Big Blue Travel

Philippines Islands

The Philippines were one of the places we have been looking forward to most on our travels. Having no idea what to expect we booked a whole month here, flying into Cebu then a short flight to Coron got us to our arrival destination for the adventure of a lifetime. Before we left the UK we booked onto a boat tour for 7 days for our first week just to give us a running start.



Experience of a lifetime

The Tao experience is a fleet of traditional  Filipino boats setting out on their voyages on most days of the week for either 7, 5 or 3 days. We booked 7 days going from Coron to El Nido (you can also go the other direction).

Tao was set up for the locals to learn/better their English, improve quality of life and enable new skills to be learned. Everyone who works on the boats, islands, in the kitchens and behind the scenes has a story to tell and you can learn so much from these wonderful people. The lost boys who generally run the boats were so much fun to get to know and they seem to absolutely love their jobs and are so appreciative of what Tao has done for them and their families.

On your Tao experience you sleep in huts on the beach and travel around between islands on the traditional boat during the day. Breakfast lunch and dinner are all included on the trip with a few snacks thrown in too. The food is all freshly cooked in front of you, some of it is even caught in front of you too. Quiet possibly the best food we’ve had so far around South East Asia.

We had our first 2 nights at camp Ngey Ngey, one of their main camp bases and one of the largest ones also. Generally we stopped 2 to 3 times a day at different islands and reefs to explore the islands and snorkelling the underwater world (we finally spotted turtles here). Philippines is well known for its tremendous amounts of shipwrecks and we got to explore some of these too whilst on the Tao experience. In the evenings we would chill with some jungle juice (Rum and pineapple), card games, bracelet making, volleyball, relaxing massage by the ladies and of course dinner all with the locals who run this amazing operation.

Our last 2 nights on the trip were spent at the Farm Camp. The Farm is where all the staff go for frequent training days and the chefs teach each other new recipes using what they grow on their farm to cater from the incoming tourists needs.

If you’re not sure what to do in the Philippines make this your first thing on your list. If you don’t have that long I would suggest doing 5 days as it really does give you a wonderful view of these amazing islands. 


El Nido

Only having a few things on our list to do in El Nido we took a few R&R days here in El Nido after our very exhausting boat trip.

We booked ourselves onto a boat trip to see some of the main sights. We stopped off at the secret lagoon, a tiny lagoon surrounded by land and rocks, you have to crawl through the rocks and water to find this beautifully secluded lagoon. After a couple of snorkelling spots, 7 commandoes beach and a lunch stop the highlight of the trip was the Big Lagoon. Crystal clear waters you can kayak through to explore the caves, archways and beauty of this stunning lagoon. A must see in El Nido. 


**Warning**


We were pre warned by fellow travellers that the food and water in EL Nido had made them ill. We also fell ill in El Nido, we are still unsure of the cause but just be super aware of food vendors, and not using tap water even when brushing your teeth. 


Princess Port

After a 5 hour bus journey which at a normal pace I reckon would have taken about 7 hours we arrived in Puerto Princesa. Down beautiful winding coastal roads lies Peurto Princesa south of El Nido,

We spent a couple of nights here only to see the newly appointed 7 wonder of the world and the UNESCO approved site of the underground river. Unfortunately you have to book a whole day trip to do a 45minute tour due to queues for permits and a lot of faffing from what we could see, if you find another way of doing this I’d love to know. Finally, after leaving at 7am, we reached the boat to enter the caved river at lunchtime.

The River is over 8km long but only 1-2kms of this is open for tourists to view. You are guided through the winding river by a guide lead by just a headtorch. This mystical river still has researchers and scientist studying how it came to be and continue to research the river much, much further into the darkness. Bats and swallows have made homes here and looking up at points all you can see are the bats nesting just waiting for dusk to arrive to leave for hunting (remember to keep your mouth closed if you look up!)


Flying visit

We next take an early flight out to Siargao via Cebu. We found that if you chose to fly around the Philippines you generally have to make a stop in either Cebu or Manilla.

Flying via Cebu we landed in Siargao to rain! When it rains in the Philippines it really rains. Once the clouds separated this beautiful island homes luscious green landscapes with treasures all around. Like most places in the Philippines the best way to get around is either by hiring a motorbike or using the tricycle taxis.

