Even after 12 years and several long trips to the Philippines, there are still new magical kite spots for me. Only a few Filipino kiters know about Cagbalete. The small island has perhaps 500 inhabitants. Electricity only comes from the generator in the evenings. The internet dribbles and the shower is usually a bucket with a ladle – when there is water. Luxury is a long way off here – and life is simple and genuine.
As everything really is brought in from the mainland by bankas, the small island is quite expensive. A few years ago, we got a deluxe beachfront bungalow in El Nido for €30, which probably no longer exists. Here, for the same amount of money, we initially only got a tiny, simple nipa hut that only fits two mattresses and our luggage. (more…)
Crash! Boom! Bang! Uh!
A little travel guide to the Philippines. I love travelling, and I have to. Because if you don’t love travelling for its own sake, you really have a problem in the Philippines.
Judging by their questions in the Philippines forums, many German visitors in particular seem to have no idea what travelling here is like. Impossible schedules meet unrealisable wishes. Time for some realism. (more…)
Murphys Law @ Tablas
The ferry to Tablas arrives in Odiongan just an hour and a half late after sunset. A trike takes us to the Hiland Resort. We are the only guests in a gigantic beach front AC room right on the kite spot.
At Kitesurf-Mindoro, you don’t notice anything about Philippine prices. Boracay is always almost twice as expensive as the rest of the Philippines. Here on Tablas we are the only pale faces apart from a few kiting expats. We are far away from tourism and right in the centre of the real Philippines. The prices here are also real. Food now costs almost as much as at home – even though the exchange rate has shifted significantly in our favour in recent months. Travelling cheaply used to be good here. (more…)
So free @ Boracay
Boracay is almost unrecognisable after the lockdown and radical renovation. There were queues of up to two hours in the harbour for registration and boat tickets. Once we arrived on Boracay, we were happy to wait another half an hour in the taxi queue and then spend up to another hour in a traffic jam for the five kilometres to the Bulabog. Today we need just 45 minutes from Caticlan harbour to our accommodation instead of three and a half hours. Boracay is finally free.
At Bulabog we run straight into many friends from Mindoro. It’s still a bit windy. Sebastian goes out for his first ride straight after checking in at Niu Ohana. I take my Edge to the Freestyle Academy for repairs. Thank you very much for the quick and inexpensive replacement of my strut valve! As the kite won’t be ready until the next morning, we immediately head out into a stormy night. (more…)
Return to Mindoro
For the last 25 years, my life has been kitesurfing and travelling. I spent between three and seven months travelling every year. Now I’m a father and I’m scared. Do the two go together, or does one always come up short? I am infinitely grateful for the licence to travel solo for a month.
After a good 36 hours on the road via Mecca and Manila, I get off the small propeller plane in San Jose, Mindoro early in the morning. At the bus station, two half-people stand in my way. One half is Russian, the other Ukrainian. Together they talk incessantly and more than two whole people. (more…)
Kitesurf Travel Guide Philippines
Kitesafari 10/2/23 to 12/3/23
As a passionate kitesurfer, I have been travelling off the beaten track for over 20 years. Of the almost 100 countries I have visited, none fascinated me more than the Philippines. On three trips over a total of seven months, I appreciated reliable winds, the most varied spot conditions, the friendliest and most sincere people in the world, magical islands as well as varied nature, good food – and the right amount of adventure. For Germans, however, the Philippines often takes some getting used to. Travelling in the Philippines is different. It is more unpredictable. You have to be flexible. I read a lot of questions from German kiters: what, where or how to get from A to B? The necessary information is often hard to find. Kitesurf travel guide Philippines – Kitesafari 10/2/23 to 12/3/23
I am your travel guide. The Grand Philippines Kite Odyssey IV – 10 February to 12 March 2023 I’ll take you to the best kitesurfing spots in the Philippines and help you plan your trip.
Fear of death in the third typhoon
I have seen a lot. I have experienced a lot. Today I’m just surviving. I’ve never been so scared of death in my life. The third typhoon hits Bulalacao on 25 December with full force and gusts of around 200 km/h. The roof of our emergency shelter is partially torn off. The roof of our emergency shelter is partially torn off. The Day After. Ground zero. Complete destruction.
