Boracay

Boracay is a small tropical island in the central Philippines famed for having one of the finest beaches in the world, White Beach, a four-kilometre stretch of powder-soft white sand lapped by clear turquoise water and backed by palms, bars and resorts. Long a byword for a beach paradise, it is known for its spectacular sunsets, sailing on traditional paraw outriggers, watersports, and a lively dining and nightlife scene.

History

The Ati and the Panay Bukidnon were the island's first inhabitants. Tourism arrived in the 1970s - the 1970 film Too Late the Hero was shot here, and Western backpackers followed in 1978 after a German writer's book called the island paradise on earth - and the same year a proclamation declared Boracay a tourist zone. Its sewage never kept pace: coliform bacteria cut arrivals by 60 percent in 1997, and the government closed the whole island for six months, from 26 April to 26 October 2018, to rebuild an obsolete system. The island covers about 10 square kilometres, White Beach runs for about 4 kilometres, and arrivals passed two million in 2024 (Wikipedia, Boracay).

Highlights

• White Beach - the powder-white sand and turquoise water.
• The sunsets - the spectacular sunsets, best from a paraw sailboat.
• The watersports - the sailing, diving, kitesurfing and more.
• The nightlife - the beachfront bars, restaurants and buzz.

When to go

November to May, the dry season, for the sunniest weather and calmest seas; the wet season brings rain and, at Bulabog beach, the winds that draw kitesurfers. It is busiest and priciest over the peak dry-season holidays.

Things to know

It became so overdeveloped and polluted that the island was famously closed for a clean-up in 2018 and reopened with new rules, so it is now more regulated, with limits on beach parties, drinking and building; this is either a welcome improvement or a loss of the old party vibe. It is popular, developed and can be crowded. White Beach itself, though, remains stunning.

Nearby

The islands of the central Visayas and the diving of the region are within reach.

Key facts