Massive Dream Boat Man Overview: The Finest Coron Island Hopping Tour
“I misplaced my left pinky as a result of an accident once I was a child and was bullied all through my childhood due to it. I grew as much as be a shy and quiet individual. At some point, my buddy Bob (the boat captain) launched me to Massive Dream Boat Man, and I used to be employed as a crew. Everybody on the boat handled one another like household and welcomed me like one. Since then, I watched Bob talking with the crew and prospects in fluent English every single day, and determined that I’d sooner or later turn into a ship captain and present individuals all over the world my stunning nation, too. Right now, I’m able to chat with you guys, I’m a assured individual and I believe sometime I’ll make boat captain.”
Exhibiting us his 9 fingers, Lin, one of many boat crew, shared his story as a part of our dinner ritual. It was the primary evening of our 3D3N Coron island hopping tour with Massive Dream Boat Man, an eco-friendly expedition firm based by an English man and a Coron native in 2016. We had spent the entire day exploring hidden islands and snorkeling with colourful fishes and turtles, devouring contemporary and scrumptious seafood and sharing laughter with everybody onboard, and had been now having drinks after dinner on a secluded island with no person else round, buying and selling our tales with one another.
After spending two weeks becoming a member of a number of island hopping group excursions with 20+ different individuals every time, this off-the-beaten-path journey was a lot, a lot appreciated. Under is my sincere evaluate on the Big Dream Boat Man Coron Island Life expedition and why, if you’re solely doing one tour on Coron, this needs to be it:
Fuss-free reserving expertise
On Big Dream Boat Man’s website, reserving the tour was a fuss-free expertise. Merely choose the dates that be just right for you, make a 1/3 deposit cost, and wait in your expedition preparation doc by way of electronic mail on issues to notice and convey (I’ve a packing record for you beneath!).
You have to to buy your personal journey insurance coverage for this journey, and I like to recommend that you just do, not just for this explicit expedition however for each time you journey. Accidents occur, and also you need to have entry to healthcare and be compensated for any unlucky occasions when overseas.
You might be additionally required to finish your cost upon arrival in money. In case you have any particular requests, i.e, dietary necessities, chances are you’ll accomplish that by way of electronic mail previous to your expedition. I had some questions, and the group responded inside 24 hours.
Off-the-beaten-path itinerary
There’s no scarcity of day excursions that can take you on an island-hopping journey on Coron. I personally took two of them, the Coron Tremendous Final Day Tour and the Coron Island Escapade Day Tour (you’ll be able to learn my evaluate on these day excursions right here). Whereas they had been additionally plenty of enjoyable, I needed to share them with different vacationers in life jackets. A number of instances, we headed in the direction of spots that had been raining as a result of the routes of those group excursions are usually not versatile in any respect. The most important benefit of the BDBM expedition is that, since it’s a non-public, multi-day journey, we bought to keep away from peak hours at common websites and enterprise out to islands that aren’t on the radar.
Be aware: BDBM doesn’t supply a hard and fast itinerary. Relying on climate situations, the boat could take you to different spots or change the sequence of stops. I personally appreciated that!
Day 1: Kayangan Lake, Twin Lagoon, Banana Island
We met up at Luis Bay Restaurant at 11am, and took a brief stroll to the pier to board. Refreshing chilly drinks had been served as we left the port, and the crew launched themselves. Shortly after, we arrived at our first cease, the famed Kayangan Lake, because the group excursions had been leaving. We didn’t must queue to get to the midway viewpoint and had the lake all to ourselves for a great half an hour earlier than two different individuals arrived on a personal boat journey. After an hour of swimming and enjoyable within the crystal clear freshwater, we made our approach again to the boat, the place lunch awaits. Discuss lunch with a view!
Subsequent cease was Twin Lagoon, one other common spot we loved with out many different individuals. When you swam previous a tiny hole, towering cliffs welcome you into a mixture of salty and contemporary water swimming space. Some spots had been a bit too chilly for consolation, however swimming in was such a magical expertise. We spent about 45 minutes right here, and freshly fried banana fritters welcomed us again on the boat.
As we made our option to Banana Island, our base camp for the evening, I can’t assist however smile at how nice the primary day had been. Our first evening was spent at an previous concrete guesthouse. One can not ask for extra with a standing fan, a giant mattress, and a personal rest room. For the bathe, water drawn from the effectively on the island was supplied in a giant container, and also you do it by pouring water over your self with a water scoop.
