outdoors | t+l journal
A Forgotten World A simple boat trip around Palawan’s secluded islands, abandoned beaches and crystal-clear waters proves to be the perfect eco-escape, writes KATHERINE JACK
C H R I S K U C W AY
PHILIPPINES
The coral-filled waters of Bacuit Bay.
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Tropic Wonder Clockwise from below: A meagre catch of the day; the waters around Palawan are crystal clear; kayaking the Small Lagoon.
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tanding on the deck of the Tao Diwa, a local banca, I watch the bubbling seawater. Strong currents roil the surface. Our small group swims to shore in cool, refreshing water, then walks the length of an empty beach. Once we reach the far end of the sand, we wade back out, getting swept up in the current, which takes us back to the boat. Although I’ve been to the northern end of Palawan before, I have never reached these far-flung islands. Because of their remoteness, few ever do. When I gaze at bold-patterned reef fish in the turquoise shallows and stroll on beaches of white, powdery sand here, I feel like we’re the first outsiders to set eyes on these scenes. Our days are spent observing the gentle rhythm of life among fishing villages and, since our fourman crew is from these islands, I’m treated more as a guest than a tourist. Tao was founded in 2005 by Eddie Brock and Jack Foottit. Brock grew up in the Philippines’ mountainous Cordillera region but departed as a teenager to study in the UK. He stayed for a decade. But he would return home occasionally, accompanying friends to explore remote corners of the Philippines, and Foottit, who was then a 21-year-old architecture student, joined one of these excursions. On that trip, the two mapped out a business model for what would become their adventure-travel company. Today, Tao Philippines has four boats and offers expeditions around the 300 or so islands of the Bacuit Archipelago, Linapacan Strait and Calamianes. With such a natural wealth of islands, beaches and reefs to explore, there is no set route or itinerary. Our trip is four days long. “We have the basics—food, water and essentials for the sea and
sleeping on the islands—but the essence of our journey is simplicity in its natural, organic form,” says Brock. “We leave after breakfast on the first day, and arrive before nightfall on the last. What happens in between is up to you.”
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El Nido—“the nest” in Spanish—perched on the edge of Bacuit Bay and famed for the edible birds’ nests that are gathered from rugged cliffs that ring the town. This is a small tourist hub with a range of places to stay, from simple backpackerstyle lodgings to the nearby luxury resorts on Miniloc and Lagen islands. The town’s narrow streets, lined with makeshift beach bars and restaurants, open onto a beachfront busy with tour boats. Contrast this with Bacuit’s tranquil seascapes, which are littered with towering limestone outcrops. As early as 1935 a small forest reserve was declared and, by 1991, a marine reserve covering a space almost as large as Hong Kong had been established to protect El Nido’s colorful diversity of coral reefs and aquatic life. That includes three species of sea turtles and rare dugongs that graze on beds of lush seagrass. When he visited to film his documentary Palawan, The Last Refuge, Jacques Cousteau described the region as the most beautiful place he had ever explored. Our first stop is Cadlao Island where Tao has its home, a collection of small bamboo huts with nipa palm roofs. Here we sit on a long beach of powdery sand and enjoy a picnic of fresh Spanish mackerel, mud crabs and squash in coconut milk, the first of many delicious meals prepared by our onboard chef. Once we set sail again, the weather is fine aside from a strong wind. It takes almost four hours by boat to reach our overnight destination, a tiny speck of an island called Daracouton off the northernmost tip of mainland Palawan. It’s nightfall by the time we arrive on Daracouton. Villagers guide us up the beach with lanterns to a simple cabana that has been prepared with crisp white bed linen and mosquito nets. After bathing outside in a large basin next to the village water pump, we sit down to a dinner of freshly caught snapper with only a sky full of stars above. Afterwards, I stay on the beach for a while and watch spear-fishermen hunting squid in the inky dark sea. A green glow from their lamps illuminates blurry figures in the water as they repeatedly dive and rise to the surface. Dawn arrives with the sound of cicadas and the smell of freshly brewed Benguet coffee from Brock’s mountainprovince home. We explore the island on foot in the cool of the morning, setting off amid a jumble of fishing boats and strolling down a gently winding beach, scrambling over » ur journey begins in
Island Life From top: There’s more color under the waves; a monitor lizard on a coconut tree; a fishing village near El Nido.
After bathing, we sit down to a dinner of fresh snapper with only a sky full of stars ABOVE
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I watch the children play, marveling at the SIMPLE beauty of rural Filipino life
Philippine Idyll From top: Another day on the beach for some local children; a collector and his prized hunt of two edible birds’ nests; Snake Island at low tide on Bacuit Bay.
