Philippines | October 2024 |
The Mindoro Loop is one of the Philippines' most famous extended rides. And if you are like me and into diving and riding, then Mindoro has a lot to offer and is definitely worth checking out. Note: this is not an "ultimate guide"; frankly there's tons of info out there, and I only covered the main loop route.
Duration & Distances
3 days / 2 stops / ~15 hrs riding / 500 km
Trip reports
Here's detailed descriptions of my rides from/to and stays at the latter:
Why do the Mindoro Loop?
If you are like me and have done Luzon moto trip(s) and want to tick another box on an extended Philippines visit, then Mindoro is a great place to go. It's about 5 hours from Manila (and can also be visited from Boracay and Palawan, though I am not sure just how easy that is). I took a bus from/to Makati, and ferry from Batanges - painless. And as mentioned, aside from moto touring, there's lots to do in Mindoro, like diving, and "partying" in Sabang. But, to be clear, Mindoro riding does not compare in quality to North Luzon, as one example..
Planning & Essentials
Research: There's tons of info about the Mindoro Loop. The main challenge for me was getting clear info about the Puerto Galera (PG) to Abra de Ilog section, e,g., whether it was actually passable (this may be a non-issue soon, when the new bridge opens). Otherwise, I just winged it and learned about the route along the way - as I usually do.
Start point: if you are a tourist like me, Sabang is the logical start point - possibly after some good diving, eating, partying, and social activities of a dubious nature (but not actually involving nature).
Route: there is really one way to go, in either direction.
Bike & Gear
Rental: I took a KTM 390 ADV from SSD Motorcycle Rental and highly recommend them. The owner Chris is a stand-up guy, the 390 is his personal bike. Renting a "big bike" was a bit of an extravagance, a diversion from my usual scooter or recent 150 enduro rides in Luzon and Vietnam. But having owned the BMW 310gs, I was itching to try the KTM 390 ADV. It was a great set of wheels for this trip.
Riding gear:
Dianese Air Frame mesh jacket
Deus Saber Moto Jersey - great for keeping the sun off and air flowing
Salomon trail runners
Klim Dakkar gloves
Luggage:
Karrimor 70L duffel from Sports Direct - it's ok, a good size for the trip and water-resistant.
Pacsafe Anti-Theft Waterproof Safe - carried in my Karrimor bag, used as a portable safe.
Patagonia Black Hole Waist Pack - "man purse" for daily use on/off the bike, carries wallet, phone, glasses, charger, hat, documents, etc.
Apple Airtags are in each bag, and another is stashed on the Honda.
ZeePro dry bag - I mostly use this to clip my GoPro to the shoulder strap, and also as an emergency dry bag.
Camera: I take a lot of photos, some videos. My current rig is a GoPro 12 and iPhone 15. As mentioned above, I use the Go Pro on a clip mount that I attach to my backpack shoulder strap. It's set to voice activation and I keep the beep sound turned on, that way I know the camera is taking a photo or video while I am riding. I use the iPhone for major photo opportunities that require a stop and keep it in my tank bag for easy access.
Cost
Like everywhere in the Philippines, Mindoro is good value. The only weak point is accommodation, which for unknown reasons is generally over-priced, about 2x what you pay in Vietnam, for example. Otherwise, food, drink, gas and other essentials are all cheap. I was spending about $60/day, not living large, but also not cutting corners.
Paperwork
Docs: I carried the usual: passport, motorcycle DL & IDP (both Singapore) and bike registration.
Insurance
Motorcycle: I didn't even ask, just assumed "you work it out".
Travel/Medical: I use World Nomads travel insurance which covers motorcycle riding and other action-oriented activities, US$675 for 6 months.
Roads & Driving
Roads: overall very good, with a short section of truly awful:
PG to Sablayan: starts with the notorious washed-out stretch between PG and Abra; from then on is a nice paved road with little traffic.
Sablayan to Roxas: has a decent hill and coast section at the south end of the island, a bit more traffic around San Jose.
Roxas to PG: on the busier side of the island, more traffic, trucks, trikes, etc, and is fairly boring. Then, from Capalan to PG you ride an amazing mountain and coast road, the best section of road in Mindoro (that I experienced).
Driving: very civilized. I didn't experience any type of incident that could be classified as ignorant or unsafe. Outside major cities, the roads are fairly relaxed. As the Philippines is a motorcycle-centric society, there is a "ying-and-yang" effect, where traffic melds together (though it can easily be interpreted as chaos).
Weather
I had a tiny bit of rain- to be expected as my trip was in early October, the end of the rainy season.
People, Communication & Safety
A well-known fact is that Filipinos are amongst the friendliest and most fun-loving people on the planet. And I experienced it well on this trip.
English is spoken fluently everywhere, you never have communication challenges as a native speaker.
Overall it is very safe (I have had one security issue in the Philippines in 30 years). As with anywhere, it's always a good idea to manage your stuff (ex: in a Pacsafe portable safe), and don't put yourself in any compromising situation(s).
Mobile & Wifi
I bought a 30-day unlimited data Smart SIM on arrival NAIA, $35. Service was decent in Mindoro, though I couldn't stream with it.
Due to the decent and cheap mobile data, I didn't bother with wi-fi.
Accommodation
As mentioned earlier, accommodation can be a weak-point of travel in the Philippines (compared to, say, Thailand and Vietnam). In general, accom is more expensive, the quality can be so-so. No idea why this is the case - but it can be aggravating (I like cheap price, great quality!).
I used Agoda for almost all of my bookings, as in all my travels.
F&B
The Philippines is not renowned for it's cuisine - quite the opposite, frankly. It's largely a combo of blase local cuisine (largely deep fried), and western fast food.
That said, there are some great local dishes such as Inasal (chicken?), Kinilaw (ceviche), and Calamares (you guessed it) that I ate daily when I could find it.
In Sabang Big Apple serves up great western food and the numerous Korean places are great too. In Roxas I ate dinner and breakfast at Red Tomato - surprisingly good Italian fare.
Chain convenience stores like 7-11 and Circle K are easy to find.
Alcohol is fully available, beer is cheap.
Weed seems to be non-existent (a legacy of Dueterte - understandable that it's not easy to find....). The only other drugs I was regularly pitched were Cialis and Viagra.
Sights
Mindoro is not as "wow" as many other notable moto destinations in SE Asia. But it does have a nice coastline and mountains in the center.
Wildlife: didn't see any (above water).
Activities
Amongst many things to do in North Luzon, here are some I did or considered:
Diving: Puerto Galera is a world-class diving destination, I went with Big Apple and Reef Encounters, both highly recommended. Abo Reef, out of Sablayan is also renowned, but I didn't make it there on this trip.
Questions?
Drop me a line at terraxplor1@gmail.com, happy to help.
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