Frequently Asked Questions

Most trips take two to four weeks from first call to signed itinerary. Complex trips with multiple destinations take longer. We can move faster if needed, but the best trips are the ones we've had time to think about.

A private experience is yours alone from your guide, your boat, your driver, your pace. A group experience is a small set departure with 12 to 15 travelers, designed by us and run on a fixed date. Most of our clients book private. Group works for travelers who like the social side and don't mind the fixed schedule.

Angely Dub, our founder, oversees every itinerary. The Manila operations team - Shane and Ella - handle the bookings and logistics. Karlyne in the US is your point of contact from first call through the end of your trip.

Local guides we work with directly, in every destination. They're not employees of a tour agency. They're people who live where you're visiting and have worked with us for years. We don't outsource guides to third-party operators.

Hotel accommodation, daily breakfast, all private transfers, all guided experiences, entrance fees, environmental fees, domestic flights within the Philippines (where the trip requires them), and 24/7 support throughout your trip.

International flights, additional nights in Manila for connections (if needed), tips, food and drinks outside breakfast, and travel insurance.

Some are, some aren't. Meals are selected and outlined in your proposal, depending on the trip you're building. Some trips include a few special dinners; others include only breakfast. We're explicit about this on the proposal so there are no surprises.

We process tourist visas only for travelers booking directly with us. Most travelers from the US, UK, EU, Australia, and most of Southeast Asia don't need a visa for stays under 30 days. We can confirm based on your passport.

Yes. We require travel insurance for every trip. We don't sell it ourselves but we can recommend providers we've seen work well for travelers in the Philippines.

Start with the form on the contact page or send a message via WhatsApp. 

A 30% deposit is due on signing the proposal. The balance is due 60 days before departure. Both are paid by credit card or wire transfer. Bank fees on credit card payments apply.

US dollars.

Cancellations more than 90 days before departure are refundable minus a small administrative fee. Cancellations between 60 and 90 days are 50% refundable. Cancellations within 60 days are not refundable. We strongly recommend travel insurance to cover unexpected changes.

Boat days, island transfers, and outdoor experiences are weather-dependent. If a day is disrupted, we'll move it where possible. Cancellations because of weather are not refundable, but we make every effort to reschedule activities or substitute alternatives at no extra cost.

Yes. A growing number of our travelers are Filipinos based in the US, UK, Australia, and elsewhere who want to experience the country in a way that's different from a family trip or a province visit. The trip is the same standard either way.

Yes. Most of our destinations work for solo travelers. A single supplement applies, since most accommodation is priced per room rather than per person. Karlyne will explain the math on the call.

US dollaAbsolutely. Many of our trips work well for families. We'd usually recommend a private trip rather than a group experience for families with young children, since the pace is yours to set.rs.

Yes. Every guide we work with is fluent in English. Filipino is the lingua franca in most destinations, with regional languages spoken in specific provinces. English is widely understood.

For most destinations we work in, yes. We monitor government travel advisories and we don't send travelers anywhere we wouldn't go ourselves. Some areas of the country (parts of western Mindanao, the Sulu archipelago) carry advisories from foreign governments — we don't operate trips in those areas. For destinations like Surigao del Sur where the security situation can shift, we're transparent with travelers in advance.

International flights into Manila (NAIA) or Cebu (CEB) are the main entry points. Manila is the more common entry, with direct connections from most major hubs.

The Philippines is an archipelago, so most trips involve at least one domestic flight. We book all internal flights, ferries, and private transfers. Flights to smaller islands run on small aircraft and are weather-dependent — we build buffer time into every trip.

Explora Ahora is a private Philippines travel company, founded in 2024 as the sister company of Access Travel. Access Travel was founded in 2010 and has spent fifteen years building the relationships and operations that Explora Ahora now applies to one country.