Mindoro

Occidental Mindoro has earned the reputation of being the Marine Wonderland of Luzon. The island of Mindoro is still part of Luzon. It is located about 15 km southwest of Luzon’s coast and Mindoro can be reached via the ferry boats that sail from the Batangas pier towards Calapan, Mindoro. If one is coming directly from Manila, one can take a plane bound for Mamburao or San Jose. The travel time is approximately 45 minutes.

Once in Occidental Mindoro, the tourist will have a wide selection of beaches and diving spots to choose from. Here are some of the places that a tourist can visit.

– Mamburao Beach Resort – It is a part of an impressively long strip of beach. The surroundings are relatively untouched by pollution and other consequences of careless modernization. But the Mamburao Beach Resort is considered the most luxurious of all resorts because it has cozy cottages that tourists can use.

– Tayamaan Beach – It is the beach that is often visited by local people of Mindoro. Thus, if the tourist wanted a real immersion in local culture, he must spend a day at Tayamaan. Here he will see the natural fun-loving traits of the Mindoro residents.

– Ambulong Beach – The island of Ambulong is one of the three islands that comprise San Jose, Occidental Mindoro. The beach is carpeted with fine white sand that the barefooted tourist can enjoy. Divers also frequent the Ambulong Island because it is considered the jump-off point of several diving sites such as theIling Point, the Baniaga Reef, the Ambulong Bank, the Dungan Reef, the Sadines Reef, the Manadi Island, and the world-famous Apo Reef. The Apo Reef is the ultimate diving spot in the Philippines with corals growing luxuriously and with about 500 marine species populating the area.

– Pandan Grande Beach – This is an island in Sablayan which can be reached after a three-hour bus ride and a 15-minute pump boat ride. If the tourists have enough budget, they can take a yacht to reach it. The Pandan Grande Island is endowed with a white sand beach. Aside from this, the 30-hectare islet has a 20-room diver’s lodge. Obviously, off the shoreline, there is diving spot where one can find schools of reef.

– White Island Beach – This white sand beach can also be found in San Jose and can be reached by a 15-minute pump boat ride from the Caminawit Port. The whole island is wrapped in serenity and it is the perfect place for tourist who longed for a real get-away. One can also do scuba diving and fishing. But one must be careful while walking along the beach line because there are delicate turtle eggs buried in the sand. These turtle eggs must not be disturbed.

To reach each of the beaches listed, one can utilize the jeepneys and tricycles that ply all routes in the province of Occidental Mindoro. And if the beach is located in an island off Mindoro, there are ferry boats which can take commuters and tourists to their desired destinations.