“Highly recommended for shark lovers (and all kinds of multicolored coral and fish, you can't finish them), medium-low difficulty l…”
Highlights
Specially designed for Tubbataha liveaboard diving, the Narayana yacht caters to up to 14 guests in 8 cozy cabins. Each cabin features private en-suite bathrooms, individually controlled AC, and storage space and offers queen-size double or twin bunk beds. The 6 double cabins on the middle deck also have a private balcony, perfect for relaxing in-between dives. Meals are served buffet-style in the indoor dining room and mix Western and local dishes. Social areas include the outdoor dining and lounge area and sun deck.
Philippine liveaboard dive cruises aboard the Narayana visit the Tubbataha National Park from March to June and El Nido, Coron & Apo Reef from October to December. Diving in Tubbataha Reef is only accessible via liveaboard and is fast becoming known as one of the best places to dive in the Philippines. With over 600 species of fish, 11 species of shark, and 13 species of dolphins and whales, it's easy to see why. These trips fill up fast, so booking in advance is advisable. The National Park of Apo Reef is home to the largest reef system in the Philippines and is full of marine life, large and small, offering excellent diving. Add to this the wrecks of Coron and the pristine waters of El Nido, and you will have a fantastic dive trip.
The experienced dive guides and crew are waiting to show you the underwater beauty of the Philippines. Book online today.
Choose your departure date
Included: VAT, Drinking Water, Tea & Coffee, Full-Board Meal Plan (All meals), Snacks, Diving Package, Cabin Towels, Complimentary Toiletries.
Required Extras: National Park Fees (100 EUR per trip).
Optional Extras: Gratuities (100 EUR), Alcoholic Beverages, Soft drinks, Rental Gear, Laundry / Pressing Services, WiFi internet (20 EUR).
Book now, pay later: You can easily place your booking online. We will then hold the spaces for you and you can confirm with a payment later.
* Extra fees are shown per person.
Pay by bank transfer or online with
Drawings & Vessel Layouts
Cabin Types
Narayana Reviews
- 8.1 Very good
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Vessel
6.3
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Crew
8.2
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Food
9.3
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Diving
8.7
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Value
7.9
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- 8.8 Fabulous
- Sophia S
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United States
Good Budget Tubbataha Option
Cabin: Our cabin was very nice, but that was because we were surprisingly given room #8. According to Cap. Pablo, this is the nicest room because it is in range of the wifi. We also found that it (unlike the other rooms) had the least amount of cabin noise (very quiet) and that the AC was not shot off to run the compressors. Only complaint was no hot water. If you are worried about cabin conditions reported in other reviews, I would suggest requesting or even paying to stay in room #8. Food & Water: Unlimited purified water for consumption with temp control. Two very appreciated on-deck hoses for gear and body rinses post dive. However fresh water to shower was pretty limited and had to use caution, but we made it through the whole voyage without running out. The food included on board was great and filling, lots of snacks, we only have one suggestion: more mango!!! Staff & Dive guides: The staff were always kind and talkative, especially Cap. Pablo who was a kind soul and Guide Edu who always entertained by nerdy dive questions. Our group's guide Job (2 groups on board, each with a guide) was kind, competent, and eagle eyed despite being new to the location. Diving: The diving for us did not meet our expectations. This was not the boat's fault- they gave us consistently 60-65 min dives and took us to the sites we requested! We just didn't see any pelagic life (Go during full moon in the cool plankton season April/May for best chance) and the corals were not as healthy as the locations reputation suggests. Lot's of damage to the hard corals at most sites due to past bleachings.
- Recommended for
- Friendly staff (Cap Pablo and Edu!). Nice Cabin (Big bed- room 8). Budget Price (relative to other Tubbataha options).
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- 4.8 Review score
- Jonas D
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United States
Skip this boat
Please beware of this boat. The boat is severely outdated and under serviced. The bathrooms and rooms are disgusting and bare bones. The AC units are only operational at night. There are no communal spaces with AC during the day. The crew was very nice and the dive guides great. Unfortunately, there are no cabins on this boat dedicated to the crew. These means the crew needs to sleep outside in communal areas. We have done many liveaboards from backpacker to luxury and this has been the most uncomfortable boat we have experienced. The diving was pretty good but not the best… certainly not good enough to justify a trip on this boat.
- Recommended for
- Terrible Accommodations. AC at Night Only!. Cold Shower Only.
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- 8.4 Very good
- Steven D
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United States
Great liveaboard for the money!
