El Nido is located on the island of Palawan, which is rated one of the most beautiful islands in the Philippines! El Nido surely did not disappoint any expectations that we had for this incredibly beautiful island destination. The most amazing things to do here are the El Nido island hopping tours! There are tons of little islands and breathtaking lagoons off the coast of El Nido.
- El Nido Island Hopping
- Things to Know for Your El Nido Island Hopping Tour
- Best El Nido Beaches
- Where is El Nido?
- How to Get to El Nido
- Where to Stay in El Nido
- How to Get Around El Nido
- Best Time to Visit El Nido
Though island hopping is the main attraction, there are also some amazing beaches in El Nido too! In this travel guide, you will find information about the different island hopping tours and the best El Nido beaches to visit during your trip to this incredible destination.
El Nido Island Hopping
If you are going to El Nido, you are going to want to do one or more of the island hopping day tours. Going by boat is the only way to get to some of the most beautiful places in El Nido! There are 4 different options of El Nido tours (which are the same across all the companies). The companies even charge the same amount to keep competition down.
The 4 different El Nido island hopping tour options are distinguished by Tour A, B, C, or D. Tours A and C are the most popular among tourists because they visit some of the most famous locations.
The El Nido island hopping cost for a group tour ranges from 1,200 PHP to 1,400 PHP, which is between $20 and $25 USD per person.
We decided to do tour A with Discover El Nido. Tour A was their recommendation for us because it hits some of the most beautiful locations in El Nido. When you visit, you will notice that almost all the tour companies will try to gear you towards tours A and C, noting that they are the most popular.
Tour A
Big Lagoon, Secret Lagoon, Shimizu Island, and Seven Commandos Beach
Some tour companies will take you to Small Lagoon, while others take you to Big Lagoon. They have done this in order to keep crowds down as the lagoons become more and more popular with tourists. Discover El Nido took us to Big Lagoon, and it was our favorite stop on the entire tour!
Tour A also takes you to the Secret Lagoon, which is definitely no secret anymore. It was the first stop on our tour, and it was already filling up with tourists. It is extremely beautiful, as you walk through a little rock opening and enter into a small lagoon with towering rock walls. As tourists kept pouring into the lagoon, we decided to go enjoy the beach on the outside of the lagoon before our boat took off to the next stop.
The second stop took us to a snorkeling spot by Shimizu island where we saw lots of fish and amazing coral.
We then went to Shimizu Beach, where we had a lunch buffet on the beach, which is prepared by the boat crew!
The next stop for us was Big Lagoon, which ended up being our favorite stop! You can rent a kayak to enter Big Lagoon, which is an extra fee of 300 PHP ($5 USD). It is definitely worth it! It is absolutely breathtaking as you kayak and watch the water change from aqua to dark blue as the lagoon gets deeper!
And lastly, you will end the tour on 7 Commandos Beach. A very nice beach with clear water. You can choose to snorkel some more, swim, or relax on the sand with a drink from one of the stands!
Tour B
Snake Island, Pinagbuyutan Island, Entalula Beach, Cudugnon Cave, and Cathedral Cave
We did not do Tour B, so I cannot give a first-hand experience. However, I do know that we would not have been disappointed with any of the tours because everywhere in El Nido is strikingly beautiful!
Tour C
Helicopter Island, Matinloc Shrine, Secret Beach, Talisay Beach, Hidden Beach
We did not have time to do Tour C either, but it is also one of the most popular tours, so of course you will not be disappointed! Many of the tour companies will recommend that you do tours A and C if you only have time fore two.
Tour D
Nat Nat Beach, Cadlao Lagoon, Pasandigan Cove, Paradise Beach, and Bukal Island
After doing Tour A, we decided we wanted to try to do one of the less popular tours to avoid the crowds of people. Don’t get me wrong, Tour A was incredible, but it does get very busy.
It was a little difficult to schedule Tour D because many places didn’t have enough people wanting to do Tour D, and they will only go out if they can fill up a boat.
We ended up scheduling the tour with Adventure Island Travel & Tours after visiting their office because they were confident that we would be able to do Tour D.
We really enjoyed our time on Tour D because there were hardly any other group tour boats at the locations with us, sometimes having it to just the people on our boat!
Tour D included a few different beaches, snorkeling spots, and another absolutely amazing lagoon! Cadlao Lagoon was just as impressive as Big Lagoon!
