When I first thought of the places that I want to visit in the Philippines, I think it would be surprising to know that Palawan was not in my priority list. Despite being one of the major tourist destinations in the country, I wasn’t initially attracted to the idea of visiting this province due to its overwhelming popularity to both local and foreign tourists until I visited Coron last year during the peak of the pandemic and my opinion of Palawan changed instantly.
Inspired and awestruck by the beauty of Coron, I became motivated to explore more about the island of Palawan and experience the other adventures that it offers. Last year, I really made it an aim to visit another destination in the province and fourteen months later, I found myself in the airport again this time bound for the more popular El Nido.
A coastal district in the northernmost tip of mainland Palawan, this popular tourist destination is well-known for Bacuit Bay and its islands boasting of steep karst cliffs and hidden beaches. It has also become famous for its untouched white sand beaches and rich marine life diving spots.
With these pictures in my mind and a backpack behind me, I went to El Nido with the thought that I know what was in store for me but as it turned out, “The Nest” was more than what I was expecting.
Table of Contents
- Getting There
- Downtown El Nido
- El Nido Tours
- Tour A and Corong-corong Beach
- Tour C and Las Cabañas Beach
- El Nido Musings
Getting There
There are several ways to get to El Nido and one of it and probably the most convenient is to fly directly to it via the nearest airport to the town proper which is Lio Airport. There’s only one commercial airline that flies to it which is AirSwift and has regular flights going to the place. We actually did this during our trip and it saved us a lot of time travel and allowed us to enjoy El Nido more although tickets can be a bit pricier than your usual budget airline.
Other alternatives are booking a flight to Puerto Princesa and riding a van going to El Nido for five hours or, if you’re coming from Coron, booking a direct flight via AirSwift or taking the cheaper option by a ferry through Montenegro Lines.
Unlike in other more relaxed provinces, going to El Nido also still requires travelers to adhere to Covid-19 prevention protocols such as submitting travel requirements imposed by the local government. To acquire entry, a traveler must obtain the following documents:
- Vaccination card/certificate for fully vaccinated travelers
- RT-PCR test result within 48 hours for unvaccinated travelers
- Approved S-Pass
- One Health Pass for foreign travelers
- Confirmed booking at a tourism department-accredited accommodation
Personally, I found it really helpful to regularly check the El Nido Tourism Facebook page as it is up-to-date and will allow you to be in the loop with the latest happenings and advisories about El Nido. This is actually where I chose our tour organizer for our trip and crosschecked if our booked hotel is accredited by the tourism department.
After obtaining the necessary requirements, entry to El Nido will be swift at least in our experience at Lio Airport.
Downtown El Nido
Unlike in other tourist destinations in the Philippines, El Nido is probably one of the few that are relatively pricier to visit. Usually, I would visit a place for at least four days but with our recent trip and considering my usual travel budget, I was just able to squeeze in three full days for this excursion. Many would say that this would be enough to experience the main highlights of El Nido but if you want to fully savor and appreciate the beauty of this place, a longer stay will give you a satisfaction.
To score the cheapest fare going to El Nido, we booked the earliest flight going to it and arrived at the place just as the sun was starting to rise behind the clouds. Personally, I found this experience very dreamy as we were treated with a view of towering karst cliffs behind a light pink sky and the sea reflecting pastel shades of blue as our plane landed towards the airport. Our arrival was also a breeze that we just directly exited the airport without anyone checking our travel documents once again. Outside, there are already tricycles lined up ready to take travelers to their respective accommodations in case one don’t have a shuttle service. We tried this one and it was an easy journey and the price per trip is regulated at a rate of ₱300.
We arrived at El Nido Town Proper where our booked hotel is located at around 6:30AM which was 30 minutes ahead of our estimated arrival. As expected, we weren’t able to check in until 12PM since our room was still not available so we decided to explore the town in the meantime.
We were lucky that our hotel is just a stone throw away from the beach that we immediately went to it and got the chance to see it early before the crowd of tourists fill it up later on. After that, we made our way back to the streets again and found ourselves at El Nido Boutique Artcafé.
One of the forerunners and mainstays in the El Nido town scene, this two-level establishment at Serena Street is both a restaurant and a souvenir shop that sits in front of the beach. The souvenir shop located at the first level sells everything from refrigerator magnets, T-shirts, purses to snorkeling gears while the café itself is located at the second level where a view of the nearby beach will be found at its balcony. The restaurant serves mostly Western dishes but also has vegan options.
