in the Habagat weather pattern for the remainder of the year. These dates can vary in individual years, though.
Daytime temperatures on Boracay generally range from 77-90°F (25-32°C) from the beginning of the Amihan season into February or March, increase to the 82-100°F(28-38°C) range until the onset of the Habagat season, and moderate back to the 77-90°F (25-32°C) range with the return of the Amihan season.
[8] During
Tropical Storm periods, temperatures can fall below 68°F (20°C). Tropical Storms can impact Boracay at any time of year, but are most likely to be seen during the Habagat season.
[9]TourismPartly because of its wind and weather patterns, tourism in Boracay is at its peak during the Amihan season. During Amihan, the prevailing wind blows from the east. Boracay's main tourism area, White Beach, is on the western side of the island and is sheltered from the wind. During the Amihan season, the water off White Beach is often glassy-smooth. On the eastern side of the island, hills on the northern and southern ends of the island channel the Amihan season wind from the east onshore, onto Bulabog Beach in the central part of the island's eastern side. This makes the
reef-protected waters off that beach ideal for
windsurfing and
kiteboarding / kitesurfing.
AccommodationA number of accommodation types are scattered all over the island, ranging from luxurious hotel types to budget, spartan rooms. Guests can also choose according to location--Station 3 is where most of the cheaper lodgings are located, while Station 2 is meant for those who want to be within close proximity of the bars. Station 1, meanwhile, is where you can find the more isolated accommodations, offering peace and quiet to those looking for a respite from the usual action-packed Boracay night scene. These are usually for the more upscale vacationers.
Boracay is the site of a world-class 18-hole par 72
golf course designed by
Graham Marsh. In addition, Boracay now has in excess of 350 beach resorts with more than 2,000 rooms ranging in quality from five-star to budget accommodations, so tourists are sure to find whatever they are looking for.
Boracay also offers a wide range of restaurants, bars, pubs, and nightclubs that bop until morning.
Most Boracay hotels and resorts have Low and High Season price levels, with High Season prices generally coinciding with Amihan Season dates. Some have additional "Super" Peak Period pricing during periods of heavy tourism (usually including
Christmas /
New Year,
Easter /
Holy Week, and
Chinese New Year periods).
EventsBoracay is one competitive venue for the
Asian Windsurfing Tour, with the week-long
Boracay International Funboard Cup competition usually being held on Bulabog Beach each January..
The well-known
Ati-Atihan Festival takes place each January in
Kalibo on nearby
Panay island. A much smaller Ati-Atihan festival is celebrated on Boracay, usually in the second or third week of January.
Dragon boat races are held annually on Boracay under the auspices of the
Philippine Dragon Boat Federation, with teams coming from around the
Philippines and from other Asian nations to compete. The races usually take place sometime in April or May.
Since 2003, the
Philippine Ultimate Association has been organizing the Boracay Open Asian Beach
Ultimate Tournament, an ultimate frisbee event, which is usually held during summer.
The
Olympic Council of Asia has announced that Boracay will host the
2014 Asian Beach Games.
The Boracay Dragons, Boracay's ultimate frisbee team, is ranked #1 in the Philippines. They competed in Brazil for World Championship Beach Ultimate 2007. All of the players on the Boracay team were shorter than the shortest players on every other team combined, and only half of the team could afford to fly to Brazil. Nonetheless, the Boracay team took home the most awards undefeated against every other team until the final match in which they lost. Despite being second place in the tournament, the Boracay Dragons are considered to be 2007's most formidable Ultimate Frisbee team.
LanguagesOther than
Filipino (Tagalog),
English is widely spoken in Boracay.
Aklanon or Akeanon, is also spoken, as Boracay is part of
Aklan Province. The Ati language was spoken by the original inhabitants of the island.
TransportationOn the island, the two main modes of transport are via motor-tricycles along the main road or by walking along the beaches. Pedicabs are also available for transport along the Beachfront Path. Other means of transportation include
mountain bikes,
quadbikes and
motorbikes, all of which can be rented.
To explore around the island's coast, motorized bancas and sailing paraws are available for rent. These are
outrigger canoes and are common sight in waters around the island. The sailing paraw is a narrow hulled boat with outriggers either side and with passengers sometimes seated on a trampoline platform between the outrigger supports. These are extremely fast off the wind, but can be unwieldy for inexperienced sailors.
Boracay Radio Station
106.1 Radio Boracay WebsiteYes FM 91.1 Boracay WebsiteB 97 Boracay 97.3 FMExcerpt from Wikipaedia
Most of the photos are excerpt from Google and Yahoo Images.
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Artist: Botong Francisco
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