Reviews

philippines-island-hopping-customer-reviews-snorkeling

4.9/5 from 16 reviews on Google

5/5 – We loved every moment of our trip!! It was the highlight of our time in the Philippines. We loved it so much in Pical that we decided to stay there for two nights and traveled straight to Coron on the third day. We enjoyed getting to know our boat crew- Rubin, Jake, and Jude. The food was more than we could have ever hoped for!! I think fish and rice does not really describe it well. Theresa, Rubin, Momo and the other cooks made the best Filipino food we ate on our entire trip. We did not need to bring anything extra with us since there were a few shops in the town selling snacks and bottled water. The Captain’s Hut in Pical was absolutely beautiful!! We slept on clean mattresses with a view of the ocean and a breeze blew through our hut at night. No blankets were needed and there were mosquito nets over each bed (not that bugs were a problem). We just let the crew recommend our island stops and we were amazed by the beauty. They were very careful to make sure we were safe and comfortable. The town of Pical made us feel welcome. We played volleyball with them one evening. We had a quick tour of the local high school and loved visiting with the local children.

5/5 from 11 reviews on Facebook

5/5 – Marcogliese

Just came back from a Island Hopping trip with Benji and his crew, from Sibaltan to Coron. At the begining we were a bit confuse about what will be happening. we finally all met the morning before leaving in Sibaltan, we were 5 altogether and each of us had a bit of information, and nobody was there to give us the information. But once we were on the boat, we forgot all about this because the whole trip was just amazing. It was one of the best parts of our travels in the Philippines. Beautiful lonely islands and beaches. Very good snorkelling into the crystal clear turquoise water(but bring your own gears, the one on the boat are not so good). Freshly cooked food, very good accomodation. Do not expect luxe, but dream come true YES. It was a wonderful experience!

5/5 – Caroline

We haven’t done a Tao tour, but I would suspect that this is a cheaper version of the same thing. Our boat operator (Benji) and the entire crew were were fun, friendly and made an effort to ensure we had a good time. If you get a large group of people together it can be a really inexpensive alternative to other Coron-El Nino and vice versa island hopping tours.

5/5 – Paul

The best way to get to know the Philippines! Way batter than the crowded island hopping tours in el Nido where you rush from island to island not being able to appreciate the beauty of the Palawan area! If you are looking to get of the beaten path, great snorkeling and explore amazing islands and beaches without annoying Asian tourists with gopros and lifevestes, this is the place for you !

4/5 from 21 reviews on Tripadvisor

5/5 – Beautiful lonely islands and beaches and a great boat crew! Go for it!

We did a 4 nights-5 days-boat-tour from Sibaltan to Coron in Jan 2017 with Benjies boat. We were 4 people (two of them joined us through Karels webpage where you can invite others to join and share the costs). It was one of the best parts of our travels in the Philippines. Beautiful lonely islands and beaches with amazing colours!

5/5 –  4 day tour to Linapacan, best experience in Philippines

We have been with Benji and Mayleen for 4 days, 3 nights trip around Linapacan. Simply best snorkeling, best boat crew (excellent meals) and beautiful private beaches.

Customer testimonials regarding our kitesurfing nature camp

On Tripadvisor

5/5 – Wanderlust Paradise

This is a place that every wanderlust should go and experience! The place has a lot of surprises to bring to anyone who would like to be one with the nature and find serenity.

5/5 – Beautiful untouched paradise

Amazing snorkeling in this part of the Philippines. We really enjoyed this piece of paradise where at times we were the only two non locals in he island

Or on this Tripadvisor

5/5 – Loved it! 10/10

Amazing place, “last” paradise in the wold!! 😉 If you like camping, you`re going to love this place. And even that you`re not a big fan of camping, you can still stay easily couple of nights here. So quiet and peaceful place. You can just stay in a hammock whit a good book or go to explore islands nearby. Snorkeling was an amazing as well. Definitely recommend this place to everyone who wants to see something else than a fancy room in a fancy hotel! 😀 Tnx Karel!!

5/5 – 7 days on a remote island

Don’t think I have ever been more back to basic than this. Loved it. Last week i slept in a tent, learned how to make a fire and open coconuts with a machete. Enjoyed reading my book from a hammock. ^_^ The snorkeling is really nice. The sunsets are crazy beautiful.

If the touristy ABCD ‘island hopping tours’ don’t appeal to you, don’t hop on them. Live on one;)

5/5 – Lost in Paradise

Stunning island, the clearest of water, a plethora of sea treats, a plethora of travelers, living on an empty beach, cleansing the body, serenity far from chaos. A complete soul charging and spirit lifting place that trumps the big names and dull claims. This is a place like no other. A must do.

5/5 – Truly a paradise

Beautiful Island, in the middle of no where, surrounded by several other island, great for snorkelling and exploring! Feels like you are in paradise, so unreal! Golden beaches, cooking on fire, camping in the jungle – perfect! Currently, no showers or toilet facilities but it’s part of the experience. You can also get tasty fresh fish from the locals!

Would recommend 100%!

5/5 – Paradise amidst crystal-clear water

A little hard to get to but really worth it! Be aware that it is very basic living and you provide for yourself, but opening coconuts on the beach and watching the sunset around the campfire that your dinner is being cooked on, makes up for the hole in the ground.

Karel is a very nice and interesting guy, you’ll enjoy your time with him!

He has quite a few tents with mattresses along the beach. Most of them have shade and little “front yards”. Feels private and is very pretty and charming.

The beach is beautiful and the water amazingly clear! Awesome snorkelling around the island! He can organise a boat for 1500 for you to take you island hopping and snorkelling or rent out his masks for 50Pesos.

4/5 – Really nice place off the tourist path

I stayed five days at the place (at the new place in Dimancal Island as the owner had to move several months ago). It is lovely and I can really recommend it to nature loving people who want to escape the crowds. We slept in tents and cooked our food over open fire. The food depends on what people bring as the next store is 40 minutes away by boat – so if you want to eat something special (like chocolate ;-)) make sure you bring enough of it. If you bring food or other stuff for building the resort the owner will refund you the money you spent – he is a really honest guy!

5/5 – Very nice island

We spent 3 nights in this beautiful place in pattoyo island. We slept in a tent and interact with the only family living in the area. Everybody living in this beach are genuinely friendly and warmhearted. They came every once in a while to check if we were ok or if we had food.
The beach its beautiful and we were the only “tourist” staying there at the time. We cooked our own food because the owner was away for few days. The tents were cozy. The only minus we found its that some days were very windy. But the day that was calm the snorkel was great. I recommend this place to nature lovers and off the beaten track backpackers

On Facebook, or another Facebook

5/5 – I spent 10 days on Dimancal island and I had a really good time with Karel and the crew!
I really enjoyed cooking good meals on the fire.
Dimancal is also a very nice spot to go snorkel since the reefs are well preserved and spared from tourism.

5/5 – I loved it! Truly paradise which totally blow your mind!! Go and see, if you don`t believe.. ;D

5/5 – Don’t think I have ever been more back to basic than this. Loved it. Last week i slept in a tent, learned how to make a fire and open coconuts with a machete. Enjoyed reading my book from a hammock. ^_^The snorkeling is really nice. The sunsets are crazy beautiful.

If the touristy ABCD ‘island hopping tours’ don’t appeal to you, don’t hop on them. Live on one;)

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Or you can check out the 65 positive reviews on my couchsurfing profile, as I love to host travelers whenever I can (or you can view here if you do not want to set up an account with them).

There are more reviews posted in the comments below.

Island hopping in the Philippines