The Ultimate Guide to a DIY Trip to Boracay Island: Cliff Jumping, Snorkeling, and Underwater Sea Walk Experiences

Text & Photos /Evan

It took me forever, but I’ve finally started writing this full guide~ After all, among the many island choices, Boracay is still highly ranked in people’s minds. So I’m sharing this complete guide to help you save a bit of cash and have a great time—so feel free to take a look, everyone Up~

I wonder if you’ve noticed that I’ve shared tons of island guides XDD. Let me also tell you about Boracay’s place in my heart. For me, Boracay was a special experience because I went there when I was still pretty new to traveling on my own. It was quite nerve-wracking for me at the time, but after going, I realized you can just turn your brain off and still have an amazing time. So yes, you can definitely feel safe going on a DIY trip to Boracay.

The only slightly alarming incident on this trip was eating bad tomato spaghetti bolognese at the airport. At the time, W even told me it was a “special Filipino flavor”~~ special flavor~~ (such a weirdo). Because it was a “special flavor,” W ate a lot~ But less than three hours later, we were both vomiting and had diarrhea~ We thought we were going to kick the bucket that time lol. So really, there’s no such thing as a “special flavor.” If something smells off, just don’t eat it XDDD Anyway, enough of that—let’s get right into the Boracay full guide Up~

A lot of people ask: Is it safe?

Personally, I think it’s very safe. There are plenty of tourists around, you just have to worry about getting pickpocketed XD

Is DIY travel difficult?

Not at all, just turn your brain off and go~

How to book flights?

1. Fly from Taiwan to Manila, then directly to Caticlan Airport
OR
2. Fly from Taiwan to Manila or Cebu, then to Kalibo Airport, followed by a bus and a ferry

I won’t post the hand-drawn map of the Boracay 5-day-4-night route here Up~ Because the area is really small, so as usual, I’ll just include a representative hand-drawn map

Food Section

Boracay is known for its rich variety of international cuisines, so you can enjoy all kinds of delicious dishes from different countries here. But to be honest, not every place is good, so I’ll introduce some of the foods we tried and would recommend for your reference~

1. Indian Cuisine – True Food　

This Indian restaurant is really quite good. We ordered a lot of authentic Indian dishes, as well as their lassi. The drinks were also pretty tasty. The only thing is, eating something so spicy in such a hot place is a bit crazy = =

2. Local Cuisine – Smoke

Bicon rice for 150 pesos, delicious, the meat is tender and the sauce is smooth—a great home-style dish. Beef soup is also 150 pesos, super tasty. The broth is unlike anything you’d get in Taiwan, and the beef is great too.

3. British Cuisine – Tilapia N' Chips

A highly recommended British fish and chips restaurant, Tilapia N' Chips. The environment is clean and comfortable, and they offer free Wi-Fi. The iced tea is good and refillable. We ordered the tuna set and the grilled chicken set, both were delicious.

4. American Cuisine – BITE CLUB

Highly praised online as cheap and tasty, but we found it just okay~ Still, those who want to try it can give it a go Up.

5. Greek Restaurant – CYMA

There’s one restaurant that almost all tour groups and independent travelers visit—the Greek restaurant CYMA. We also joined in and ordered their signature flaming cheese. When it’s lit, all the staff shout together, so you’ll probably get startled about 10 times during dinner XD
This place isn’t too expensive, but it’s really delicious~~~

6. Romantic Beach Candlelit Dinner

We just picked a place that looked decent along the way and sat down to eat~ Didn’t really check the name XDD. The saffron rice was good~ but a bit pricey XD

Diniwid Beach Section

Actually, our main goal wasn’t to go to Diniwid Beach, but to have afternoon tea at West Cave there XDD. However, many people have shared that Diniwid Beach is quite beautiful. The reason is actually simple — Diniwid Beach is located north of the main beach and is very uncrowded. There are mainly just some local kids swimming and doing jumps there. So besides being peaceful, it’s also relatively cleaner. Choosing to have afternoon tea here was really relaxing and serene.

The price for afternoon tea here isn’t too expensive — you only need to spend 150 PESO to enjoy the same beautiful beach as the resort guests, and it can even count toward the minimum spend. Although, we only found out after looking at the menu that we could only order iced tea — the waiter told us then @@ Are they joking? West Cave has many uniquely shaped decorations and some pavilions where you can sit, sip tea, and daydream — it’s really comfortable. It’s a bit of a pity that the clouds were quite thick when we went, so the sunset wasn’t as beautiful. Otherwise, everything would’ve been perfect XD.

Ariel’s Point Chapter

This spot is a pretty famous place for cliff jumping. Even though I wasn’t feeling well at the time, I decided I had to come here to play, because coming to Boracay without visiting here is like not having come at all XD.How to buy the TOUR: First, find the BBC Bar by the beach at S1. Go in and ask around — someone will take you inside the hotel to sign up. BBC stands for Boracay Beach Club.
Cost: At that time, the price had already risen to 1600 pesos per person (and no bargaining was allowed).

That day, a boat would take you to a kind of dive resort. On the boat, you can drink free beverages. Once you arrive at Ariel’s Point, there are unlimited drinks and beer, plus a boxed lunch buffet. Aside from cliff diving, you can also go kayaking and snorkeling. The whole trip is about six hours (including about 50 minutes each way by boat — departure at 11:00 AM, return at 4:00 PM). There are diving platforms at heights of 3, 5, 8, 11, and 15 meters.

