2021 PHILIPPINES - Wild Earth Expeditions
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2021 PHILIPPINES
PHILIPPINES
ENCHANTING ISLANDS, SEASCAPES & CRITTERS
29 APR – 15 MAY 2021 ● 17 DAYS ● 18 GUESTS
This exceptional journey takes you through the Philippines and her islands, with colourful markets,
authentic villages and abundant marine life. Stay at luxurious beach resorts, surrounded by jungle
and enjoy stunning ocean vistas. Submerge into an incredibly rich and diverse underwater world
and explore some of the most gorgeous reefs on the planet.
The long thin island of Palawan is a slice of heaven, with exotic wildlife, quaint fishing villages
surrounded by stunning limestone islands and a marine sanctuary. Experience incredible
seascapes with enchanting lagoons and lush jungle-covered islands. Walk through tropical
rainforest and marvel at the abundance of flora and bird life; indulge in a candle lit dinner on an
isolated beach; marvel at dramatic cliffs and untouched white-sand beaches; kayak on tropical
crystal-clear waters through archways and into colossal caves. Visit bustling markets, stroll through
lush green rice terraces, enjoy a refreshing dip at a waterfall and visit the stunning UNESCO world
heritage site Chocolate hills. Come ‘eye to eye’ with the smallest primate in the world, the
Philippine Tarsier in Bohol. Walk along the golden sand beach and through the coconut plantations
of Dauin and be swept away by the energy and vibrancy of a local market and take a ‘Tuc Tuc’
tour. Snorkel and dive incredible coral gardens, swim alongside turtles and watch schools of fish at
remote Apo Island and discover why Dauin is hailed one of the best “muck” places in the world, as
you observe weird and wonderful ‘critters’ along its volcanic slopes.
For the ultimate marine adventure join one of our Palau Expeditions before or after the
Philippines Expedition.
HIGHLIGHTS
• Marvel at dramatic island seascapes, dense jungle and gorgeous lagoons.
• Luxuriate in some of the Philippines most stunning beach resort properties.
• Stare back into the eyes of the smallest primate on earth, the Philippine Tarsier.
• Visit the world-famous Chocolate Hills in Bohol.
• Dive and snorkel along spectacular drop offs, marine channels and marine lakes
abundant with fish and corals.
• Discover weird and wonderful critters on muck dives like the Pygmy seahorse,
Harlequin ghost-pipefish, Giant frogfish and White-bellied star gazer.
• Swim alongside turtles and schools of barracuda, jacks, snapper and fusiliers
• Participate in a reef planting project.
• Peruse vibrant and colorful local markets and observe the flow of authentic Filipino
village life.
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ITINERARY OVERVIEW
ENCHANTING ISLANDS, SEASCAPES & CRITTERS
29 APR – 15 MAY 2021 ● 17 DAYS ● 18 GUESTS
Day 01 | Apr 29 Depart Home or Koror from Palau 01 Expedition / En route to Manila, Philippines
Day 02 | Apr 30 Arrive in Manila
Day 03 | May 01 Fly to Palawan / Welcome Cocktails
Day 04-06 | May 02-04 Island Exploration / Snorkel and Dive Palawan
Day 07 | May 05 Travel to Bohol / Tarsiers and Chocolate Hills
Day 08-11 | May 06-09 Snorkel and Dive Anda / Coral Planting / Village Visit
Day 12 | May 10 Travel to Dumaguete
Day 13-15 | May 11-13 Muck Diving / Apo Island / Malatpay Market
Day 16 | May 14 Fly home or connect to Koror for Palau 02 Expedition
Day 17 | May 15 Arrive home
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ITINERARY
ENCHANTING ISLANDS, REEFS & CRITTERS
29 APR – 15 MAY 2021 ● 17 DAYS ● 18 GUESTS
Day 01. Apr 29, 2021. Depart Home / En route to Manila, Philippines
Depart your home and journey to the Philippines, arriving into Manila international airport. We highly
recommend arriving at least a day before the expedition departure, so you can acclimatize, are well
rested and most importantly, don’t miss the trip. We can assist you with making a booking for
additional hotel nights in 5* Hilton Manila.