A few weeks ago, my Liverpool kiter Buddy King George joked that I would be honoured with a third typhoon during my two months in the Philippines. I studied Windy in disbelief until just before Fiji. I found nothing. About a fortnight ago, a cyclone actually formed. First it was a tropical storm, then it became a typhoon. It hit Bulalacao with a category four out of five, making it the strongest typhoon in 50 years. (more…)
Christmas kite on Mindoro
During my four days at Secret Kite Camp, the Coron tourist information centre is unable to book the ferry ticket back to Mindoro. In the evening, the last ship before Christmas is fully booked. That’s enough! I lie to the coastguard: I need urgent medicine from Mindoro. That throws me to the front of the multi-page waiting list. Sparkling clean patent leather shoes monitor the proper overloading of the ferry. there are 250 passengers on 146 regular seats.
After nine hours of waiting, I arrive in San Jose. I jump into one of the minivans, which are even more packed than usual just before Christmas. After another hour, I’m back in Bulalacao. The dogs are howling again at Felipa Lodge. Eight years after my first visit, the Filipinos still can’t hit a single note or beat on the same ancient Videoke machine. (more…)
Wikingair @ Secret Kite Camp
My great-grandfather on my mother’s side was Danish. He brewed beer, somewhere in the south. I don’t know where. I don’t even know what his name was. I don’t speak a word of Danish. But the funny Danish Captain Kim speaks English. He invites me to spend four days preparing his Secret Kite Camp AmazingPhilippines.dk at the end of the world. I gratefully accept.
The two-hour crossing from Coron is an adventure. For me. Captain Kim calls the two-metre swell on his eight-metre speedboat “comfortable” from the second half onwards. The hard blows after high waves make me prefer to shoulder the laptop standing up in the waterproof bag. Out of my warm life hands. After two hours, quite well showered, we land in the Caribbean-turquoise shallow water channel between the islands of Nangalao and Secret Island. (more…)
King of Cuyo
The second typhoon costs us a whole week. Sunday evening, the Milagrosa finally leaves Iloilo. Everyone is overjoyed. Together with a Cuyo policeman from our last visit, we empty a few Red Horses on deck. He confirms all my prejudices about Cuyo. Up to six police officers have up to six incidents per 24-hour shift. To. To.
The red horses are the fuel for my master’s examination in seaworthiness. During the night, the wind picks up to 35 knots. With it comes the heaviest swell of my five crossings of the notorious Sulu Sea. The stable lateral position becomes very unstable. Sleeping is only possible – and not very much – on my back. I hum Tom Petty on the way down, Joe Cocker on the way up. Breakers up to five metres high fly over the bow and shake the hull of the 40-metre Milagrosa J5. (more…)
Easter bunny! Travel tips Philippines
Despite having plenty of travelling experience in the Philippines, it takes me a full eight days to cover the 150 km from Mindoro to Cuyo as the crow flies. Only four of these are due to the typhoon. It’s true that Cuyo is more difficult to reach than the hotspots. But when I read on Facebook how many destinations some travellers want to tick off in such a short time, I can only advise one thing: plan wisely![Travel tips Philippines]
I sit out Typhoon Tisoy alone for four days in San Jose. The ferry to Coron is stuck on the wrong side for at least another four days. Minivan back to Bulalacao via the mountain road that has just been cleared of half a metre of tree trunks. The next morning, a five-hour journey on the now very slow FastCat to Caticlan. (more…)
Typhoon Tisoy / Kamuri over Mindoro
The PCA rightly fled early from the next typhoon. Although Typhoon Tisoy/Kamuri initially had much lower wind speeds than our last typhoon on Palawan at the beginning of November, it will cause much more damage. Its eye is currently crossing northern Mindoro with elemental forces.
Typhoon Tisoy / Kamuri gained quite a bit of energy before it made landfall in the eastern Philippines near Bicol on Sunday night with peak winds of almost 200 kilometres per hour. 70.000 people were evacuated before the typhoon arrived. Manila Airport and many other airports were completely closed for several days and all shipping traffic was suspended. (more…)
PKA Kite Championship Bulalacao
Bulalacao is the Philippine word for meteor. The name says it all. In the bay of the small village in the south of Mindoro, the wind really does shoot across the water like a meteor. The PKA organises the Philippine Kitesurfing Championships in Race, Hangtime, Freestyle and Foil here for three days. More than 50 international riders compete under really tough conditions.
