Most people associate the province of Oriental Mindoro with Puerto Galera. This party beach has long been a favorite summer destination for those based in the metro because of its proximity to Manila. While Puerto Galera is located at the northernmost tip of Mindoro island, down south on the opposite end lies a destination that will appeal to those looking for quiet and secluded spots for quality beach-bumming minus the crowds – Bulalacao.

Locals joke that Bulalacao used to be called “Bula-layo” (word play on layo which means far) because of its distance from the rest of the main towns. Back when the province only had rough roads, locals had to endure a whole day’s worth of travel just to get from one end of the province to the other. As the province’s Southernmost town, Bulalacao is still an emerging tourists’ destination, offering a peaceful and uncommercialized respite. It’s the type of place where you can go stargazing because of the lack of light pollution, connect with nature, enjoy quality time with friends, and experience genuine provincial hospitality without the tourist traps.

Soon to Open: Mindoro – Palawan Fastcat

But for how long, I’m not sure. Bulalacao it is envisioning itself as part of a Premier Tourism Triangle together with Boracay and Palawan. With a direct RoRo Port serving as a gateway to the Western Nautical Highway, it is directly linked to Caticlan in Aklan. With Boracay opening again, it will be more accessible to tourists.

FastCat will be launching a new ferry route heading directly from Bulalacao to Coron, one of the country’s top tourist destinations, in Palawan as well. Bulalacao is geographically positioned as a strategic gateway for tourists looking for a remote and laid-back destination in between the two popular tourist spots.

The newly paved roads from Calapan going down to Bulalacao and almost looping the entire island going up to San Jose, Sablayan and Abra de Ilog in Occidental Mindoro, will appeal to road-trippers, motorcyclists and bike-packers who prefer slow travel and exploring hidden spots in the country.

Where exactly is Bulalacao?

Bulalacao is the Southernmost town of the province of Oriental Mindoro. It is located at the tip of the island of Mindoro, roughly a 3-4 hour drive (176 kilometers) from the provincial capital of Calapan City. Bounded by the town of Mansalay on the northeast and San Jose, Occidental Mindoro on the west, the town is enclosed by the Bulalacao Bay and Tablas Strait.

How to get to Bulalacao

By air

San Jose, Occidental Mindoro is the nearest airport to Bulalacao. Cebu Pacific has regular flights to San Jose from Manila, with travel time of about 45 minutes. Additional flights from Clark International Airport to San Jose are expected later this year. From San Jose Airport, one can take a van or bus going to Roxas, Oriental Mindoro passing through Bulalacao via the Roxas-Bulalacao-San Jose road. Travel time is about an hour. For flight schedules and rates, visit www.cebupacificair.com

By land + sea

From Manila, ride any bus going to Batangas City Port. There are various bus stations in Cubao, Pasay and Buendia. Travel time is about 2-3 hours and fare is less than P200.

• Philtranco: www.phbus.com/philtranco-bus
• Ceres Liner: www.phbus.com/ceres-bus
• RORO Bus: www.phpbus.com/roro-bus
• Batangas Port: +63 43 7231701

At the port of Batangas, ride a fastcraft or ferry for an hour or a RoRo vessel for 2 to 2.5 hours. There are various ferry companies including 2Go, OceanJet and FastCat that ply the Batangas-Calapan route daily with ferries departing almost hourly. We took the FastCat to Calapan, a very new fastcraft, that provides safe, fast and convenient sea travel compared to the traditional RoRo.

FastCat Ferry Schedule

• Business Class: Fully air-conditioned with al LCD TV and can accommodate up to 63 passengers.
• Premium Economy: Fully air-conditioned with 2 LCD Tvs and can accomodate up to 105 passengers.
• Economy: Open area, and can accommodate up to 107 passengers.

FastCat Passenger Rates

The catamaran multi-hulled boat is very stable, fast and has a large capacity for 275 passengers, and comes equipped with a cardeck (which can hold up to 34 cars and 7 trucks/buses as well as motorcycles and bicycles). It also has elevator for people with disabilities, snack bar and rescue boats in case of emergencies.

FastCat Freight Rates / Cargo Fees for Vehicles: (full list here)

Coming from Manila, you can bring private vehicles including cars, motorcycles and bicycles on the ferries and fastcraft in the port of Batangas crossing to the island of Mindoro.

• Bicycle: P215
• Bicycle with sidecar: P430
• Motorcycle: P1,100
• Tricycle: P1,290
• Light Cars / Multicab / Owner: P1,730
• Van / Pick-Up / Sedan: P2,160

At the port of Calapan, there are public vans going to Bulalacao for another 3-4 hour ride. Daily trips from the three main terminals are available. For less hassle, there are also provincial buses from Manila to Iloilo and Occidental Mindoro routes.

RoRo vessels have daily trips from Batangas to Bulalacao (3 hours). There is also a ferry with Caticlan-Bulalalcao route at 3:00 am and 3:00 pm every day via FastCat. You may contact Caticlan Port at 0928-7488448.

