The Calamian by Catamaran and Kayak

• Camping
• Expeditions
• Palawan
• Sea Kayaking
• Snorkeling

Let the wind and your paddle strokes take you to the remote corners of the Calamianes group of islands, home to the seafaring Tagbanua, Kagayanen and other tribespeople.

This 9-day expedition is special: we use a luxury motorised sailing catamaran with sea kayaks atop to knock on the door of the unique native cultures of the Calamian Islands — billed as the “Last Frontier” by Jacques Cousteau.

With sea kayaks, we open the door to the intriguing maritime cultures of the seafaring Tagbanua and the Kagayanen. We do what they’ve done for centuries — paddle, getting closer to nature and their gods. It’s no accident their deities are a giant octopus and barracuda. Nor is it by chance they live by the sea in makeshift bamboo huts for just 6 months until the prevailing wind switches. And, it’s axiomatic their dugouts and small outrigger paddle and Briggs & Stratton 2-stroke bancas are the means to tap the richness of the sea to bring up their catch of lobster, fish, trepang, shells and seaweed.

It’s their catch our cook will turn into a feast!

Yes, we bring on board a cook who prepares three meals a day and two meriendas (native snacks)

A range of drinks are available including quality wine on this Tribal Adventures’ 9-day exploration of the remoter and quieter corners of Coron, Busuanga and Culion, and their satellite islands which together make up the Calamianes.

Each trip is tailored according to the time of year and participants’ interests. Do reach out at tours@tribaladventures.com for more information or to schedule your Sail & Kayak the Calamian.

We’ll be stopping to snorkel often: In addition to sea kayaks for all, Tribal Adventures will have snorkels and masks available for each person. The expedition runs year-round. The preferred dates for exploring the remotest corners of the Calamian is June to October. 

These are a people who attained ancestral domain (ownership) by the mid-90s of not only of the island of Coron but surrounding waters. Even the Inuit and Australian aboriginal tribal peoples had to wait longer! Gaining the respect they had longed for, the Tagbanua — through the Council of Elders — have ensured the sustainability of their way of life and their beloved Island, by among others things by implementing justice. Come on a journey reassessing our own precepts about law and justice with the leader of this expedition, Greg Hutchinson, Founder of Tribal Adventure Tours, a veteran foreign correspondent, lawyer and published author. He wishes his own native peoples could have the choice to whip wayward Tagbanua politicians, as the Tagbanua elders have been known to do!

In Coron, we will penetrate the Secret Lagoon, a site so sacred the Tagbanua have a separate dialect for the area. There and elsewhere we will paddle glassy clear waters, gliding below undercut cliffs for kilometers and kilometres—losing any true sense of time as if we’re caving. These cave-like undercuts have been dubbed Coron's "time-tunnels".  And, there will be real caves we come across that we can explore--and lose sense of time, but in the process gain better understanding of the unique worldview of the Tagbanua. And then there are the beaches where we drop paddle and string up our hammocks that we carry in our kayaks. In the heat of the day, there's nothing like a string hammock strung underneath an undercut cliff, the seawater lapping on your body as the tide rises.

Aboard the Admiral catamaran, will be tents should you get the urge to stay on a beach on a special night. Just give us a heads up beforehand that you might be in the mood to beachcomb and stay off the boat on one or more nights.

Your beach camp might have a towering limestone backdrop or be on a sandbar with sunrise and sunset visible from your camp bed, which comprises a camp mattress with linen sheets and a real pillow. Whichever, you’re on a true Tribal Adventure on the land and on the waters of the Tagbanua and Kagayanen.