Resa från Coron till Boracay i Filippinerna - 3 båtar och 1 buss

Travelling from Coron to Boracay in the Philippines! Today we're not going to tell you about all the beautiful and wonderful places in the Philippines - but about how to get between them... This trip included three boats and a bus, and took two days.

Table of contents

Travelling from Coron to Boracay

We would be travelling from Coron in Palawan to Boracayand we had made a plan:

Day 1

8:00: Ferry Coron - San José, Mindoro (booked online)
15 o'clock: Bus, van or taxi from San José to Bulalacao (not booked)
Accommodation: Hotel By the Sea at the harbour in Bulalacao (booked online)

Day 2

10:00: Ferry Bulalacao - Caticlan (not booked)
2pm: Boat from Caticlan to Boracay (not booked)
Accommodation: Hotel Cocoloco in Boracay (booked online)

Having a plan is one thing, but how did it work in reality?

Från Coron till Boracay — The journey was planned from Coron in the west to Boracay, further east.

Ferry from Coron Island to Mindoro Island - unexpectedly long journey in beds

The first leg of the journey was a ferry from Coron Island to Mindoro Island. We had bought the tickets online two weeks in advance (which is a story in itself, as we had to learn how to use the Filipino payment method GCash) and took a tricycle so that we were at the ferry terminal two hours in advance, i.e. at six in the morning.

Att göra i Coron Filippinerna — Time to say goodbye to beautiful and dramatic Coron

The guard at the gate looked at the digital ticket and shook his head. "No, you have to take a tricycle to headquarters and get a paper ticket."

Was it necessary? Yes, of course it was. We shared the tricycle with another tourist who had a similar dilemma, queued for a while at the main office, got the important paper and took the tricycle back. Now we were welcome in the ferry terminal!

At the terminal, there was the usual payment of the "terminal fee", physical inspection of bags and then lining up bags on the floor, so they could be checked by sniffing dogs. The ferry was due to leave at eight o'clock, but only arrived at nine o'clock.

Från Coron till Boracay - Bunso transport — Bunso Transport, which took us from Coron to Mindoro

On board we were surprised to get a bed on deck instead of a chair. Not too bad actually! The next surprise was that lunch was included in the ticket price. Just wave the ticket and you got a braided plate, covered with plastic, with rice and chicken stew.

There was also an opportunity to buy noodles, water and crisps. Not bad at all considering that the ferry journey took just over six hours, instead of the promised five.

Från Coron till Boracay - utsikt från färjan — View from the deck as the ferry leaves Coron

Arriving in San José, Mindoro - most tourists in their vehicle wins

We had thought we would arrive in San José, on the island of Mindoro, around one o'clock. Instead, it was after three o'clock when we arrived.

From San José we needed to get to the town of Bulalacao, where the next ferry would be, but how? It was a journey of around 1.5 hours by car and we had read that there would be a bus, but how often? We were prepared to take a taxi if necessary.

San José på Mindoro — Port of San José on the island of Mindoro

We asked the first tricycle driver and he promised to take us to the "right" place for further transport. We packed ourselves and our four backpacks into the tiny tricycle (yes, it felt unusually cramped) and were ready to go. But no, the driver wanted to wait and see if he could get two more passengers. Two more, where?

The driver paced back and forth in the harbour but did not want to leave. Eventually he found a Filipino woman with some bags of vegetables. She was able to fit in the small side seat, and the bags could be crowded together with our bags. Time to go!

Utsikt från en tricycle — We look out from the tricycle - time to go soon?

From San José to Bulalacao - how many people can fit in a van?

The tricycle driver dropped us off at a gravel field that served as a terminal for the vans. This would be good, we thought. Vans are often a convenient way to travel in the Philippines. A bunch of passengers can fit, it's usually reasonably comfortable and fairly quick.

We were given a price of 300 pesos per person (about 55 kronor) and shown into the van, which was still empty, together with a German couple. The seats were tiny and so closely spaced that we couldn't possibly sit with our legs straight ahead, no matter how hard we tried.

Peter and I squeezed in as best we could, but still took up almost three seats. We were a little worried that someone would have to sit on the third seat next to us, but little did we realise that the driver would soon want to get in. two people where ...

Van i Filippinerna — At the van terminal in San José. This should be good, or...?