FastCat has a fleet of sea vessels all over the Philippines, connecting all the Philippine islands. Imagine how cool it would be to go on a long road trip from Manila to Batangas driving down Mindoro and crossing over to Palawan or Aklan from here. For more information, visit www.fascat.com.ph. This is on my bucketlist!

Getting around

Once you get to Bulalacao, public vans are the main mode of transport. For island-hopping trips, you can charter fishing boats at the port. There are fixed boat rates and tariffs for island-hopping.

• Bancal to Suguicay (max of 10 pax) – P800/boat for two-way trip
• Pocanil-Buyaoyao (max of 10 pax) – 1000/boat for two-way trip
• additional routes can be negotiated with the motorboat operators

Where to go in Bulalacao

For tourists, island-hopping is the main draw in town as the area has the longest coastline of the province. The area facing Bulalacao Bay has lots of hidden coves, beaches, islands, islets and dive sites to discover. Tourism here is still very new and there are not yet a lot of establishments. Some islands are also privately-owned, but may be visited provided travelers do not stay overnight.

Aslom Island

Aslom Island gets its name from the Cebuano word “aslom” meaning sour, because of the abundance of sampaloc trees bearing the sour fruit. This 12-hectare private islands has three white beaches, one of which is a crescent-shaped sandbar that stretches about 500 meters. The two other beaches stretch about 200 meters and 800 meters respectively. The three beaches have coarse to corally white sand and are interconnected through rough roads inland. The island is private, but travelers may visit but not stay overnight.

Target Island

Previously known as Alibatan Island, Target Island is a stingray-shaped island named because Americans used the island for “target” bombing practices during the World War II. Bomb sites and jagged rocks broken into pieces can still be seen here. Privately owned, Target island has cemented walkways that follow the coastline of the island around its limestone cliffs and towards a lake at the center of the island.

Tambaron Island

Tambaron Island is a 160-hectare rocky mountainous island separated by a channel from Brgy. Balatasan. The water around which is around 30-meters fathom deep is suited for snorkeling. Among the islands, this is the most developed for tourists. They have several beach cabanas and fan rooms for rent, comfort/shower rooms, potable water, electricity, videoke and a restaurant to cater to guests. The shore has fine, white sand and rich marine diversity. The island is also blessed with a number of Taclobo, a pearl-producing shell.

Bankal Port

The jump-off to Suguicay Island is a great scenic spot on its own. The wooden bridge located at Bancal, San Juan where regular boat rides to Suguicay and other islands is one of the longest boardwalks I’ve ever been to, stretching more or less 300 meters through a mangrove area from the mainland.

Buyayao Island

Located at the Southern part of Mansalay, Buyaoyao Island is a 206-hectare forest reserve with more than 500 forests species under thick vegetation and ornamental plants. It has caves abundant with wildlife including squirrels, deer, wild chicken, and bear cats. Not much development has been done to the island as it’s also privately owned.

Pocanil Rock Formation

Located at the mainland of Brgy. San Roque, this rock formation is being eyed as a potential rapelling, rock climbing and spelunking area managed by the community-based initiatives. Guests are encouraged to bring their own food and supplies as stores are quite far from the place. There are a few rooms available for overnight stays and guests can opt to pitch their own tents.

Suguicay Island

The most popular and well-known of Bulalacao’s islands is Suguicay, an oblong shaped island planted with coconuts and mangrove areas at both ends. The water surrounding the island is abundant with corals and marine diversity, which makes it an ideal destination for scuba diving and snorkeling.

Only cottages and grilling areas can be found on its beaches. Travelers are advised to bring their own camping and cooking equipment should they extend their stay. You can opt to camp out or stay overnight at Erly Beach Resort on Suguicay Island.

What to do in Bulalacao

The best thing to do in Bulalacao is just enjoy the laid-back beach and island vibe. There are a few fun watersports activities now offered Suguicay Island including Parasailing, Flying Fish and Banana Boats managed by Bulalacao Island Adventures  (BIA) which relocated from Boracay during their closure. They currently operate in two spots: Felipa Lodge & Beach Resort (Poblacion) and Suguicay Island (Brgy. San Juan).

Bulalacao Island Adventure Activity Rates:

• Parasailing: Php 900 per person (minimum of 2) if solo flyer – Php 1,300
• Fly Fish: Php 500 per person (minimum of 3)
• Banana Boat; Php 250 per person (minimum of 5)
• For inquiries, contact the BIA General Mgr. – Ryan 0917-7732700

Other activities such as diving, rock climbing / rappelling, wind surfing and kite surfing are still being developed in the area.

Suiguicay Island is the main spot where you can try other water activities like kayaking, snorkeling or camping. They have floating cottages and other beach items for rent.

