White Beach
Boracay is best known for the white, powdery sand on White Beach.
White Beach is the entertainment and shopping focal point of the island. It’s traditionally divided into three boat stations, harking back to a time when boats were still allowed to stop a few meters from the shore, and travelers would get off to wade towards the beach or were carried by boatmen and porters to the shore. It’s an easy beach to swim in and its west facing orientation allows for a perfect view of the sunset.
The north shore of White Beach (i.e., towards Station 1) is a flat beach where swimmers can wade 10 meters into the water and find themselves still waist-deep in it. The south shore of White Beach (i.e, towards Station 3) gets deeper quicker, and almost immediately after stepping into the ocean you can push off and enjoy swimming in deeper seas.
• Station 1 and Station 3 are the tranquil sides of White Beach. Due to a lesser population density and a more verdant landscape, many find it more relaxing to base themselves in Station 1 or 3.
• Station 2 is where the open-air shopping centers are (D’Mall and D’Talipapa). Tourists who book their accommodations here do so for the sleepless vigor of this side of the island. Staying here means listening to music day and night, and total immersion in a sea of people who also choose to be near the social populace.
Bulabog Beach
Colorful kites park on Bulabog watersports beach.
Located on the opposite side of White Beach is Bulabog Beach, where you’ll find a less densely developed and more sparsely inhabited side of Boracay. A windblown beach with an open sea largely unpopulated by boats and swimmers, Bulabog Beach is frequented by kiteboarders, windsurfers, and other watersports enthusiasts. The sun rises on the east facing horizon beyond Bulabog Beach, making it the perfect place to start the day or, for some, to end the night.
Puka Beach
For total quietude, visit Puka Shell Beach on the northern part of Boracay.
This beautiful beach offers us a peek of the Boracay past, when beachfront land was marked only by native wild grasses and an abundance of scattered coconut trees, and when the loudest noise on the beach were the sounds of intermittent birdsong and the perpetual shore-break. Originally named for the puka shells (round white or beige shells with a small hole at the center) that once filled this beach, Puka Beach today remains largely undeveloped and can often be the most serene spot on the island.
Balinghai Beach
This secluded beach, tucked between Puka and Diniwid, is a quiet haven that has maintained its appealing raw natural beauty through time. Accessible by a small alley off the main road, and via Balinghai Beach Resort, a consumable fee (a restaurant on the cliff brings down food and drinks in a basket for you) grants you the right of way to scale down a cliff and onto this beach that has been a longtime island favorite.
Diniwid Beach
This north shore beach adjacent to White Beach Station 1 feels like a small, private beach with a few resorts away from the crowd. It can be reached by foot by walking to the edge of White Beach Station 1 and continuing on the narrow path that hugs the huge limestone cliff until you reach this smaller white sand beach.
READ MORE:
- Did you know that Boracay has more than 10 white sand beaches, each of them distinctive and worth a visit? Read about these beaches on the website of Boracay Foundation Inc., www.boracayisland.org.
Next: Shopping and Use of Money
This Boracay Guest Guide is authored by Camilla Collings for Boracay Magazine, copyright 2014. All rights reserved. No part of this section may be copied-and-pasted into any Boracay promotional material, or altered to hide traces of plagiarism, without permission from the copyright owner. This article may be shared as long as links kept intact, and proper acknowledgements made.
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