Tao Expeditions in the Philippines: what you need to know
We took the Tao Expedition from Coron to El Nido on the fifth week of fifteen weeks of travelling and it was the best thing we did the whole time. I loved every country we visited. But the memories I made at Tao are unforgettable and it’s not an exaggeration to say they will stay with me forever (I’m even considering going back to do it again!).
There are experiences I had and things I learned during my Tao trip that I think will change me forever in some ways. Nothing extreme, but small, good things that ultimately make you better as a person. But… having read some reviews it does seem that not everyone has a life-changing experience with Tao.
So here’s what I think you need to know to make sure that Tao is the right trip for you, and that you have the best time possible if you do go.
Which Tao route is best?
We chose to do Coron to El Nido for a few reasons. Firstly it means you get two nights at Tao Farm at the end of your stay. This is the largest and best-equipped camp and if you do the El Nido to Coron route you get much less time here. If you’re on a three-night trip you get one night here. El Nido to Coron only comes over to this camp for breakfast or lunch, and spends two nights at Camp Ngey Ngey instead.
The second reason was that one of the options for the first Coron to El Nido camp – Kuring farm – is very basic and the jellyfish-infested water means there’s no swimming. If you travel from El Nido to Coron then this could be your final stop, which might be a bit disappointing compared to the other island stays.
Thirdly, El Nido is way more fun than Coron. So it’s a better place to end your trip. Especially if you’re planning to spend a few nights on either side (which is recommended just in case travel plans or the weather get in the way).
If for whatever reason we had needed to start in El Nido, these factors definitely would not have been enough to put us off doing Tao altogether. It’s an incredible experience and we were lucky to be with such a fun and sociable group of people. But since our plans were flexible for where we started we were happy with the order of this route.
How long to spend in Coron and El Nido before and after Tao?
We spent three nights in Coron before Tao and two nights in El Nido at the end. I think this was the wrong way around. There’s not much to do in Coron except the island hopping tours. So once we had done that, we spent the other two days not doing much.
El Nido on the other hand is way more lively and with a lot more to do. They also have island hopping tours. But unlike Coron the town has its own beach, and the nearby Vanilla Beach is easy to get to.
It’s advised that you plan in a couple of nights each side of your expedition anyway, just in case anything happens that means there are delays – either on your side or Tao’s. You do also need to be in your starting town the evening before your trip starts for a briefing. So while I don’t regret spending as long as we did in Coron, El Nido is definitely a preferable place to be and I wish we’d spent longer there.
Another reason for feeling this way is that I realised, while leaving The Philippines just 48 hours after Tao was over, that I wasn’t ready to move on so fast. I wish I had more time to decompress and take it in. We found we were still thinking and talking about the experience weeks later. So a few days to reflect would have been ideal.
Is Tao Philippines worth the money?
Yes. Obviously we haven’t been on any of the cheaper alternative tours. But the quality and effort that goes into every aspect of this experience is a cut above anything we expected.
The guys who work for Tao (who mostly grew up in local fishing communities and are known as the Lost Boys) aren’t just skilled at their roles on the boat. They’re also clearly very passionate about what they do and loyal to Tao as a company. They’re fun and friendly and great to be around, and we’re actively encouraged to engage with them throughout the trip rather than just leaving them to get on with their work.
We made jewellery together on the deck of the boat, ate and drank with them every evening, and could even join in with helping them prep meals in the kitchen or sit with the captain as he drove the boat. It adds to the experience as there is a true community feeling to the whole trip, and you get to learn so much about them as people and where they’re from. We really missed them as much as everyone else in our group once it was all over.
The bespoke Tao camps aren’t shared with other tour groups and the beautiful huts that are made up for you each night are genuinely comfortable and relaxing to sleep in. The whole experience is just a cut above. To find out more about it you can read my Tao Philippines review here.
What is the food like on Tao?
The thing that everyone raves about – and definitely did not disappoint – was the food on Tao. Every single meal is incredible, fresh, and delicious. Lunches and dinners are a combination of rice and noodles, salads, fresh seafood, vegetables, panko calamari or aubergine, and watermelon. It’s all made fresh each day and is so delicious and healthy. For breakfast it’s usually fresh fruit, rice, eggs, and sometimes aubergine, oats, and other freshly cooked food.