"We can't leave until five o'clock," the driver announced, which was half an hour away, and we realised that he was planning to fill the van. Gradually, new passengers began to arrive. A woman was stowed in the back with a bicycle. Another woman had to sit on the lap of a man.

We did some kind of inhuman manoeuvres to press ourselves against the wall, the seat in front and the ceiling, all at once. My legs started to ache almost unbearably and I realised that I couldn't possibly sit in that position for an hour and a half. I panicked slightly and felt that "I have to get out".

Once out of the vehicle, we hoped that a shorter person could take the seat in the back and that we might be able to sit further out, towards the front door, with a little more legroom. But when it was my (Helena's) turn to get in, there were no seats left.

Now 16 people were sitting in the van and the driver pointed to the 10 centimetre seat, right next to where the van's sliding door would close. There was no way in the world that I would fit there ...

Now I'd had enough and was upset. After all, we were there first, had waited 40 minutes and had paid for a seat each. The driver stubbornly kept pointing to the impossible location. Perhaps it would have been more logical to force them to resolve the situation, but instead I angrily demanded my money back and took out our bags. "There is no other way to travel to Bulalacao. There is no taxi," the driver claimed. We didn't care about that at the time.

It was five o'clock, the last van had left and we were still in San José.

From San José to Bulalacao - chasing a bus

The van driver was right about one thing. There are no taxis in San José, at least not legal ones. We asked at a mop shop and they told us there might be a bus. But it was past five now, would it run today?

We stopped a tricycle driver who thought we would make the last bus and took us to the bus terminal. When we entered the terminal, everyone started shouting and waving, and the tricycle driver did a lap of honour and drove out of the terminal again. The bus had left, and we had to chase it. Now the streets of San José were busy! There was acceleration, honking and waving and the big bus pulled up to the kerb.

Did we want to go to Bulalacao? Absolutely, we just had to jump in! Phew, what a relief ...!

From San José to Bulalacao by bus - a wonder of comfort

The bus was big, spacious and air-conditioned. It wasn't more than half full either, so it was easy to spread out. The price? 200 pesos (about 37 kronor) per person.

At one point we made a 15 minute stop for the driver and others to eat. The bus would make a much longer journey than the 1.5 hours we would be travelling with it. We took the opportunity to buy drinks and some snacks, and then it was just to continue the journey ...

Arriving in Bulalacao - At last!

Around seven in the evening we finally arrived at the harbour in Bulalacao. We rushed to the ticket office to buy tickets for the next day, but nope, we couldn't do that until the next morning. Instead, we checked into the "By the Sea" hotel, which was a five-minute walk from the harbour.

This hotel was very basic, and the bathroom smelled of mould. But the room had air conditioning and was fine for one night. Also, the staff were super friendly and we were able to order a pizza each before going to sleep. We were so relieved to have arrived!

Day 2 of the trip - time to buy another ferry ticket

Day two of the trip started with breakfast at the hotel By the Sea in Bulalacao, which was included in the price (about 300 SEK/night if we remember correctly).

Filippinsk frukost — Breakfast at the hotel By the Sea: rice, eggs and fried chicken

Then we took our packs, walked down to the harbour and bought a ticket each for the ferry Bulalacao - Caticlan. Easy as pie!

Från Coron till Boracay - Port Bulalacao — The terminal in Bulalacao, where we had to wait for the ferry Bulalacao - Caticlan.

Ferry from Bulalacao on Mindoro to Caticlan on Panay - not so far away

From Bulalacao we travelled with the company FastCat, with a ferry that felt faster and more modern. This ferry would only take three hours. Great! But was it that fast? Well, it was more like four hours ...

At least we were reasonably comfortable and there was a "real" bistro where we could buy noodles, beer and even a ham and cheese sandwich (although "cheese" in the Philippines is not quite the same as at home ...).

Från Coron till Boracay - FastCat — The ferry from FastCat felt a bit more modern and faster

Boat from Caticlan to Boracay - Wow, what a tourist business!

Arriving in Caticlan, on the island of Panay, we were greeted by an almost hysterical tourist business. It is from here that you move on to the island of Boracay - by far the most popular holiday destination in the Philippines.

The terminal was crowded with lots of people who would all be shuffled around to buy a boat ticket and pay the environmental fee. We bought a package with boat ticket + environmental fee + transport to the hotel for 800 peso (about 150 SEK) per person.

