Mindoro – Marine Wonderland of Luzon

Mindoro has earned the title of being the Marine Wonderland of Luzon.  It is located about 15 km southwest of Luzon 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 Mindoro, there is a wide selection of beaches and diving spots to choose from.

Mamburao Beach Resort  is a part of a long strip of beach. The surroundings are untouched by pollution. It is considered the most luxurious of all resorts because it has cozy cottages that tourists can use.This resort is covering 14 hectares of developed beach resort lined with coconut trees. It has a four-kilometer long light grey sand beach. The place is ideal for swimming, boating, scuba diving, wind surfing, snorkeling, deep-sea fishing, and water skiing. Water sports facilities such as glass-bottomed boat, speedboat, hobbie cat, and outrigger boats are available.

Tayamaan Beach is the beach that is often visited by local people of Mindoro. Thus, if you want a real experience in local culture, you may want to spend a day at Tayamaan. You will get to see the natural fun-loving traits of the Mindoro residents. Tayamaan Beach is located just north-west of Mamburao. It is a coconut tree lined white sand beach, one hectare long.  The rates are very affordable and it is easily accessible. The beach is ideal for swimming and perfect for snorkeling and diving. It has picnic cottages lined along the beach that can be rented.

Ambulong 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 is an island in Sablayan which can be reached after a three-hour bus ride and a 15-minute pump boat ride. 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. Off the shoreline, there is diving spot where one can find schools of reef.

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White Island Beach is also a white sand beach that can 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 anyone who longs 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.

To reach each of the beaches , 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.