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CALAPAN, ROXAS
AND SAN JOSE |
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From Poblacion in Puerto Galera it is possible to take a series of
jeepneys clockwise around the coast of Mindoro to Calapan and onwards to
the uninspiring town of Roxas , where you can catch cheap local ferries
to Boracay . The first stage of the journey clockwise is from Poblacion
to the coastal town of Calapan, capital of Mindoro Oriental. In Calapan
you can stay at the Traveller's Inn ($5-10) on Leuterio Street, before
taking another jeepney (4hr) to Roxas. It is also possible to do this
stage of the journey by bus. One of the few places to stay in Roxas
itself is the Santo Nino Hotel ($5-10). Further still, is the town of
SAN JOSE , which also acts as a staging post for ferries to Boracay. The
San Jose bus terminal is in Rizal Street and ferries for Boracay leave
from the North Pier, a short jeepney ride across the Pandururan River.
The main attraction of San Jose is that it is close to Apo Reef , a
popular diving spot . You can rent boats to take you to small islands
such as Ambulong or Ilin for snorkelling . A good place to organize
diving is the Mina de Oro Beach Resort ($40-60), on Illin. Back in San
Jose, the best place to stay is Sikatuna Beach Hotel ($5-10), on Airport
Road, just north of San Jose, while the Sikana Town Hotel ($5-10), on
Sikatuna Street, is decent enough.
The journey anti-clockwise from Puerto Galera has interesting
possibilities. You can hire a banca for about P1500 to take you west
along the coast of Mindoro to the village of Abra de Ilog . From there
jeepneys run south to Sablayan where you can catch a water taxi to
Pandan Island Resort ($20-40), which has budget rooms and deluxe
bungalows. The resort runs dive trips to Apo Reef.
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