This was the experience of a lifetime! I have been fortunate to travel to over 20 countries in my short time on this Earth, but nothing has blown me away quite like this four day/three night island hopping tour in El Nido, Palawan, Philippines. Every aspect of this spectacular adventure was more than I could have ever dreamed of. It is an absolute MUST DO if you ever travel to the Philippines.

There are several different companies offering this unique experience. We chose Bid Dream Boatman based on their phenomenal customer reviews & checking out their Instagram. The photos & videos they were posting looked like a paradise I didn’t know existed. From the moment my fiancé & I laid eyes on the picturesque, remote places we could be traveling to, we were sold. What’s even better is that nothing about the trip was oversold or overpromised. In fact, the experience far exceeded our expectations.

We spent our days sailing to various isolated islands, snorkeling around pristine coral reefs, and enjoying the company of the crew that made every day an easy, organized adventure. At night we slept on secluded islands underneath the starry sky. Without any cell reception, it was the most calm & alive I have ever felt!

The sleeping arrangements weren’t luxurious, but that made the experience all-the-more rare. It allowed us to truly immerse ourselves in nature & embrace a much more simple way of living. Waking up on an uninhabited island & walking straight into the ocean is something I will never forget. It’s something I hope I can do again in my lifetime.

Despite the limited resources on these islands, the staff never left us wanting for anything. The chef prepared breakfast, lunch, & dinner from the boat every day which had our mouths’ watering by meal time. The staff executed each aspect of the trip with such attention-to-detail that nothing felt left to chance. From planning our daily activities, to meal prepping, to keeping us safe in open water we couldn’t have been in better hands.

By far the most breathtaking thing we encountered on this trip was the expansive coral reefs we were lucky enough to witness. I have never seen such healthy and thriving reefs before. The scope of biodiversity & beauty was spectacular. We couldn’t get enough! Each snorkel spot they took us to outshined the last; we were constantly in awe of the beauty before our eyes. My finacé & I still reminisce about the aquatic life we saw & yearn to go back again. Being avid lovers of coral reefs, we were blown away with swimming through these underwater treasures. My only regret is we did not have an underwater camera to capture the wonder before our eyes. We were lucky enough to get some videos of what we saw. Check them out here!

Four days & three nights seems like a long time, however by the time we made it to our final stop in Coron, we were sad this magical experience was over. Although we had a lot more to look forward to on our trip, we knew that this would be a highlight of our three month adventure. We will forever be grateful to Big Dream Boatman for allowing us to experience the true beauty of the Philippines!