Last Updated on 27 August, 2020
As I was quietly and curiously examining art pieces and trying on beautiful bracelets made by local artisans, the shop owner announced – ‘he’s here’. Our pick up has arrived and with only a ‘hello’, we and a few others got in a van. ‘The driver hasn’t even asked where we were going’, I was thinking, but at the end of the road the van turned left and I knew we were going the right direction.
We took the road from which in any direction you looked you could see lush vegetation – rice fields, palm tree forests, banana trees, hibiscus flowers to name a few. I was mesmerised by all the jungle beauty. When we reached a dirt road and started climbing uphill, I noticed a beautiful paradise island in the middle of Darocotan Bay. I couldn’t wait to be there!
When we arrived in Teneguiban village, we still had to take a boat to get to the island, but very soon I found out that to get on that boat, we needed to carry our luggage through the water that was deep up to our knees! I took my sandals off and prayed that I didn’t slip and fell in the water with my backpack loaded with all my electronics. I broke into a laugh and enjoyed that little adventurous moment as I have never had to board a boat like that before. However, I should have known by then that it’s the norm in the Philippines – I have swum from boats to reach the shore, dragged my suitcase through the sand, and now I was in the water carrying my suitcase and my backpack to a boat!
That’s how every small thing gets delivered to the camp. These boats go daily and apart from the guests they also bring fresh food and drinks.
Off we went and twenty minutes later we started to slow down and the beauty of Darocotan Island opened up right before us: a long white beach with tall palm trees swaying in the wind. There was no one else on it but a nice lady called Holly who welcomed us warmly and gave us coconut water to refresh.
We then got shown to our tent which was going to be our home for the next three nights, and moved right in! Our little new house was located right on the beach and we would wake up and fall asleep to the sound of waves and the sea was the first thing we saw when we got out of the tent.
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Breakfast, lunch and dinner were served at set times and the menu changed daily. The food at this camp was one of the best I have tried in the Philippines during my two-week stay. They serve a variety of Asian-fusion style dishes including meat, fish and vegetarian dishes. All meals were freshly prepared by their amazing chefs using local ingredients, and some that are found on Darocotan Island. I unconsciously immersed myself into every meal that I haven’t taken a single photo of my food, but I snapped a picture of my coffee mug because I loved how creative their decor details at the camp were.
Between the meals, we spent our time relaxing and reading a lot. Since there wasn’t any WiFi and I didn’t have a Philippines SIM card, it was a good opportunity for me to take a break from the virtual world. I put my phone on flight mode and just enjoyed being disconnected.
In the middle of the camp, there was this huge wooden building spanning over three floors that looked like a treehouse and served as a restaurant and a chill-out place. We loved it so much that we spent a lot of time in it.
The bathrooms were in these small huts located not too far from the tents. I loved how rustic they were with the stones and the plants in the shower rooms.
When we got tired of reading, we would take a break and go to the beach. We quickly started noticing these small, beautiful seashells and picked one up… we then also quickly learned (after jumping at first, of course) that those shells had hermit crabs living in them! The beach was full of those crabs but they were harmless.
Read More: A Guide to Kayaking in El Nido, The Philippines
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We then started to find bigger and more beautiful seashells and soon that became our daily hobby. I have never found such beautiful seashells and corals washed up on the shore before.
We started a little collection and placed them all outside our tent. Sadly, we couldn’t take the seashells with us and left them for the next ‘tenants’! Whoever found these beauties, I hope that it made them smile.
We also went to the other side of the island and explored it a little. We were in the jungle as soon as we stepped out of the camp and I chose to walk barefoot everywhere which allowed me to connect to nature even more.
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We often bumped into a pup, a cat or pigs freely running around which I was pleased about since I love animals.
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So much for trying to escape the real world, disconnect and pretend I didn’t get older by another year – I got splashed in the water during our morning swim and got yelled at ‘happy birthday’. I then got a stack of pancakes with a candle on them completed with a happy birthday song! This was the sweetest surprise by my lovely sister.
Being a massive sunset lover, I impatiently waited for evenings even if that meant we were closer to leaving the island. The sky would paint in hues of orange and pink and I couldn’t be happier. It was so breathtakingly beautiful that I felt like I was dreaming and couldn’t believe we were so far from home in a place that once I could only dream about. It was a real paradise!
When the sun went down, we would go to the treehouse and order our delicious dinner, sip on tasty cocktails, wine or local beer, and play Jenga and board games.
What I really loved about Dryft Camp is that they promote sustainability; it’s an eco-friendly camp that runs on solar power and is against plastic use. They highly encourage their guests to bring reusable water bottles and they don’t sell commercial drinks like coke, juice or soda to reduce plastic use. Sadly, there is still a lot of rubbish being washed up on the beautiful beach every single day. The staff collect them to keep it clean, but it’s really sad to see that the weirdest things end up on beaches.
Escape the crowds and book your unforgettable experience at Dryft Camp here. They are kind enough to offer a free shuttle and a boat both ways.
Tip! Pack light and take a small bag/suitcase which will make your life so much easier when getting to and off the boat. Also, there is limited space on the boat for everyone’s bag. Don’t forget mosquito repellent!
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