• Floating Cottage: P700 whole day, P100 per hour
• Life vest: P30/day
• Cottage: P500/day, P1000 (with generator) overnight
• Kayak: P100/hour
• Goggles – P100/day
• Videoke: P1000 (with generator)
• Tent: P500 (free 1 set of beddings)
• Lodging House (2 rooms only): P2,000/room (maximum of 10 persons); Accommodation P200 per person
• Additional Fee for Generator: P500 (6:00 pm – 6:00 am)

What / where to eat in Bulalacao

As a coastal town, Bulalacao is bountiful in seafood, but typically the more expensive fish and seafood are exported to other popular tourist islands and areas like Puerto Galera, Boracay and Iloilo. But in true provincial hospitality, one of the barangay captains gave us a whole fish for grilling just because we visited the place.

By the Sea’s in-house restaurant serves delicious Filipino meals like lechon kawali and binakol, a native chicken soup dish cooked in a coconut shell, which we enjoyed for dinner during our first night. We also enjoyed a boodle fight dinner here.

On our last night there, the restaurant launched some unique local dishes including Lamayo Pizza. Lamayo is a half-dried fish that is a specialty of the town. Many fishing households prepare this as an ordinary viand from the excess fish they sell to the markets. Fish is soaked in native vinegar with garlic, calamansi juice, pepper and salt. Afterwards, it is sun-dried, which can extend its shelf life to two days without refrigeration.

While Puerto Galera is known for the classic Mindoro Sling (a cocktail made from Tanduay Rum, Mango and Orange Juice, Grenadine and Sprite), Bulalacao has its own unique cocktail you can try! The Bul-shot is a cocktail mixed that makes use of fresh ingredients abundant in the municipality including Gin, coconut and calamansi and Blue Curasao to reflect its main seaside attractions.

During our island-hopping trip, we got to try this unique shellfish called Pasyak. These are types of shells that can be harvested in areas where the tides are low. Similar to other sea shells, you have to to use a toothpick, fork or your nails to pry out the small claw that sticks out of the opening to pull out meat which comes out in a coiled spiral. The shells were stewed in a mix of coconut milk, ginger with vinegar and soy sauce, and were surprisingly addicting. Beer na lang kulang!

Where to stay in Bulalacao

There are a handful of resorts and hotels along the main highway and islands in Bulalacao. The best option, where we stayed is By the Sea Hotel, a two-story hotel conveniently located in the Roro Port area of Sitio Kabangkalan with a total of 66 rooms to offer. The hotel is fairly new, so rooms are clean and modern, with all the amenities you need for comfortable stays like air-conditioned rooms, private showers, toiletries, towels and TVs in rooms.

Aside from their own in-house restaurant, the hotel has a 24-hour front desk and a front desk safe. They also have a large swimming pool and kiddie pool. Free WiFi is available in public areas and free self-parking are also provided. This is a good option for those with private vehicles like vans, cars and motorcycles. For those traveling by public transportation like UV Express vans and buses, it’s just walking distance from the port.

By the Sea Hotel is a business venture of the family who also manages the Fastcat Ferry service, so they are planning to put up locations in all areas where there are ports, for the convenience of their passengers.

Room rates: (as of September 2018)

• Premier Room (A/C) – Php 2,999.15
• Superior Room (A/C) – Php 1,557.90
• Superior Twin (A/C) – Php 1,557.90
• Deluxe Room (A/C) – Php 1,069.90
• Standard (Fan Room) – Php 696.15
• Dormitory (Fan Room) – Php 350.15

All rooms are served with complimentary breakfast except for Dormitory Rooms.

• Address: By the Sea Hotel, Roro Port Area Sitio Kabangkalan Brgy. Poblacion, Bulalacao, Oriental Mindoro, Philippines
• Contact number: 0995-3792335

What to buy

Seaweed farming is one of the main economic activities in one district of Bulalacao and is used in some of their souvenir products. We got to take home some interesting seaweed-based by-products like Seaweed Canton, Seaweed Crackers and Seaweed Pickles. For those who have a sweet tooth, there are delicacies like Seaweed Polvoron and Yema with seaweed bits!

We also bought some traditional Mangyan Souvenirs like beaded necklaces, woven products and bamboo carvings with Surat Mangyan from our visit to the Panaytayan Mangyan Settlement in Mansalay (separate post on this soon).

Bulalacao is a very underrated coastal town that will appeal to travelers who prefer uncommercialized spots. If you just want to get away from the crowds and bond with friends, this is a budget-friendly option. Thank you to the Oriental Mindoro Tourism, Investment and Enterprise Development Office and the Bulalacao Municipal Tourism Office for the hospitality!

Contact persons & tour guides

• Bulalacao Municipal Tourism Office
• Contact numbers: 0917-8831339 / 0998-9901869 / 0975-8901711
• Facebook: My-Bulalacao
• rolpunzalan@yahoo.com, norbethbarbacion@gmail.com

Accredited Tour Guide Association

• Bulalacao Tours Association (BulTourA)
• Agnes F. Sabulao, President
• Contact: 0946-5413588 / 0927-1678995