If you like your marine life BIG, then this dive safari comes highly recommended with a WOW factor! This exciting itinerary includes encounters with whale sharks, manta rays and thresher sharks.
Covering three locations across the Philippines, underwater highlights include manta rays of Ticao, whale sharks of Donsol and thresher sharks of Malapascua. In between dives, enjoy the leisurely pace and privacy extended to you at each resort.
Read Dive Worldwide clients John & Hazel's account of their big fish encounters in the Philippines.
Suggested Itinerary
Day1: Depart the UK
Day2: Arrive Cebu, Philippines
Arrive Cebu and overnight.
Days3-6: Dive with thresher sharks
Transfer to Malapascua. Check-in and begin a four night stay at Blue Corals Beach Resort or similar.
Enjoy three days diving (nine dives) with a chance of thresher shark sightings on dawn dives and mandarin fish on dusk dives.
Day7: Return to Cebu
After a leisurely morning, transfer back to Cebu this afternoon.
Days8-11: Whale sharks and manta rays!
Fly to Legaspi early this morning, where you will be met and transferred to Donsol for an organised whale shark interaction (min 3 hours).
Continue by boat to Ticao Island Resort for a four night stay. Enjoy four days (eight dives) exploring Ticao Island's dive sites, with a chance of manta ray encounters at Manta Bowl.
Day12: Transfer to Donsol
This morning transfer back to Donsol for a second whale shark interaction.
Continue to Legaspi for an overnight stay.
Day13: Depart Philippines
This morning transfer to the airport for your flight to Manila where you will remain in transit before boarding an overnight flight back to the UK.
Day14: Arrive UK
Please note: Depending on flight schedules, this itinerary may operate in reverse.
Key info
Our trip ideas are offered to inspire you and can be tailored to suit your requirements.
Duration and price including flights from/to UK: 14 daysfrom £2,845 pp
When to go: Nov-Apr: Similar itinerary possible all year, but November to April best
The small coastal town of Donsol in the northeast of the Philippines offers a rare opportunity to interact with whale sharks. Between the months of December and May, visitors head here to swim and snorkel with these harmless and gentle filter feeders.
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Ideal for viewing: whale shark
Excellent for: Resort based diving, Shark diving, Whale shark
This central region of islands is deservedly famous for beautiful beaches, relaxed lifestyle and stunning dive sites. Cebu City is the international gateway and provides links to the most exciting dive spots including Malapascua, Moalboal, Dumaguete and Bohol.
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Ideal for viewing: green turtle, pelagic thresher shark, giant frogfish, black-tip reef shark, banded sea krait
Surrounded by white sand beaches, the little island of Malapascua has gained a reputation as one of the best places in the world for thresher shark sightings, encountered each morning at Monad Shoal. Numerous other sharks are also seen, as well as mantas.
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Excellent for: Resort based diving, Singles diving, Group diving, Shark diving
A haven of tranquillity, Ticao Island is blessed with crystal blue waters and white sandy beaches. The local reefs are full of colourful creatures, corals and sharks, but the area’s signature site is the Manta Bowl, a cleaning and feeding station of the oceanic manta.
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Excellent for: Resort based diving, Group diving, Manta ray
Suggested accommodation options are shown below.
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With its own private beach and prime location on Malapascua, this small, friendly property provides all you need for a tropical island getaway in the Philippines, together with world-class diving at nearby Monad Shoal.
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The friendly Ticao Island Resort offers nine beachfront cabanas on an island with crystal blue waters, white sand beaches, fantastic dive sites and the shade of hundreds of coconut trees.
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