One of the most incredible experiences that I’ve had in the Philippines, and perhaps across all of my travels, is swimming with whale sharks in Southern Leyte. Known as tiki-tiki in the local language, these gentle giants have been coming to feed off the shores of Pintuyan for as long as anyone can remember. Recently, Pintuyan has started to draw tourists from around the world due to the whale sharks’ fondness of its plankton-rich waters. While whale sharks can be found in many parts of the Philippines, Pintuyan stands out due to its ethical approach to whale shark tourism.

However, it wasn’t always that way. The history of the whale sharks in Pintuyan is a tumultuous one, harboring a tragic past but also promising a bright future. Up until 2011, the local fishermen viewed these enormous creatures as nothing more than nuisances. The whale sharks kept getting caught in their fishing nets. For that reason alone, they would kill them without a second thought. Not for food or resources — just the same way someone would swat at a mosquito that was bothering them. It wasn’t until 15 years ago when the local officials realized the tourism potential that whale sharks were bringing to other parts of the Philippines, like Oslob and Bohol. In 2017, the municipality of Pintuyan began organizing excursions to swim with the whale sharks.

Despite the horrifying relationship that humans and whale sharks had in the past, the future is highly promising. Unlike unethical whale shark tours in Oslob, there is no feeding involved with the whale shark tours in Pintuyan. As of right now, Pintuyan remains very under-the-radar. The whale shark diving experience is far different than more commercialized locations around the world. During our visit, we were the only boats out in the water, and only three of us were in the water with the whale shark.

The head of tourism also accepts boats from Cebu and other parts of Leyte, but has done his best to ensure an ethical and responsible experience. There is no feeding and no touching of the whale sharks allowed. If anyone is caught doing otherwise, then a harsh ban of all boats coming from outside of Pintuyan is implemented. Starting in 2024, Pintuyan even has a Tiki-Tiki Festival, celebrating the whale sharks and Pintuyan, with the aspirations that they succeed and thrive together. Is it sad that it took tourism potential for the whale sharks to start being protected? Yes, but whatever the purpose, the important thing is that changes happened, and it happened very quickly. During my visit to Pintuyan, the overarching attitude towards whale sharks is one of gratitude and celebration, and hey, better late than enever.

I had an unforgettable time in Pintuyan. I can’t recommend it enough for anyone seeking a responsible way to swim with these magnificent animals. Here is everything you need to know before heading off to swim with whale sharks in Pintuyan.

And hey, if this post helps you out, show some love and support for the blog and help keep my adventures going by buying me a beer! My adventures are entirely self-funded, so any show of support is greatly appreciated. It allows me to keep providing free travel guides and creating travel content to help you all travel the world.

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Table of Contents

• How To Get To Pintuyan
• Where To Stay in Pintuyan
• Best Time of Year To Visit Pintuyan
• Organizing the Whale Shark Excursion
• What To Expect on the Whale Shark Tour
• Other Things To Do in Pintuyan
• Closing Thoughts
• Buy Me A Beer!
• More on The Philippines

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How To Get To Pintuyan

Getting to Pintuyan was a real doozy. I honestly don’t blame anyone for not making the journey over to Leyte. It is far from straightforward, requiring multiple legs no matter how you choose to tackle it. However, like most places in the Philippines, there are many different ways to make a journey happen. The Philippines is constantly on the move, even the smallest of fishing towns. There is always a way.

Fly to Tacloban then Bus to Pintuyan

The quickest way to reach Pintuyan would be to fly into Tacloban, the capital and largest city of Leyte. Manila and Cebu both have direct flights to Tacloban. Although flights aren’t as frequent as to other tourist destinations, you can usually bet on finding one or two per day. Try to book these in advance as they can get expensive if you wait too long.

After flying into Tacloban, take a bus or van to Sogod in Southern Leyte. The journey to Sogod takes about three hours, but it can depend on how frequently the bus makes stops. From Sogod, take a bus towards San Ricardo Port. Specify that you will get off at Pintuyan. The driver will drop you off on the highway at the entrance to town. From there, it is only a 5-minute walk to Pintuyan.

