Boracay Activities

Although Boracay doesn’t have much in the way of purpose-built facilities aimed at young visitors, this doesn’t preclude families from taking holidays here. On the contrary; the island’s greatest attraction is its beaches, which are perfect places for children to while away endless sunny days enjoying sand and sea activities. Aside from the beach, there are a few unique attractions that allow you to get up close to Boracay’s native flora and fauna.

Beaches
Boracay’s beaches are family-friendly, giving young holidaymakers opportunities to enjoy the delights of these stunning coastal areas. White Beach is the most popular tourist strip, offering soft white sands that are perfect for making sandcastles or enjoying activities such as Frisbee, kite-flying, beach volleyball and other softball games. The sea is calm enough for smaller children to enjoy a gentle paddle and clear enough for older children to appreciate some of the underwater life through snorkelling. Older children might want to enjoy any of many water sports that are on offer at the island’s main beaches.

Butterfly Garden
Children will enjoy a guided tour of this small yet comprehensive butterfly garden on Bolabog Beach. Not only can you learn about the many different species of butterfly in the Philippines, but you will also have chance to get up close to these colourful creatures. There is a gift shop onsite that sells butterfly souvenirs, handicrafts, and plants. Phone: +63 36 288 6701.

Water Sports
While young children can’t enjoy diving, they can explore Boracay’s clear waters with nothing more than a snorkel and a pair of flippers. The shallow waters and their excellent visibility make snorkelling an ideal activity for kids. Those looking for an adrenalin rush can go on a banana boat ride, with operators available on the more populated beaches.

Boracay is all about beautiful beaches and luxurious resorts rather than rich historic and religious cultural attractions. The local culture can nevertheless be experienced through dining and exploring traditional village areas. For architectural interest, visitors can travel to neighbouring islands such as Capiz, Iloilo and Romblon.

Exploring
Rent a motorbike for the day and head along the island’s roads to see what life for the locals is all about. Make the effort to stop at small settlements and you’ll find the dwellers are remarkably friendly and many speak reasonable English. You might be lucky and get invited into a home, giving you even greater insight into how the locals live. There are also horseback riding trips from the Boracay stables that take in some of the island’s more remote beach and village areas.

Kar-tir Shell Museum
The Kar-tir Shell Museum is located at Ilig-Illigan village and provides visitors with an introduction to some of the finer points of Filipino culture. The museum has a small collection of exhibits which includes pieces of traditional clothing and other textiles, as well as carvings and pottery collected from various parts of the archipelago.

Neighbouring Islands
Capiz is reachable by boat from Boracay. Besides being of interest as the birthplace of Manuel Roxas, the Phillipines’ fifth president, Capiz is home to the ancient churches of Panay and Dumalag. Panay Island in Iloilo province features some interesting colonial churches and mansions as well as the Museo Iloilo and Fort San Pedro.

Plazoleta
Shopping for unique handicrafts is a good way to get familiar with locals products, many of which use centuries old techniques that have been passed down through generations. The Plazoleta is an intimate shopping plaza on White Beach that houses stalls and boutiques that sell the tradition crafts of Boracay. Items range from artworks and crafts, to jewellery and carvings. This is also one of the best places in Boracay to see local artists at work and musicians giving demonstrations on how to play native instruments.

Tribal Music
Live performances of tribal music incorporating bongo drums, rain sticks and other native instruments can be experienced at Plazoleta and the Red Pirates Pub. Full moon nights are among the best times to catch a performance, and visitors are welcome to join in with the jamming.

Filipino residents of Boracay consume three main meals a day. Breakfast is known as almusál, lunch is known as tanghalían and dinner as hapúnan. Afternoon snacks are often enjoyed and are known as meriénda or minandál. Cuisine on the island is similar to that on the mainland, but with some variations based around the limited availability of certain ingredients and the prevalence of others.

As a general rule, dishes are based on staple ingredients such as fish, including grouper, milkfish, mackerel and blue marlin; fish derivatives such as fish sauce and fish paste; coconut and coconut milk; and meats such as pork, chicken and beef. Elements of the banana plant and various indigenous vegetables are also commonly used.

Popular culinary creations available include the whole roasted pig dish known as lechón, the Filipino sausage known as longanisa, the dish of braised pork (or chicken) with soy sauce, garlic and vinegar known as adobo and the beef in bananas and tomato sauce creation called pochero. Rice traditionally accompanies most dishes although noodles are eaten also in dishes such as pancit and chop suey.

Shopping on Boracay is limited mainly to local handicrafts and essential items, and visitors won’t have opportunities for buying much in the way of popular branded goods, electronics or designer products. The local handmade goods are well worth checking out, however, and there are a number of good places to find them.

The Plazoleta on White Beach is one of the best outlets, offering sarongs, jewellery, carvings, paintings and a myriad of brightly coloured lights and lanterns. A small mall known as D'Mall is also good for buying locally made products as well as an abundance of kitsch souvenirs, jewellery and textile goods. The best craft shop in the mall is arguably Juan Lu, situated near the back, while for silver jewellery the Crystal Shack is worth a visit.

Also of note is a shop known as Lonely Planet (unaffiliated with the book series or website of the same name) where visitors can purchase a variety of goods for the home including cushions, rugs, wall-hangings and furniture. Many of the goods are locally produced, while others are imported from Thailand, India and Bali.

Boracay offers abundant outdoor activity possibilities and is the ideal holiday destination for those visitors who like to engage in something energetic while enjoying the beauty that Mother Nature has to offer. The beach is the focal point for outdoor pursuits with both sea and sand lending themselves to a variety of physical activities. With crystal clear waters and some awesome undersea flora and fauna, scuba diving is unsurprisingly one of the most popular activities on offer. Novices can get a basic PADI certificate at the Calypso Diving School.

Beach Sports
Enjoy games such as Frisbee, beach volleyball or badminton, or activities such as kite-flying. The best facilities for beach sports are to be found on White Beach.

Hiking
During the cooler months of the year, visitors can enjoy exploring the island’s less developed areas on foot. The gradient of the terrain is variable, as is the surface, making for some easy and challenging walking. Visitors planning to go far might want to consider the services of a local guide.

Horseback Riding
The Boracay riding school provides outings on locally bred mares, taking in various parts of the island. Riders can go solo or unaccompanied depending on their level of experience. Phone: +63 36 288 3311.

Mountain Biking
There are a number of places where you can hire mountain bikes, and numerous opportunities to enjoy both on and off-road action. Established off-road tracks are scarce, but adventurous types will manage to find areas offering terrain lending itself well to rough riding.

Scootering
Hire a scooter from one of the island’s many rental shops, grab a map and take off on a daytrip across the island to explore its interesting mix of scenery, resorts and native villages.

Water Sports
Boracay has countless water sport possibilities. At White Beach and some of the other beaches visitors can expect to find facilities for waterskiing, jet-skiing, snorkelling, scuba diving, windsurfing, wakeboarding, knee-boarding and speed boating. There are numerous operators on the island, especially those dedicated to scuba diving. Among the best established are Aquarius Diving, Calypso Diving School, Fisheye Dive Safari, Fisheye Divers, Inter Island Diving School, Lapu Lapu Diving Centre, Scuba World, Tommy's Sea Sports and Victory Divers.