An Exploration and Adventure Trip

“Banwa Private Island – A Two-Part Adventure” premiere screening
filmed on location and produced by Asian Air Safari

This week, more than 200 visitors from the Philippines, Hong Kong, and other countries saw a sneak peek at the documentary “Banwa Private Island – A Two Part Adventure,” which was produced by Asian Air Safari and shot on location.

The entrance to Palawan’s extraordinarily rich and varied terrestrial and marine ecosystem is located on Banwa Private Island. In the local Palawano language, “banwa” literally means “community,” and the Tagbanwa people are regarded as the protectors of the area’s natural heritage. Through its Aquos Foundation, whose mission is to maintain, nurture, and protect the island’s unique biodiversity, proceeds from the island directly benefit infrastructure and educational initiatives in the region.

The documentary highlights how guests are coming from around the world to explore the culture, history and ecology of this unique region.  A truly private island with just 6 beautiful villas, guests enjoy un-paralleled hospitality from the Banwa Private Island team whilst being entranced by the nature, wildlife, beaches and stunning turquoise water in this mosquito free environment.  Within just a 20-minute radius, there are an array of activities including snorkeling, diving, hiking, an underground river, waterfalls and unique wildlife indigenous to the area.

The documentary was produced by the enigmatic and humbling Captain Joy Roa, CEO Of Asian Air Safari, who commented:  “I was given a beautiful opportunity to visit this incredible island with its rich bio-diversity, right in our own backyard in the Philippines. Flying with the helicopter for only two hours from Manila allowed me to see this private world – a distinctive combination of luxurious pampering and hospitality, wildlife encounters, and authentic, meaningful interactions with the local community. Experiencing it all first-hand makes me proud that an award-winning, world-class property like Banwa Private Island can be found in the Philippines, because it defines what positive, impactful travel should be.”

Banwa Private Island is the vision of Richard Beattie who has been exploring the region for over 20 years and cannot escape the charm and lure of these islands.  Richard commented, “We are so grateful to Captain Joy and his brilliant team for this incredible documentary.  It enables people to have an insight into the sounds, smells, culture and scenery of this almost unknown region and Captain Joy immersed himself into every aspect of what the region offers.  His generosity is unbounded, and he appears to have found quite a few future pilots for his team from the eager local school children!”

The finest of the luxury travel industry, who have already scheduled guest visits to the island from far-off places like Brazil, China, and Europe, as well as a surprising number of people from Manila who were previously unaware of the adventure that awaits them in Palawan, made up the international audience that attended the screening.

A fantastic teaser of the two-part documentary can be viewed
 via this link. The video will be available for general viewing in March.