Weather
Our expeditions put you close to nature, this includes the tropical weather.
There are 2 seasons in the Philippines. The dry season generally spans from December to May, with cooler weather in December to February and warmer, often hotter weather from March to May. The monsoon or rainy season runs from June to November, driven by the Southwest Monsoon, bringing increased rainfall, humidity, and storm activity, including typhoons.
The Amihan (Northeast Monsoon), from November to April, brings cool, dry air and stable weather, creating a dry season with choppy seas in northern areas. In contrast, the Habagat (Southwest Monsoon), from May to October, brings warm, humid air with heavy rains and frequent storms, marking the wet season and sometimes turbulent sea conditions.
Palawan is a long stretch of land dotted with hundreds of islands with its own microclimates. If its raining heavily in EL Nido town then it doesn’t mean its the same 1 hour away in another island. Mainland mostly holds the heavy clouds and the far islands easily clears out. Just to be sure we suggest packing a light rain jacket. This will protect you from wind-chill and keep you warm if there is any rain during your expedition.
We use the local weather advisory PAGASA to check for day to day weather and TYPHOON2000 for more of a comprehensive report of worldwide agencies of tracking typhoons.
Tropical depression is a low pressure area created by warm seas and formation of thick clouds and rough seas. This is the warning of a brewing storm or a typhoon. It could dissolve or can turn into a storm. Low pressure brew in the southeastern part of the Philippines and makes the whole country cloudy and rainy. From June to November.
All Storm(+65kph wind) and Typhoon(+95kph wind) brew in the open Pacific ocean heading northwest toward the Philippines. The track of a storm/ typhoon is easily predicted days before and it can travel slowly or within few days cross the country(moving 15kph to 35kph). Palawan is not on the regular track of typhoon but we can get a direct hit from time to time. Strong typhoon/storm is destructive and can cross the country within 1or2 days and clears out immediately. A slow pace storm can linger for few days with lots of rain.
Typhoon like Haiyan(2013) is very destructive and caused by the unusual warmer water in the Pacific. Warning of this type of typhoon comes days before, our priorities is to safe all boats with passengers out in the water, warn the remote island villages and safe our base camps and crew. Filipinos are always ready for typhoons as they face average 20-25 storms and typhoon a year. Boatmen and fishing vessels are very aware of typhoons and extra careful.
Snorkeling and Swimming
Swimming and snorkeling area big part of Tao Expeditions. To make the most of your Tao experience it is recommended that you feel comfortable in water. If you are not a strong swimmer then tell us and we will make sure the guide takes extra care of you and we have swimming buoyancy aids onboard.
There will lots of opportunities to explore the pristine reefs we have discovered throughout the islands. Snorkels and masks are provided on all of our boats. There are fins available if you wish to use them, but although there is a range of sizes there may not be a pair to fit everyone. You can bring your own equipment if you wish. If you are a keen snorkeler and plan to spend lots of time in the water, it is a good idea to bring a long-sleeved rash-guard to protect you from the strong tropical sun and annoying jellyfish stings.
Diving options
If you want to do some diving then we recommend that you spend some time in the Coron area before or after your trip with us. Coron is known as one of the world’s best locations for wreck diving, and has many pristine reefs and the spectacular thermal Lakes on Coron Island.
Sleeping Arrangements
On Expedition our sleeping arrangements are camping in open bamboo beach huts called a Tuka . Each night we find a safe anchorage for the boat and spend the night on an island. We have 15 different base-camps throughout the islands, all are in different types of locations. Some are on their own private island, or within a traditional village or a secluded beach. At the base-camp you can shower with fresh water, grill some fish for supper and enjoy a few rums around a fire.
Everyone gets a mattress, pillow, mosquito net and fresh bedding set.
We recommend that you bring ear plugs if you are a light sleeper. Couples usually sleep together. If you have any special sleeping requirements or a tendency to snore, please tell us at the start of the trip and we will plan sleeping arrangements accordingly.
Toilet and Shower
All basecamps have shared toilets and showering facilities. Over the years we have improved these facilities so now they all have a flush! In the early days of tao you had to go in the jungle and dig your own hole, so these days we are proud of our toilet situation!
There are fresh water showers in our base camps either by the well or filled up water drums. You will be advised if you are camping in a remote island or beach with no toilet or fresh water source- but this only happens when a group is up for it.
Food on Tao
Our menu is based on traditional Filipino cooking using Fresh seafood, vegetables, fruit and rice. The seafood in Palawan is first class and we serve lots of it on Tao. We buy our fish direct from the fisherman as we travel through the islands on in our basecamps. We do not generally serve meat because we use ice boxes and we do not have refrigeration for storage on the boats. Sometimes we will buy livestock in the islands such as chickens or pigs. We stock up on fresh fruits and vegetables before we leave port so there is always something for everyone to eat. We cater for those who have allergies but cannot accommodate picky eaters, let the chef know if you have allergies. Vegetarians and vegans will enjoy the numerous healthy dishes cooked up, the chef always serves fruit or vegetable dishes so there is no need to inform us in advance if you are vegetarian or vegan. We are proud of our food and we cook it with passion. We do not cook per plate but in one big batch Filipino style so it will be hard to separate ingredients just to cater for those who do not like garlic or onions. Please note that our chefs do not change their recipes or menu to accommodate any dietary requirements, our policy is eat what you want and leave the rest
Cultural Etiquette, locals and the villages
Throughout the trip you will be meeting locals who work with us, communities that keeps our base camps, villages where we buy supplies like fish/seafood, veg, rums, ice etc. One thing we don’t do is to tour you around the villages as this feels awkward for both parties. We highly respect the communities in our route and plan the season well so we don’t exhaust the villages with our visit.
Our many crew are from these villages and we are welcome there and we make sure we have a reason to visit checking the Tao schools and projects or just passing by to get supply but never just to show our travelers around. As an individual you are welcome to go around village and talk and meet locals but don’t expect your guide to gather the group for a tour walk as this is not a genuine Tao experience. We do not visit indigenous tribal villages.
A lot of people have a romantic idea of getting into the villages and expect something much more but they oversee the fact that the crew on board and all the people in our base camps are the islanders, as we keep on saying ‘we are not a tour’. Filipinos like their photos taken but our guideline is to make sure you start a conversation first then ask for photos, show them the pictures too!