Southern Leyte

Southern Leyte’s bowlegged rump straddles Sogod Bay, where whale sharks frolic from about mid-October to late April. The sharks here are fewer and more elusive than their more famous cousins in Donsol, but for many this just makes the thrill of spotting one that much greater. For now the village of Pintuyan, where the whale sharks congregate, is a far cry from the butanding-chasing frenzy of Donsol. That’s largely because whale sharks only recently started coming to Pintuyan. They were once further north, near Lilo-an, but have gradually moved south – some say because of increased boat traffic around Lilo-an. The hope is that Pintuyan is too remote to draw Donsol’s hordes. If you go, tread softly around these beasts and go only with sanctioned operators, who are collectively working to control the number of visitors.