Inside
To see thresher sharks at dawn: one of the few places on earth where that happens almost daily.
Add Malapascua to my journeyMalapascua is barely 2.5 kilometres long, with sandy paths instead of roads and a scatter of small resorts and dive centres along Bounty Beach. Its fame comes from Monad Shoal, an underwater plateau a short boat ride away where thresher sharks rise from deep water at dawn to visit cleaning stations. It's one of the few places in the world where you can see them reliably. The island was badly hit by Typhoon Haiyan in 2013 and has since rebuilt. Non-divers come too, for snorkelling trips, quiet beaches and a day trip to the sandbar island of Kalanggaman.
Thresher dives leave around 5am for Monad Shoal. Sightings are frequent but never guaranteed. Other dives include Gato Island, a marine sanctuary with a swim-through tunnel, white-tip reef sharks and sea snakes, and sites with good macro life, including mandarin fish at dusk.
Walk the island in a couple of hours, through villages and to the lighthouse. Spend an afternoon on Langob or Bounty Beach. Take a day trip to Kalanggaman Island, roughly 1.5–2 hours by boat, a long sandbar with a strip of palm trees in the middle. And don't miss sunset from the north-west coast.
Insider notes
12 days · Essential / Boutique / Premium
Cebu • Malapascua • Moalboal • Bohol
All by road and sea, with no domestic flights: Cebu city's history and food, Malapascua's sharks, Moalboal's sardine run and canyons, then Bohol.
From €1,700per person ·
View journey →20 days · Essential / Boutique / Premium
Manila • Coron • Malapascua • Moalboal • Dumaguete
Four of the best dive areas in the country: the wrecks of Coron, thresher sharks at Malapascua, the sardine run at Moalboal, and Apo Island and macro diving at Dauin.
From €2,600per person ·
View journey →Use this journey as inspiration. Change the islands, hotels, pace, activities or number of nights.
Add Malapascua to my journeyAdvanced Open Water is recommended because of the depth. Some operators offer training on the island.
Around 4 hours by road to Maya port, then 30–45 minutes by boat.
Inside
The country's oldest city and the busiest hub in the Visayas, with the best lechon in the Philippines and waterfalls, whale sharks and reefs a few hours south.
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A small dive town on Cebu's west coast where millions of sardines swirl a few metres from shore and turtles graze on the reef wall.
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The Chocolate Hills, tiny tarsiers, a slow green river and the beaches of Panglao, all within an easy two hours of each other.
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