The Philippines fully reopened to tourism after the pandemic (it took them a while to get back on their feet), and at the same time, the entire Chinese population started traveling again. So places like the Chocolate Hills, El Nido, Coron, or Puerto Princesa are best avoided.

We’ll be traveling off the beaten path — and the route will be even more interesting. We’ll experience everything the Philippines has to offer: islands, underwater life, mangrove forests, jungles, and even a 43‑hectare nature reserve all to ourselves. We’ll touch on some classics along the way, but only because they’re truly worth it and happen to be on our route.

You’ll be spending a lot of time in the water. A LOT. Water will be everywhere — warm and pleasant. In the air, beneath your feet, on your skin. Constantly. Sometimes with a mask, sometimes under a waterfall, sometimes in a river.

Our first part begins in Western Negros. A little-visited and underrated island, it lies off the main tourist trail because few know how to fit it into a limited travel schedule. Negros is our point of arrival. From there, we’ll move for a few days to a practically uninhabited island where only scientists live. The former owners wanted to sell it for logging, but it was bought by philanthropists who insisted on keeping it untouched. And so it happened. Now this island is a nature reserve that welcomes rare visitors, showing them sea turtles, sharks, beautiful coral reefs, mangroves, bat caves, and countless birds.

We’ll hop into kayaks and glide along a tranquil river, weaving through jungles and mangroves in search of fireflies. No engine noise — just the silence of the night and the smooth surface of the water. Of course, we’ll need a bit of luck with the weather — fireflies don’t like rain or wind. But if we see them (so far, we’ve seen them every time), it will be on par with the awe and beauty of the northern lights.

There will be many caves, as many islands are literally made of limestone — perfect for cave wonders. They’ll come in all forms — dry, with rivers inside, with wildlife, without. But every single one will have an incredible number of stalactites. In some caves we’ll need to crawl a bit; in others, we’ll walk easily and freely.

At some point, the Filipinos got bored and came up with a fantastic activity: rafting on a motorized wooden boat down a river with rapids. Up front, someone with a paddle steers the boat; in the middle, the second person’s job is to bail out water; and at the stern, the third controls the motor. We sit in the middle and scream.

We won’t be doing too much walking, and the distances won’t be huge — we’ll mostly be on the water. Still, we’ll do some hiking in a few places. The physical activity will be varied.\

Jumping in, getting soaked, making your way through stunning boulders and turquoise water — there’ll be plenty of that! We’ll be wet almost all the time (from the moment we step off the plane).

ATTENTION! This is not the pop adventure in Oslob, where the whale sharks are fed and you get to touch them. We’ll go searching for sharks in the open sea — this isn’t a circus show; it’s a chance to see these animals in their natural habitat. There’s also a chance that, for whatever reason, we might not see them. It’s all up to nature. Even if we don’t find them, right next to where we’re staying there’s an incredible coral reef — you can just walk out of the hotel and dive in.

We stay in the most comfortable accommodations possible for the chosen locations. Rooms are twin/double. Single occupancy must be requested separately. The hotels vary, but the standard is good (in my opinion — the best the islands have to offer). I try to make sure everyone gets similar rooms, but sometimes that’s not always possible — please be understanding.