Is Boracay too touristy?

Is Boracay too touristy and overcrowded? That’s all perspective. That’s what local Filipinos say about it, but that certainly doesn’t apply to their gorgeous beaches. While Boracay is the most popular tourist destination in the Philippines, it seems like half the tourists are focused on avoiding the sun. When I was there, the beaches were wide open when the sun was out, 10am – 4pm.

Boracay Too Touristy?

Here are photos of Boracay at different times of the day – it was completely empty at 1pm. By 5pm people start coming out, and by 6pm people are out to enjoy the sunset and post-sunset.

Boracay at 5:56 PM [17:58]

Boracay has some of the best sunsets I’ve ever seen. Amazing!

Beautiful Boracay — This is as crowded as I ever saw it in Boracay – people waited until the sun set and the clouds covered the sky to come out and enjoy.


Boracay at 1:14 PM:
does this look overcrowded?: This photo may look like it was taken of a private beach, but it’s actually beautiful Boracay in the Philippines. It didn’t get much more crowded than this…; Boracay’s beautiful empty beaches

Boracay at 6:08 AM / 6:08:

At 6am for sunrise, young people are just getting back home from the bars after a night of dancing.

Sunset in Boracay - too touristy and overcrowded? — Sunrise in Boracay – one of the few times we spotted others on the beach (but just a few).

The nightlife is awesome, among the best of any town in Asia. The “crowded” label likely is referring to the nightlife (with that said, it’s still less crowded than a lot of the bars we frequent at home in New York City). The beaches… I thought it was some sort of holiday or my area was semi-private since so few people were outside, but others pointed out that many of the tourists are coming for the parties. Many are coming from eastern Asia and thus less interested in being out during the sun’s warmest rays.

Is Boracay too touristy and overcrowded? Nope!

I strongly disagree with all of the advice I received. Boracay is wonderful and fairly quiet beaches during the day. Don’t let anybody convince you that Boracay’s overcrowded. Perhaps that refers to the Boracay nightlife, but not the beaches.