Imagine three days of sailing through pristine waters, hopping between virtually untouched islands with no service but a group of people with whom you will undoubtedly bond. The expedition tour is not just a method of transport to get between Coron and El Nido; it’s a must-do experience in the Philippines. If you’re heading to the Philippines and haven’t heard of it, let me walk you through exactly how it works and why you should add this experience to your bucket list.
What is the the Expedition Tour?
Expedition Tours, also called multi-day boat trips or sailing trips, are a popular experience on Palawan Island. These expedition tours run between two major destinations: Coron and El Nido. The traditional expedition tour runs for three days (two nights) and is a transport method between Coron and El Nido, as well as a tour. You can start the Expedition Tour early in the morning on Day 1 in either Coron or El Nido, and then you will finish in the opposite place to wherever you started, at around 6 pm on Day 3.
Everything is included for the three days (two nights): transport, meals, activities, snorkel gear and accommodation. These tours are a popular activity, specifically for backpackers, so they have multiple sailing days every week in peak season with lots of different companies operating this tour. Group sizes differ from company to company, but expect the tour to be sold to the maximum capacity, with popular tour companies booking out more than a week in advance. Many tour companies also offer longer expedition tours, such as four days (three nights) or five days (four nights). These are less popular than the standard three-day tour, but if you have the time and budget and love island life, you should consider booking the longer tour options. Three days went by so fast, and most people on my tour felt we could have done extra days.
Which tour company should you go with?
There are a number of different tour companies offering Expedition Tours, but not every tour company is created equally. The best advice I can give is to book your tour in advance, so you have a choice of tour company. If you leave it to the last minute (a few days before departure), you may get lucky, and tour companies have places for you, or you may miss out. This happened to me in 2023 when all the major companies were booked out, and I could only book with a company that didn’t have a good reputation. Needless to say, I won’t be recommending the company I went with (or mentioning their name), but I do really recommend the experience of the Expedition Tour.
The four major companies that offer Expedition Tours are Tao, Buhay Isla, Bigdream Boatman and El Nido Paradise. Honestly, I’ve only heard the best things about these tour companies, so I don’t think who you go with matters too much. They’ll all have different accommodations, slightly different routes and islands they visit and different food and beverage inclusions. While this may be something you factor into your decision, the main factor to consider is whether they actually have availability on the date you want. Expedition Tours don’t leave every day from Coron or El Nido with every company and often will book out in advance.
A warning about booking with smaller/ more affordable companies
Many smaller and newer companies are popping up offering expedition tours, and they will often have more availability and affordable prices. However, I would really caution against going with a newer company. I literally got shipwrecked on my tour (our boat hit the reef, and we had to jump overboard with all our belongings to avoid drowning). I’ve met other people who went with smaller companies and heard tales of whole groups being hospitalised with extreme food poisoning and others reporting serious safety and quality concerns on these newer tour groups.
What to Expect on the Expedition Tour
If I had to describe the Expedition Tour in a few words, I would say it is rustic, adventurous and social. It reminded me a lot of the Ha Giang Loop experience in Northern Vietnam, but replace mountains and motorbikes with beaches and boats. It is mainly an experience booked by backpackers and budget travellers, so don’t expect it to be too luxurious. The other thing to note is that what you expect can differ depending on the company you go with. I will try to outline a rough idea of what to expect on the Expedition Tour, which should ring true for most companies if not all.
What are the activities and stops like
The activities stops, and routes are not set in stone, as they depend on weather conditions, tides, where other boats are stopping and group dynamics. Unlike other organised tours like the Ha Giang Loop, you don’t receive an itinerary with rough timings; the boat just kind of anchors in different places, and you’re provided with activities you can do at these stops. What you can expect is a lot of beaches and snorkelling. Some of these beaches are more swimming beaches, some are better for snorkelling, some have shade (others don’t), and there may be a volleyball net. Other stops include small jungle hikes and places to go cliff jumping.
I’m going to be honest: the stops didn’t really stand out to me; it was more of the general vibe. You spend time chilling on the boat, sunbathing and making friends. Next, you stop for a bit of a swim, snorkel or walk along the beach. Then, you have a meal family-style on the boat. You basically repeat these a few times a day for three days. Again, similar to the Ha Giang Loop experience, you camp with the group from your boat, drinking and playing games. It’s super social and perfect for solo travellers wanting to make friends.
What is the accommodation like
To be completely honest, the accommodation is rustic at best. But the location is unbeatable, as you’ll be sleeping right on the beach. If you’re doing the three-day expedition, you’ll stay on two different islands, and the accommodations are slightly different. At both accommodations, there are couples huts and “dorm” rooms. The couple’s huts are basically small shacks with a double mattress, an overhead fan, a mosquito net, power points and a small area for your bags. The dorm huts are the same, but they sleep between 3-6 people in single mattresses next to each other, kind of like a childhood group sleepover. All of the huts are open air to let the sea breeze through, but they have small privacy curtains made of bamboo. You will hear people in nearby huts snoring if you’re a light sleeper.
