Tambaron Island, Bulalacao, Oriental Mindoro, Philippines
MIMAROPA

ORIENTAL MINDORO

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Buktot Beach, Mansalay, Oriental Mindoro, Philippines
When Oriental Mindoro is not always about Puerto Galera and Mt. Halcon…
Proud Mangyan here!
📍Buktot Beach, Mansalay

🇵🇭ORIENTAL MINDORO ADVENTURE PRIMER🇵🇭

✈️🛳🚌 How to get to Oriental Mindoro:
⏺ Ride a bus from Metro Manila to Batangas Port (e.g. Jam Liner in LRT-Taft Buendia; travel time is 1.5 – 2 hours depending on traffic condition).
⏺ Take the RORO ferry (travel time: 2 – 3 hrs), FastCat (travel time: approximately 1.5 hrs) or 2GO and Oceanjet (travel time: 45 mins to 1 hr) to Calapan City Port in Oriental Mindoro.
⏺ If you are planning to visit Puerto Galera, you can take the public boat plying the Batangas Pier-Puerto Galera route.
 
🏄🏝🚴 Sites to Explore/Activities:
 
⏺ La Fortuna River and Hanging Bridge of Socorro
📌From Calapan City Port, ride a public van bound for Roxas and alight at the town proper of Socorro (travel time: 1.5 hours).
📌Walk to get to the public market and hire a motorcycle to get to the river and hanging bridge.
 
⏺ Rosacara Rolling Hills of Bansud
📌From Calapan City Port, ride a public van bound for Roxas and alight at the town proper of Bansud (travel time: 2 – 2.5 hours).
📌Hire a tricycle that will take you to the rolling hills.
 
⏺ Buktot Beach of Mansalay
📌From Calapan City Port, ride a bus bound for San Jose then alight at the town proper of Mansalay (3.5 – 4 hours).
📌Hire a motorcycle/tricycle that will take you to the beach.
📌Alternatively, you may ride a public van bound for Roxas (travel time: 2.5 – 3 hours) then transfer to another public van/jeepney bound for Bulalacao or San Jose then alight at Mansalay.
 
⏺ Island Hopping in Bulalacao (Buyayao Island, Suguicay Island, Maasin Island, Tambaron Island, Aslom Island, Silad Island and Target Island)
📌From Calapan City Port, ride a bus bound for San Jose then alight at the town proper of Bulalacao (travel time: 3.5 – 4.5 hours.)
📌Hire a tricycle that will take you to the port.
📌Alternatively, you may ride a public van bound for Roxas (travel time: 2.5 – 3 hours) then transfer to another public van/jeepney bound for Bulalacao or San Jose.
 
Rosacara Rolling Hills, Bansud, Oriental Mindoro, Philippines
So far, this has been my go-to spot in my province. A perfect place to unwind and feel the fresh breeze of province life.
📍Rosacara Rolling Hills, Bansud
Tambaron Island, Bulalacao, Oriental Mindoro, Philippines
If my memory serves me true, I first set foot in Bulalacao in 2013 with my high school friends. I had only seen a handful of photos of Bulalacao’s islands in the internet during that time. We planned an overnight stay at the beach resort in Tambaron Island. I really was not able to fully enjoy our trip because I was sick when we visited. At least the peaceful atmosphere did me good.
📍Tambaron Island, Bulalacao
Buktot Beach, Mansalay, Oriental Mindoro, Philippines
If you happen to travel in Oriental Mindoro, you shouldn’t miss out on visiting this beach. Its sand may not be as fine as that of Boracay or Palawan but you will surely love its serene ambience.
📍Buktot Beach, Mansalay
Buktot Beach, Mansalay, Oriental Mindoro, Philippines
This photo was taken during my first visit in Buktot in 2014 when I brought two of my workmates to Mindoro. Its coastline may be relatively short compared to most of the beaches I’ve explored but it is beautiful nevertheless.
Rosacara Rolling Hills, Bansud, Oriental Mindoro, Philippines
After my workmates spent the night in Mansalay, we made our way to Rosacara the next day. I just saw photos of it in a blog and because it really is not a tourist spot in the municipality, we had to ask several tricycle drivers at Poblacion about the place. Luckily, one of these drivers knows where the place is since his wife grew up in Rosacara.
📍Rosacara Rolling Hills, Bansud

⏰⏳ SAMPLE ITINERARY:

DAY 1
4:00 AM ETD for Batangas Port
6:00 AM ETD for Calapan City
8:00 AM ETD for Socorro
9:00 AM ETD for La Fortuna
10:00 AM ETA La Fortuna River and Hanging Bridge
1:00 PM ETD for Bulalacao
4:00 PM ETA Bulalacao / check-in
6:00 PM Dinner
 
DAY 2
6:00 AM Wake-up call
7:00 AM Whole day island hopping
5:00 PM Back to accommodation
6:00 PM Dinner
 
DAY 3
5:00 AM Wake-up call / check-out
6:00 AM ETD for Mansalay
7:30 AM ETA Buktot Beach
10:30 AM ETD for Bansud
1:30 PM ETA Rosacara Rolling Hills
4:00 PM ETD for Calapan City
7:00 PM ETD for Batangas City Port
 
💰💶 ESTIMATED BUDGET (for a solo traveler): Php 5,000 – Php 6,000 (exclusive of boat rental fees for island hopping in Bulalacao)
***Expenses may vary depending on type of accommodation you will avail and personal consumption of food and other necessities. If traveling alone, you will solely shoulder the guide fees, boat rental fees for island hopping and tricycle/motorcycle transfer rates.
 
