Northern Busuanga Explorer

• boat cruise
• Camping
• Culture
• Expeditions
• Hiking
• Palawan
• Sea Kayaking
• Snorkeling
• Wildlife

Discover the best of Northern Busuanga, a raw and beautiful corner of sparsely populated Palawan, that is off the tourist track.

Three adventure-filled days have you paddling mangrove estuaries, snorkeling over coral and dugong, dropping paddle at idyllic palm-fringing islands, two of which will be your camp sites for the two nights out under the stars in a makeshift, serviced tented camp.

This trip is locally centred and led with a team comprising a lead guide, a cook, a boat captain and his mate — all local fun-loving Filipinos — who will make you feel at home, comfortable and well-fed with three meals a day, two meriendas and a sundowner.

At your option we can take a walk through a sanctuary occupying a huge 3,700 hectare island where giraffes and zebra roam.

It’s a bit zany, the African residents originally the product of a dictator’s stated effort to save Kenyan wildlife by bringing them to a Palawan island. No matter that there were Indigenous owners of the island who were promptly shifted out. Well, they’ve come back, running dugong interaction experiences off the coast.

When will they get back the whole island? Join the side trip to Calauit Wildlife Reserve and find out where Indigenous rights are at right now.

There’s also a local conservation angle. The park does have the only large herd of endangered Calamian deer.

Campsites on this expedition are typically at Turtle Island and Black Island. Black Island is limestone like Coron and Sangat, but it’s geological structure is more solid, the cliff faces of the island solid like granite. There’s a wreck of a boat close to shore; there’s pretty coral to snorkel over and there’s a wonderful wide beach that’s a pleasure to set up tent on. And also you’ll be escorted into a cave with an underground pool and stream: A dip is always in order. Like Coron, Black Island is Indigenous-owned. Turtle Island is privately-controlled. It has a through cave for kayakers.

The itinerary of the Northern Busuanga Explorer is not set in stone: wind direction and strength makes for changes, often sudden. But which ever direction we go there’s always more and varied places to explore, and local people untouched by tourism to connect with. That’s the appeal with a genuine exploratory tour, especially of a rarely-visited, remote corner of the Palawan archipelago.

The day-to-day itinerary featured has the expedition starting in Maricaban Bay. Should weather conditions be conducive to starting in expedition base SandCastles it will, avoiding land transport for those commencing from or staying at SandCastles.

And, if you’re just one or two and our Admiral 38 sailing catamaran is available we can operate the same general itinerary and have you live aboard the cat instead. Email on tours@tribaladventures.com if that prospect whets your appetite. There’s a 25% surcharge for using the cat. Three or more persons would need to camp.