An Epic Ride to Boracay!
The tropical beach of Boracay lies in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines and about 315 kms. away from Manila. It’s a very popular tourist destination and is considered one of the top 10 beaches in the world.
After tackling the North Luzon Loop, the Vespa Club‘s Ride Director (Adrian/Rastaman) suggested that we ride to Bora. It took months of planning as logistics were critical for this ride as it involved scoots being ferried twice in two RoRo (Roll On-Roll Off) stations before we could reach our intended destination. We wanted to actually bring our scoots in the island. But after asking around, we learned it was close to impossible with the strict environmental regulations plus the fact that we don’t know which riding club has ever done so before, that is, if there is already. So, we agreed to go on with the ride and settled to just bring the scoots up to Caticlan then try our luck once we get there.
Soon as this ride was confirmed, my wife & daughter booked a flight to Bora to meet us there. Here’s a route map how we got there.
Air travel takes just a little over an hour and with the cheap airfare for advance bookings, the cost comes out just the same compared to RoRo. But riding isn’t just about getting to the destination, it’s also about experiencing the sights and enjoying the journey every step of the way.
Here’s our travelogue.
We took off at 1AM intending to arrive at Batangas Pier before sunrise. We took the longer Tagaytay – Lemery – Bauan route to avoid the humongous trucks taking the shorter National Highway. Our paced was relaxed with a few stops for coffee, chitchats and cigarette breaks.
Here we are at the gate of Batangas Pier making the first of many payments (P56 for Arastre/Termiminal Fee) throughout our journey. It was important to keep the receipts and not get them mixed up as some are needed to be shown at the port gates on the other side.
There’s an hourly ferry from Batangas to Calapan. We boarded the 5AM ferry. Here’s how our scoots are parked inside the RoRo cargo from Batangas to Calapan, Mindoro. We paid P600 for the RoRo fare/Bill of Landing for the scoot and rider.
Travel time took about two hours. The ferry has an airconditioned section; just perfect for those of us who wanted to catch a quick nap before getting back on the saddle for some 100+ km ride from Calapan to next port in Roxas, Mindoro.
Here we are after emerging from the ferry.
We stopped for breakfast then back to riding again. The Mindoro coutryside looks like those of Laguna and Batangas. It wasn’t as breathtaking as those I’ve seen along the North Loop.
The roads are paved but some long stretches and twisties are in bad need of rehabilitation to make riding truly enjoyable. The ride was shaky enough to loosen a nut holding the license plate in one of the scoots that we had to stop for a quick fix.
A final gas stop before proceeding to the nearby Port of Roxas. Here, we were able to talk to some locals who suggested that we take either Starlite or Montenegro vessels going to Caticlan since those are faster (4 hours) compared to Maharlika which takes about 5 to 6 hours.
By 12NN we got to Roxas with extra time to spare for the 1PM ferry we were targeting. But there wasn’t any and the next trip was 4PM. That means we’ll get to Bora by night. Bummer! I texted wifey, who was already frolicking at the beach with my daughter, about our situation so she wouldn’t worry.
Good thing there was a P500/day aircon room just outside these gates where we rested and freshened up. For processing, another P56 for araste and P1,148 for the RoRo fare. A visit to the Coast Guard is also necessary for their records so the OR & CR of the vehicle should be shown. No payment required here but a “donation” will be appreciated. 
Since we won’t be riding anymore when we get to the next port, we decided to take-off our riding gears and change into more comfortable clothes to get ready for the beach on the other side.
By around 8:30PM, we were already disembarking at the Caticlan Port. We headed to a parking lot just outside the gates of the post to park our scoots (P50/day) before boarding the boat that would take us to Boracay. Another round of payments here: P50 -Environmental and Admission Fee and another P50 for Caticlan Jettyport Terminal Fee. I remember paying an extra P30 (or was it P20?) in another window for the pump boat fare. 
Instead of luggages, the boys had their topboxes detached from their scoots and headed to the island paradise.
But we know this cannot be called a true Boracay Ride without actually bringing our scoots in the island. So we tried and we did! 
Will post next time the trouble we had to go through just to be able to bring a couple of Vespas in the island and over its powdery white sands.