La Fortuna Hanging Bridge, Socorro, Oriental Mindoro, Philippines
I finished high school in the town of Socorro but I was already a working professional when I had the chance to visit this barangay with my high school friends.
📍La Fortuna River and Hanging Bridge, Socorro
Buktot Beach, Mansalay, Oriental Mindoro, Philippines
After our trip in La Fortuna, we decided to go to Rosacara. I honestly would have wanted to take a dip at Buktot Beach but we were pressed for time so we opted to just spend the rest of our day at Rosacara.
📍Buktot Beach, Mansalay
Rosacara Rolling Hills, Bansud, Oriental Mindoro, Philippines
I last saw the hills of Rosacara in 2017. Together with my father and sister, we drove from our house to Bansud. After eating our breakfast at the waiting shed where we parked our car, it was finally time to take some photos. I noticed that compared to my first visit, more parcels of land were now being converted into residential areas. For sure it’s only a matter of time before this place is finally dotted with houses. I’m glad I was able to see the hills with only verdant grasslands without any residential structures.
📍Rosacara Rolling Hills, Bansud
📜✏️ Tips/Reminders:
📌Please be reminded that the cost of boat rental for island hopping in Bulalacao would be expensive if you are traveling alone.
📌You can allot one more day if you want to visit Puerto Galera. There are vans and jeepneys in Calapan City plying the Calapan-Puerto Galera route.
📌It’s best to explore Bulalacao during summer season for calmer sea condition. If you’re pressed for time, you may allot two days to explore the islands of Bulalacao.
📌Expect rain and rough sea condition during monsoon season (June-February).
📌Always observe the LNT principles.
 
☎️ Contact:
📌Boat for Island Hopping in Bulalacao: Kuya Armin (09480348887)
 
Buktot Beach, Mansalay, Oriental Mindoro, Philippines
It was April 2019 when I went home to visit my parents. Since summer always calls for beach bumming, I grabbed this opportunity to hit the beach. Right after Holy Week, we drove from my hometown to Bulalacao. If we still got time after island hopping, we would make a side trip to Buktot Beach.
📍Buktot Beach, Mansalay
Maasin Island, Bulalacao, Oriental Mindoro, Philippines
The sun was up when we arrived but it was extremely windy. We parked our vehicle at the house of our boat operator. Our first stop was Buyayao and Suguicay Islands. Unfortunately, as our boat made its way towards the open sea, we decided to skip these islands as the waves proved to be ginormous. Our boat might be big enough, but the long travel time due to the massive waves would just ruin our itinerary. I gotta be honest, in all my years of traveling, the swell during that time was one of the worst I have experienced so far. I may be used to rough seas considering I’ve been to Batanes, Tawi-Tawi and Palawan and I have braved the northeast monsoon waves of Mindoro, Marinduque and Romblon but what I saw in Bulalacao definitely raised the bar for what I could deem as “rough seas”.
📍Maasin Island, Bulalacao
Tambaron Island, Bulalacao, Oriental Mindoro, Philippines
We were mesmerized by the clear water of Maasin Island’s shore then we proceeded to Tambaron Island where we had our breakfast.
📍Tambaron Island, Bulalacao
Buktot Beach, Mansalay, Oriental Mindoro, Philippines
If there is one word to describe our Bulalacao trip, it would be “heartbreaking”. After taking enough photos at Tambaron, it was time to explore more of the municipality’s islands. Somehow, I was hoping that the weather would cooperate but the rough sea condition was way overwhelming. Besides, my mum has motion sickness so we decided to go back to the port. It was time to go home. We just stopped by Buktot Beach to take some photos then feasted on seafood at one of the restaurants along the way. Boy was I so devastated so I just diverted my frustration by binge-eating.
📍Buktot Beach, Mansalay
Tambaron Island, Bulalacao, Oriental Mindoro, Philippines
The province of Oriental Mindoro is definitely a perfect getaway because of its proximity to Metro Manila. If you got ample time, you could also explore its twin province, Occidental Mindoro.
📍Tambaron Island, Bulalacao

***For more photos in Oriental Mindoro, please click this link. For other destinations in MIMAROPA, you may visit this link.

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