It was even better than expected and was something that everyone on the boat was consistently impressed by. This is also helped by the fact that the food in Coron isn’t that great, so it’s a treat to find that the food on Tao is of such a different standard.
What to expect from Tao
You’ll visit remote beaches, mostly-uninhabited islands, snorkel on coral reefs and shipwrecks, and meet people you might never have got to know otherwise. There’s a bit of drinking, a lot of fun, lots of sun and heat and sand and sea, and loads of time to relax however you want to.
You can get stuck in and help the crew, but you don’t have to. You can make it what you want, but it’s better to consider how that contributes to the experience of the group as a whole and not just you (don’t be annoying or do stupid things that might inconvenience other people).
From what we’ve heard, and what we came to find for ourselves, the Tao experience is always incredible if you come to it with the right mindset. You have to get used to going with the flow, not being informed of ‘the plan’, and just sitting back and relaxing and taking everything as it comes.
As someone who likes to organise and plan, this didn’t come naturally to me as we first set off. In fact, at this stage lots of people were asking how long the trip was to the first stop, how long we would be there, where we were going next, what we would do there, how long it took…
By day two most of us had let go of these questions. It didn’t matter where we were going or what we would do there. We began to enjoy Tao in the moment and just let the experience happen. And I hope this is something that I’m able to bring into my day to day life with me.
Do you have no phone signal or internet for the full five days?
We did have a bit of signal as we were leaving Coron and there were some spots where it came along in flashes. But honestly I found it better to just put my phone on airplane mode. It meant that I was able to just sit back, relax, and not worry about anything.
Honestly, I even thought that I would stress about my inbox filling up during five days with no internet. But it took me less than 24 hours to start considering that as a future issue that I could deal with when it came around. In fact I stopped thinking about my phone and technology in general much sooner than I expected. Having signal would have made it an immediate problem, and I didn’t want that to take me out of the Tao vibe.
I really learned to live in the moment and make the most of what I had and could do at any given time without thinking too much about anything out of my control.
People talk about this kind of thing like it will be a challenge. But when there is so much else to do – mostly just engaging in conversation and getting to know other people – you find there is really no place for it anyway. In fact if everyone had access to their phones or the internet during Tao the experience would be totally different.
Do you have to socialise on Tao?
If you’re not there to at least try to mix with other people then this really isn’t the holiday for you. It’s not a private cruise. And while you can’t choose your group and you might not love everyone equally, you should expect to at least try.
We were lucky to have an amazing group of people on our trip and we spent the time travelling between camps, beaches, and snorkelling spots socialising with one another. This really adds to the overall atmosphere of the trip. And while you could just keep yourself to yourself, it definitely is not the point of an experience like Tao.
What kind of people go on Tao expeditions?
We weren’t sure what to expect about the people who would be in our Tao group. The night before you set off there is a briefing at the office where you meet the team and the travellers and we could tell pretty quickly that this was going to be a fun group of people.
The price point does mean that it’s a little more exclusive, but our group was still very diverse. In age, it ranged from a 16 year old and his dad, a group of 21 year olds, lots of 25-18 year olds, a couple of other 30-somethings like us, and a few people in their 50s. By nationality there were a few other brits, Americans, Filipinos, Dutch, Italian, and Armenians. We could see on the board from the group before that there had been South Koreans, Slovakians, and a load of other countries too.
It was so interesting to spend five days (or four days as some didn’t do the full trip) with this varied group of people and learn about their lives and cultures. Don’t let the price trick you into thinking it will just be middle class people in their 30s as for us, that definitely was not the case.
But ultimately age, nationality and those kinds of identifiers make no difference. To really experience Tao you have to be someone who is willing to make the most of every opportunity that it throws at you, and be open to making a lot of new friends. If you want a non-social holiday where you relax alone (and we love to have a lot of those too) then Tao isn’t the right setting for that.
Is Tao like an expensive booze cruise?
We had read some reviews where people were unhappy about the amount of drinking on Tao. This was not our experience. We like a drink but didn’t want this to be a 24 hour party boat and it definitely wasn’t. I think the earliest anyone started on the beer was about 3pm and even then, only casually.
Swimming, snorkelling, and other activities that aren’t safe when drunk really take priority. The second night with karaoke was drink-heavy but you don’t have to get involved and there’s plenty of space for non-drinkers to chill if they want to stay away from that. It might not be the best trip if you’re totally sober and don’t like to be around drinking. But it definitely isn’t a major part of the experience – especially during the day.