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boulders the size of small houses. A couple of friendly dogs chase monitor lizards up the coconut trees. “I grew up in a very traditional Igorot family,” Brock tells me, “from the proudest culture in the Philippines. This gave me a sense of the importance of the island cultures when I came to Palawan.” Tourism, he says, should benefit both the traveler and the host. “We explore these remote islands relying on locals for supplies and shelter so we want to make sure that they profit equally.” By the time we return to the village, the sun is high and the day hot. Men and women are sorting through their seaweed harvest as children run about on the beach. Perched on the fine sand I watch the children play, marveling at the simple beauty of rural Filipino life. But there is a flipside: low incomes and little access to education and healthcare. He wants to make sure that Tao’s presence on the islands improves the lives of residents. The company employs 25 local staff and buys almost all of its expedition supplies— food, drinks and boat equipment—from the islanders. It also runs a series of projects for children providing day-care centers, teachers, school supplies and additional food. We set sail again to cross the sea between mainland Palawan and the island of Linapacan, stopping every now and then to explore empty beaches and snorkel over vibrant coral reefs. Occasionally, we come across fishermen. Palawan lies within a coral triangle that extends as far as the Solomon Islands and East Timor, an area with the highest marine biodiversity on the planet. El Nido alone is home to nearly 200 species of fish. But even with laws in place to protect the environment, it’s a continuing challenge. According to the WWF, one of the most pressing problems in Palawan is the use of cyanide in catching live fish for the growing demand from restaurants in Hong Kong and China. Used in small quantities, cyanide stuns fish temporarily making them easy to catch, even with bare hands. But it also destroys the surrounding corals. Foottit and Brock are keen to keep their environmental impact to a minimum. For starters, they have installed mooring buoys near islands and reefs that they visit regularly so there is no risk of anchor damage to corals and they have also enrolled their staff in the auxiliary coastguard to help patrol protected areas. The temporary cabanas where guests stay on the islands are made from sustainable materials such as bamboo, nipa and coco lumber. Guests wash as locals do: by the village well due to the scarcity of fresh water on these small islands. At a pearl farm on Linapacan Island, we dock the boat and make our way up a steep hillside through the jungle to a huge stone wall enmeshed in vines and trees roots. This is the lost Spanish fortress of Linapacan, a remnant of
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Palawan’s days as a colonial stronghold in the18th century. The interior of the fort, overgrown with trees, is carpeted with fallen leaves and it feels like we’re in a forgotten world as we rest in the shade beneath its sturdy walls looking out on a dazzling sea. We then cross the Linapacan Strait, an old Spanish trade route dividing the South China and the Sulu seas, to reach our final destination, Coron. The wind is up again but Brock and his crew aren’t shaken. Coron, home to the indigenous Tagbanua people and their eight sacred lakes, is a huge limestone outcrop, off-limits to visitors except for two lakes— Kayangan and Barracuda. Kayangan is renowned as the cleanest lake in the country and the caves on its steep cliffs are home to edible-nest swiftlets. The Tao Diwa leaves us at Kubo Sa Dagat, or “house on the sea,” a small resort positioned in the middle of a shallow bay close to Coron. The bay is rich in plankton. At night, any disturbance in the water creates sparkles of bioluminescence. We wake early to kayak through the mangroves. The area is home to 86 species of birds, the early morning air is filled with their calls. Yet we only catch tantalizing glimpses of color in the air and spend the rest of our last day snorkeling on a nearby Japanese shipwreck and relaxing in natural hot springs on the island. Tao designs each trip as a one-of-a-kind experience, one of discovery and adventure. “But our guests have to understand that what we offer is only 50 percent,” says Foottit. “The other half comes from their participation, enthusiasm and adventurous spirit.” Although this is true, it takes no effort at all to fall into rhythm with the spontaneity of life on the water. Days of jungle walks, village living and exploring coral reefs eventually roll into each other and all too soon are at an end. I will never forget the clear seas and the gentle isles full of smiling faces, where I am now longing to return. ✚
Clear Sailing From top: Banana pancakes for breakfast on the Tao Diwa; in the shade along a remote corner of Cadlao Island; navigating the corals in Palawan’s glassy waters.
GUIDE TO PALAWAN HOW TO GET THERE There are daily flights from Manila to El Nido with Island Transvoyager Inc. (islandtransvoyager.com) or to Coron with Air Philippines (airphilexpress.com) or Cebu Pacific Air (cebupacificair.com). WHAT TO DO Tao Philippines The company operates out of both El Nido and Coron during the dry season from November to May. A journey on the Tao Diwa costs P22,500 per day for up to six people. Four days or more are recommended to explore the islands between El Nido and Coron. taophilippines.com. t r a v e l a n d l e i s u r e a s i a
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