Puka Beach is a stretch of white sand in the northern tip of the island away from the busy and crowded Boracay Stations 1, 2 and 3.
Why is it called as such? It is where you’ll find the rare puka shells in Boracay. Puka shells originally were naturally occurring bead-like objects which could be found in some beaches. “Puka” is the Hawaiian word for “hole” and refers to the naturally occurring hole in the middle of these rounded shell fragments.
Yes! This is where the locals gather their puka shells to make some accessories and jewelry sold on the island.
Puka Beach is a peaceful, quiet and quite secluded venue for those who would like to unwind at Boracay Island. The very few people on the beach offer visitors and guests a sense of exclusivity.
But note and expect that the sand is coarser than the one on White Beach, the water is a little rougher and only vendors patrol the beach if you want some cold drinks and ice cream. There are fewer services on this side of the island too.
An ideal getaway place for those who would like to relax from the tourist-packed White Beach of Boracay, it is also one of the banca stops if you’ll go for an island hopping for the day. You can go for a picnic too but don’t forget to bring your litter along with you once you leave area.
A beautiful beach perfect for photo shoots and is also famous as venue for weddings, private beach parties and other special occasions. It showcases clear blue waters, grainy white sand and a topnotch view.
How to Get There
From Manila, you can fly to Caticlan Airport (estimated cost of Php9200++, round trip, 45-50 minutes). From the Caticlan Airport, a van ride will only take you 5 minutes going to the Caticlan Jetty Port. A pumpboat ride from the Caticlan port to Boracay port will take at about 15 minutes.
Puka Beach can be accessed by land through the main road going to Puka Grande.
It is best to hire a tricycle (PhP25.00 per head, one-way from D-Mall to Puka Beach, around 15 minutes) to take you and pick you up at Puka Beach since only a few or even none hangs around that area.
Note: if they know you’re not a local or a tourist, you’ll be asked to pay a fare at about PhP100++ per head just going to the area. So be extra careful and know how to haggle for your fare.
