Imagine waking up inside a bamboo hut to the sound of waves crashing on a secluded beach. You’re surrounded by nothing but a few fellow travel adventurers who’ve become your best friends and a beautiful Philippines landscape. Local Filipinos make a traditional breakfast of fresh eggs and fruit before you take a morning swim to an old fishing boat that will take you to the next remote island. You spend the day sunbathing, snorkeling, kayaking, and making new friends.
This is Tao Expedition.
I had the opportunity to do this amazing boat trip during my two week trip to the Philippines. Tao Expedition is a 5 day, 4 night island hopping boat trip where you travel among remote islands during the day and sleep on secluded beaches at night. The company partners with local villages to give you an opportunity to experience how the locals live. Tao means “human” in Tagalog (the language spoken in the Philippines) and the expedition is really about interacting with the local people and cultures. The Tao Expedition is one of the true sustainable tourism experiences in the world.
I wasn’t sure what to expect because it is technically a camping trip. You sleep in a hut on the beach with a small mattress, sheets, pillow, and a mosquito net. There are toilets but the only shower is a fresh water bucket of water. As someone who never camps, I was afraid I was going to be roughing it!
But the moment I got on the boat and met the other travelers and phenomenal crew, I knew that a little camping wasn’t going to keep me from having the experience of a lifetime.
About Tao Expedition
This was the boat we lived on for 5 days. We had about 25 guests on board and 8 crew members. I chose to do the route from Coron to El Nido but you can also do the reverse.
Both of these towns are famous for beautiful beaches and island hopping but they are both very crowded. If you want to get off the beaten path and away from tour buses full of selfie chasing tourists, Tao Expedition is the way to go. This was my goal and Tao exceeded my expectations.
The trip includes:
- 5 days of travel
- 4 night camping accommodation
- Nature and island living
- All meals and snacks + daily sunset jungle juice
- Mask and snorkel (no fins) and kayak use
The only things that aren’t included are drinks on board and tips for the crew. We paid $545/person which included a fee for paying via PayPal. For southeast Asia, this is a little expensive. You can backpack SE Asia for about $20 a day. But being able to get away from the tourist crowds and have an intimate Filipino experience was well worth the higher price point.
Leaving for Tao
My trip with Tao began the night before we left. All guests had to meet in town at the Tao office for a briefing. We put money on wristbands we would wear for the duration of the trip. With this money we could buy drinks on board including juice, soda, beer, and rum.
Remember that Fyre Festival documentary where the organizer ran out of money so he told all festival goers to add money to their bands for use when they arrived? Yeah, it was literally exactly like that with Tao Expedition! One of the crew even made a joke about it being Fyre Festival. But Tao is so much more organized than Fyre Festival and they recommend putting only $60 USD on your band so I wasn’t too concerned. The bands made it so easy to just tap on board rather than carrying cash.
For reference, I put $60 on my band and my boyfriend put $100. He ran out…I didn’t. Though in his defense, he bought me several beers with his band!
Also at the briefing, we learned what items we should bring on board and what things should stay in our luggage. I was traveling around the Philippines for two weeks with a 40L backpack. On board the Tao boat, I used a 20L dry bag that carried toiletries, clothing and bathing suits for 5 days plus my electronics. The rest of my luggage stayed in a secure, dry compartment on the boat for the entire trip. We were able to pull out our larger luggage once a day if we needed but for the most part, I lived out of the 20L bag. And I must say, my clothes were quite stinky and dirty by the end!
The day we departed on Tao Expedition was pretty easy. Everyone met at the ferry terminal in Coron Town at 8:30 a.m. and we left by about 9 a.m. We boarded the boat, had a safety briefing, and off we went! Almost instantly I realized we were surrounded by nothing but water and gorgeous island landscapes. There was rarely another boat in sight.
The thing I found funny about the boat was that you could really tell we were NOT in the U.S. If this trip was in the U.S., there would be so many rules. I’m sure they’d make you wear a life jacket while swimming! But we were allowed to basically do whatever we wanted. If the boat was rocking and rolling, you could still sit with your legs hanging off the edge with no safety bar in front of you. You want to sit on the very front of the boat while we sail from island to island? Do it up. Even without U.S.-esque rules, I felt safe the entire time!