Day 02. April 30, 2021. Arrive in Manila
On arrival at Manila international airport you will be met and transferred to the nearby hotel. Relax
and enjoy the pool or spa before meeting with one of your leaders and the rest of the group for
dinner.
*Please note, the incoming group (that participated in the first Palau 01 Expedition), including the
Expedition Leader will be arriving at the hotel very late.
Overnight: Hilton Manila Hotel (D)
Day 03. May 01, 2021. Fly to the Palawan / Welcome Cocktails
After breakfast, fly to El Nido, Palawan and check in at the gorgeous Pangulasian Island Resort, an
eco-luxury island hideaway in Bascuit Bay, Palawan. The resort is set on a pristine beach and against
a backdrop of tropical rainforest. Also known as the “Island of the Sun”, Pangulasian has breathtaking
views of both the sunrise and sunset. Enjoy the 750m stretch of white sand beach and be amazed
by the marine sanctuary right on the doorstep of your Beachfront Villa. Discover diverse flora and
great birdlife in the thriving forest behind your bungalow. Experience the breathtaking surroundings
with a sunset cruise before a special welcome dinner and cocktails.
Overnight: Pangualasian Island – Beach Villa (B, L, D)
Day 04-06. May 02 - 04, 2021. Island Exploration / Snorkel & Dive Palawan
El Nido comprises of 45 islands and islets, limestone cliffs and tropical rainforests. Spend the next
three days exploring some of the surrounding islands both above and below the water. Snorkel and
dive the incredible marine life surrounding you. Witness coral walls covered in an abundance of soft
and hard corals, sea fans, and sponges. Explore wrecks and caves, see yellow-tailed fusiliers,
snapper and barracuda schooling around you, and blue spotted rays resting in the sand. Watch
blacktip reef sharks feeding in the shallows and the passing hawksbill and green turtles in these
tropical crystal-clear waters. Enjoy a hike to a breath-taking view point, take a kayak and glide
through the waters of the beautiful Lagoon before taking a dip in the dazzling crystal- clear waters in
the shade of the jagged limestone cliffs surrounding them. Discover hidden caves and trails and
unlock the mysteries of this island paradise.
Overnight: Pangualasian Island – Beach Villa (B, L, D)
Day 07. May 05, 2021. Travel to Bohol / Tarsiers & Chocolate Hills
After a leisurely breakfast and a final relaxing morning in Palawan fly to Bohol. Upon arrival, enjoy a
guided tour exploring the Bohol country side en route to the remote resort. Take a stop at the Tarsier
sanctuary, where you will have the chance to have a close-up encounter with the endangered and
elusive Philippine Tarsier, considered the cutest and smallest primate in the world. Visit the Butterfly
house, a conservation center dedicated to protecting and strengthening the natural environment with
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the butterflies through plant research, breeding and releasing. Witness the beauty of the colorful butterflies as they flutter around you. Continue on to Bohol’s main attraction, the world-famous UNESCO world heritage site of the Chocolate Hills, a rolling terrain of about 1268 individual haycock hills, which are conical shaped mounds that vary in sizes from 40-120m in height, that are believed to have been formed by tidal movement. Check into your home for the next five nights, the gorgeous Amun Ini Resort and watch the sunset with a drink in hand before a sumptuous dinner. Overnight: Amun Ini (B, L, D) Day 08-11. May 06-09, 2021. Snorkel & Dive Anda / Coral Planting / Village visit Amun ini was built to provide a fantastic view of a crystal-clear blue sea that boasts a 15-kilometer- long coral reef. This is where the pristine 300m white-sand resort beach meets the sparkling clear blue sea and is bordered with lush verdant hills. The resort is a perfect fusion of traditional and modern settings. Amun ini offers many attractions for snorkeling and diving enthusiasts. With Bohol Island being located in the coral triangle, the marine biodiversity hot spot on the planet, spend the next four days snorkeling and diving the beautiful reefs around Anda. Find a wide variety of macro life, including pygmy seahorses, thorny seahorses, endless nudibranchs, shrimps, crabs, blue