Puerto Galera Things to Do

Paradise zoo is half way on the way to Ponderosa Golf Course. Worth visiting if you are interested in reptiles. They have large collection of snakes, lizards, turtles and crocodiles. For a family of two adults and three kids, they charge PHP 1,200 inclusive of one drink for each guest.

It is at an elevation of 2,000ft and can be reached after a steep climb from the main road. Better arrange for transportation from "White Beach". Do not miss this place, once you are on top, this place offers best views of islands and mountains in Puerto Galera.

It is fun exploring various small islands while sailing on banca. Do not go towards Sabang and neighboring beaches as those all are congested. Also do not hire banca from your resort as they will charge you almost double. We had a short ride to "White Beach" and booked banca for PHP 1,000 for five hours. Boatman at our resort was demanding PHP 2,200.

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We did snorkelling, we paid 700 pesos all in,which includes the rent for the boat going to the coral garden,aside from it, theres another smaller boat which guided us along the coral garden,the snorkelling achuchu(i mean stuffs used in snorkeling). But i think its too much coz we have some other people paying for the bigger boat we've rented.

we also did kayaking,300 pesos for 2 person; jetski:2500/hour; banana boat 100/person
we also had our henna tattooes: mine was 200 pesos;my hubby's tattoo:300

banana boat was super fun but kinda scary because you would just fly off of it but you have your lifevest naman so its safe. be careful coz someone's foot might be on your face,i've been kicked accidentally on my forehead..man im talking about seeing stars when you got hit!! it's painfu and i got dizzy afterl!!

by the way dont forget to bring your cameras so you'll have your pictures taken while doing all of these coz we forgot ours!! we only had ours before doing these stuffs!! -sigh- we've only used our mobile phones' camera.

accomodation depends which day you arrive. if you arrive friday , rates would be cheaper esp if you get there in the morning, you can get a place for 15oo to 2k. Come Saturday, cheapest rates go up to around 3k; then goes down again on sunday
i can't remember the name of the bar, it's coco-something, a reggae place on the far right portion of the beach (facing the island). it's a chill-place, if you wanna get out of the noisy dance club scene..
food options: if you're not too choosy, go to the carinderias towards the inner portion of the island (abt 5-10 min walk). food's a lot cheaper than on the beachfront. plus you can buy de lata and ask them to cook it for you for a minimal addtl charge. Ü

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I had a tough time finding just the right dive shop. Typically, I will look for 5-star PADI venues that have good equipment well-organized.

This strategy kind of failed in Sabang because of an unusual feature of the place. NOT all dive shops share a common price. In every other place I've dived, there's a more or less set price that most shops adhere to. In Sabang, there is a very wide range from 900 pesos per dive to0 1700, equipment rental included. To complicate matters, some shops have their own hotels where you can get a break on room or dive depending on the deal and the whim of the people you talk to.

I ended up at VIP divers, who is a partner to Action Divers. They were cheap, BUT! Although friendly on the surface, the underwater experience wasn't user-friendly. We rushed through sites, the equipment was spotty and the price mysteriously increased at the end... 3 strikes and you're out.

A much better shop is the filipino-run Sea Riders. The extra 10 minute walk to Small La Laguna was worth it. Top notch equipment, top notch divemasters and a great attitude awaits. I mostly dove with DM Bong who has the eagle eyes of a local who has been plying the waters for years. He adapted himself to individual divers' preferences - from photographers like me to drift divers to deep divers. He's versatile and a nice guy just to hang out with.

Sabang is chock-full of little eateries that range from nothing special to mediocre. I didn't find much in the way of special food, but that doesn't mean it isn't there.

There are a few fresh fish places, but nothing like what you'd find in more sophisticated destinations like Boracay or much of the rest of Asia where you can find great restaurants ready to grill up your order.

Drinking is a popular entertainment and with 30-50 peso San Miguels, one can quietly go blotto on a budget. There's also a few night spots, but they really don't have the appeal of many other locations. A too-typical entertainment is a cable movie in the hotel room

Puerto Galera, or more specifically, Sabang is a renowned dive center just a few hours from Manila.

There is a tremendous amount of macro-life in the reefs surrounding Sabang with way too many photos to share from nudibranchs to a multitude of fish with a decent selection of coral.

This colorful collection can provide days of diverting fun, but Sabang's not exclusively a diver's paradise (though that's its primary appeal). There's some good beaches, some water sport and boating around, but it ain't no Boracay.