The first day was spent getting to know the other travelers and crew. The other guests on the boat were a mixture of couples and solo travelers. It was about 50/50 solo travelers and couples. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the majority of the travelers were in their 30s. I was one of the youngest at 29. We even had two ladies in their 50s on our expedition! I did a similar boat trip while sailing the Whitsundays in Australia and on that boat, I was one of the oldest at 27. So this was a pleasant change!
The solo travelers had their own huts almost every night. I think only one night when we were at a small base camp did two solo travelers have to share. So if you’re a solo traveler wondering if you can do Tao Expedition, you 100% can! It is perfect for solo people, groups or friends, or couples.
I have to give a shout out to the amazing group of people we had on board our Tao Expedition. We had people from all over the world – Australia, Italy, Canada, France, Brazil, UAE, everywhere! There were only 4 Americans on board (my boyfriend and I included). Despite so many different languages spoken on board, we really became a family. The crew said no other group has ever drank as much as we did on the first night. I think that night one party is really what bonded us from the start.
That brings me to the PHENOMENAL crew! The crew from Tao Expedition may have been the best part. We had 8 crew on board. We had a leader, a guide/bar man, a chef, chef assistant, mechanic, two kayakers (to keep us safe when in the water and help carry our belongings to land!), and of course, the captain who drove the boat!
The crew calls themselves “The Lost Boys.” They are mostly in their 20s and are from Palawan and the surrounding islands. Each day they would make us the most delicious breakfast, share details about where we were and Filipino culture, or just hung out with us. I even fished with them off the back of the boat! I caught a tiny little guy but the chef cooked him up and he tasted pretty good. We became so close with the crew that when we arrived in El Nido, we went to dinner and dancing with them until 3 a.m.!
We also had Berghain, the sea dog. He was a little 3-year-old terrier who traveled with us the entire trip. Unfortunately, he wanted nothing to do with me! All I wanted was to give him all the love and he mostly kept to himself and the Lost Boys.
What are the days like on Tao Expedition?
Each day on Tao Expedition is pretty much the same! You wake up at base camp on a secluded beach, have breakfast, and swim back to the boat docked just off shore. You can also have one of the kayaking crew members take you back but I enjoyed my morning exercise.
We would depart each base camp around 9 a.m. and head for our first spot. Each day we would have 2-3 stops for snorkeling, lunch, kayaking, and hanging at the beach. To be honest, I was a little bored of snorkeling by the end. We saw so many beautiful coral reefs, fish, a shipwreck, and even turtles. But I’m not a huge snorkeler so toward the end of the trip, I spent most of our stops sunbathing, kayaking, or just hanging out with the other people and crew.
We also had long travels from island to island. There were sometimes 2-3 hours of just sailing without stops. These times were spent reading, listening to music, napping, or just taking in the scenery while chatting with new friends.
My favorite time of day was 5 p.m. when we had jungle juice! This was the only free alcohol on board but we had it every day. When we would arrive to base camp, the Lost Boys would prepare rum with mango and pineapple juice and hand out cups. It was delicious but dangerous! One of my favorite moments of the trip was our last night. We stayed at the most beautiful base camp and a big group of us enjoyed our jungle juice in the water, watching the sun go down. Tao Expedition is definitely not a booze cruise. There was a group of people who wanted to drink and have fun but people weren’t drunk and falling over. It was a perfect mix.
Where do you sleep on Tao Expedition?
As I mentioned, I don’t do camping so I was a little nervous about the sleeping arrangements. But they ended up being one of my favorite parts of the trip! We slept in the most picturesque huts on the beach overlooking the water. And each base camp was more beautiful than the last. None of the camps had WiFi or even a cell signal so it was a forced digital detox which I loved. Getting outside my comfort zone was a real highlight.
This was our hut in the first base camp. There were two rows of huts at each camp. We would switch on and off each night so that the same people weren’t always getting the huts with the best view. This was one of the larger huts as it had an upstairs and a downstairs (where we kept our belongings). Some of the huts were only big enough to fit the two mattresses. Also, some had electricity but most didn’t so you had to be strategic about how you charged your electronics.
