Borawan Beach is probably the most visited and the most scenic beach on Lipata Island out of all the undeveloped beaches around the coastal village of Barangay Lipata. It is situated within lush mountains and rocky cliffs overlooking the Tayabas Bay in the Sibuyan Sea. Locals of Padre Burgos pride themselves of having Boracay and Palawan in one place – thus the name “Borawan”. It has its own spectacular rock formations like the limestone cliffs of Palawan and crystal clear water and white sand like Boracay.
I didn’t know much about this place except for the beautiful pictures that I had seen on Miguel Mapalad’s website, who organizes adventure tours in Padre Burgos area. I only needed to show one picture to Charlie to convince him to go here. He worships rocks and has spent many years climbing himself silly all over the world. Oh well, as long as I could laze on the beach and take pictures to my heart’s content, the trip was going to be a blast, white sand or not, with rock cliffs or none 
It was almost four in the afternoon when we left Lipata Beach and we decided to spend the rest of the day at Borawan. There are still three undeveloped beaches around the island and we saw one of them on the way to Borawan Beach. It has a nicer shoreline with palm trees and a few nipa huts. It would have been a delight to explore this place too but we were running out of time and we couldn’t contain our excitement anymore to see this famed beach.
A few minutes later, we finally got a glimpse of the rock formations and the shoreline of Borawan. It doesn’t have the usual long stretch of white sand dotted with palm trees. Instead, its shore is dotted with huge rock boulders with a backdrop of high limestone walls. The beach doesn’t really have that fine powdery white sand of Boracay and the limestone isn’t as grand as those I have seen in El Nido. But to have a hint of both in one place is probably what makes Borawan Beach uniquely beautiful.
Charlie scrambled to put on his climbing shoes while I started clicking my shutter nonstop trying to catch the last rays of the setting sun the moment we set foot on its shore. It was a shame we only had one harness so I wasn’t able to belay him on a roped climb, but he spent the rest of the afternoon happily bouldering on some rocks.
Here is his account about the rock climbing potential of Borawan.
“The rock climbing and bouldering on Borawan beach beach is very good. The rock is limestone and generally very solid and clean. The cliffs range to about 20m in height, however there are no established bolted routes yet, so top-roping is really the only option for now. We didn’t have time to set up a rope, but it did seem that with a bit of effort you would be able to scramble to the top of the cliff and find a suitable anchor.
This place is really crying out to be bolted and developed into an established sport climbing crag. It would probably yield at least 15 quality routes, although unfortunately permanent beach shelters partially obstruct some of the cliffs. There are routes to be done here at all grades, from easy jug-hauls to desperate, steep crank-fests. There are also numerous boulders scattered around the beach that sport some interesting problems with nice sandy landings.”
We were the only people on the beach together with the two boatmen so we didn’t know whom to pay the entrance fee and the cottage rental. The previous guests of the Tamarind Tree Resort didn’t pay as well when they visited the beach the previous day. I would guess the caretaker collects fee for overnight campers only or perhaps we were just lucky that day. We were grateful anyway to have this beautiful place all for ourselves even for just a short while. It could get crowded on some occasions because it’s a favorite place of backpackers and adventurers. We left the island satisfied and grateful that we were able to set foot on one of Quezon’s best beaches.
(This is part of our 2 nights adventure at Padre Burgos and Pagbilao Quezon in 2010.)
Day 1: We checked-in at Tamarind Tree Resort in Padre Burgos around noontime and arranged an impromptu beach-hopping at Padre Burgos late in the afternoon. We were fetched by our boatman around 3pm. We first visited Dampalitan Beach and explored the rocky beach from its other end. We dropped by at Lipata Beach and mingled with the locals before heading to Borawan Beach.
