Do you also watch the TV program Survivor every year with the thought ‘I would love to participate in that someday!’? Exploring the most beautiful islands, sleeping in a simple hut on the beach, and catching some fish probably sound like a dream. We had these thoughts too and went in search of the alternative because, let’s face it, the chance that we’ll ever participate in Survivor is probably not very big. We joined TAO Philippines on a five-day expedition between El Nido and Coron in the north of Palawan, Philippines. During this expedition, you’ll visit bounty islands, lagoons, and the most beautiful snorkeling spots. If you’re as excited as we were, in this article we share our experiences and tips about this amazing expedition.
It’s an adventure, not a vacation or standard tour.
This expedition is for adventurers, real travelers, and people who won’t go crazy when they don’t have Wi-Fi for five days. You’ll spend most of the day on the boat and go completely back to basic. This is for you if you’re not afraid to get dirty and don’t mind sleeping in a simple hut on the beach. You’ll sometimes shower with a pan of water or maybe not at all. If you can handle all that, you’ll have the time of your life here!
Five days full of surprises
You don’t know exactly what you’ll see and which route you’ll take beforehand. This depends on various things like the weather. So, you have to let go of control and be surprised! That’s why we won’t spoil too much about what the expedition looks like. However, you can count on getting really good food and seeing plenty of beautiful and unique places. Besides, sometimes you’ll come across special things that aren’t on the itinerary, like dolphins suddenly jumping out of the water or a turtle coming onto the beach in the evening to lay her eggs, as was the case with us. There’s a really fun crew on board who always creates a great atmosphere. The number of people on the boat depends on which expedition you book, but it’s usually around 20 people.
Sleeping on the islands
During the five-day expedition, you’ll sleep at different base camps on the first and second nights. You’ll stay in the same place for the last two nights. Which place that is depends on the route you take. You can actually do this expedition from Coron to El Nido or vice versa. If you do it from Coron to El Nido, you’ll stay two nights at The Farm, and if you do the route the other way around, you’ll stay on an island. Both are very beautiful, so it doesn’t matter much what you choose. Sleeping on the different islands reminded us of the merging of Survivor. You’ll all eat together at a bamboo table on the beach with some torches around you. Sometimes someone from the crew plays the guitar, adding some extra coziness. Each base camp has a bar where you can enjoy a cocktail or beer in the evenings. The TAO crew also often turns it into a nice party. You’ll sleep in a simple hut and fall asleep with the sound of the jungle behind you and the sound of the sea in front of you. The huts all have a mattress, pillows, and a mosquito net, but don’t expect more than that.
Buhay Isla or TAO Philippines or Big Dream Boatman?
There are several organizations that offer expeditions between Coron and El Nido. Because we have been to the Philippines several times in recent years, we have also made this expedition twice and have been able to try two of the best organizations. The first time, we went with Buhay Isla, and the second time with TAO Philippines. TAO Philippines was the first to start these expeditions, which is why they are the most developed organization. Although both expeditions were really awesome, we found the experience with TAO Philippines just a bit cooler. The boat was larger, the huts were nicer, and especially the food was much better. TAO Philippines also pays more attention to coziness and atmosphere. Additionally, TAO Philippines invests a lot in education for the locals, so you are also supporting a good cause. In our opinion, this is the better choice, but if it’s fully booked, Buhay Isla is definitely also very cool!
Dream Big Boatman: Finally, we’d also like to recommend Big Dream Boatman. We’ve heard tremendous praise about this organization from other travelers. They sail with smaller groups compared to other organizations (maximum of 18 people instead of 30 people), and the entire trip is all-inclusive, whereas with TAO, you have to pay extra for drinks. The staff is incredibly passionate, and if you check the reviews on TripAdvisor, you’ll see that this is also an excellent organization for the expedition between Coron and El Nido.
