Looking for Things to do in Puerto Galera ?
One of the Puerto Galera Tourist Spots is the Sinandigan Lighthouse. This is directly above the Puerto Galera diving sites at West Escarceo. Let’s take look around at these amazing Sinandigan lighthouses in Puerto Galera that have been here for many years now. This is where the Puerto Galera lighthouse has always been.
One was originally built in 1955, and the other I’m not quite sure what year it was made. This is right on top of all the dive sites in Puerto Galera and you can see the new lighthouse that was built here and the remains of all the old lighthouses and living quarters. The View from up here will take your breath away. It’s an awesome Puerto Galera viewpoint, you can see everything from Batangas to Calapan, and everything in between up here.
In this video, you can see the Canyons Dive site, a popular diving destination for many in Puerto Galera. Across from the Canyons you have the main island of Luzon, and just across the channel, you have Verde Island. There is plenty of beautiful Puerto Galera dive sites to explore here.
If you are looking for a Puerto Galera Adventure try hiking from BADLADZ Beach & Dive Resort about 12km to the lighthouse.
Puerto Galera Philippines
Puerto Galera, officially the Municipality of Puerto Galera, is a 1st class municipality in the province of OrientalMindoro, Philippines. According to the 2015 census, it has a population of 36,606 people.
It is located at the north-westernmost part of OrientalMindoro, and at the south-western end of the Isla Verde Passage. About 130 kilometers (81 mi) south of Manila. It is mainly accessible from the Southern Luzon gateway port of Batangas.
Puerto Galera is 51 kilometers (32 mi) from Calapan, the provincial capital.
History of Puerto Galera
Chinese traders possibly knew the place before the arrival of the Spaniards but there is no evidence of Chinese settlement. The place was also known by other Southeast Asian merchants, who found it convenient to load and unload trading goods. The State of Ma-i extended to the Puerto Galera area. The bay was a convenient place to shelter ships against bad weather. And a warehouse built to store supplies and trade black rice from Muelle.
In April 1570, the Spaniards arrived in Bombon (now known as Batangas), and later sailed through the Isla Verde passage, landed, and called the place Puerto Galera (the port of Galleons). Legazpi became the first Spanish governor-general of the island. A garrison for soldiers built in Muelle and watchtowers were erected in Dampalitan Point to monitor naval activity in the bay. Spaniards came to conquer for their king and chased the Muslim Moro pirates who were disrupting their trade with the Chinese and the natives. The latter proved to be not only skilled warriors but also good negotiators even in the face of defeat.
In 1663, a change in the form of administration occurred in the island, the Corregidor was replaced by the alcalde-mayor or provincial governor, and the capital was moved from Puerto Galera to Baco. In the seventeenth century, the relative prosperity of the city underwent a serious setback with the rise of Muslim piracy. Both pirate attacks and the mismanagement of the Spaniards resulted in driving the native population either into exile in safer places or sending them inland to comparative safety.
Some of the information on this page was taken from Wikipedia and used under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.
Sinandigan Lighthouse
Escarceo Point is a cliffside hill that is just outside of Puerto Galera Bay. This area is home to three towers: a telecom tower, the old derelict lighthouse, and a new lighthouse that was recently built here on the island of Mindoro. There isn’t much else to do or enjoy in this area as the main Puerto Galera tourist attraction for this area are the lighthouses, and an amazing panoramic view of the ocean, dive sites, and nearby islands.
The best view in Escarceo Point, as you can see in the video comes to focus when you climb the old lighthouse as Sean shows you in the video. A spiral staircase wraps around the old lighthouse and ascends to the top. Once there, you will have an amazing view of the nearby limestone cliffs, the coastal beaches, Verde Island, and many more islands nearby.
How to get to Sinandigan Lighthouse
One of the Puerto Galera hiking destinations is the lighthouse at Sinandigan which is roughly 2km from the town of Sabang in Puerto Galera. Sinandigan is a smaller town separated from Sabang by a long semi-paved hill leading into the Sinandigan area. If you are planning to make the trek to view the lighthouse from Sabang, be sure to keep this long steep hill in mind, as your trek will most likely take an hour or more doing so.
If you would like to take in all the beauty of this amazing location at Sinandigan lighthouse. And would like to avoid as much hiking as possible. Getting to the starting point for this trek is simple as well. Just ask any trike or jeepney driver here in Puerto Galera. They can tell you where you need to go in order to start this Puerto Galera adventure hike. Once you start from the trailhead, you will need to trek uphill for roughly 20 minutes on a trail that previous travelers have carved into the limestone path. Even though you can get to Sinandigan Lighthouse in just a 20-30 minute hike, some travelers like the idea of staying here overnight. In that case, there are a few camping areas near the lighthouses should you decide to be adventurous and stay in this amazing location overnight.
If you have any other questions about Sinandigan lighthouse or would like more information on how you, a group of friends, or family can come to experience this amazing viewpoint in Puerto Galera. Come see us at BADLADZ Beach & Dive Resort and we will be glad to help you plan this amazing adventure.
Cheers,
Sean
