Boracay generally has idyllic weather year-round, except during monsoon season. Whilst it’s not usually affected too heavily, there are times when there are strong winds and lots of rain. In weather like this some of Boracay’s adventure activities are not always possible. There is one adventure however that can usually be undertaken in rain, hail or shine – and we actually think it’s better after a bit of rain! There’s nothing quite like riding an ATV around in big, muddy puddles!
Our ATV Boracay Island tour was our third planned activity for our stay in Boracay. The evening before had seen a little rain, so as we made our way to the pickup spots we found ourselves jumping through puddles. It was also sprinkling slightly – but a little rain never hurt anyone!
Our guide Jim met us just outside D’Mall in Station 2, where we jumped aboard a shuttle to Happy Dream Land – the starting point for the ATV activity. Happy Dream Land was once a fully functioning amusement park with rides, attractions and activities. Unfortunately the typhoon that devastated parts of the Philippines in 2013 had done irreparable damage to the amusement park – so much so that it was no longer safe to operate. As is the case with most venues like this, the cost to tear down is greater than leaving it as it is. Nowadays, Happy Dream Land is used as the ATV practice track, as well as home to some funky interactive museums and lots of cheesey selfie opportunities!
After taking some cheesey selfies of our own, we jumped aboard our ATV’s – Mike on red, myself on blue. Two person buggies are also available to ride on, but why should one person get all the fun? We wanted our own vehicle each!
We followed Jim and our guide in the two person buggy ahead around the track to practice operating the vehicle and getting the hang of turning and braking, before exiting Dreamland and making our way onto the road.
This was our second time on ATV’s – our first experience was our trip to Phuket five years earlier. Unlike that experience – which was completely off-road and was quite disastrous for myself – ATV riding in Boracay is done on the same roads as regular traffic. Whilst this means you need to be more careful, it’s also a lot easier driving along a smooth maintained road than it is up and down off-road tracks!
Zooming along the roads through the quieter, more local parts of Boracay was great fun – waving to the children, checking out the sights along the way, and smiling for photos as the Korean tourists drove past in their two-person buggies in the opposite direction!
Mike had a ball on the ATV – as always, I’m the more cautious driver and he got a little fed up with how slow I was going. He decided to overtake me and spent the rest of the journey weaving through the puddles, or slowing down until I was close enough and then revving up and speeding off – flicking mud and water in my direction. What is it with men and their need to always want to get dirty and muddy?!
We stopped at the Mt Luho viewpoint at the halfway point, and climbed to the top for a panoramic view of the island of Boracay. On a beautiful day it would have been such a great view – except it was a little blustery at the top and we nearly got our eyes poked out by umbrellas several times so we didn’t hang around too long!
We spent another twenty minutes or so on the ATV, driving downhill and underneath the zip-line course that we’d been on the previous day – it was hilarious to hear their screams! We wound back up at Happy Dream Land, parked the ATV’s and visited the onsite 3D trick museum. We have come across so many of these in Asia – they’re always hilariously cheesey. This one took things very seriously, even providing sample photographs of how to pose with the images. Of course we had to stop for one or two photos….
The last stop was a shuttle out to Puka Beach – the incredible beach we had visited on our island hopping tour earlier in the week. It was so lovely to stop there again – it was a little choppier due to the weather but unfortunately we hadn’t packed our bathers so we couldn’t go for a swim. It was nice to wander along though – this really is the place to visit if you want to get away from the crowds at White Beach.
Our ATV adventure around Boracay was SO MUCH FUN. We were so glad we were able to go ahead with it even though the weather wasn’t the greatest. If you find yourself in Boracay and it’s not quite the sunniest day – definitely consider going on an ATV tour – it’s even better with puddles!
FAST FACTS
- Who can I organise to go on an ATV adventure in Boracay with?
We booked our ATV adventure in Boracay with Boracay Adventures Inc. Boracay Adventures Inc. are an activity and travel provider on the island of Boracay and are accredited by the Philippine Department of Tourism. We wouldn’t recommend anyone else – they organised everything from the pick up, carried our guy whilst we were on the ATV’s, took great footage for us, and organised the shuttle back to town.
- How much does it cost?
The ATV Island tour costs 1800 PHP / $48.95 AUD per person, and is inclusive of entry to Happy Dream Land, the ATV ride, a stop at the Mt Luho viewpoint, entry to the 3D trick museum and a stop at Puka Beach.
- How do I book?
You can contact Boracay Adventures Inc. via their website, by email, Facebook and more – they’re very social media savvy!
Disclosure: Thank you to Boracay Adventures Inc. for supporting us on our visit to Boracay. As always, all opinions are our own.
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