ring octopus, mimic octopus, Wunderpus, mandarin fish and many more! Assist the 5 locally based marine biologists with their reef planting project. When not in the water, explore the village of Anda in true local style on an exhilarating ride on motorized Tricycle Tuc-Tuc. Stroll through the local market place with the many bargains on offer, smell the roasting ‘lechon’ drifting through the air and sip on a freshly squeezed fruit juice as you look at the local wares, and witness some of the colorful Philippino traditions on this island filled with myths, legends and cultural delights. Overnight: Amun Ini (B, L, D) Day 12. May 10, 2021. Dumaguete Enjoy a leisurely breakfast and bid farewell to Amun Ini, before taking the ferry across to Dumaguete on the island of Negros Oriental. Arrive at the wonderful Atmosphere Resort & Spa mid-afternoon. Take in the sound of the lapping waves as you soak up the serene beauty of your new surroundings. The Atmosphere Resort is situated on a pristine golden-sand beach with a volcano as a backdrop. This beautiful award-winning boutique resort is surrounded by lush vegetation and built to provide breath-taking views of the crystal-clear blue seas and surrounding islands. Enjoy the serenity of your beautiful resort, sunbathe, take a beach walk, go for a swim, or indulge in a Spa treatment, while the seasoned chefs prepare sumptuous meals for us. Scuba divers enjoy a dusk dive surrounded by some of the world’s best “muck diving” along the dark sandy volcanic slopes. Search for ghost- pipefish, frogfish, seahorses, octopus and many other weird and wonderful critters. Since m any of the sites are a little too deep and the critters are simply too small to see, it is not ideal for snorkeling, but with an award-winning spa as well as biking, beach walks and a gorgeous pool, there are plenty of other activities for the non-divers. Overnight: Atmosphere (B, L, D) Day 13 - 15. May 11- 13, 2021. Muck Diving / Apo Island / Malatpay Market For the next three days enjoy the incredible ‘muck diving’ in search of elusive critters as well as spectacular Apo Island reef. Dauins Marine Sanctuaries and 20 dive sites line the coast where Atmosphere is situated and can easily be accessed by boat. Most of the dive sites are characterized by brown volcanic sand mixed with broken up coral bommies and a multitude of rare and unusual critters. Enjoy a day at famous Apo Island. Inhabited by a small fishing community, Apo Island has a small chapel, a lighthouse and a marine sanctuary and is situated only 30 minutes away by boat from the resort. Apo Island is world famous for its spectacular coral reef teeming with fish life and countless turtles. It has a shallow turtle sanctuary where you can watch many green and hawksbill turtles graze on the sea grass. It is a marine enthusiast’s haven and has been a well-preserved sanctuary for the past 20 years. The fields of hard corals seem endless, in particular when you fly over them on one of the exhilarating drift-dives that Apo Island has on offer. Aside from turtles, see banded sea snakes and witness schools of jacks, Bumphead parrotfish, barracuda and many colorful reef fish. When not in the water snorkeling or diving take a walk to the Valencia hot springs famed for their medicinal properties, and plunge into the cooling waters of Pulang Bato waterfall. Explore WWW.WILDEARTHEXPEDITIONS.COM 5 INFO@WILDEARTHEXPEDITIONS.COM
the busy and colorful weekly market at Malatpay abuzz with activity, a local meeting place for traders,
merchants and local shoppers. On display you’ll find food, vegetables, fruit, tools, house hold items
as well as clothes. But most interesting is the livestock market where cows, goats, buffalos, chickens
and pigs in abundance meet their fate in the early morning. Come early to see the hustle and bustle
and spend some time relaxing at the Malatpay pier with some sweet banana fritters and local coffee,
or an ice-cold San Miguel beer.
Overnight: Atmosphere Resort & Spa, Deluxe Suite Room (B, L, D)
Day 16. May 14, 2021. Fly Home or on to Koror for the Palau Expedition
Enjoy a relaxing final morning at the resort or visit the local soup kitchen. After lunch fly to Manila
and continue your travels home or join our Palau 02 Expedition and fly to Koror.