Viva Bora!
-o-
{▫}
J0HNRANA
john[dot]rana[at]gmail[dot]com
longlive vespa’s,it’s truly a great ride..
Hanep sarap!
So ilang oras inabot lahat-lahat?
sir, how many liters of gasoline did you spend round trip?
wow fantastic!!! kayo palang yata nkagawa nito, congrats guys, galing wala akong masabi, maybe next summer you can go to Palawan that would be another epic ride. sama naman ako next time he he he…
congrats sir!ginawa na din po ng group namin ito(UP Scooters Club)2yrs ago,kaso hangang caticlan lang din po namin iniwan scooters namin,nabitin ako sa kwento niyo para alam sana namin next time kung dapat dalhin din namin bora scoots namin.
just wondering how did you get the scoots on the jetty boat? did you ramp them up on the side? i’d love to bring mine to the island
wow .. what a great trip !! First time a read some such interesting report from Vespa riders on their trip to Boracay ! Thank you !
Best regards from
OceanBreezeInn.info at Boracay
Isa sa mga dream ride namin yan “Makati Moto Club” Sir how much did you spent on your trip. can you make a list so that we and other bike clubs will have an idea on how much it will cost. thanks.. Galing Nyo!!!
homerbagwis: Thanks for the kind words.
KTMeister: It took us a total of 20 hours including gas & meal stops, RoRo and the idle hours we spent waiting for the next RoRo trip. But 16 hours will be a good time to allot for everything basta walang aberya.
boy_astig: I don’t keep tabs of gas receipts during long rides. But I topped-up my 8 liter tank three times going there (one in Shell J. Vargas, another in Batangas and Roxas). The same going back.
allan/scootzilla: Vespa Club has no plans in going Palawan yet. Pero another long ride is in the works. We’ll post in in vespaclubph.com if definite na. Sana matuloy.
bongz28: Ituloy ko yung kwento next week. Congrats din sa UP Scooters Club!
Rye: Yes, ganun na nga. Will post some pics along with the story the next time I post.
OceanBreezeInn: Hope to visit your resort the next time our club rides there.
Robert: Those I itemized in my post above (x2 for both ways) plus gas and meal spendings are basically the constant costs. The budget will only vary depending on where and how long you stay in Bora and what activities you’ll engage in once there.
We initially alloted na 5k to 7k ang budget ng rider since the room we got in Station 2 is relatively cheap compared to others (thanks Dax!). But you can’t help not to go out and enjoy (read: GASTOS!) once you’re there. So it turns out our initial budget wasn’t enough for the ‘turista lifestyle’.
For our group, I think an average of 12k to 15k per rider but medyo tumodo rin naman kasi sa gastos (lamon, inom, massage, snorkling & island hopping) and some pasalubong sa pamilya. hehehe
Congrats on that great bora ride! I remember riding the same route way back 2003. Maganda na pala yung Roxas peir. Ro-ro fare had gone up talaga, one way only cost us 1,130.00 php and gas per liter was just around 20pesos back then. Sarap talaga mag ride! Thanks for sharing!
ahh, nakaka-miss mag-ride.. keep posting!
Sarap naman nyo! Naalala ko nung binuksan namin ang RORO (roll-on roll-off)papunta sa bora.
http://www.mibph.com/html/mib_boracay_ride
congratz on your ride… your black vespa and the powdery sands of bora complements each other. superb !!
please please please post how you got the bikes from Caticlan onto Boracay. I have been planning to do this ride, but that is the one thing holding me back.
tnx!
please share some info.. on how we can bring our bikes into the island…
thanks and congrats p0!
ayos ang bora ride ninyo ah.
Ed: I have heard of this MIB ride to Bora. Saw Rico with his red Vespa in the pictures from the link you provided.
Scotch & bulacanx1: I’ve already posted the details you were asking for: http://whoridesavespa.com/2008/06/13/an-epic-ride-to-boracay/
To the rest of the guys: thanks for reading!
mga repapips hataw kayo !nakakabilib sana makarating pa kayo sulu hahah
thank you for sharing your great moments and wonderful rides to Bora, very exiting gusto din namin ma capture ang Bora with our Bikes.
Long Live to Motorbikers