Day 2: We drove back to Pagbilao and went to the wharf to arrange another impromptu island-hopping in Pagbilao. We haggled with some boatmen and found one who agreed to take us toPatayan Island and Kwebang Lampas and back to the wharf for 1000 pesos. After returning to Pagbilao town, we drove all the way to the end of Barangay Bantigue and visited the coastal village at the tip of the mainland. We also dropped by at Silangang Nayon and Pueblo Por Playa. Silangang Nayon was fully-booked while Pueblo Por Playa is a member-only resort so we drove all the way back to Padre Burgos to look for Villa Anita Butterfly Garden and Resort to stay for the night.
nice place pano mo nadiscover yan……lakwatsera ka talagang akus ni mama mo….
hey gurl..we will be going there tomorrow. The tour is a bit ‘biglaan’, so we were thinking kung wala na talaga ibang pwedeng tuluyan na aside from tamarind tree? heard hindi naman daw suitable for swimming ang resort na un..mas magenjoy and makapgaswim ka talaga pag island hopping na.
Another resort in Padre Burgos is Villa Anita but about 10-15 drive from the town proper. Just enjoy in your island-hopping na lang.
Borawan…. Most remote and the wildest island I’ve ever gone to. It’s like love it or hate it.J
Loved the sea, beach, rocks, it’s really scenic! It deserves the name Borawan for that. We spent the whole morning here till after lunch. Just beach bummed, to the nth level.
Loved the fact that the blogs I’ve read about the presence of some poisonous creatures are actually true. People are just so honest! Thank you hehe! Hated it too, cause they are not joking. Hindi tuloy ako nakapagswimming ng matagal. There’s this “what if?” feeling..kakainis.
Well, the box jellyfish showed up.
“Stings from these species are often fatal to prey animals, and extremely painful, but only occasionally fatal to humans.” –wikipedia.com
Though its dead when we saw it, still meron dun. Then, a dead puffer fish also made a scene, also poisonous. When you eat it lang. J Then there were 2 incidence of sea urchin sting by the time we were there. That was around almost lunchtime…. Tourists start to pile up already.
Then don’t come to Borawan with a full tummy… because the restrooms… there are no restrooms. Meron pala, the toilet is not filled with water, but dead dry leaves. No roof, no walls…and you can smell the stench of the (you know what) by some people who went, when they have to go. Hehe! Kaya, good luck! I’ve been through it, I made it alive, so you can probably do it too! Plus, you have to ride a small bangka to get there, but you don t like to, you can pee on a semi enclosed area in one corner of the island.
There, Borawan is good to see, but I wont recommend it for camping.
Now, that’s another good perspective about Borawan, that’s why between the two I recommended for you to camp at Dampalitan just because it has a “better” toilet and it has a supply of fresh water which you have to pay though. But both beaches have their charm, and the sea creatures lurking under are part of it
ganda tlqa d2 pinagmamalaki atah nmen anq burawan!!
Hi! we’ll be going to Borawan this weekends and I’m so excited about it so i’m researching about the place. So far, this is the site i find informative that tells something about Borawan. Actually, we’ll just be attending reunion somewhere in Padre Burgos and then I remember I heard Borawan from Trip na Trip and it’s in Padre Burgos. I really don’t know about the accomodations available in the island and how much do they cost..
Hi Jelai, there are two resorts/accommodation in Padre Burgos, Villa Anita Butterfly Garden and Tamarind Tree Resort. Just click on the link for more info about these two resorts.
hi, claire…may breakdown ka ng expenses?
borawan only? or with pagbilao beaches? depende kasi kung gagawin mo lahat in one day or two days, whether you’re gonna camp or stay in the resort and commute or bring your own car.
share ko lang po ung akin ha..
may 8 ng 1am kami umalis ng makati..umalis kami ng padre burgos ng may 9 ng hapon..4018 ang nagastos namin..to be exact..dalawa lang kami ng boyfriend ko na umalis..we stayed in villa anita. saturday lang kami nag-island hopping, borawan at dampalitan lang kasi magkalapit lang naman un.