The huts are basic and pretty small, so you probably won’t spend much time in them outside of the necessary sleeping hours. They’re not really a nice place to chill. The other thing is that they can get hot and sweaty even with the fans. There can also be power cuts at night, which means the fans turn off, making it extremely hot, but it’s all part of the experience.
A note on the bathroom and shower facilities
The accommodation will have toilets and showers, but again, these are pretty rustic. On the first night, the “shower” was literally a bucket pale with cold water. The second night was an actual shower, but there was no hot water and no great water pressure. There was also often no soap or low toilet paper levels, so I recommend bringing these things with you. The toilets are bucket-flush also. At the end of the day, the bathroom facilities and accommodations were certainly liveable and being without creature comforts for a few days was all a part of the adventure. However, I can recognise that these conditions may not be for everyone; they are certainly far from luxurious.
What are the meals like
All meals are included on the three-day (two-night) tour. On the first day, this is lunch and dinner; on the second day, it is breakfast, lunch and dinner; and on the third day, it is breakfast and lunch. However, depending on which company you go with, there may be light breakfast, fruit or snacks on the first day while you’re doing the orientation for the tour. On the boat, there are often snacks like cookies and fruit and tea and coffee-making facilities.
The included meals are served family-style, meaning there will be a number of shared plate dishes, and everyone helps themselves. For lunches, meals are cooked and served aboard the boat after a swim or snorkel stop. Breakfast and dinners are served at the beach-side camps where you stay for an evening. Common foods served include noodle dishes, rice, curries, spring rolls, meat dishes, seafood dishes, vegetable dishes and fruit. Breakfasts are usually dishes like eggs and rice, bread or pancakes with tea and coffee available. Most tour companies will cater to different dietary requirements and allergies.
Honestly, the food isn’t one of the best parts of the Expedition Tours. It’s edible, there’s lots of it, and you get to dry a range of different dishes. Some tour companies may have better food options, but realistically, cooking and serving food on the boat or on remote islands is a challenge. The boat staff do their best to serve the best food they can but don’t be expecting anything flash.
Other things to consider
There is basically no Wifi or phone service for the entirety of the Expedition Tour (other than a few random spots close to Coron and El Nido). This is a massive positive as it gives everyone a chance to disconnect and makes the tour much more social. However, given there’s no connection, make sure you’ve let family and friends know you’ll be out of service and remember to book your hostel for the night you finish the tour before you get on the boat.
The tour revolves around swimming, snorkelling and being in the ocean. If you can’t swim or don’t really love the ocean that much, you may want to reconsider signing up for an Expedition Tour. Realistically, you probably won’t enjoy it that much unless you love being in the water and ocean life. You definitely need to be able to swim, as there are sometimes some currents/waves at certain swim spots. You often swim from the boat to the islands, where you camp at night while they ferry your belongings to the land on a canoe.
Expedition Tour inclusions
Although inclusions will differ slightly between tour companies, here’s a rough idea of what’s included with most.
- Safety Briefing and safety equipment on board: Each tour starts with a welcome briefing where you meet your group and get a rundown of what’s to come.
- Accommodation: Two nights of accommodation are included on the three-day tour. This will be in a private couples room or a shared dorm (between 2 and 6 people per dorm). On the third day, you’ll be dropped in Coron or El Nido by dinner time (the end of the expedition tour) and must book your own accommodation for that night.
- All meals: A three-day tour includes x3 lunches, x2 breakfasts, and x2 dinners. Snacks, tea, and coffee are also available all day.
- Drinks: Unlimited water is provided on the boat and at the campsites. Some tour companies also include alcoholic beverages (either a few bottles of premix rum and coke to share or even unlimited alcohol).
- Snorkelling gear: Standard snorkels (and sometimes fins) are provided on board, but if you have your own, you may want to bring those, as they would probably be of higher quality than the standard snorkels provided. Some companies also offer kayaks, paddleboards, and other water sports equipment.
- Boat Crew and Tour Guides: The boat crew work as chefs, kitchen hands, skippers, tour guides, luggage porters and lifeguards on board.
When you want to book an Expedition Tour, pay attention to what’s included and not included. If you have the option to book a tour that includes alcoholic drinks and extra water sports equipment like kayaks and paddleboards, that would be ideal. If not, there are still other ways around it, like bringing your own alcohol or buying some from the locals who run the accommodations on remote islands.
What to pack for the Expedition Tour
On the Expedition Tour, you will bring all of your belongings and larger luggage items. This larger backpack/suitcase will be stored securely under the boat, and you will not have access to it until you depart on the last day of the tour. For the three days (two nights), you’ll be living out of a small day pack, which you should pack the night before your Expedition Tour starts. My biggest tip for packing this is: less is more. Everyone wears the same clothes, so you really don’t need much.
The essentials
- Dry Bag: This is the one thing you MUST pack! If you don’t have one, buy a 5 or 10-litre dry-pack/waterproof pack from a small store before you leave for the tour. There are stores selling dry-packs everywhere in Coron and El Nido, so they’re not hard to find or expensive. You want to buy the 5 or 10-litre option so it will fit all of your belongings for the next three days. Tour companies will do their best to ensure your bag doesn’t get wet, but accidents happen, so make sure you have a dry bag!