Ferry to Bato and Bus to Pintuyan

This is the route we took, with Bato Port being a common entry point into Leyte for travelers coming from islands like Cebu and Bohol. We took the Mama Mary ferry from Ubay, Bohol leaving at 12:30 PM and arriving into Bato at around 3 PM. Keep in mind that Ubay is on the complete other side of Bohol from tourist hotspots like Panglao and Tagbilaran City. We needed to take an hour-long taxi from Panglao to the Ceres Bus terminal in Tagbilaran, then took the bus for three hours before reaching Ubay. You’ll also need a tricycle to get from Ubay’s bus terminal to the port.

There are multiple departures from Ubay port, including a slow boat and fast boat option. The port was very chill, and not nearly as chaotic as some of the more popular tourist destinations in the Philippines. It was a smooth two-hour ride from Ubay to Bato, with everyone practically getting a row to themselves. From there, we took a bus to Sogod and then a bus to Pintuyan. Our accommodation in Pintuyan also offered us a private tricycle pickup from Bato port for 1,700 pesos.

Ferry to San Ricardo and Van or Tricycle to Pintuyan

This might be the fastest way to reach Pintuyan, but one that few travelers will naturally find themselves on. From Surigao del Norte, there are ferries that go to San Ricardo, just 15 minutes south of Pintuyan. From there, you can find a van heading north or pay a small fee to get a private tricycle to take you to Pintuyan. There are flights to Surigao del Norte from Manila and Cebu.

Where To Stay in Pintuyan

One of the most charming things about Pintuyan is that it still has that authentic, real feel of a village, rather than just a small town that is dominated by hotels and tourist establishments. The beachfront still consists entirely of local houses, a basketball court, the public markets, and the street food night market. The few hotels in Pintuyan are all within a minute or two’s walk away from the ocean, but are fairly small and unassuming.

We initially booked Mama Ling’s, which looked promising, but we had a bit of a shady experience with them upon booking. It really piled onto the horrendous travel day we were already having, looking forward to a lovely seaside room and large garden to hang out in. Instead, we were redirected to a cramped motel room with ugly, iridescent lighting. Mama Ling’s was apparently under renovation, but not once were we informed about it during our many correspondences beforehand. Since it was already late and we had just come off of 14 hours of traveling, we decided to spend the night at the CM Tourist Inn before moving the next morning.

Objectively, CM Tourist Inn wasn’t bad, but the dishonestly left a bad taste in my mouth. The following morning, we moved over to D&G Transient House. This is the OG tourist hotel of Pintuyan, and they are a one-stop shop for everything you need. The rooms are pretty solid, and the views from the rooftop are absolutely stunning. While they don’t have a full restaurant or menu, they do offer food downstairs, which is convenient for when nothing else is open, which is quite frequent in Pintuyan. The rooms range from 1,200 for a 2-person room to 1,800 pesos per night for a 4-person room.

Best Time Of Year To Visit Pintuyan

Because whale sharks are migratory creatures, they aren’t always in this area. However, the plankton-rich waters do keep them around for a large chunk of the year. The best time of year to visit to maximize your chances of seeing whale sharks would be between November to June. Outside of these months, it might still be possible to see them. However, this also coincides with the monsoon season. During this time, the municipal tourism office does not organize tours due to the added risk of inclement weather and rough seas.

How To Organize the Whale Shark Tours in Pintuyan

Organizing the whale shark excursions in Pintuyan is a hassle-free experience. Everything goes through the municipal tourism office. Once you’re all settled in, just pop over to the tourism office located in municipal hall and have a chat with the people working there. Engineer Edilberto and Tita Sheena will sort everything out for you. They know everything that goes on in their waters, including all the boats coming and going from other parts of the Philippines. Although we were considering a morning departure, they recommended us to go in the afternoon, after the boats coming from Padre Burgos had left. It was an excellent suggestion, and a refreshingly honest experience after the multitude of less-transparent interactions we had already had during our brief time in Leyte.