What to pack for a Tao Philippines expedition
The packing list Tao gives you consists of:
Sun protection - sun hat or cap, sunscreen, and sun glasses
Sarong - Sarongs are for everyone and great for utility use - day towel, sun protection, beach loungers, and more.
Refillable water bottle - It's important to keep hydrated!
Wash kit - Small bath towel, shower gel, and toothbrush (we do not provide these).
Sandals or reef shoes - Essential for safety, comfort, and steady walking.
Change of clothes - Shorts and T-shirts/vests for the day.
Swimwear - During the daytime, you will be in and out of the water.
Rash guard - Important for sun protection and guards against jellyfish stings. Optional, but highly advisable..
Insect repellent - We recommend and sell Kwan Loong Oil in our shop. In the evenings, you can shower and put on some very lightweight trousers and a long sleeved top or shirt to minimise insect bites.
Flashlight or head torch - To find your way around in the dark.
Rechargeable fan - especially welcome at bedtime.
Camera, a good book, MP3 player.
A lightweight rain jacket (it's rare, but you might get the occasional rainy day!
Fins/Flippers
Definitely pay attention to this list. They know what they’re talking about (although we didn’t need a fan or fins, and snorkels are provided.
What actually we took was:
One 30L dry bag for our overnight stays, containing:
Enough swimwear for each day of the trip (5 bikinis)
A sarong
A kimono
2 pairs of loose, long trousers for the evenings to protect against bites
2 long-sleeve tops for the same reason (packed one and wished I had another)
2 vest tops and 2 shorts for the day, but I never wore anything except a bikini and sarong or kimono on the boat
Daily toiletries including shower gel, toothbrush and paste, hair care, and plenty of insect repellant
A 5L dry bag for the day that contained:
A microfibre towel
Sunglasses
Sun cream (SPF 50)
A book
Headphones
A hat
A rash vest
Reef shoes (although these live in a crate on the boat)
A refillable water bottle (plastic ones are not allowed)
A torch
There is loads of drinkable water to fill your bottle with and it’s much safer to have a rash vest and reef shoes as there are small and harmless but irritating marine stingers in the water at some spots. Not everyone wears them. But I found it took away a level of anxiety that I might have had otherwise.
You really don’t need day clothes so pack for the evenings when it’s still very warm, but the mosquitoes and sand flies come out.
I wish I had brought:
Better hair care - the salt water really dried it out and I wished I had a good conditioner to use daily.
One extra outfit - I packed with the intention to rewear things and this isn’t ideal with all the sand, dust, and sweat.
Another towel. It gets wet and try over and over and starts to smell.
Your luggage goes in a safe hold on the boat and stays there the whole time. But you can access it if you need. We found it easier just to pack a dry bag for the entire trip and not have to worry about it again.
You can find my full packing list for our whole Philippines trip here.
Things learned on my Tao Philippines expedition
A moment of self-indulgence here but I reflected a lot on the things I learned during Tao and how they will likely change the way I think and behave in the future. It’s nothing major, but there are small, good things that I think everyone could take from this experience.
I realised how many of my problems (or if not problems then the things I complain about) are insignificant. I probably already knew this. But if I imagine sitting on a beach in the Philippines and moaning to the Lost Boys about the things I might moan about at home, it makes me realise how pointless most of it really is.
Hair mask… okay might be one of those insignificant problems I was trying not to moan about. But I wish I’d bought one. My hair was a dry mess for a week afterwards! But even with hindsight I wouldn’t have let this put me off doing all the swimming, snorkelling, and sunbathing I did.
Let go of things that don’t matter. Related to the first but it’s something we all tell ourselves to do that really becomes more obvious once it’s out into action in a setting like Tao.
You don’t always have to be in control (same same but different – a classic Tao phrase – to the last)
Open yourself up to people who might not seem like your people
You don’t need to drink all day. I knew this. But London really makes you feel like that’s the best way to have fun. On Tao, it’s not even the tenth best way to have fun.
Practically speaking, don’t leave the Philippines too soon. I wish we had left more time to process and reflect on the trip while relaxing in Palawan. Instead, we were off to our next destination within 48 hours.