The day was very relaxed as we hopped around to different beaches, which are actually all on or around Cadlao Island.
Private Tours
There is also the option to take a private boat, which is a wonderful option for anyone who wants to try and avoid crowds of people and have a little more freedom on the tour. We would have loved to do a private boat tour, but it was a little out of our price range.
The private boat tours cost around $14,000 PHP for 2 people, which is $250 USD. If you are not sticking to a tight budget, or you have a larger group of people, this could be a great option!
Things to Know for Your El Nido Island Hopping Tour
If you are on a tour that involves one of the lagoons, you will need a kayak to go into the lagoon. The kayaks cost about 300 PHP, which is only about $5 USD. Just make sure you have cash on you because you do not want to miss the opportunity to kayak into the lagoons!
There is also an Eco Tourism Development Fee that costs 200 PHP, and it is good for 10 days. We got a reciept for paying the fee when we did our first tour, and then had to show the receipt when booking our second tour, so make sure you hold on to the receipt if you plan to do more than one of the island hopping tours!
Big Lagoon and Small Lagoon now have an extra entry fee of 200 PHP, which is not included in the tour prices.
Lunch is provided on all of the tours. It is a seafood buffet that is actually very good, as long as you like seafood!
You will have to get in the water to get in and out of the boat at all of the locations. The boat does provide lifejackets if you are not comfortable with swimming.
Read: The Perfect Place to Begin Your Philippines Vacation: Moalboal, Cebu & The Best of Bohol & Panglao, Philippines & This is One of the Most Beautiful Islands in the Philippines: Coron, Palawan Itinerary
Best El Nido Beaches
Nacpan Beach
If you have the time in El Nido, rent a motorbike or get a tuk-tuk driver to take you to Nacpan Beach. It is by far one of the most beautiful beaches in the Philippines, even being rated one of the world’s best beaches!
Nacpan Beach is a 4 km long stretch of golden sand, and while we were there, it was nearly empty! The water is turquoise blue and very calm for swimming! Adding to its beauty, the beach is lined with lush, green palm trees. It is the perfect place to spend a relaxing day.
Tip: Take bug spray and watch out for the little bugs all over the beach! We saw people with their backs completely covered in little red bug bites!
Las Cabañas Beach
Another beautiful beach is Las Cabañas Beach. We went to Las Cabañas just in time for sunset. There are many hotels and restaurants along the beach, and it is a great place to have dinner or a couple drinks while enjoying the view.
Where is El Nido, Palawan Island?
El Nido is located on the northern most part Palawan Island. Palawan island is the western-most island in the Philippines and is roughly 260 miles south of Manila, the capitol city.
How to Get to El Nido, Palawan
There is a small airport on El Nido. We flew with AirSwift from Panglao to El Nido direct and it was a very easy flight. The El Nido airport is on of the smallest airports we have landed in.
Once you land in El Nido and grab your bags, there are many tuk tuk drivers waiting to give rides to your accommodations.
Where to Stay in El Nido
The best place to stay in El Nido is in the main El Nido town. It is close to the beach where all of the island hopping tours launch from. The town is small and very walkable. We were able to wake up, walk to get coffee, and then walk to our island hopping tours with no problems.
How to Get Around El Nido
If you are only planning to stay in El Nido town and do the island hopping tours, the town is actually very walkable.
If you would like to check out some other surrounding beaches, rent a motorbike for the day so you can spend as little or as much time as you would like at the beaches. You can also hire a tuk-tuk driver to take you to and from your destination.
Best Time to Visit El Nido
The best time to go to El Nido, Palawan is from January to April when it is sunny and dry. You can expect more tourists during the dry months as well. We visited El Nido in November, nearing the end of rainy season and had mostly nice weather. It rained all morning on us during our Tour A, but we made the best of it, and had great weather otherwise!
We were talking with a lady at one of the tour shops and she stated that they often have too many people in the busy season and have to turn away customers that did not book a tour in advance. We had no issues booking the day before in November, so that is something to be noted if you plan to visit between January and April.
That is El Nido! A stunning island hopping destination full of fun and adventure. Our days were filled with swimming, snorkeling, kayaking in breathtaking lagoons, and lounging on some of the most beautiful beaches. It is definitely a destination that you do not want to miss out on in the Philippines!
-M & J
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