We headed back to Municipal Hall about 15 minutes before the time of our whale shark tour to sign some forms and waivers, and take a picture in front of their whale shark poster, of course. Next up, they ordered a tricycle to take us to the small fishing village of Son-Ok. This costs an additional 30 pesos per person. The trike will drop you off at a small shop where you can rent the snorkeling gear and fins at a cost of 150 pesos. These are absolutely necessary. Finally, you’ll walk over to a beachside hut where you will pay for the excursion and meet your team.

The cost depends on how many passengers you have on your boat. I believe the cost is 3,100 pesos for one person, 3,400 for two people, and 3,700 for three. It isn’t hard to meet other people to split the costs with, especially since everyone stays at D&G Transient House. Edilberto can also help find people to share the costs with, and he put us together with a French solo traveler.

What To Expect on the Whale Shark Tour

After paying, you’ll hop on the small bangka with your guide and the boat captain. Two spotters will join you in smaller, non-motorized canoes to assist in the search for whale sharks. They will get towed until you reach a promising area, and then they’ll detach from the boat to paddle around and search for any whale shark movement.

Remember, whale shark sightings are not guaranteed. When we came to Pintuyan, we planned on staying for four nights to maximize our chances at seeing the whale sharks. Since each excursion lasts about three hours, we were fully prepared to go at it twice a day every day until we saw whale sharks. Admittedly, we were a little scarred by our tiger-tracking experience in Nepal’s Bardiya National Park, where we spent nearly 12 hours a day on safari without seeing anything for almost a week.

Thankfully, the whale sharks played significantly less hard-to-get. Emphasis on significantly. I was not expecting to see them so quickly, and I was still busy admiring the Jurassic Park-esque scenery when our spotters pointed them out. Our boat sped towards them before shutting off the engine and circling the area to search for their shadows and movements in the water.

Be ready to dive into the ocean at a moment’s notice. As soon as they see one, you need to be in the water within seconds, otherwise, you might miss your chance. The first time, I was completely unprepared, and only caught a glimpse of it. I forgot to rinse the soap out of my goggles, and by the time my stinging eyes had recovered, everyone else, whale shark included, were already about 50 meters away. Thankfully, we encountered quite a few more, some of them spending several minutes circling in our area. It was a spectacular experience, and I still can’t really come up with a way to describe it.

They are so frighteningly enormous, yet the way that they glide in the water makes them seem as graceful as an Olympic figure skater. They move deceptively slow, but one or two flicks of its tail fin and it could be gone before you know it. I remember one of the times I dove into the water and it was right beneath our bangka. Despite how deep down it was, it was unmistakable large, perhaps twice the size of our boat. No matter how many times we jumped in the water, it never got old. I was in awe the entire time. It didn’t feel like real life. Honestly, just experience it for yourself and you will understand what I mean.

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Other Things to do in Pintuyan

The whale sharks are the undisputed highlight of the region, but there is more to Pintuyan than their tiki-tikis. Pintuyan is a tiny, tiny town. The population is a little over 10,000, and the economy still relies mostly on fishing. However, tourism is growing in the region, albeit very slowly. Like the recent realization that whale sharks were actually an excellent thing to have around, more and more of Pintuyan and Panaon Island are being recognized as tourist attractions. Locals are like, “y’know what? these things we’ve taken for granted our whole lives are pretty dang cool, and we should share them with the world!” From marine life-rich snorkeling areas, to random side quests like squid fishing, Pintuyan has just enough to keep you busy outside of whale shark excursions.

Go Squid Fishing At Sunset

Just off the coast of Pintuyan town, the fishermen congregate around sunset to catch pygmy squid. Once the waters cool down, the squid start to emerge after hiding from the sun all day, making early evening the prime time to catch them. This is quite a random activity, but for the price of 180 pesos, we figured there wasn’t much to lose. To be honest, I just wanted to be out on the water for the sunset, and I got exactly that. Despite being an absolute failure of a Filipino and catching zero squid, going out on the small canoes with local fishermen was a highlight of our time in Pintuyan. I felt like I was in Moana’s village, sailing with a hundred small canoes at sunset back to shore, tugging on our fishing lines along the way. For that alone, it was simply a surreal experience.