The staff was amazing. Overly helpful. Did stuff I could easily handle, but went out of their way to go above and beyond to make it as great a trip as they could. The dive guides were amazing.
- Recommended for
- The staff, the diving, the location
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- 8.8 Fabulous
- Andrei B
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United States
Tubbataha is nice and Narayana is a safe and economical way to explore it
Narayana exceeded my expectations. Although the dive deck is pretty crowded, the crew tried their best to make diving convenient to everyone. The rooms have huge panoramic windows, the A/C at night works great, the food is mostly Philippine, which is perfect, as it gives an opportunity to explore new flavors. And the diving was very nice: beautiful corals, plenty of fishes, great visibility…
- Recommended for
- Crew attentiveness and flexibility, varied itinerary, rooms with huge windows
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- 5.6 Review score
- Mark E
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United Kingdom
Worse liveaboard ever !!
The cabins are not fit for purpose. I have done 25-30 liveaboard & this boat was the worse by a mile.The window wouldn't close properly in our cabin. When sailing the water would come in. Cabin 1 & 2 have an excessive engine noise & fumes coming through the floor. I thought that we might become another wreck! There is nowhere near enough outside space. The boat had only 12 guests but more than about 6 or 8 is cramped. Save a few quid & dive Malapascua instead. Much better experience for about half the price.
- Recommended for
- Our dive guide,Paul. The crew were really good. The chef is very good too.
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- 9.2 Superb
- yujin S
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South Korea
It was a wonderful trip But no whale shark.
As a novice diver, I am often attracted to large fish species and group dances rather than macro or muck dive. whale shark was the most anticipated treasure of the trip, but it did not meet. But I could see the Manta ray, Barakuda, and Jackfish.
- Recommended for
- Reasonable price, friendly crew and dive master, small group
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- 8.8 Fabulous
- Adam M
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United Kingdom
Amazing experience
Pristine coral reefs
- Recommended for
- Coral reefs, friendly crew, sharks
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- 10 Exceptional
- Geoff G
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United Kingdom
Good value, everything was to a very decent standard for price
Diving with hammerheads! Really liked dive gude Don!
- Recommended for
- Staff couldn't help enough, super friendly and social crew, food plentiful and quality
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- 8.0 Very good
- Catherine O
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Philippines
Would book again just for the lovely staff. Cabins left something to be desired.
The staff was really very friendly and helpful, though most were shy to speak in English so the foreign divers didn’t feel that as much as I did. I would book again though just to spend time with the staff again cause they really were very lovely. The cook clearly put a lot of love into his dishes, and I think the food would really shine with higher quality ingredients. I appreciated the small group (14 divers max). We had two dive groups and getting into the water was quick and efficient. The cabins were alright, but could be better designed and maintained. Some simple improvements can make a world of difference (thicker mattress, better pillows, doorknob instead of latches, cleaning stains from the windows and switches, etc). The bathroom has a “stale water” smell in my opinion – perhaps some coffee grounds would help neutralize that. But I really appreciated that the bathroom had a bidet! Staff would fix up our cabins every day which I also appreciated. Towels provided would shed like crazy — another easy but big improvement to make. I mostly avoided the cabins and stayed in the common area when I could, which was nice. If there were more space, some lounge chairs would be great. The biggest problems for me were: - The staff didn’t have their own beds or cabins. They had to sleep in the common area when the divers weren’t there. It isn’t comfortable, and it meant that the staff couldn’t rest at all during the day as the divers would be out and about then. I think small renovations to the captain’s area and a reserved cabin with an additional bunk bed for the crew would be great. It would mean 2 less divers could join, but the staff really made the trip for me. I imagine they’d make an even better impression on guests if they were properly rested. - The smoke coming from the engine. I could smell it when we were moving in the common area, and in the cabins as our AC was broken so we kept the windows open. Overall, I had a good time. I may go for a different liveaboard the next time around, but I don’t regret this trip. I loved the staff and the people I met on the group. I got to know them all quite well too since we were only a few people on board. My only recommendation if you join this boat, bring your own towel and a good amount of extra cash to tip the staff!
- Recommended for
- Staff, small group, toilets had bidets
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- 7.2 Good
- Celine B
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France
Great dives but aging boat
Despite the difficult conditions, we were able to make some nice dives and the crew did everything possible to make sure we had a good stay. The guides and the crew were very attentive.On the other hand, the boat is aging: latches that slide with the door that opens in the middle of the night, window that doesn't close and the water that enters and soaks the bed while we sail, faulty air conditioning... We didn't feel safe in the cabins.
- Recommended for
- Friendly crew. Food. Diving.