We stayed in the general Luna area and took a tricycle to Maasin river where a famous tree slants over the river now complete with rope swing to jump into the river. Quite a tourist attraction now but a beautiful river nonetheless. We spent the rest of the day relaxing looking out to sea in the White Banana restaurant. There are so many restaurants and bars to choose from along the coastline due to the number of tourists that come here for the surfing. Siargao is supposed to be one of the best surf spots in the Philippines and lessons and instructors are in abundance for you to choose from.

Unfortunately we didn’t get to spend too long in Siargao as we are on a very tight schedule so we swiftly moved on. Taking a ferry from Dapa to Surigao (the island’s capital) we then took a flight to Cebu. From Cebu we hopped on a short boat ride to Bohol. 


Welcome to Island life.

Our first day on Bohol we took yourselves below the surface of the water to turtle point and scuba dived with the turtles and the technicolour corals. A truly magical experience. Bohol has some of the most amazing scuba areas so if you are a keen diver make sure you make a stop here.

We hired bikes again here on Bohol and it was truly worth it. We set out on a day’s adventure, below is our route we took if you fancy not having to think about it and use us a guide. It’s what we’re here for. The most time we spent on the bikes at one time was around 45 minutes, taking lots of scenic breaks, drinks stops and generally driving to enjoy the views.


Bike route of Bohol:


Leaving Panglao at around 8am -  We stayed in Panglao which is the island attached to Bohol by bridge. Panglao is the home of Alona beach, the most well-known part of Bohol, with tourist shops, restaurants and bars in abundance.


Stop off at the blood compact memorial – The site where a memorial lies to depict the blood compact to seal a friendship and the first treaty between the Spaniards and the Filipinos. A beautiful shrine to this piece of Filipino history with a beautiful backdrop. Not easy to spot so don’t miss it, its literally just off the road.


Tarsier sanctuary – Tarsiers are the smallest primate in the world and Bohol is one of the few places in the world where they live. They are an endangered species so here at the sanctuary they take care of these tiny creatures and keep tourist access to a minimum ensuring a safe distance and noise levels the whole time. When you spot these tiny animals you will never want to leave. Be sure to treat these animals with respect and ensure you pick the Sanctuary to visit not any random sign posted place – some are much more of a tourist attraction than somewhere safe for these beautiful creatures to live.


Chocolate Hills (for lunch time) – We arrived at the chocolate hills after driving through the most beautiful scenery and empty roads I’ve ever seen. It truly was a wonderful drive.

The road that leads up to the view point to the hills is a panoramic view that you won’t want to miss. The hills are a natural phenomenon that attract tourists from all over. If you choose to there are ATV tours, walking tours and restaurants at view points throughout the hills. Take your time here on this road trip pit stop.

Pahangog waterfalls – The road to Pahangog waterfalls is not one for the timid, it’s a track road with steep hills and turns however the road is totally worth the final destination. The twin falls are stunning. Take a dip, jump in and enjoy the beautiful picturesque views. You can even hire a little cabin to sit and have a drink. 

Mahogany Forest – man made forest – Drive through this amazing forest, there is wide ‘hard shoulders’ to stop over and take the array of colours in.

Bamboo bridge – These bridges cross the Lomboc river, they are rickety and wobbly so not one for the faint hearted but the views are beautiful and great to see these traditionally made bridges in use.


Arrived back to hotel around 6pm – After a long day of driving we were exhausted and ready for a nice dinner and cold drink in town. Make sure you take lots of water with you, take your time, make unplanned stops and enjoy the fresh air through your hair as you explore this beautiful island.



The Filipinos and there government are working hard to keep their beautiful islands clean and environmentally friendly, so please help them by keeping plastic to a minimum and leave nothing behind. Environment taxes are charged on most islands and generally most tours or trips you do you will be expected to pay these.

Filipino people are quite possible some of the happiest, friendliest and kindest people I’ve met and they are doing everything in their power to keep the Philippines as authentic and traditional as practically possible. Naturally with tourists coming in this is becoming a challenge but after speaking to some locals they are determined not to let their country turn into a tourist trap like some of the Thai islands.

Unfortunately due to the current Covoid-19 epidemic we were unable to make stops at all our planned visits but it gives us a very good excuse to return to this beautiful country. I’m so glad we managed to come here and experience the culture, sites and people even if it wasn’t for the amount of time originally planned.

In this time of world crisis and chaos don’t let it ruin your travel dreams, we can still help, you can still dream and in no time at all the world will be your oyster once again.

Dream big, Stay safe and keep fit and healthy.