But wait, there’s more. Whatever you and your fisherman catch, you get to keep and grill at the night market afterwards. Although the three of us combined for a grand total of four squid, our fishermen also gave us their catch, leading to a massive feast of squid adobo and squid barbecue for dinner. Normally, they sell the squid for 1 peso each, so everyone got a good deal out of it.

Rent a Scooter and Joyride Around Panaon Island

Taking a motorbike out and cruising along Panaon Island’s stunning coastline is an activity in itself. Scoot-scooting my way around South East Asia is a favorite pastime of mine, and Southern Leyte might be one of my favorite places I’ve ever joyrided (joyrode?). The landscapes are distractingly beautiful, from the dense jungly mountains to the vast, blue ocean. The curving mountain roads were also a hoot to scoot. The scooter rental at D&G Transient House cost only 500 pesos per day.

Party it up at Lapjahan ni Jandine

While Pintuyan won’t make a “Top Nightlife Destinations of the Philippines” post anytime soon, that doesn’t mean you can’t find a good time in this small fishing village. After having a few beers together at the night market, Pintuyan’s head of tourism kept the party going and took us to a beachfront karaoke bar called Lapjahan ni Jandine. It was an unreasonably good time here. Since we were the only tourists in town, the few groups of locals in the bar quickly adopted us and we karaoke’d and budotsed the night away.

Explore Mount Caningag Resort

Caningag Mountain View Resort is located about 15 minutes from Pintuyan town, in Barangay Buenavista. To get here, you can hop on a tricycle for 100 pesos per person. It is a great spot to watch the sunset, as you’ll get breathtaking panoramic views of all of Panaon Island and the vast sea. They also have accommodation options, so staying here is an option if you don’t mind being more isolated from town. It is open to the public to visit even if you aren’t a guest.

Visit the Marine Parks of Tagbak, Napantao, and Pintuyan

We ended up at Tagbak Marine Park during our joyride around Panaon Island. With an entrance fee of only 20 pesos, we weren’t expecting much, but Tagbak was unbelievably beautiful. The scenery is stunning, with some of the clearest waters I’ve ever seen. Leyte’s palm forests made for a lush, jungly backdrop. Sea turtles swam around in the shallow waters, and we saw close to a dozen during the time we spent at Tagbak. It is possible to snorkel here, but bring your own gear as they didn’t have any available when we visited.

Along with Tagbak, there are a few other marine sanctuaries in Southern Leyte. Pintuyan has its own, although the premises are currently under renovation. We were also recommended Napantao, which is closer to Pintuyan and supposedly beautiful. There is very little online to be found regarding Panaon Island and Pintuyan, so we missed quite a few local gems during our Scooter-Without-A-Cause joyride.

Don’t worry, we will be back.

Before setting off on motorbike adventures across the Philippine islands, make sure you have a plan for staying connected. I use Saily eSIM to keep me online during my travels, ensuring that I have internet from the moment I land to the moment I leave. Navigating directions, coordinating travel plans with new hostel friends, booking a ride, and so on – having an eSIM makes life that much easier when you’re on the road. Data packages for the Philippines start at just $3, and you can use my code “eli5” for an additional 10% off of your first Saily eSIM.

Closing Thoughts on Pintuyan and Whale Sharks

Among my many travel experiences in the Philippines, my time in Pintuyan truly stands out. The Philippines has no shortage of incredible travel destinations, but being in Pintuyan felt like experiencing my country at its purest and most untouched. There were no pushy salesmen, no tourist crowds, and very little development or tourist infrastructure. Being out on the water, with sea turtles swimming past you, flying fish skimming across the sea, and of course, the majestic whale sharks themselves, I felt like I was transported to a time gone by. Part of me had accepted that there were no more untouched paradises in the world, but Pintuyan proved me wrong.

Pintuyan, and its wonderful people, provided us with such a special experience. It was worth every grueling step of the journey to get there, and I plan on doing that journey many times more to visit this magical gem of the Philippines.

Buy Me A Beer!

If this post helped you out, show some love and support for the blog and help keep my adventures going by buying me a beer! My adventures are entirely self-funded, so any show of support is greatly appreciated, and allows me to keep writing helpful travel guides and creating travel content to help you all travel the world on a budget.

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