Explore Journeys > Themed Routes > Mariner Tribes

MARINER TRIBES

Our passage in the Calamian Islands, which consist of a cluster of 163 islands in the south of the Philippines, takes us to many isles that are outposts of dazzling tropical scenery – desolate beaches, rugged karst forests, intact coral gardens, and mysterious mangrove forests. The isles are gloriously wild; the tropical waters are home to coral gardens that are among the richest in the world, offering some of the most rewarding snorkelling you will do in your life. The islands are home to dugongs, the enigmatic sea mammal that was mistaken for a mermaid by early mariners. The indigenous inhabitants, called the Tagbanua, remain partly untamed seafarers who run their own affairs, possessing communal ownership of many islands that are legally recognised as their ancestral domains. You have the chance to explore all of this while travelling in a vernacular boat; you also have the opportunity to join fishermen fishing for groupers and snappers on the reefs, then grill your catch on the beach, and eventually sleep under the stars in a desolate beach, or stay with fishermen in their rustic homes. 

STOP PRESS: We have two recommended routes in the Calamians. The one outlined on this page is the more adventurous one. But if you prefer lighter adventures, and accommodation in hotels, then please see our other tour called Dugong Moments.

Description of places and stops along the route: 

Coron Island

From the distance, Coron Island looks like a crown – a girdle of cliffs around its coast that gives way, in the interior, to a series of domes reminiscent of the jewels in a crown. It’s an enigmatic, forbidden, and enchanting island; it’s full of sacred lakes that are the realm of powerful spirits, and it’s managed by the Tagbanua, a secretive tribe who live in two villages. The villages are hidden behind thick forests of mangroves that fringe the bays where they are situated, and the Tagbanua scrape a living from the collection of swallows’ nests (for the Chinese bird’s nest soup), traditional fishing, limited farming, and the charging of tourists that visit the few spots on the island opened for tourists (two lakes and three beaches). Travelling with us, you would be able to visit the parts of the village that are only open by special arrangement, and you will stay in the house of our special host. You can even partake in daily activities: you can join the locals waddling in the mud during low tide to fetch seashells, you can walk up to a high bluff for unforgettable views over the island, and you can trap crabs and then have a veritable feast of crabs for dinner. And, to cap it all off, you will be treated by the chieftain in a ceremonial dinner accompanied by tribal music – the playing of traditional drums and bamboo flutes. 

Mattaya

Mattaya is known for bountifulness: the reef teems with sea urchins and sea grasses that attract scavenging fishermen from nearby islands. You can join them in the daily ritual of gathering one’s own dinner – angling for groupers on the reef, and gathering sea urchins and lato (these consist of two species of sea grasses that have succulent beady leaves that make an excellent fresh salad). By nightfall, all the fishermen would be gone, and we’ll have the beach to ourselves for a dinner of sea urchins, lato salad, and grilled groupers. Then you can sleep in hammocks or tents on the beach, wallowing in the sea breeze and sound of lapping waves and sky laden with stars – you will have the entire island to yourselves. 

Maricaban Bay

Set in the remote northwest of the Calamian Islands, Maricaban is a large bay enclosed on one side by rugged hills and a scatter of uninhabited isles on the other seaward side. There is only one village in the entire area – more like a hamlet, home to fishermen that subsist from the fish-rich sea of the bay. We will lodge in the village and then we’ll set out kayaking in the limpid water of the bay – first snooping among scenic coves and isles, and then threading upriver to see the dark and sulky mangrove forest where local fishermen trap crabs. 

Coral reef snorkelling

The coral reefs that fringe the Calamian isles are among the richest in the world (the Calamians are in the Sulu Sea, which has the greatest variety of species in the world). We will have plenty of time to soak up the unforgettable spectacle in the coral gardens – we will snorkel in pristine reefs (where fishing is banned, and hence marine life completely undisturbed) on three different occasions. We will only snorkel within a hundred metres off the beach in shallow waters, and yet we will be dazzled by a riotous array of coral outgrowths and the sheer variety of starfishes, as well as many fishes – green turtles flapping languidly in the shallows, rays and mantras grazing sandy bottoms, giant squids in poises reminiscent of praying, reef sharks darting after fishes, mandarin fishes in delicate tangos, shoals of jackfish so thick they block the sun, giant clams more than 100 years old, lion fishes skulking among the rocks, and much more.

