• GUARANTEED snorkeling with at least one whaleshark in Donsol Bay (and very likely dozens more);
  
  
• Awesomely close encounters with the world's biggest fish from small motorized outriggers;
  
  
• Friendly and very hospitable local people eager to share their aquatic wonderland with visitors;
  
  
• Scenic mountainscapes and the rural countryside of southern Luzon Island;
  
  
• The excitement and dynamism of Manila, capital city of the Philippines

GUARANTEED SNORKELING ENCOUNTERS WITH WHALESHARKS!

Calidex was the first adventure travel company to bring an American group to the Donsol area of southern Luzon to experience the incredible, adrenalizing thrill of swimming with whalesharks.One of the very few locations on earth where the plankton-feeding whalesharks predictably appear, you are GUARANTEED to have an opportunity to snorkel (no scuba diving permitted) with these huge, gentle creatures or get a 100% cash refund of your land cost. Very limited accommodations and dive leader availability make early booking essential. This Calidex adventure is a truly world-class diving/snorkeling BIg Fish experience.

• GUARANTEED snorkeling with at least one whaleshark in Donsol Bay (and very likely dozens more);
  
  
• More incredible up-close intersections with these benign plankton-feeding behemoths;
  
  
• Ticao Island manta ray diving—very likely encounters at this time of year;
  
  
• The majesty—and threat—of the smoking Mayon Volcano looming over Legaspi;
  
  
• Hiking on the flanks of the Mayon Volcano—the world's most perfect natural cone
  

Trip Legs #1 & #2: The Whalesharks

In March and April Donsol Bay in southern Luzon is host to numerous visiting whalesharks. As many as 30 sightings a day occur, and encounters can last from less than a minute to an hour. Two rivers flow into Donsol Bay; visibility ranges from 15 ft. after a heavy rain to 35-50 ft. during dry periods, with April a typically dry month.

We spend two to three days cruising Donsol Bay in local outrigger fishing boats ("bancas") manned by experienced spotters and boatmen. The spotters work from lon high on ookout towers erected on the bancas. Once that large dark shape is spotted near the surface, the banca makes a close approach. Snorkelers then slip into the water, duck under the outrigger and thrill toone of the world's great aquatic encounters.

Six snorkelers are allowed in the water per fish. Strobe photography and whaleshark-riding are not permitted. The whaleshark search begins about 0800 and generally ends about 1300 when everyone heads to shore for lunch.

Accommodations are in a cluster of small cottages on the beach, and excellent fresh seafood and local specialties are served daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Trip leg costs includes all meals, lodging, guides, boats, ground transport, and excludes international and domestic Manila-Legaspi-Manila flights and gratuities.

TRIP LEG 3: THE VISAYAN ISLANDS: MINDORO TO LEYTE & SAMAR

• Exploring the jungles, WWII battlegrounds and tribal diversity of Leyte and Samar;
  
  
• Great diving off Mindoro's Puerto Galera;
  
  
• Outstanding regional cuisines such as coconut-based Bicol, and fresh abundant seafood
  
  
  
  

...and the Mantas

For divers, manta rays off nearby Ticao Island in the Masbate Strait offer high- probability encounters at this time of year. However, strong currents often occur and visibility can be reduced by especially heavy plankton loading.

Accommodations are limited and spartan; manta ray diving here is a rather pioneering endeavor, but exciting to be among the few who have sampled this area's marine life.