Our small group with local kiter Buddy Cocoy and expat Jens arrives late at night from the ferry in a truck full of fun. The island is asleep. Early the next morning, the wind at Felipa Lodge near the harbour is very good. It picks up considerably by midday. The forecast for the next few days offers a stubborn all-you-can-eat menu of between 15 and 40 knots. She is to be proved right. (more…)
Odiongan, Tablas
Just four hours and a slightly delayed 2Go ferry later, Tablas is finally back to what I love about the Philippines: silence, peace and simple, pure life. My local kiter buddy Cocoy picks me up directly from the harbour in Odiongan and takes me to the nearby Hiland Resort right on the kiteable beach. I wander through the cockfights and night market, watch a basketball match and celebrate the opening of the island’s first Jollibee with the locals.
The small international local kite community from Tablas drops by the next morning. After 25 days of travelling with just one kiteable day, I’m incredibly happy about the mild 17 knots and 50 cm ramps in the bay of Odiongan. The Amihan finally gets going. With a northerly wind, it is fully onshore. If it turns to the north-east, which is typical of the Amihan, it is more stubborn due to the mountains in the hinterland – then it is better to head to the east coast, e.g. to Aglicay Beach Resort. (more…)
Boracry
Seven years ago, Borawhy won the race as the best island nickname for New Year’s Eve. Today Boracry wins. I could cry when I see what we are doing to this beautiful little island. I have lost all hope that this can ever be changed. My only option after seven visits: Bye bye Boracay! Please stay away from this island!
Yes, Boracay is beautiful, the White Beach is unique. The palm trees are tropical, the jungle in the north is dense and the water at Ilig-Iligan Beach is a crystal-clear aquarium full of colourful fish. The selection of restaurants and bars is gigantic and the wind at Bulabog is usually very good for kitesurfing. But that’s about it. There is a lot that is extremely poor. (more…)
Mindoro’s Silence
Due to the lack of a bus, we end up in the same minivan to Bulalacao as on our last visit, but this time with “only” a discreet 14 passengers. The trikeros at the harbour unsuccessfully try their hand at price gouging. It’s raining again, and the driver refuses to drive us down the steep, slippery road to kitesurf-mindoro.com, probably with good reason. Only the gatekeeper with his motorbike can manage that, on two trips.
Bislig Beach was my favourite kitesurfing spot in the Philippines last time. In just three years, Kathrin has set up a chilled-out camp with safari tents, bungalows and great fusion cuisine. As the tents are not yet up, we get an upgrade to the panorama bungalow in the first row of the beach. Thank you very much! (more…)
The children of Cuyo
The first post-taifun crossing from Puerto Princesa to Cuyo is surprisingly mild. The captain of the “Blessed Sea Journey” is a real sparrow: after seeing his girlfriend shivering in full winter gear, he turns down the air conditioning in the icebox tourist class to such an extent that 17 Filipinos will probably die of heatstroke by the next morning. Mild waves rock us to sleep.
Some magical places make you cry when you leave. Cuyo does this even on arrival. Early the next morning, the landlady of Niki’s guesthouse greets me by name after almost a year. All the children wave. Every second one of them wants to fondle Steffi’s curls and take a photo to prove that her curls are completely unknown in the Philippines. (more…)
Stormy Banka Tour @ Port Barton
As the typhoon is blocking our further route to Coron, we drive three and a half hours south again by minivan. Shortly after Roxas, we change to a trike. It takes us an hour through the mist-shrouded rainforest mountains to the west side of Palawan to the small coastal town of Port Barton. At some point, the trike driver says “Oh oh, the road is in bad condition.”. An euphenism par excellence.
The road ends up being a single 15 cm deep muddy track with deep ruts and large puddles. Our driver rocks them all and gets a big tip. We get into our accommodation right on the beach and walk a few minutes over to the “centre”. Port Barton is the first place on this trip that really feels Filipino. Bankas in the bay, not too many and not too few people. Good cheap restaurants right under the palm trees on the cosy sandy beach slow us down nicely. (more…)
Taifun Slow Down @ Palawan
The most intense three months of work in 20 years of web design are 10,000 kilometres behind me. The same goes for the all-encompassing porn soundtrack from the Eching esoteric sauna at Kuwait airport. After a 28-hour journey, even the topics of conversation of the quartet of paragliding terrorists melt into nothingness in the five-hour speedvan from Puerto Princessa to El Nido.