Dugongs

The community of dugongs in the northeast coast of Busuanga island is one of the densest and happiest communities of dugongs in Asia. Almost everywhere in their range in Asia, dugong populations have plunged by about ninety percent in the last thirty years, mostly due to deliberate killing of dugongs for meat by fishermen and also due to accidental entanglement and eventual suffocation in fishing nets. The dugongs here are one of the few success stories: they live off the beach where fishermen villages are situated in harmonious coexistence. The dugongs are so docile that they surface alongside the fishermen’s outriggers boats in a spirit of playfulness and curiosity. We will spend ample time snorkelling with dugongs, getting close to these animals that are as large as cows (they weigh about 400kgs) and that live at depths ranging from 3 to 9 metres, where they spend the entire day eating sea-grasses. Dugongs are enigmatic and mythical and intelligent creatures, and you will understand after swimming close to one of them why the early mariners were convinced that dugongs were mermaids. 

Fishermen villages

In many of the isles in the Calamians, small and quaint fishermen’s villages have sprouted up at the beaches. These villages make an exotic sight – the individual huts constructed of wood and bamboo and roofed with palm fronds – clusters of rustic huts set among swaying coconut palms and fronted by azure sweeps of water. The imagery is timeless and hearty: fishermen paddling their outriggers; children fishing for octopus and lobster that live in nooks and crannies of rocks or reefs, or simply frolicking in the water with abandon; women cooking squid in its own ink or grilling an array of fishes. We will spend two nights at the most romantic fishing village this side of the world, either sleeping on a hammock on the beach or, depending on the preference of private groups, actually lodging with a fishermen’s family. In any case, you have the option of fishing on the reef with a fisherman, and also eating an assortment of an assortment of hearty and fresh seafood dishes cooked at a fisherman’s house. 

World War II wrecks

During World War II, a flotilla of Japanese warships took up anchorage in the Calamian Islands, mostly in Coron Bay, a suitably large bay surrounded by islands and hence well-sheltered from storms. Then an American-led attack sank all the Japanese warships in the harbour or, in some cases, as they attempted to flee. These sunken ships now constitute one of densest underwater graveyards of ships anywhere in the world, and they make excellent wrecks for snorkelling. We will spend an entire day snorkelling among some of the wrecks in shallow waters.

Mangrove kayaking

The Calamian Islands are a stronghold for mangrove forests in Asia, holding the densest tracts of mangrove forests that still exist in the Philippines. Mangrove forests have an eerie charm, and they are crucial spawning grounds for fishes and crabs – the most important nurseries in the tropics. You can explore the mangrove forests in kayaks, seeing first-hand the richness of the species – the ground teems with crabs and shells in low tide – and soak in the atmosphere of the dark mangrove forests that conjures images of spirits and ghosts. 

Glorious beaches

Some of the islands we will visit have the most divine tropical beaches in the world, and these beaches are virtually desolate – we will have these beaches entirely to ourselves, enjoying them when we stop for swimming or snorkelling, and on some nights you can have the opportunity of having a barbecue on the beach and then sleep there. Evenings on the beach are particularly romantic, an experience that few people are lucky enough to enjoy. 

Calawit

Calawit has finally been returned to its rightful owners – a subtribe of Tagbanua – that were back in the 1970s evicted to make way for a wildlife park, which was partly filled with African savannah animals. Now the Tagbanua have been recognised as the ancestral owners of the island, and they have gained self-autonomy. They have retained certain aspects of the park, which is important not so much for its African game animals (the African animals are a bizarre relic of the eccentricities and vanities of President Ferdinand Marcos, who dreamt up the park and set it up by decree) but for some of the rare indigenous species that it holds. These endemic species include rare animals such as the Calamian deer, mouse deer, bearcat, peacock pheasant, and even Palawan crocodiles (which are virtually extinct). Although the park is something contrived for tourists, we will do a very short tour of the park to see some of the rare indigenous animals.

Start & Finish: Coron, Busuanga

Recommended duration: 12 days

Prices & Inclusions: Full-board prices range between €1000 (US$1500) and €1500 (US$1900) per person. More info…

Crew & Transport: More info…

Standard Accommodation: A mixture of mid-range hotels, home-stays, and sleeping on beaches. More info…

Terms & Conditions: For the general terms and conditions that govern our tours and operation, and Frequently Asked Questions, please go to Nitty Gritty (FAQs)