Area Daily: Snorkeling in Palawan, Philippines

Hankering to trade in the office cubicle for a blue lagoon in the South Pacific?

This April, you can spend 13 days snorkeling, paddling, and simply floating around Palawan, a spray of 1,760 islands in the Pacific, most often overlooked by the Tahiti and Fiji-bound, courtesy of Wilderness Travel.

Trip leader and marine biologist Lee Goldman will take you into the Bay of Donsol, home to the world’s largest number of whale sharks, before kayaking into natural caves and through towering limestone cliffs, surrounded by miles of spectacular coral reefs teeming with colorful fish.

Snorkel the crystal-clear waters by day, and spend nights camping at secret lagoons (with air mattresses, nightlights, fans, and screened ceilings for stargazing) and wallowing at beachfront resorts with four-poster Fijian beds.

The grand finale is a magical opportunity to swim with the world’s rarest marine mammals, the dugongs that graze in Palawan’s bountiful sea grass beds.

Departure: April 14–26