W jumped from the 3-meter platform and then gave up XDD. I didn’t jump at all, just sat on the side drinking while watching everyone else. After jumping, their thighs and butts were all sore and they were complaining XDD. We also tried kayaking, but after paddling a bit, we realized the seabed was full of sea urchins — super scary. What if you accidentally fall in?! If you want to enjoy some peace, you can go to the back hill of the island after eating to enjoy a quiet afternoon. It’s really beautiful and tranquil — super comfy.

Water Activities Chapter

1. Jet Ski

This jet ski is pretty thrilling — they actually let tourists drive it themselves. Even crazier, W took me out to sea. At first, the instructor followed us, but after seeing how smoothly W was driving, the instructor just went back to the platform and waited for us — I was totally shocked.

So halfway through, I told him to let me off XDDD It was way too scary. He just kept driving further out to sea, having the time of his life and even seeming to get the hang of it. Was it really that exaggerated? W said driving a jet ski felt like flying — thrilling and fun, so highly recommended. Just your hands will be super sore afterward.

2. Underwater Sea Walk

Thinking back, the underwater sea walk was actually quite fun — although I was super scared at the time (classic Monday-morning quarterback XDD). The sea walk involves wearing a heavy helmet that submerges you underwater — the concept is that you can breathe normally with the helmet on and explore the underwater world. Now that I think about it — I really don’t understand what I was so afraid of. You can actually walk barefoot on the seabed and take photos with the fish (though my photography skills are a bit lacking @@). It’s quite fun, right? I saw W had a great time — this guy even wore sunglasses underwater to look at the fish — what’s he even looking at?

3. Island Hopping to Uninhabited Islands

Renting a boat for two people for three hours costs 2000 pesos. Later, I estimated that about 1500 pesos or less would be more reasonable. These three hours include going around the entire Boracay Island, visiting Crystal Cave, snorkeling at a snorkeling spot, and going to Puka Beach, known for its seashells. Although the waves were big, we all felt very comfortable on the boat ride out, because the banca boat is really steady. Even I, who easily gets seasick, could sing and enjoy the sea breeze without any nausea. I really want to buy a banca boat and bring it back to Taiwan XDD.

The first stop was Crystal Cave, which is actually an offshore island of Boracay with a stalactite cave. Below it is sapphire-blue, crystal-clear seawater, and it’s also a popular snorkeling spot. But just as we arrived, the boat captain shouted that it was closed — how unlucky ==. We could only take photos at the entrance Up.

Then we were taken to a hidden spot for snorkeling. The fish species weren’t super abundant, but there were quite a few — millions of times more than in Penghu. While snorkeling, we fed them with pre-bought bread and used a Canon D20 waterproof camera to snap lots of photos. When we showed the bread, the fish swarmed over and even pecked at my hands — but I couldn’t catch them.

The last stop was Puka Beach, also listed on TripAdvisor’s 2013 list of Asia’s popular beaches. While White Beach is undoubtedly the No. 1 classic, Puka Beach ranks 10th. The whole trip was comfortable and enjoyable — that’s the final takeaway XDDD.

Accommodation Chapter

Name: The Boracay Beach Resort
Price: 7386 TWD for 4 days (double room)
Location: S2, the one behind the Mermaid

This stay was pretty satisfying. The resort is right on the beach. You step out of your room and you’re at the seaside. The room was clean and tidy, not noisy, and they even offered fruits and mango smoothies as a welcome treat. The best part is the daily breakfast, which was really delicious. So highly recommended.

Five-Day, Four-Night Boracay Itinerary Outline and Notes

Language Used: English
Best Travel Time: November to April each year
Currency Used: Peso
Time Difference: No time difference
Pre-Trip Preparation:Five Days and Four Nights in Boracay, Philippines --------- Preparations and Total Expenses
Special Note: Be prepared to do absolutely nothing XDD

Itinerary Outline Table for Five Days and Four Nights in Boracay       

Total Expenses and Breakdown Chart for Five Days and Four Nights in Boracay

The exchange rate was quite high when we went — around 1 Philippine Peso = 0.729 Taiwanese Dollars — so going now would definitely be much cheaper than when we did. Also, we stayed at a relatively nice hotel right on the beach where you step out of the door and see the ocean. Plus, almost every meal was a big, proper one because I had just recovered from food poisoning and didn’t dare to eat anything risky, so I opted for highly rated restaurants XDD. So overall, the trip could be considered at a four- to five-star level, but the expenses weren’t outrageous, just thought I’d share this for reference.

Reflections

Boracay is truly a place where you can completely unwind. The whole trip is very flexible — even if you don’t join any activities, you can just enjoy yourself on the beach. It’s also where I fell in love with mango smoothies. Now whenever I’m back in Taiwan and have one, I’m instantly filled with that vacation vibe. Days spent only eating, drinking, and doing nothing from morning to night are really comfortable, and the expenses aren’t high either — it feels like being a total boss without any stress. At night, you can also hit up the bars for drinks and try some international cuisine. Isn’t it super tempting and make you want to head there right away~~~ XD

More Photo Sharing

Ariel' point

West Cave

Diniwid Beach

Half-Day Island-Hopping Tour

Sunset Every Day

Beautiful Beach

Evangeline-Evan
Hi everyone, I’m Evan, someone who’s timid and easily scared,
but through solo travel, I’ve slowly found courage,
and each solo trip has helped me discover a different side of myself.
Blog　Facebook Page