What to do in Puerto Galera? This is the last question in my mind when I and K opted for an out of town trip during the holiday season. We are not serious beach bums - we just want to get out of the city and be able to feel what it is like to live outside the concrete jungle once again. We only booked for two nights at Bellevue Cottages in Sabang beach without any itinerary to follow. This is my first time to go to Puerto Galera but him it is his 3rd or 4th time already.
On our first day, he decided to rent a motorcycle trip since it will save so much time for us to go anytime we want to check out a tourist spot in Puerto Galera. We don't want to get stuck in a tour group where we cannot decide how long or how short we want to stay in one destination.
The owner of Bellevue Cottages was gracious enough to hook us up to a motorcycle rental owner in Puerto Galera. Don't worry, I will do a separate blog post about motorcycle rental guide in Puerto Galera soon. Stay tuned for the rates of renting a motorcycle in Puerto Galera. Armed with only Google maps from our mobile phone and a photo of some tourist attractions in Puerto Galera we managed to snap from our hotel room, we quickly started the ball rolling.
From Sabang beach, we drove all the way back to Muelle Port because we believe it is a good starting point to reach other tourist spots in Puerto Galera. We only want to see some, not a lot since this trip is about spending time with each other.
First stop, Puerto Galera's Mangrove Site tourist attraction
The Puerto Galera Mangrove Conservation and Ecoutourism Area is a bonus we found along the way. We just saw its sign so I asked him to stop. We paid for the entrance fee of Php 30 and proceeded. There's a small store in front where you can buy souvenirs and pay for the ticket fee. After that, you can now start walking along the bamboo path built over mangroves. There's no time restriction, you can stay there until the afternoon. The first thing I asked the one accepting the fee is that if they have official brochures or even a simple pamphlet. She said NONE. Imagine, they're charging for Php 30 admission fee but it doesn't even include a simple guide printed on the cheapest paper possible in black and white ink to enlighten the guests what is this place all about!
We walked as far as we can - in fairness the place is quite Instagrammable. The view of the verdant beach from a distance is really comforting. The place is generally clean. However, there's nothing much we saw there than huge mangroves and few fishes. We met a bunch of girls who went all the way to the end. We asked them what else to see there but they said nothing special. That's why halfway through, we decided to go back to save time for other spots worth visiting.
The bamboo path is tall enough and safe enough for the general public to walk on. It produces a screeching sound when you walk but it is very minimal. Building this pathway made of pure wood from the muddy soil down below is no joke. Of course, we do not know what are the "dangers" hiding behind these mangroves. My mind was already wondering if there were snakes under these bridges or any dangerous creatures.
Good thing, as we walk along, there are signboards that aim to educate the visitors of the presence of mangrove areas and what to see here. Basically, a trip to Puerto Galera's mangrove cove area also means catching up about the science of mangrove.
Introduction
The Puerto Galera Mangrove Conservation and Ecotourism area occupies 17.8 hectares of land and water. Established in 2015, this is home to 13 mangrove species dominated by Rhizophora, 6 seagrass species dominated by Thalassia hempricii and live coral reef cover with a variety of soft corals species found at the deeper portion of the reef. Colorful birds, abundant invertebrates and fish fingerlings including a mudskipper (amphibious fish) also call this place home. The Mangrove Ecotourism Site of Puerto Galera is supported by DENR BMB SMARTSEAS Project.
This protected site is maintained by the LGU Puerto Galera, supported by the Canadian Embassy in the Philippines, MFI and locals of barangays Tabinay and Dulangan where the mangrove area geographically belongs.
For us who have a motorcycle, we were so happy knowing that there's a small space at the left side for free parking. I think a couple of tricycles and one car can fit there. I suggest visiting this mangrove site during sunny days. You don't want to walk on a slippery path right?
Below are some information I learned about mangroves that I copied from the banners posted in Puerto Galera Mangrove Conservation:
- Mangroves are trees or large shrubs which grow at the boundary of the land and sea
- Indonesia, Brazil, Mexico, Australia and Nigeria are top countries that are made of vast sustainable mangrove areas
- Around 30% - 50% mangrove forests have been destroyed around the world
- Benefits of mangroves: recreation, carbon sequesteration, fisheries, spirituality, indigenous communities, animal habitat, bioshields and tourism
- Threats of mangroves: shrimp farms, coastal development, pollution, sea level rise
- Improved mangrove and seagrass canopy cover. Meaning, survival chance against getting destroyed is higher than usual
- Increase in tourist influx for local and international guests
- Displaced miners are one of the beneficiaries of the ecotourism income
- Community cohesion in protecting their source of livelihood and sees opportunity to be united and embracing individual roles in conserving their rich marine resources
- Learning destination/benchmark site for academe and other research organizations
My visit to to Puerto Galera Mangrove Park is nothing but a place to take an Instagrammable photo. I wish there's a tour guide though to give us a word or two with what's going on. A tourist spot like this no matter how valuable it is become like just another scenery as worthy as a leisure park if the guests who visit goes back home without learning something. Most of the tourist destinations I have seen lack interaction. I mean don't get me wrong, I have read something here but I will forget these in a while. That's why it is not a surprise one comes home with nothing but pretty photos.
I look forward for my next visit to get to know this mangrove site in Puerto Galera more. Hopefully to be able to talk with a local about the latest updates of this mangrove site in Puerto Galera.
Hours of operation: Business hours
Days of operation: Open every day
Entrance fee: Php 30
How to get here: We are still finding the directions via public commute (tricycle or jeep). Would appreciate any leads if you have.
Address: Sitio Sigayan, Brgy. Tabinay, Puerto Galera 5203
Facebook Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Environmental-Service/Puerto-Galera-Mangrove-Conservation-and-Ecotourism-Area-1622187964489220/
Note: Our visit to Puerto Galera mangrove site was short, thus we do not claim as experts or authority persons who should speak in behalf of this site. We are just merely sharing our own experience as well as our opinions. If you have information that you want to add to make this travel guide to Puerto Galera Mangrove Conservation and Ecotourism Area a big help to everyone, feel free to send message at mariaronab@gmail.com. Your contribution will be credited on your name.
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