We each got a sticker to attach to our clothes and then we just had to let ourselves be guided forward. First we had to board a boat for the crossing to Boracay, which only took fifteen minutes.

Arriving in Boracay - in the end!

Once on Boracay, we were ushered on by waving and pointing hands. "Ma'am, Sir, please go right." "Ma'am, Sir, please wait here."

We queued with all the other tourists and were then picked up by a kind of tricycle powered by electricity - something we haven't seen anywhere else in the Philippines. We know that Boracay was closed for six months a few years ago due to over-tourism and environmental degradation, so perhaps the electric vehicles are part of the "new" Boracay.

Tourists lining up for an electric tricycle shuttle to their respective hotels

No vehicles (except rescue cars) are allowed to drive down the beach, so we had to walk the last little bit. Then we arrived at our hotel, Cocoloco Resort on White Beach. Fantastically nice!

The restaurant at the Cocoloco Resort in Boracay, where we stayed.

Strand — Nothing wrong with the beach in Boracay!

What was it like travelling from Coron to Boracay?

Couldn't we have flown from Coron to Boracay? Yes, but not directly, we would have had to fly to Boracay. Cebu City or Manila and then take another flight, and that was not appealing. Our trip from Coron to Boracay was a real adventure, but overall it went well. Hope you found it interesting to "follow along"!

Video 7 of 7

12 Comments

Add yours →

Carin Ager says:

You are incredible and everything works out in the end!
I'm glad you came home with so many new experiences.

02 May 2023 - 8:40

- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Yes, most things usually work out in the end, one way or another! 🙂
  
  02 May 2023 - 17:07
  
Annar Aas says:

Very nice story.

02 May 2023 - 8:58

- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Thanks, glad you liked our story! 🙂
  
  02 May 2023 - 17:12
  
Helena from Finland says:

Such experiences are much more fun when you think back on them in a month or so😊. It has been fun to follow your journey. Looking forward to new adventures

02 May 2023 - 16:58

- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Heeelt true, just like that!!! 🙂
  
  02 May 2023 - 17:12
  
Ditte says:

Absolutely! I recognise some of this from trips to Borneo, among others. But a little calmer there and also from island trips in Thailand. But even there a little calmer.
Been here in all the exchanges and you really told me vividly- Understand that you refused to ride in this van and got off-.
But this is exactly what "travelling" is.
Great memories to carry forward.

02 May 2023 - 17:02

- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Glad you liked our story! And yes, I agree, this is exactly what travelling is all about 😉.
  
  02 May 2023 - 17:13
  
BP says:

It was absolutely great to have followed your three-month journey. Not just the last few days. If I had been 20-30 years younger, I would definitely have enjoyed all the adventures, even the last trip. But now that I'm retired, I want to be as comfortable and "luxurious" as possible....

02 May 2023 - 19:10

snort says:

So interesting to read about your journey. Everything did not go so well but you got where you were going which was the most important thing. An experience for sure!

02 May 2023 - 20:59

bmlarstravellingblog says:

I recognise these experiences from my four weeks of hitchhiking in India, but in retrospect, they are memories that you never forget!

02 May 2023 - 23:22

Lena - good for the soul says:

Hahaha, that was really entertaining reading! I can imagine it was so funny at the time, but I guess it will be a fun story to look back on!

It has been really fun and interesting to "follow" your journey!

Hug Lena

04 May 2023 - 15:55

Journey from Coron to Boracay in the Philippines - 3 boats and 1 bus.

Travelling from Coron to Boracay

Day 1

Day 2

Ferry from Coron Island to Mindoro Island - unexpectedly long journey in beds

Arriving in San José, Mindoro - most tourists in their vehicle wins

From San José to Bulalacao - how many people can fit in a van?

From San José to Bulalacao - chasing a bus

From San José to Bulalacao by bus - a wonder of comfort

Arriving in Bulalacao - At last!

Day 2 of the trip - time to buy another ferry ticket

Ferry from Bulalacao on Mindoro to Caticlan on Panay - not so far away

Boat from Caticlan to Boracay - Wow, what a tourist business!

Arriving in Boracay - in the end!

What was it like travelling from Coron to Boracay?

Video 7 of 7

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12 Comments

Carin Ager says:

Helena says:

Annar Aas says:

Helena says:

Helena from Finland says:

Helena says:

Ditte says:

Helena says:

BP says:

snort says:

bmlarstravellingblog says:

Lena - good for the soul says:

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