DIVING
Pandan Island-This tiny island of white sand beaches has a humble resort operated by a french national and catering excellent facilities for diving. It is as well the jumping-off point for divers heading to Apo Reef lying 30 km southwest of the island.
Apo Reef- has spectacular wall dive sites hosting fan corals, gorgonian drips and a wide variety of tropical reef creatures. Mantas sometimes show up and some hammerheads, whitetip and other species of sharks are commonly seen. Best season to witness their activity is between March and June.
Verde Island-located few kilometers from Puerto Galera, this island has great wall dive hosting hundreds of species of soft and hard corals. Gorgonians covering the wall spectacularly mix with the colorful assortment of thousands of reef fish in the area.
TREKKING
Mindoro is still wild so it is wise to always have guides familiar with the place before hiking the interiors of the island, like Mangyans- a tribe inhabiting the inlands. Trekking requires long stamina and solid strength for long walks and high ascents. Leave as early as possible to avoid catching the strong heat of the sun. Be prepared of extreme weather changes and strong winds along the way. Leeches are common and cuts can be unavoidable. Be well equipped.
Mt. Halcon-is the highest peak in the island measuring 2586m. high. Covered with thick clouds most of the time, this mountain presents stunning views of southern’s most popular landforms such as Mt. Mayon of Bicol during clear skies and Mt. Banahaw of Batangas. Wildlife in the area is rich. You may come accross some monkeys, wild birds, boars and deers on the way. The trek starts with an hour jeepney ride from Calapan to Lantuyang- a mangyan tribe inhabited area.
Mt. Iglit- is the gateway to the protected habitat of endangered Tamaraw. The trek starts from a jeepney ride in San Jose to Bgy. Poypoy Calintaan. River crossing is common during the hike. Exciting but can be difficult during heavy rains. Tamaraw viewing is perfect in the summit of either Mt. Magawang and Mt. loibpo at early morning and in the evening. Both points give stunning views of the park and other wild animals.
MOTORBIKING
Calapan Route The route from Puerto Galera to Calapan can be as challenging as hiking to deeper mountains of Mindoro. It is constructed along the coast giving a wide stunning views of the eastern side. The way is broken into asphalts and dirt roads that unfortunately give choking dust during dry season and mud on rainy season. About 18 km from Puerto galera, you may drop at the Tamaraw Falls just lying few steps from the highway. A little rest area off the road have tables for small snacks and a little pond with cascading water for a quick dip. There are also several detours that can offer more challenging routes. Just a little distance past the falls, you may want to go for an adventure ride passing through several raging rivers and exciting uphill and downhill tracks which are muddy when rainy and very rough when dry. This is the route to Tocoran Falls- a little hidden falls in the midst of thick greeneries at the end of the river.
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