I visited the real Life Neverland and met the ‘Lost Boys’ – there is only one way to get there

Finding Neverland was not on the agenda when I opened Google Tickets and clicked through random destinations to decide my next vacation.

But here I am on a desert island, surrounded by towering sea cliffs and shipwrecks along an old pirate route in the Palawan archipelago of the Philippines.

The lost boys brought me here: to the uninhabited island of Cadlao, off the coast of El Nido.

But instead of the characters set by JM Barrie, these lost boys are the crew of Tao Filippijnen, those group expeditions about the West -Philippine Sea.

These remarkable seafarers, many the sons of ex-pirates, have been raised between the 11 islands that we explore on a five-night cruise of 155 miles (250 km) from El Nido, on Palawan Island, to Coron, on Busuanga.

They can navigate through the archipelago, catch fish from the boat, climb coconut palms and have a brutal, but friendly. feeling of spirit.

Our ship for the first two days is a 74ft wooden paraw, a traditional Filipino sailboat with tribal engravings and rigging, followed by a more modern boat to cross chagepier water.

While we sail from the port of El Nido, we are accompanied by a pod of dolphins that jump out of the water on just a few meters from the deck, while hundreds of tropical butterflies rise between the sails.

Of the 7,641 islands of the Philippines, we stay on five of the most remote, sleep in bamboo huts on otherwise deserted beaches with the bare essentials – a mattress, mosquito net, modest toilet block and a picnic bench for sharing meals that are all included in the round.

Some islands miss fresh water, so our shower is Alfresco, made from a snake and a water tank that hung on a tree.

We have been warned to keep our mouth shut during washing and using bottle water for brushing your teeth to prevent stomach complaints.

These remote institutions are made possible by the collaboration of TAO with local councils that guarantee a minimal ecological impact on this otherwise non -visited islands, so that they remain wild.

Every day the lost boys fish on our dinner, stagger in yellowvintonine, squid, tilapia and barracuda.

This is then barbecued and served on a gigantic banana leaf with ‘Filipino force’ – their name for the basic dish of the country, garlic rice. It is the definition of sea-to-plate.

On our first night, here on Cadlao Island, the party takes place within the light of our main fever and laughter fills the table, free from the distractions of electricity or WiFi.

The lost boys know exactly where to make the anchor fall for this hidden paradise and we swim to the coast, accompanied by a school with fish dancing at our feet.

The stunning limestone cliffs, dense vegetation and enchanting lagoon are reminiscent of Peter Pan’s Neverland.

In addition to his playful monkeys, fascinating monitor lizards and elusive snakes, this uninhabited gem is as the largest island in the El Nido archipelago with the highest peak, up to 609 meters above sea level.

And we all have it for ourselves for the night.

The trumpets of a shell marks the start of a new day and we sail to the island of Daracotan after an eggplant.

Zeester larger than my palm, decorate the seabed and the clown fish that withdrew into their hiding places while we explore the El Nido Shipwreck – a tugboatwrak that succumbed to Typhoon Herming in 1987.

But it is the deadly box jellyfish that are the most enchanting maritime life that we see on our journey, during the third night, spent on Culion Island.

When the coast is approaching through a tropical valley, we see the enormous translucent creatures being swept under the arch of the boat and I fear to think what would happen if I would dive for a swimming.

Nevertheless, the 23,000 inhabitants of the island do not seem to be filled by their presence and barefoots to their boats.

Once known as the ‘Island of No Return’, this spooky destination served as the world’s largest leprosarium in the early 1900s during the American colonization, the lost boys say.

Many were banned here under ACT 1711 of the Filipino committee and up to 60 percent of the treated people did not survive their first four years on the island.

What a place of despair was, slowly evolved into a community of more than 400 households, which led to a sanitary system, hospital, theater, town hall and school.

I get on the island through a rickety pontoon and I am grateful to hear that it is now leprosy-free.

It is difficult to introduce the dark history while we have speckled our way to our bamboo huts under a forest slide with pink rain lilies.

Now it’s a very different place.

In an open space bordered by fire flares, women from neighboring Coringdorp offer a massage an hourly body for only 1500 Filipino pesos (£ 20), with their children next to those who were on smartphones.

And on the waterfront is now a dipper bath made by humans with a view of the enchanting, albeit with Jellyfish-Tested Valley.

In the neighborhood, the Lost Boys fried lentil balls with Filipino force and vegetables and our team leader Joshua are tucking a guitar through a crackling bonfire.

The only activities – in addition to parties – share stories of the fire and dancing among the stars.

Thirty -two miles (52 km) Distance is our next stop Manlihan Island.

Often referred to as Cobra Island, it is bound to a local legend who speaks of Japanese soldiers who hide here during the Second World War.

When Vissers found the chest, it was supposedly decorated with a beautiful Golden Cobra.

Nowadays, the treasure hunt unfolds under the surrounding waters full of lively coral gardens and turtles.

When we are stopping breakfast on board the boat, we see a look with his head above the water and quickly swim next to it.

The expedition culminates on Harsgenguey Island, built in a Camp in Crusoe style from the remains of a Typhoon confused resort.

The white sand feels like a plush carpet and the water is so clear that you can see the bottom when your feet no longer touch the ground.

In contrast to earlier base camps, it is not short of facilities with beach volleyball, basketball, lounge spaces with hammocks, a fire dance show and a beach bar with beer, wine and cocktails.

Behind all this, a dry, grassy hill is garnished with three bamboo towers for the ultimate sundowners.

From here I look for the second star on the right and I am reminded of where it all started on Cadlao Island, the ‘Neverland of the Philippines’