Seven years ago, we were stuck in 40 cm of mud on a jungle track in the mountains on the more than one-day journey in the other direction by jeepney. Today it’s tarmac and dogs sleeping on it. I look out of the window through the heavy rain. Water buffaloes graze in rice paddies. Herons vulture around them in tag teams after startled speculoos. (more…)
Mindoro, Bislig Beach
I was super sceptical before my last kitespot. You usually only find so many good reports on the web if someone pays a lot for promotion. But kitesuf-mindoro.com on Bislig Beach near Bulalacao really is an absolute kitesurfing paradise. I immediately decide to stay here for my last week.
The accommodation in five-metre-diameter safari tents or bungalows on the beach is a dream under palm trees rustling in the wind. The turquoise 300 metre wide bay at Bislig Beach points exactly towards Amihan and is just big enough for 20 kiters. As the small resort is already geared towards soft tourism and sustainability, as well as the involvement of the local Magayan tribe, it is still not crowded here. (more…)
Libagau & Nabagat
15 kiters travel from Camp Kitesurf Mindoro to the village by minivan and take a banka to the island of Libagau, an hour off Mindoro. The spray spills refreshingly over the deck from the crisp swell. In front of the island, we pull the banca on foot over some sea urchin nests through the shallows of today’s low tide towards the beach. Starfish RGB shine in the crystal-clear water.
The island of Libagau looks like the ultimate kitesurfing paradise: turquoise water, white beach, blue sky, green trees. The wind blows sideoff at a good 18 to 22 knots over the spot, which is not without danger. At low tide, the water in the choppy bay behind the sandbank in the south-west of the island is very shallow. There are some rocks and sea urchins. There are also a few sharp pieces of coral on the beach. (more…)
Overload
I rarely have an overload when travelling, almost never the feeling that it’s just too much. Today I have met my match. I miss the last non-stop night bus from Pagudpud for a good schnitzel. The competition catches up with the bus as far as Laoag. I rush through the city on a trike and jump on the night bus to Manila at the last minute.
Even before five o’clock in the morning, the traffic is absolutely crazy again. Taxi to the next bus two hours down to Batangas, up on the Speed Cat to Mindoro. In Calapan there are only minivans. The block attendant squeezes 18 passengers into mine, four on each bench and especially the last bench – mine – has ten centimetres of negative legroom. (more…)
Pagudpud
The windiest spot in Asia is located in the very north-west of the Philippine main island of Luzon. Pagudpud is a completely different world again. In the 70s, the Markos regime sent many people here to Hawaii to obtain foreign currency. Today, they are a good deal richer than the rest of the Philippines. The houses are solidly built, some of them real castles, and many of them are fronted by really big cars.
I put up in a cheap homestay. Seas of green rice fields stretch from the village to the high mountains in the south. Saud Beach is pretty much the most idyllic tropical beach I’ve ever seen. Unfortunately, Amihan is fully covered by the wind from the coastline. (more…)
Fun facts from a clean country
Early in the morning, Phlippinos sit mesmerised in the waiting room of the ferry to Batangas in front of the bloody news on TV. Here, only good people have coloured faces. The faces of the violent criminals are discoloured. It looks like one of those black and white art photographs from the early nineties with a single coloured element – only reversed.
The bloodier the news, the calmer the Filipinos become. You can literally feel their pulse. Every pool of blood brings minus ten BPM. Pre-school children giggle enthusiastically to the most brutal zombie butchers from comfortable bunks on the eleven-hour Starlines ferry. For two days, I am travelling by boat, bus, minivan and trike to the strongest wind area in Asia at the remote northern tip of the Philippines. (more…)
PKA Kite Championship Lakawon
I had already put Lakawon on my list of spots at home. A rather luxurious resort occupies a small paradise island full of palm trees surrounded by turquoise shallow water. The banka takes me from Sicogon to Estancia, by minivan to Concepción and then two more large bankas two hours over to the next kiteboarding paradise five kilometres north of Negros.
The Philippine Kitesurfing Championships in Airstyle, Hangtime and Race will take place here over the next four days. More than 50 kiters from all over the world will be competing for the throne. The imported beer, which is actually banned, and several bottles of rum are professionally distributed to the rooms by tractor. Howard Hughes from the Philippines throws one funny round of “Who’s afraid of Duterte?” after another. (more…)
The Author
Frank Woelky, born in 1973. Kitesurfer since 1998. Since 2006, I have been combining kitesurfing and web design on trips lasting several months off the beaten track.