The Philippines Survival Expedition

It starts at the Busuanga Airport (USU) on Coron and ends at the Funny Lion Hotel on Coron. Arrive by 11am on Day 1; book your return flight for the final day any time.

We prioritise your safety on our expeditions to deserted islands. We carefully select islands based on factors such as the absence of dangerous animals and provide a thorough safety briefing. Our instructors are certified in wilderness first aid, and we work on a system of informed consent to inform you of potential risks. To learn more about the risks associated with our expeditions, please visit this page.

Our expeditions in the Philippines are typically taught by a combination of our local guide Don combined with one of our top instructors such as Tom Williams or Naomi Allsworth. All of which have featured in the survival show ‘Alone’.

In the bushcraft world, the minimalist approach wins. It’s more about resourcefulness, from making rope out of bark to devising a signal mirror from a piece of reflective material. Still, we advise you to come prepared with essential gear like weather-appropriate clothing, a sharp knife, a headlight, and a container for water. We supply the additional essentials, ranging from your sleeping apparatus to your cleaver.

Our expeditions are designed to be tough enough to promote self-growth, but not too tough that people quit. That said, about 1 in 30 people will give up and leave the island. The first 5 days are survival lite, building up one’s confidence and resilience in this entirely new environment. After that, the final 3-day survival phase is where the real challenge lies. You will feel hunger more perhaps than ever before and an element of discomfort. However, it is with these experiences that you will gain perspective and appreciation of the comfortable lives we live back home. One former castaway put it very well; it’s a ‘gratitude reset’.

You'll learn the following bushcraft skills:

• Making Coconut bowls
• Traps and hunting.
• Jungle sanitation and hygiene.
• Jungle navigation
• Rescue: Techniques for gaining attention.
• How to make cordage from natural fibres.
• Coconuts: opening and various uses.
• Primitive spearfishing
• Palm weaving
• Shelter: building techniques.
• Water: physiology, collection and disinfection.
• Solar stills, transpiration.
• Fire making: Bow drill, hand drill, bamboo fire saw as well as fire steel.
• Identification of flora and fauna for food, fire and other utilities.
• Fishing techniques: Making and using traps, spears.
• Fish identification, preparing and cooking fish
• Traditional cooking methods: Bamboo pot, leaf wraps, clay bakes and smoking racks.

It depends which part of the trip you're in. For the first five days, you eat well. Our Filipino chef cooks alongside us: fresh fish curries, rice, roasted veg, coconuts off the palm, and whatever you catch yourself on a handline or spear. There's usually rum going round after dark.

Then comes the 72-hour survival phase. No chef now, just you, your tribe, and what you can catch and forage. You'll feel real hunger, probably more than ever before. It's the hardest part, and the part people talk about for years. Hunger, it turns out, is the best sauce

Then we rescue you and you eat like royalty: cold drinks and fruit on the boat, a proper breakfast on dry land, and a survival feast in town that evening with all the drinks in.

Vegetarian or other dietary needs? Just tell us and we'll build the menu around you.

During the training phase, you'll be spending your nights in an expedition Hennessy Hammock equipped with mosquito nets. You'll be taught the necessary skills to construct your own sleeping quarters in the wilderness for the survival phase.

The hotel accommodation is based on a shared basis. In case you prefer a single room, you can request it on the booking form, but availability is not guaranteed.

The last night we stay at the Funny Lion Hotel or similiar. It is a quirky and charming boutique hotel located on the island of Coron in the Philippines with a lovely rooftop pool and beautiful panoramic views of the island. It's no wonder this place is almost always fully booked and we have to reserve our rooms a year in advance.