lahat-lahat na yan. nagcommute lang kami.. jac liner. if u wanna know the breakdown, let me know. ultimo pag-cr sa terminal kasama na dyan..hehe :p
Hi Karla, thanks, yes it would be nice if you can share the low down and travel experience during your trip. It’s another perspective when traveling with a small group
here’s how much my boyfriend and i spent during our two-day stay in quezon. (for 2 na po yan):
800
may 7 dinner (from office kasi kami) 246.26
foods we bought pangkain sa bus 106.95
fare (JAC liner) from buendia to lucena 419
breakfast @ jollibee-grand terminal 150
bus going to unisan (villa anita, drop-off) 70
burger, coke & water 126
bus from villa to sakayan ng trike pa-pier 22
tricycle going to pier 20
boat – talabaan,dampalitan,borawan 800
(pag kasama ang kwebang lampas at
within a day din,1500 lang lahat)
tricycle – main road 17
van going to sm lucena (maaga pa kasi ;p) 140
dinner @ tokyo-tokyo 256
7-eleven, water & chips 46
jeep going to pagbilao 28
bus – to unisan (from pagbilao) sa villa ang baba 60
MAY 9:
villa anita (check in:may 8, 7am. check out:
may 9, 2pm) no extra charges
van going to grand terminal (from villa) 130
lunch @ chowking-grand terminal 242
cr sa terminal :p 10
fare – lucena to buendia 419
4018.21 po lahat-lahat yan..mas makakamura pag group since fixed ang bayad sa boat..although mas intimate pag 2 lang..LOL
) i posted my pics in my multiply site na still under construction pa din,..haha
http://kayekarla29.multiply.com
Thanks a lot Karla for taking time to share this. It will help others to plan their itinerary and expenses. Cheers! Keep on traveling!:-)
I went there last March.. It wasnt what I was expecting, but its beach is quaint, I enjoyed my stay and met lots of new friends. I guess I wasnt able to enjoy the peacefulness and serenity of the place as what the pictures here in your blog portrays but perhaps I would have, if I hadnt been with a very large group (very na, large pa diba?). Went there as part of Yabag MC’s Padre Burgos Tour (part2). Number of people? A bus load with some sitting na on the aisle seats, a van, and I guess two other cars of whatever. Still, for a fee of P1,200 (inclusive of transpo-bus-boat, island entrance/stay, climbing gear rental fees, island hop) plus your food budget, it is a very good deal just be able to spend a weekend at a place not much people go to.
We camped at Borawan beach and yes, those sea snakes are real enough, the alternative cr is also, real enough.. I guess being there with friends made it real nice.. perhaps one day I could return, with a lesser group so as to enjoy the place more.
Thanks Nienna, traveling with a big group could be a good and not so good thing. It’s really up to a person how to make most out of his/her every trip. Have fun in your next adventure. Keep on traveling!
hi ma’am claire! your beach adventures really looks so cool! Myself and my cousins are always on the look out for places to go to other than the usual expensive ones we get to see. From Manila may i ask, how do you go to borawan beach? I mean you go to quezon and from lucena, how do you go to padre burgos? where is the jump off point? sensya na for the questions, it is just that budget conscious like us would like to taste something nice, but still budget friendly!
thanks for your time reading!
elow! from lucena grand terminal sakay ka ng unisan pababa ka ng Bayan ng Padre Burgos or contakin mo ako kc i have many relatives in padre burgos we’re willing to help u..
Hi Jo, about your question, kindly check my Quezon blogs, i think i put details there on how to go to borawan, check island hopping in Padre Burgos, kindly check also island hopping in pagbilao. Comments of the readers will also give idea about the place. Send me a message again if you have more questions. Cheers!
hi so nice there at borawan…ive been there last year and its great place and they stay 1 night at the island its so dark only the bon fire is the light….hehehehehe^^….and i have a friends house near at the islands that was cool coz they will stay there in 3days…..hehehehe……..ITS SO BEAUTIFUL PLACE……
tnx sa pag share ng cost..:)
takes me back in time when Boracay was a backpacker’s haven. aside from us locals from Kalibo! and by the time i got back after working abroad had the culture shock of finding out what Boracay has become since!
Wow you’re fortunate to have seen Boracay in its earlier days. I could just imagine the awe of the first-time visitors. It’s like finding heaven on earth.
aiiiyyhh..super beautiful tlaga nan borawan,,,.dis was discovered by a preist named fr.george vargas.. ayyy..founder nan skul namin..i cant believe na may tnatgong beautiful place an padre burgos..kaya marami ng napunta dto sa byan nmin ng padre burgos…sana maenjoy nyo pa ang iba pang beautiful places dto sa bayan nan padre burgos..!!!thank u!!!
hi ms. claire, we are planning to go here on may 7-8.. can i ask lng if possible bang borawan-dampalitan-puting buhangin ung puntahan namin for our island hopping? i mean, kasi prang tie-up lagi ung borawan-dampalitan and puting buhangin-kwebang lampas.
and how many can a boat accommodate? we’re a group of 10+ kasi.
thanks so much!!!
