Island hopping Coron to El Nido with Tao Philippines

Summary

The islands in the north of Palawan between El Nido are some of the most stereotypically idyllic tropical beach paradises you can imagine – hundreds of islands surrounded by perfect white sand, gorgeous clear turquoise water, tropical reefs, and only occasionally sprinkled with tiny villages along the shoreline.  Whilst there are many places around the world, and even in the Philippines, that can offer trips through very similar settings, it is the ease of access to these trips (multiple trips leave every day), reasonable price (think less than US$1k for 6 days vs minimum x4 for an equivalent liveaboard), and focus on interacting respectfully (and genuinely) with the local communities that makes the Palawan experience stand out.  A must if visiting Palawan . . . and almost a must if visiting the Philippines

Top tips:

1. Go with Tao Philippines.  Whilst there are around 10 companies offering these type of trips, Tao are the pioneers, have the scale, and everyone I’ve spoken to has raved about them. Put it this way – I can see they consistently have 9+/10 ratings
2. Expect it to be fairly basic.  The Tao Philippines site gives you a pretty good idea of what to expect and tries to manage the expectation (www.taophilippines.com) – basically don’t come if you’re a princess, but in summary:
   • The boat – you’re on a large Philippine-style bangka boat for the day – plenty of areas to lounge around on.  Nothing private.  Up to 25 on the boat (we had 24 and didn’t at all feel crowded at any stage)
   • Sleeping – you sleep in village bamboo huts by night.  Think a 3m / 3m (10ft x 10ft) bamboo platform on stilts, with a roof covering by two bamboo sides leaving an entrance and exit either end, a thin single mattress surrounded by mosquito nets.  Goes without saying – no aircon
   • Food – surprisingly good
   • Showers – cold water, shared bathrooms
   • Electronics – half the evening stops have charging (helps to bring a powerbank), none have wifi, cell coverage is patchy depending on network
3. Expect a backpacker vibe.  For anyone who has travelled through South East Asia, you know what I mean.  Chilled out, not expecting 5 star (or 3 or 4 star!), probably doing this as part of a bigger trip, respectful, up for fun.  Age is only one of many factors that reflect the vibe, but typically the age range is 18-45
4. What do you do?  Expect a lot of sailing through tropical paradise, snorkelling, chilling out on distant beaches or beaches you’ll be sleeping on
5. November was PERFECT.  Not too hot, very little rain, very few mosquitos, and fewer fellow tourists at this time of year
6. 3 days / 2 nights or 6 days / 5 nights?  It completely depends on your appetite for chill, how much time you have and which route you are doing.  I booked 3 days / 2 nights (from Coron to El Nido), knowing I could change my mind and extend on the 3rd day, which I didn’t do.  After meeting up with my group on their 6th and final night, and after discussing with many who have also done the 6 days, I would summarise as:
   • 3 days / 2 nights – I left thinking I’d had a wonderful time, fantastic group and it was one of the highlights of the Philippines.  I’d “done it” and didn’t need another 3 days of the same tropical island experience, and was able to use the remaining 3 days for scuba diving in the same islands, sleep in a nice hotel (it feels soooo good after sleeping a little rough) and generally explore other areas
   • 6 days / 5 nights – you get the full chill experience, get to stay at “The Farm” (which was the best place to stay) and experience the highlight of the trip which was the final day in the Bacuit Archipelago
   • If going El Nido to Coron, go for the 3 days / 2 nights.  If Coron to El Nido, go for the 6 days / 5 nights