My boyfriend and I got some of the best tents, if I do say so myself!
The base camps were pretty minimal. The first night we did have a proper, outdoor shower. After that it was only bucket showers. There would be a giant bucket of fresh water hidden behind a bamboo structure and you would use a small bucket to pour it over yourself. It was hard to feel clean but we spent so much time in the sea during the day, I didn’t really mind how dirty I felt.
There were real toilets at each base camp with hand sanitizer and toilet paper! I packed so many packets of tissues for this trip thinking there would be no TP. A definite gold star for Tao Expedition!
If you’re a luxury traveler, this trip is NOT for you. It’s very bare bones. This is not a hotel or a 5-star tour (though I’d give it 10 stars if I could!). One night I left my white beach cover up drying outside my tent. It down poured overnight, my white cover up fell in the mud, and was unwearable for the rest of the trip. Another girl had hair extensions that seized up with all of the salt water and no real shower and she had to cut them out. But these are the things you just deal with on a Tao Expedition! It’s all about going with the flow.
It’s an authentic, local experience. You spend the day in your bathing suit, you wear the same clothing over and over, you smell from sweating, you’re covered in bug bites. It isn’t glamorous. But if you’re the kind of traveler who wants a unique experience in the Philippines and you’re not high maintenance then it is the trip of a lifetime.
What did you eat on Tao Expedition?
The food on Tao Expedition was the best we had in the Philippines! It was unbelievably fresh and prepared right on the boat (or at base camp). Our meals consisted of vegetables, fish, and “Filipino power,” also known as white rice. I consist in New York on a diet of french fries, pizza, and beer so I loved the healthy break from my norm. Though we did have snacks every day that were everything from fried plantains to spring rolls to cookies and cinnamon rolls.
The Lost Boys do not do allergies. They ask you ahead of time but they just expect you to eat what you can. Vegetarian? There are options for you. Vegan? There are options. They won’t take any special requests. That makes this trip a little difficult for some travelers. But I absolutely loved the food and loved how fresh it was!
The food is all purchased from the surrounding villages or grown sustainably at their farm, Tao Farm. Every morning after departing base camp, we would stop to buy fresh fish from a local fisherman.
There was no beef, chicken or turkey on the trip. The only protein was fish and eggs. That is until the last night…
On our last full day at sea, we stopped to buy a pig from a local community. The Lost Boys brought a full pig on a stick on board for us to roast that night at camp. I had just woken up from a nap when I saw this coming on board:
I had a hard time with the pig. It honestly looked still alive (obviously, it was not!). Though the Lost Boys did tell me they used to bring a live pig on board but guests complained too much. I wasn’t going to eat it but my boyfriend put some on my plate that night to try and my god was it delicious. Truly some of the juiciest pork I’ve EVER had! I was happy I tried it.
For lunch the next day the chef made a delicious pork adobo, a traditional Filipino dish. I was happy for the change up from fish for lunch and it was to die for. Pork has been ruined for me for life because it was so good on this trip!
My favorite food was the first night after one of the guests caught a yellowfin tuna off the back of the boat! The Lost Boys took it to base camp and made the best sashimi I’ve ever had. Sashimi freaks me out a little bit because I feel like it’s just dead fish slipping down my throat. I mean, that’s what it IS. But something about watching this fish come straight out of the sea and dipping it in a delicious vinegar sauce made by our chef made me try it. It was SO good. I may try sashimi again back in the States but I’m not sure it will ever be as good as that tuna.
We stayed at the Tao Farm for our third night base camp. This is where they train employees to become future Lost Boys and grow the food we eat on board. On this night, the chefs in training made us a 7 course Filipino meal. Just like the rest of the food, it was amazing!
If sailing isn’t your thing, you can also stay at the Tao Farm and get the Tao camping experience. There weren’t any other guests when we were there so we had the place to ourselves! We were fortunate enough to have a tour of the Farm and learn how they work with local farmers to create more sustainable farming practices. The tour didn’t feel like a gimmick. It was an interesting 20 minute tour that gave us an inside look at what goes into the Tao Expedition and what life is like in the Philippines.
