Boracay Island has reopened for tourists. Kalibo airport in the Philippines is one of the two transit airports for people visiting the world-famous Boracay Island. Since many low-cost airlines like AirAsia, Scoot now have flights to Kalibo airport, Boracay Island has become more accessible to tourists.
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Here are the top things you need to know about tiny Kalibo airport in the Philippines
KALIBO AIRPORT ARRIVALS
Currency exchange at Kalibo Airport
When you arrive at Kalibo airport you can easily exchange currency right outside the airport. Unlike other international airports where it’s not recommended to exchange huge amounts at the airport, at Kalibo airport you will get the same exchange rate as Boracay Island.
Kalibo to Boracay Island Airport Transfer
It would easily take you around three hours to reach your hotel at Boracay Island from Kalibo airport. The Kalibo airport to Boracay transfer would include bus/van/taxi transfer from Kalibo airport to Caticlan Boat Jetty (approximately 70 km, time required 2 hours), local boat transfer from Caticlan Boat Jetty to Boracay Island Boat Jetty Port (short 15-20 minutes ride) and the final transfer to your hotel from Boracay Jetty which is usually done via a tricycle or an electric scooter.
It is not necessary to book a transfer from Kalibo airport to Boracay in advance as there are multiple travel agents right outside the airport offering airport transfers. Though it is advised to pre-book your Boracay transfer if your flight is arriving after 6 PM. The most popular airport transfer service you’ll find online is Southwest, but they are slightly more expensive compared to other travel agents. We paid PHP 500 per person for our transfer via van from Kalibo airport to our hotel at Boracay Island at Station 1. For our return journey from Boracay to Kalibo airport, we paid a little less. There was hardly any waiting time between the transfer from tri-cycle to boat to a van. Considering Southwest offers bus transfers, you might need to wait for 30 mins or so.
KALIBO AIRPORT DEPARTURES
Kalibo airport in Philippines is a small airport. So if there are multiple international flights scheduled for departure from Kalibo airport then you would need more time for the check-in and security process and you may not find a space to sit in the departure area at Kalibo airport.
Kalibo Airport Fees
While departing from Kalibo airport you have to pay a mandatory ‘Philippine passenger service charge’ which is PHP 700 for international and PHP 200 for domestic flights. It is collected post-check-in at the airport. This exit fee is collected in cash in Philippine Pesos, so keep some currency while exiting the airport. They did accept USD but you will end up paying a bit extra. (Note: They charged 15 USD per person in October 2017). We read that few airlines have started charging passengers this fees in their flight ticket itself, so do check your ticket once before paying the fees.
Water and food at Kalibo Airport
It is recommended that you carry Philippine Pesos if you need to buy something at the Kalibo airport departure area. They do accept other currencies but be prepared to get the worst possible exchange rate. For instance, during our visit to the Philippines we could easily exchange 1 USD for 50.3 PHP anywhere in Boracay, we were given an exchange rate of 40 PHP for 1 USD at the food court inside the airport.
You are not allowed to take liquids inside the airport. But you can easily buy water at the airport at the normal market price of PHP 20 for a 500 ml bottle and PHP 40 for a 1-litre bottle. This is the price at the food court at level 1. Near the departure gates, the water bottles were slightly more expensive.
There are food options available both inside and outside Kalibo airport. Outside the airport, there is a 7 eleven store if you want to have a quick bite or need to pick chips or chocolates for the flight. There are also a few local restaurants outside the airport where you can eat if you have some time in hand. Food options inside Kalibo airport are not as extensive as other international airports, but for its size, there are enough options to fill your stomach like fresh juice and smoothies, sandwiches, Gimbap, sausage rolls etc.
Smoking Area at Kalibo Airport
If you need to smoke then there is an open terrace at level 1 (food court area), which is connected to the lounge at Kalibo airport. But to get access to the smoking area you must buy something from the lounge at Kalibo airport first. So there is no free smoking area at the departure area at Kalibo airport.