After lunch at Sea Lovers Restaurant along White Beach, Grace, my kids Jandy and Cheska and I opted to do something we haven’t done before in Boracay – going around the island by pumpboat. Getting a tour was no problem, there are lots of operators going around White Beach offering this service. All we had to do was haggle for a low price. This settled, we boarded our boat along White Beach and were soon on our way.
Crocodile Island |
Just off the southeast coast of Boracay, we passed by rocky Crocodile Island, so named because of its crocodile shape from a distance. It has no beaches but is said to be a good snorkeling area and a popular venue for scuba diving.
The entrance of Crystal Cove |
After 20 mins., our boat dropped anchor at the white sand beach in front of the welcome arch of Boracay Crystal Cove atTigwati-an Island. This 2-hectare, privately-owned island, formerly called Laurel Island, is located just off Tabon Point, east of Boracay.
Resting along the island’s circumferential path |
To explore the island and its caves, we paid an entrance fee (P75 per adult and P30 per child).The island had a circumferential cement path and, during our tour, we encountered statues of mythical characters. The island’s chief attraction are its 2 caves.
Posing among statues of mythical characters |
One is located on a hill top. There is also a small, 8-m. long cave at the tip of the island which is liberally covered with yellow and orange polyps. The kids and I were excited to enter it but Grace opted to stay behind and just wait for our return. The cave has a natural shallow pool on the side of the beach where we swam through.
One of the island’s caves |
Back at our boat, we proceeded directly up north, near Yapak, to our last destination – the 800-m. long, blissfully deserted Puka Shell Beach (also called Yapak Beach). This beach, the island’s second longest, covers half of the northern tip of the island and ends abruptly at Lapuz-Lapuz Cliffs on the island’s extreme northern point. This most primitive and rugged part of Boracay has yellow, less fine sand and a stronger surf and a more abrupt change of depth than at White Beach. We were careful when we swam there.
The blissfully deserted Puka Shell Beach |