Northern Samar and Samar · Philippines
Samar: the coast, and the cave if you want it
Free, and it commits you to nothing. No payment for a trip is taken through this website.
Photo: Vyacheslav Argenberg, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Seven days far from any airport: clear water at San Vicente, two optional days in one of the country's largest cave systems. Small group, still being planned.
- Where
- Northern Samar and Samar, Philippines
- Length
- 7 days
What I am planning, day by day
Samar is big, and the coast and the cave are hours apart by road. So this trip is seven days, and the travel time is in the plan instead of hidden in it.
Day1
Get out to the island
Samar is a long way from an airport, and that is part of why it is still like this.
Day2
In the water
Snorkelling around San Vicente, and diving for whoever is certified.
Marabut. Photo: Vyacheslav Argenberg, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons. Day3
Kayaks and the coast
At the speed of someone who is not trying to fit it in.
Day4
Across Samar by road
Most of a day on the road to the other side of the island. Long, and worth it.
Days5–6
The cave, if you want it
Langun-Gobingob is one of the largest cave systems in the country. Getting to the mouth is a jungle hike with no road at the end of it. Inside it is about three hours of walking, climbing and crawling to the campsite, including one forty-metre descent on a rope. We sleep in the cave. The last stretch is mud, there are spiders and there are snakes, I say that because I was not ready for it and you should be. Our guide put the difficulty at six or seven out of ten.
This part is optional. If it is not for you, those two days are the coast and a boat instead, and nobody has to explain themselves.
Day7
Out
Back toward the airport, with time to spare.
Where to stay on Samar
If you would rather go on your own than wait for the group: the island is big enough that you pick a side rather than a hotel. Catbalogan is the usual base for the cave, with the most rooms and the road connections; the water on this trip is further north, around San Vicente. Between the two is most of a day on the road, which is why this trip is seven days, so plan your nights on the side your days are on.
On this island
- Why Samar?
Because it is further from an airport than the islands people usually pick, it takes a day extra to reach, and far fewer foreign visitors get out here, not because there is nothing worth coming for.
- Do I need to dive?
No. Everything in the water on this trip works with a snorkel.
- How fit do I need to be for the cave?
Fit enough to climb, crawl and go down a rope for three hours, and calm enough to sleep underground. If you are not sure, take the coast option. That is what it is there for.
What I am planning to include
- Local boats, local guides and local cooks, booked and paid by the operator who runs the trip, at a rate they set.
- Rooms on the island: small places owned by people who live there, not a chain.
- Transport between the stops, so you are not standing by a road guessing.
- Me, travelling with the group the whole way, not meeting you at the end of it.
What will not be included
- Flights. Not to the Philippines and not the domestic hop to the island.
- Travel insurance. Get your own.
- Visas and entry rules. Check those for your own passport with an official source.
- Food and drinks outside the shared meals, and anything you book on the side.
- Anything that involves feeding, touching or riding a wild animal.
Cancellation, in plain words
There is nothing to cancel yet. The waitlist is free, and you can leave it with one click in any email from me. The real terms will come from the operator who runs the trip, in writing, before anyone pays anything — and never through this website.
Questions everyone asks
- Is this a real trip I can book?
- Not yet. It is a trip I am planning. The waitlist is how you hear about it first — there is nothing to book and nothing to pay.
- Do you have a DOT accreditation number?
- No, and I am not going to put a number on this page that does not exist. When this trip runs, a registered company will operate it, and their registration will be named here before anyone pays anything.
- What will it cost?
- When there is a real price it will be here in writing, with what it does and does not include. Not before.
- Can I join if I already live in the Philippines?
- Yes. These trips are planned for people flying in and for people who are already here.
- How big is the group?
- Small, and capped. The exact number comes once the boats and the rooms are arranged.
Join the waitlist
Nothing is booked yet, and nothing is for sale yet. You can put your name on the list so I know you want this trip. Joining is free and commits you to nothing. When the trip is ready, a registered local operator handles the booking and the money — not me, and not this site.