Yep pwede din sila in one day lahat, pero di nyo ma-eenjoy masyado. I suggest you go to Puting Buhangin first and spend most of your time there then camp at Borawan on the first night. Then you can swim and explore Borawan the next day and visit Dampalitan Beach on your way home. The last time we visited Pagbilao wharf, there were boats available that were good for 20-30 persons.
wow thank you for your response ms.claire!
great! meron dn po plang mga boat dun na pangmaramihan. btw ms.claire, ung mga nakapost na number ng boatmen sa iba mo png blogs, how many can they accommodate? thank you so much for your time! you can’t imagine how excited we are (me and my officemates) sa quezon adventure nmin.:) that’s why i keep on asking very specific details….
Some boats at Pagbilao Wharf can accommodate as much as 20-30 pax.
april 24 and 25 2011 nag punta kami sa borawan. b4 we get there nag basa muna ko ng mga blogs to know how to get there and syempre ung budget.. my nakuha akong number ng boatman..pag dating namn sa padre burgos nag tanong kami ng bangka na mag hahatid samin grabe tinaga agad kami…900 daw balikan kasi overnyt kami kung hindi daw 700..so nag decide ako na kontakin yung boatman… we went to brgy campo kasi andun ung boatman…pag dating namn dun parang un ung pinaka pier nila….ok kausap ung mga tao tska ang nagppalakad yung mismong brgy nila..ung parking nila ok din sure na safe ang sasakyan… pag pasok namin ng office nila andun ang rate 800 10-12 pax na denkung gusto nio mag island hopping 1200 ang bangka.. so kinabukasan sinundo kami den nag island hopping kami sa dampalitan, talabahan, tapos ung mga island sa gitna ng dagat….kaso pag dating sa island my cr na cla kaso di pa ayos ang bowl nila so di pwede mag poo poo…ang fresh water nila ay 30 isang balde …ang cottage ay aroung 500 pesos…my dala namn kaming tent.. so 100 per tent ang bayad den 15 pesos ang entrance sa island…pag kids walng bayad…maganda ung island madaming crabs sa gabi and pwde nio din iexplore ung cave…. next week were planning to go to puting buhangin ang kwebang lampas….
Thank you Alaiza for sharing this. Looking forward to your stories about Puting Buhangin.
hi ms. clariza!
can i ask for the boatman’s number na contact mo? and how do we get to bgy.campo?
thanks so much!
Are you referring to Barangay Basiao instead? I don’t have the contact number of the boat man because it was Councilor Santiago whom we met at the eatery who had arranged it for us. You may contact him on this number though 09124456361.
big thanks ms. claire!
sorry po ms.claire last question na..:D
we inquired already sa tamarind tree and pricey nga (min. of P745 EACH) to think na
d naman kami masyadong magsstay dun. but we don’t have enough tents kasi to camp either.
are there any other accommodations nearby padre burgos/pagbilao besides tamarind and villa anita?
and would you rather suggest na we stay in villa anita nlng? ung rates po ba na minention nyo sa
blogs nyo is per head or for sharing na? naconfuse kasi kami bigla nung naginquire kami.
thank you!!!
HI Jowi, the rate I have of Villa Anita is per room but I think they had increased it already so it’s better to call the resort and get an update. I’m not sure if there are new resorts in the area but perhaps you could try homestay. Just ask the barangay captain or any local officials if they offer such thing.
thanks ms.claire!
unfortunately, wla ng available na rooms ung may 7-8 sa villa anita.so ok lng we’ll just
check in sa tamarind tree. the roomrate on hilltop is P745 per head per night regardless of the roomtype.
and not including the food. ung sa beachside daw kasi is 800+.
anyway thanks a lot ms.claire!!! atleast di na kami mxdong magmmukang mga ligaw because of your blogs!hehe
thank u thank u!
im really looking forward and really hope to enjoy our getaway and discover these hidden nature’s treasure!
