Southern Leyte trip, day by day: Sogod Bay and Limasawa

My video from Limasawa

What I am planning, day by day

1. 

   Day1

   Get there, meet the crew

   Nothing in the water on the first day. Getting to Sogod Bay is most of a day’s travel, and the sea is better met rested.

2. Day2

   Out with the spotters

   Nobody feeds the whale sharks here, and that is what sets Sogod Bay apart from places where they are fed. What I wrote with the clip I filmed in Sogod Bay still stands: the whale sharks here are completely wild and not fed, which means every encounter is natural and happens on their terms. No guarantees, no performances, just pure luck and the ocean. I will say that again on the boat, before we go, so nobody is disappointed by honesty.

3. 

   Day3

   Limasawa, by boat

   An early boat across to Limasawa, the island where the first mass in the Philippines is recorded to have been held. The name is the better story: lima is five and sawa is wives in Bisaya, after a king who had five of them. What I remember is the water, you can see the bottom from fifty metres out. We stay the night with a family on the island and eat what they cook.

4. Day4

   Back across

   The morning boat back, and onward.

Where to stay in Southern Leyte

If you would rather go on your own than wait for the group: The whale sharks are seen from Pintuyan on Panaon Island, where the town runs the official program, and the dive resorts in Padre Burgos run boat trips of about an hour and a half across the bay. Pick one of the two as your base: staying anywhere else means a long ride before a boat. The whale shark guide has the costs and the season. The night on Limasawa is a different thing, on this trip it is with a family on the island rather than in a hotel, and that is arranged, not booked.

On this island

Will I definitely see a whale shark?

No, and anyone who tells you otherwise is describing a different kind of place. These animals are not fed and not kept. Some days there are several and some days there are none.

Can I touch one, or hold on?

No. Not on this trip and not with me.

How many people are in the water at once?

Only a few per boat. A Pintuyan boat goes out with a guide, a captain and two spotters in canoes, and one guide gives three guests per boat. The number for this trip is set with whoever runs the boats, before anyone is asked to decide.

How early is early?

On my trip we took the first boat to Limasawa at around half past five. The public boat from Padre Burgos was reported at around eight in the morning in 2025, so the time depends on which boat you take. Either way it is early enough that it is a real question whether you want to.

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.