Day 2: Ditaytayan Island, Culion Island, Lusong Gunboat, Lusong Coral Backyard
We kickstarted the day with breakfast on Banana Island earlier than venturing out to Ditaytayan Island, identified for its stunning white sandbar. We had been the primary boat to reach and had the sandbar all to ourselves for a great 20 minutes! The comfortable sand was dreamy to put on as we bought our tan in. It was such a good looking begin to the day.
Subsequent, we took a break from water actions and explored Culion Island. Our boat captain and one other crew took us to the Culion Church, which is fabricated from coral. We additionally walked as much as a viewpoint and loved the glistening water from above. The remainder of the crew took the time to restock on groceries on the island and put together our lunch. I actually loved this cease because it was additionally a chance to expertise a extra native island.
After lunch, we made our option to Lusong Gunboat and Lusong Coral Backyard, the place we free dived round a shipwreck from WWII. It was a lot enjoyable trying out the gunboat as our boat crew exhibit their free diving expertise by getting by means of the ship panels. After we had been carried out exploring the shipwreck, we continued the journey by snorkeling round a few of Coron’s most considerable coral gardens. We had been even fortunate sufficient to identify three turtles!
As our boat made our option to the second base camp on Go Island, we had snacks, performed board video games, and took energy naps on the multihull nets. We didn’t anticipate how stunning the golden hour could be on Go Island. It was my favourite base camp out of the expedition! Extra on the sleep situation beneath.
Day 3: Extra snorkeling + shipwreck adventures, South Cay, Black Island, Unknown Campsite
The third day began with extra snorkeling and shipwreck adventures. The shipwreck was vigorous with colourful corals and fish, and was a ton of enjoyable to discover. We then made our option to my favourite cease of all the journey, the South Cay. It was merely magical – there was completely nobody else in sight, the water was unbelievably blue and calm, and the cay itself was stunning white sand with a mini jungle on prime. I had the most effective SUP expertise right here. Sure, there was a kayak and a stand-up paddle board onboard, and we totally utilized them.
After a giant lunch, we made our option to Black Island. On this secluded island, few day excursions go to as a result of its location, and we noticed monitor lizards, a legendary cock (I’ll go away the story out so the crew can inform you), and two mystical caves which are used for religious rituals. The caves had been completely beautiful, and the water in two swimming pools was deep sufficient for cliff leaping. We then spent an hour chilling on the seaside earlier than making our option to the bottom camp of the day – I can’t bear in mind the title of the island, however I suppose it doesn’t matter!
The crew arrange a bonfire on the seaside, and I used to be already lacking this epic journey. We slept in a straw hut, and the subsequent morning, after watching the dawn on the island, we made our approach again to Coron’s primary island and mentioned goodbye to everybody.
Distinctive in a single day expertise
Count on bare-bone lodging on this expedition, however I believe it makes the expertise much more distinctive and memorable. They’re related to a number of base camps, a few of which encompass primary seaside huts with separate bathe and bathroom amenities, whereas others could also be campsites or guesthouses. You wouldn’t know for positive the place you might be sleeping that evening till noon, and I believe that provides only a bit extra pleasure to issues.
I’ve to confess that I used to be just a little bit postpone by the water scent on the first base camp, but it surely made me notice how a lot I take entry to scrub water with no consideration. It was additionally a chance to place myself outdoors of my consolation zone, and I undoubtedly admire that. That mentioned, I adored our second base camp with the lovable seaside huts and unbelievable location that was excellent for sundown. We didn’t do tent tenting, however it may be the case for some. Towels and primary toiletries are supplied although it’d be way more eco-friendly when you introduced your personal. Electrical energy was obtainable in the course of the evening and was ample to cost our batteries. Some base camps even had reception if you might want to be on-line. I personally was on airplane mode, and it was a much-needed digital detox.
If you’re used to tenting, the sleeping and toilet state of affairs is not going to be an issue for you in any respect. When you sometimes keep in inns in your journey, take it as a chance to expertise one thing completely different!