I just want to share our itinerary, we went to Lucban last March 15 (Sunday) to attend the Pahiyas, we leaved Manila at around 4:30am( Greenstar-Taft), first trip nila ay 4am. Arrived Sta. Cruz at around 6:30 then took the jeep going to Lucban, we arrived before 8:30am mga 1 hr ang travel. Tapos kumain, namasyal at nagpapicture, since its our first time there natuwa kami sa mga decorations at mga paninda, mahaba nga lang mga pila sa mga restaurants doon, hindi nila kayang i accomodate ang nagdasaang turista. After that we went to Kamay ni Jesus, para makaakyat bawal ang naka shorts at sleeveless. We leaved Kamay ni Jesus at around 4pm, took the jeep going to Grand Terminal, from the terminal sumakay kami ng bus, nakalagay sa harap UNISAN, diretso na yun sa villa anita. We checked in at around 6pm na, took our dinner, swimming sa pool, inuman then tulog na.
In the am, villa anita arranged a transportation for us going to Borawan including a roundtrip transpo from the villa going to the pier and also the banca for us. We went first to Borawan, took pictures and then to Dampalitan. The islands are beautiful with white sands and clear sparkling water:)
We decided to leave Dampalitan at around 2pm, ate at Villa anita restaurant, went home at around 4pm, During that time ang hina ng tubig sa villa anita, perfect na sana ang aming bakasyon kaya lang dun kami nadismaya.
All in all I can say that we had a perfect get away vacation. Thanks to Lakwatsera for informing us about Borawan
greenstar bus from manila to sta. cruz-140.25
jeep from sta. cruz to lucban-45
breakfast in mustiola-70(longsilog)
habhab(along the st)-10
tricycle from pahiyas to kamay ni Jesus-50 (10each kami)
jeep from kamay to lucena grand terminal -30
grand central to villa-45
dinner and breakfast-105
lunch-75
boat rental (borawan and dampalitan lang)-1300 (were 5 so 260 each kami)
Entrance fee to borawan-15
Entrance fee to Dampalitan-30
nipa hut -1300 (were 5 so 260 each kami)
bus going to lucena grand terminal-45
dinner- 60
grand terminal to manila (Jac)-210
Hi Leah, thank you for sharing your experience, it will help others to plan their own itinerary.
if interest ka pa po jowi mas mura po sa akin hehehe tnxs get my number and full info i give u
hahahaha thats my place when i was young?
nakakamiss ang borawan beach…
been there too … 100% white sand and the right place to relax!
Sana makabalik ako sa Quezon Province!
Hi, nakarating na din ako sa Borawan at Dampalitan Island. Wonderful place. Discovered paradise. Unfortunately we weren’t able to enjoy the beach dahil season ng salabay a.k.a. jellyfish. Buti ngwarning din si Mang Lito na mag ingat kami sa salabay dahil delikado. Photoshoot nalang naging drama ng barkada. Overall we enjoyed the place. A little reminder lang po. Mag ingat sa mga taong lumalapit sa inyo at nagke-claim na sila ung bantay at kelangan silang bayaran or anything na may kinalaman sa pera. Thanks Sir Jun Villena and thanks Lakwatsera
Your blog helped us a lot.
Hi Kim, thank you also for sharing your experience and some tips
hello po is it true na madami salabay or jelly fish sa borawan start yan sa month ng may kaya di ko nirerecomend na magswiming kau ng Whole May”‘ and sa Dampalitan anytime eh may something talaga don di na naalis yon kaya di safe maligo 4got ko name ng nakakatusok but may iba pa naman na area sa tabi ng borawan na safe maligo open sya walang bato white sand lang at pwede magcamping start na kau pabook sa small house ko better na maguide ko kayo kc residence k ay sa Campo PBQ just call me 02-5861576 globe 0917-503-2368 but dito ako sa caloocan nagwowork kindly search me in my fb account romena rellamas paki early na lang po yong house ko po eh 20person ang capasity pwede magluto may tubig and electric we also provide a cheapest boat
bigla ko namiss ang borawan. ang ganda ganda !
Ang liit lang pero sarap mag beach camping dito lalo na kapag wala masyado tao.