- Swimwear: You’ll be living in these for three days. If you want to change out of wet swimwear and into something dry, you may want to bring two pairs. Don’t bother bringing underwear or bras; everyone is constantly in their bikinis.
- Sun Protection: Sunscreen, a hat and sunglasses are a must, as you’ll spend a lot of time on the boat. Some areas of the boat are shaded, but chances are you will still be exposed to the sun at some point.
- Basic Toiletries: Toothpaste, toothbrush, soap, face wash, deodorant and moisturiser. You really don’t need much, and the showers are super basic with low water pressure, so I wouldn’t even bring shampoo and conditioner. Wait until after the tour to wash your hair.
- Flip-flops or Sandals: The only shoes you need (if any—I went barefoot the whole time) are flip-flops, Crocs, or sandals. You won’t be doing much walking, so there’s no need to pack sneakers.
Other useful things to bring
- Phone Charger and Power Bank: They have powerpoints at the camps at night so you can charge your phone, but there are also often power outages. I would bring both a phone charger and a fully charged power bank. You don’t really use your phone much (given there’s no service), but you may still use it for Spotify offline, to play offline games and to take photos, which can drain the battery.
- Light, breathable clothes: You’ll be in your swimwear for most of the day, but at night, you’ll probably want to put on something more substantial. This could be a sundress or shorts and a T-shirt. Personally, I would only bring one outfit, as you only wear it for a few hours at night.
- Reusable water bottle: You have access to filtered water on the boat and at the overnight camps, and having a drink bottle is easier than using the cups they provide.
- Beach coverup or sarong: During the day, you’ll mostly be in swimwear, but you may want something to cover up for sun protection. I strongly recommend bringing a sarong, as you can also use it as a towel to sit on the beach.
- Deck of cards: This is a great thing to bring! You’ll play many cards and games both on the boat and at camps for the night, as there’s no Wifi. I also downloaded Heads Up (the charades app) offline, and we played that of a night, which was a crowd favourite!
What not to pack for the Expedition Tour
Now that I’ve told you everything you should bring, here are a few things not to worry about. Firstly, you don’t need a towel as they will provide towels at the overnight camps. You may want to bring a sarong, which you can use as a towel (moreso to sit on while on the beach). Another thing I wouldn’t bring is a book. I brought a book and didn’t read it once because I never had a solitary moment in the three days. The tours are super social, so you’ll always be chatting to people, swimming or playing games.
The other thing you don’t need is lots of clothing. You can easily make do with one piece of swimwear, a pair of sandals, a sarong and a sundress. If you did want multiple options (to change out of wet clothing), you could bring x2 swimwear, x2 sundresses, a sarong and a pair of sandals. Anything more than this is overkill!
Top tips before embarking on an Expedition Tour
- Book in Advance During Peak Season: These tours can fill up fast, especially during peak travel times. Secure your spot early so you don’t miss out. Many tour companies book out a week in advance in peak season.
- Pack Your Daypack the Night Before You Leave: Pack your day-pack with everything you need for three days the night before your expedition tour starts. You won’t have access to your larger luggage item for three days, so make sure you have everything you need.
- Bring Games and Cards: There’s a lot of downtime on the boat and in the evening, so bringing games or cards ensures you’ll have the best time and make friends. You can also download games like “Heads Up” (charades app) offline and play as a group.
- Waterproof Everything: Even though the crew tries to avoid getting your stuff wet, expect to get wet. Ensure you have a dry bag to put all your belongings in for the three days.
- Charge your devices: Portable charger, Go Pro and Phone. Make sure everything is fully charged before you depart. You will have access to places to charge devices, which can be unreliable with power cuts to the islands.
- Prepare for having no service: Notify friends and family you’ll be uncontactable for three days. Also, remember to book your hostel for the date you arrive in either Coron or El Nido before you get on the expedition tour.
- Pack Light: You barely need to bring anything on the tour! Really, you could get away with even just bringing a swimsuit. Everyone wears the same thing every day, and nobody really cares.
Is the Expedition Tour worth it?
Absolutely, yes! It’s more than just a tour; it’s an experience, a social atmosphere, a sense of adventure and a method of transport. The beauty of the Philippines, combined with the simplicity of life on the water, is unbeatable. I nearly didn’t book this tour when I visited the Philippines in 2023 because I thought it was too expensive. It turned out to be one of my favourite travel experiences in Southeast Asia. I view it as equal to other amazing experiences like the Ha Giang Loop, the Laos Slowboat experience and the Full Moon Party.
I will say it is expensive, particularly if you’re on a strict backpacker budget. The Philippines, compared to many other Southeast Asian countries, is a more expensive place to travel. The three-day tour starts from around 19k PHP Philippine Pesos ($350 USD). I still think it’s very worth it and would recommend skipping other island hopping tours in El Nido and Coron in favour of the Expedition Tour (particularly if you’re on a budget). The Expedition Tour was much better than any of the day island hopping tours in these places, as you visited secluded beaches, got to sleep under the stars and bonded with the same group over consecutive days.
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