Camping on a remote beach in Dinagat: my night with no signal

I camped for a night on one of the most remote beaches I have seen in the Philippines, on an outer island of Dinagat. There was no resort, no restaurant and no signal: a tent, a fire, a fishing rod and a local friend who knows the area. It was a childhood dream, and this is how it worked, what we brought and what I would tell you before you go.

We are sleeping on one of the most remote beaches in the Philippines

How we got there

I went with my friend Thomas, who knows fishing, fire and camping better than anyone I met in the Philippines. First he went to the market for fish, meat, rice and eggs. On the way we stopped at a roadside spot where hundreds of fruit bats hang in the open, not in a cave. Then a fisherman’s boat took us out, one of the scariest rides I have had, and left us on the beach until the next day.

Thomas is a local friend, not a tour operator, and he has no page to send you to. On Dinagat you arrange this in person: ask in San Jose for a boatman who knows the outer beaches, agree the price and the pick-up time before you leave, and make sure someone on the mainland knows where you are.

What to bring

• A tent and something to sleep on.
• Food from the market. Out there you eat what you bring and what you catch.
• Drinking water, plus a light, a knife and a way to make fire.
• A fishing rod if you want to try. We caught nothing in the evening.
• Rain gear. It rained on the way back and we got soaked.

What it is like

There is nothing to do but the beach, the jungle, coconuts and each other. Near the beach a spring runs down from the mountain, and in the morning I bathed in an ice-cold river. At half past two in the night I woke up to hundreds of fireflies and more stars than I could film. Thomas told me that people from the mines in this area sometimes sleep here too, in self-made shelters.

you need to be completely content with being with yourself because we had no connection here.

Watch where you step

In my video I warn about snakes, red ants and bullet ants, and say that wild boars and monitor lizards live in these areas. I have stepped right next to a snake more than once. Wear shoes away from the sand and use a light at night.

The night we camped on an outer island of Dinagat

Make it part of a longer stay

Camping fits after a few days in San Jose, once you know a boatman. My 5-day Dinagat itinerary shows where a night like this fits, and the Dinagat Islands travel guide covers the rest of the island.

I am planning a small-group trip to Dinagat. The waitlist is free.

Sources

• My YouTube video, 17 June 2026: 2 days fishing and camping on a remote beach in the Philippines

Questions people ask

Can you camp on the beaches of Dinagat?

On some of them, yes. I camped on an outer beach reached only by boat, with a local friend who knows the area. There were no resorts, no restaurants and no signal.

Can I book this camping trip?

Not online. My friend Thomas is not a tour operator. Ask around in San Jose for a boatman who knows the outer beaches.

What should I bring?

A tent, food from the market, water, a light and a way to make fire. We bought fish, meat, rice and eggs before we left, and Thomas brought a fishing rod.