On board, filtered drinking water is free and unlimited. Even though there was some shade on the boat, it was still so hot that people were dehydrated quickly. I had a water bottle on board with me that I filled constantly throughout the day.
You can purchase fruit juice, soda, beer, and rum any time of the day. Sodas were about 75 cents USD, beers were $1.60 USD, and small bottles of rum were $4 USD. It was dangerous! Usually around noon, someone on the boat would buy their first beer and others would quickly follow.
What do I need to bring on Tao Expedition?
You don’t need to pack much for a Tao Expedition but there are some essentials you will definitely want:
- More than one bathing suit – ours got stinky!
- Sarong/cover up/t-shirt – there is shade on the boat but sun can still get through so make sure to cover up!
- Long pants and a long sleeve shirt for cooler nights and to keep bugs away
- A LOT of bug spray and sunscreen
- Water bottle
- Hat
- Toiletries
- Dramamine – Some people got seasick, especially when dehydrated and drinking alcohol!
- Rash guard – there were a ton of stinging jellyfish and itchy plankton at almost every snorkel stop. A rash guard will keep them away. I didn’t have one and was OK but if you plan to spend all day, every day in the water, you will want one.
- Reef/water shoes
- Flashlight – for walking around base camp at night. You don’t want to rely on your cell phone if you’re also using it for pictures.
- Camera – I had a DSLR, iPhone, and DJI Spark drone with me
- Extra batteries – you don’t always have electricity at base camp so you’ll want to be able to recharge your phone and camera. Some people even brought solar powered chargers.
- Dry bag
- Towel
- Book/headphones/small games
- A GREAT ATTITUDE!
That’s really all you need for a Tao Expedition. Most mornings I went from pajamas to bathing suit to one of two sundresses back to pajamas.
Questions I had before Tao Expedition
I had so many questions about Tao Expedition before going on the trip. Luckily, I’m part of an amazing Facebook community called Girls Love Travel and several girls had been on it before and answered my questions. But here are some of the things I was concerned about before we booked:
- You will want time in Coron and El Nido before and after your trip. You won’t see any of the major sites in either of these places. We did see the Hidden Lagoon while sailing into El Nido but I wished we had more time to do some island hopping and diving there.
- Book a more luxury hotel for the end. By the time you hit land, you will be so ready for a bed and a clean shower.
- It’s really cheap to get laundry done in the Philippines so you can account for that while packing. We did it immediately upon arriving in El Nido.
- You will have zero cell service or WiFi. Don’t even bother turning your phone on because it won’t have a signal. Enjoy the digital detox!
- Because you’re on remote islands, you are able to use a drone! I purchased my DJI Spark right before the trip and was really happy I got to use it while on the boat. We got some amazing photos.
Now how do I book this amazing trip?
Lucky for you, it’s super easy. You can book a Tao Expedition right through their website. They have multiple options and lengths. I would recommend to book it in advance if you can! I booked our expedition after booking my flights to the Philippines and there was only one expedition with open spots during our two weeks. I’m glad it worked out but we had a difficult time making it work within our other Philippines travel plans.
You have to “apply” for the expedition on their website and be approved before being able to book the trip. Tao asks why you are interested in the expedition and if you’re comfortable with it. I heard back in under 24 hours and booked the trip via PayPal about 48 hours later.
I’ve had a lot of amazing travel experiences in my life but this was by far one of the best I’ve ever had. We spent two full weeks in the Philippines and the Tao Expedition was my absolute favorite part. It was so great to get away from the crowds of tourists and have a digital detox. I made friends for life and got to see a beautiful part of the world. What more could you ask for!?
To really understand what Tao is and what it stands for, you need to experience it yourself. I can show you photos and talk about it until I’m blue in the face but being on the boat surrounded by the Lost Boys and Filipino landscape is the only way to truly understand this experience.
Would you go on a Tao Expedition? Are you going on an expedition? What questions do you have? Leave your thoughts in the comments!