Overnight: (B, L)
Day 17. May 15, 2021. Arrive Home
PLEASE NOTE
WHAT TO EXPECT
All Wild Earth Expeditions are very active, and participants need to be in good general health. For
most activities a moderate to good level of fitness is required. This expedition is very active and will
include snorkeling and scuba diving on coral reefs where currents may be present, hiking nature
trails on sometimes rough terrain, climbing in and out of boats and other physical activities.
Accommodations we have chosen are at upmarket beach resorts in upgraded rooms all with a/c, hot
water and en-suite bathroom facilities.
Detailed Pre-departure information will be sent to you 4-5 months prior to the expedition. Your
expedition will be led by 2 Wild Earth Expeditions leaders, including a dive master and snorkel
guide/Marine Biologist and the best, most experienced local guides.
ITINERARY
Wild Earth Expeditions will make every reasonable effort to operate this expedition as advertised,
but alterations may occur, usually due to tides, weather, wildlife sightings or flight schedule changes.
We will discuss our planned itinerary daily with our local expert guides and will always choose the
best available option. Accommodations and arranged tours are subject to change or cancellation at
any time due to unforeseen circumstances or circumstances beyond Wild Earth Expeditions control.
Please note that 2021 flight schedules and airfares will only be released 11 months prior to the end
of the expedition.
WILDLIFE ENCOUNTERS
Although we have reported honestly and accurately about our sightings and experiences, we would
like to point out that we are working in the wilderness and despite all our good intentions and utmost
preparation, Mother Nature may not cooperate with us at times. We believe that with good planning
and a realistic approach, you will have a successful time witnessing the natural behavior of the
wildlife we have set out to see.
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COST & INFO
PHILIPPINES
ENCHANTING ISLANDS, SEASCAPES & CRITTERS
29 APR – 15 MAY 2021 ● 17 DAYS ● 18 GUESTS
Double Occupancy: USD $12’690 per person sharing
Single Supplement Surcharge: USD $5’840 per person
⏤ •⚬• ⏤
ULTIMATE COMBINATION SAVINGS
• Book 2 expeditions and receive a $500 per person savings
• Book 3 expeditions and receive a $750 per person savings
Philippines can be combined with 2021 Palau 01 or 2021 Palau 02
INCLUDED
All accommodations in twin/double share rooms as outlined in the itinerary; All group meals;
Welcome and farewell cocktail receptions; Soft drinks, drinking water, tea and regular filter coffee
during lunch and dinner at all hotels; Drinking water while on tours; All group transfers and baggage
handling; All tours, excursions, diving and snorkeling as outlined in the itinerary; Exclusive services
of English speaking professional guides and naturalists; Services of 2 Wild Earth Expedition Leaders
(including Expedition Leader/Dive Guide and Marine Biologist/Snorkel Guide); All gratuities to
porters, guides, drivers, dive crew, ship-, resort- and wait staff; Government- Service- and Room
taxes; All permits, Harbor fees, Entrance and Marine park fees; Complimentary slideshow; Recaps
and Lectures by marine biologist; Dive tanks/weights for Scuba divers. Donation to a reef
conservation project.
NOT INCLUDED
All international and domestic airfares (please note that the domestic flights must be purchased
through Wild Earth Expeditions); Any airport arrival and departure taxes; Passport and visa fees;
Immunization costs; Meals outside the group travel itinerary; Mandatory Travel insurance (including
medical, medical evacuation and accident); Excess baggage charges; Personal items, such as
laundry, any alcoholic beverages or bar charges (unless specified above), Wi-Fi, telephone, fax calls;
Tips for your 2 Wild Earth Leaders and any non-group services; Nitrox air fills and dive gear rental.
Any sudden increase in price, due to currency fluctuations, a steep hike in fuel cost, change in
government tax policy or for any reason beyond our control, will be adjusted with the final invoice
due 4 months prior to the expedition.
SINGLE OCCUPANCY
We only have 2 single spaces available on this expedition and single occupancy rates apply. If you
are wanting to share accommodations, a roommate will be assigned to you and double occupancy
rates apply. If we cannot pair you with a roommate, the single supplement surcharge applies.
PHOTO CREDIT © Thomas & Natalia Baechtold, Atmosphere, El Nido Resort & Adobe Stock
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