Impeccable service
The corporate boasts its crew service, and so they have each proper to take action. From the second we had been onboard, we had been handled like household. While most boat excursions throw in a short introduction to the crew, and there’s all the time a transparent separation between them and the company, the BDBM crew genuinely wished to attach, and the curiosity about one another’s tradition led to many significant conversations. I felt like I actually bought to know them – their childhood reminiscences, private objectives, and favourite components of their job. They even handmade bracelets and anklets for us as souvenirs! It’s clear that they love what they do and are happy with it. Their spirit and enthusiasm made the journey.
Scrumptious meals every single day!
Most of us agreed that the meals we had on this expedition was a few of the greatest meals we had in Coron. Our chef labored at high-end eating places, and we had been completely impressed, particularly given the restrictions of a cellular kitchen. There was all the time one thing completely different served at every meal, all the time extra meals than we will end, and all the time scrumptious.
For breakfast, it’s a mixture of typical Filipino + western objects, together with rice, sausages, eggs, pancakes, and toast. For lunch and dinner, our chef spoiled us every day with scrumptious seafood (we had all of it on this journey – fish, prawns, squid, and even crab), wholesome greens, well-cooked meat, and contemporary fruits, and we had at the very least six dishes to work on every meal! Drinks are served at any time when we wished – have I discussed that alcohol is free?! Nothing like a refreshing beer after an hour of snorkeling in salty seawater. In between meals, we bought to attempt native snacks, together with banana fritters and ginataan. I imply it once I mentioned it was difficult to get hungry on this expedition.
In case you have any particular dietary restrictions or allergy symptoms, talk this with the group beforehand, and they’re going to alter accordingly.
It’s an expedition for everybody.
On our boat, there have been 8 of us: a pair of their 20s, two superior Aussie girls of their 60s (and completely rocking it), a solo feminine traveler, a solo male traveler, and a pair of siblings. So, actually, it’s an expedition fitted to all sorts of vacationers, although there’s a minimal age restrict of 14 years previous. Sorry, children!
You’ll meet like-minded people who find themselves in for a novel journey and have a fantastic appreciation for genuine native tradition – you already know, similar to your self. The 8 of us bought alongside very well, although anytime somebody wanted a while alone, there was loads of area on the boat to take a fast nap or learn a guide on. We had been so well-fed all through our journey that there was no alternative to be hungry! It’s good to be bodily wholesome although there weren’t any notably demanding actions. I discovered that the movement of the every day itinerary was well-designed, and we had ample time to relaxation between stops. The sleep and bathe state of affairs was fairly primary, however nobody had any main complaints.
Nice, I went for a 2-hour full physique therapeutic massage the day we returned. With that mentioned, I’d suggest this expedition to everybody with an open thoughts and an adventurous spirit.
Is it well worth the cash?
On condition that an island hopping day tour in Coron sometimes prices about $30 is the Big Dream Boat Man tour well worth the seemingly steep $450 price ticket?
Sure.
For all the causes I’ve included above, but in addition the inclusion of the tour itself: 3 days of island hopping, all meals and drinks (together with alcohol), towels, masks & snorkel, and lodging. All of this for a median of $150 a day is definitely value it. I’d even suggest this as the one factor you do in Coron.
What to pack in your BDBM island-hopping expedition
Now that you’re satisfied to hitch the expedition, let’s speak about what to convey on board. You might be allowed to convey your whole baggage on board, however the larger baggage might be saved underneath the boat and are solely accessible at evening (if you really want one thing from them). Your day baggage are saved within the captain’s room with straightforward accessibility. I like to recommend having a day bag and a dry bag with the whole lot you want and leaving the whole lot else in your large baggage underneath the boat.
Right here’s a packing record with all the requirements you will want all through the three days:
In your dry bag:
In your day bag:
Through the day, I used to be principally in my bikini and water sneakers. I additionally had my very own snorkeling gear, however you’ll be able to borrow these without spending a dime onboard.
I’ve been on many multi-day expeditions round Southeast Asia, and that is simply one in every of my prime favorites. Expectations had been excessive because of the raving opinions, but it surely’s secure to say that BDBM knocked it out of the park with an epic itinerary, superior service, and a real understanding of adventurous spirit. If you’re planning a visit to Coron quickly, I hope you’ll deal with your self to this epic journey.
*This put up was delivered to you in partnership with Massive Dream Boat Man. All opinions on the superb expedition and superior crew are my very own, as all the time.