We also dropped by at Gusto Gelato at Calle Hama where my friend ordered and tried one of their crêpes but, as its name implies, the place also sells and is known for their bestselling gelatos.
We actually did not have any planned activity on our first day in El Nido as we were anticipating the tiredness that we will experience due to our very early flight. But after we were able to check in to our hotel room, freshened up and took a power nap we went to our third dining spot for the day which was Angel Wish also at Serena Street.
A typical Filipino carinderia with the exception of the beachfront view that it offers, Angel Wish is one of the most recommended and well-known eateries in the town that serves affordable and fresh seafood dishes. During our visit, we tried their Grilled Squid (₱250) and Baked Clams (₱250). Probably the main highlight of visiting this eatery is the calming view of the sea that it offers while you eat your food.
One of the things that I realized about El Nido is the lack of usual souvenirs that you can take home compared to other tourist destinations in the country. There are a lot of stores and sidewalk vendors that sell refrigerator magnets and pearl jewelries, but it is rare to find a store that sell delicacies. We actually just found two stores selling delicacies and as it turned out, the cashew nuts that we bought from one of them did not even come from El Nido but from Puerto Princesa instead. It took us a time to realize this fact that we decided to postpone our hunt for souvenirs until the next days and drop by at another popular dining spot in town which is Midtown Bakery at Rizal Street.
A usual Filipino bakery located along a busy road, this food stall is mainly visited by both locals and tourists for its affordable breads. For as low as ₱5, you can take home any bread from the array of choices that they offer. Personally, I found their Pan de Coco really delicious for the unique taste of its sweet coconut filling.
After a day of eating and visiting dining spots, we decided to call it a day and retire early to prepare ourselves for the real El Nido experience.
El Nido Tours
Destinations in El Nido are divided into five different tours namely Tours A, B, C, D and E. The first four are islands and beaches found in Bacuit Bay while Tour E is an inland tour that travels to the northern part of El Nido mainly in Nacpan Beach and other nearby destinations. The most recommended tours for first time travelers are Tours A and C where the famous Big Lagoon and Hidden Beach are included.
The good thing about El Nido is that tour rates are regulated by the local tourism office, hence, tourists would be spared from hefty charges by tour organizers. For reference, here’s the rate per tour currently offered:
- Tour A – ₱1,200
- Big Lagoon, Shimizu Island, Payong-payong Beach, Secret Lagoon, Seven Commando Beach
- Tour B – ₱1,300
- Entalula Island, Snake Island, Cudugnon Cave, Cathedral Cave, Pinagbuyutan Island
- Tour C – ₱1,400
- Hidden Beach, Secret Beach, Talisay Beach, Matinloc Shrine, Helicopter Island
- Tour D – ₱1,200
- Bukal Beach, Pasandigan Beach, Cadlao Lagoon, Paradise Beach, Natnat Beach
- Tour E – ₱1,200
- Nacpan Beach, Makinit Hotspring, Nagkalit-kalit Waterfalls
I noticed that there are slight differences on the destinations depending on the organizer during my inquiry but I found out that this was due to the fact that some islands can get crowded sometimes that they include an alternative when this arises. In addition, the price already includes boat and fuel, accredited tour guide, use of life vest, picnic lunch and soda and/or drinking water. It is also important to note that on top of this, there’s an additional ₱200 for the Eco-tourism Development Fee that is required for all non-Palawan residents staying for not more than 10 days in El Nido and another ₱200 for the Big Lagoon Fee if you’re going to do Tour A. Travelers are also advised to book tours only through accredited entities which—as mentioned before earlier—are made public in the local tourism office’s Facebook page.
For our trip, we booked Discover El Nido who we also contacted through Facebook and where we arranged our schedules for our Tours A and C.
Tour A and Corong-corong Beach
On our second day in El Nido, we did Tour A where we started off by waiting to be picked up by our tour guide at our hotel and was dropped off at their office where we settled our remaining balance and rented snorkeling gears. After this we walked going to the beach along with our guide and tourmates for the day where we waited for our boat to arrive. Upon boarding, our tour guide oriented us of some important reminders during the trip before finally heading to our first destination for the day which was Big Lagoon.
A popular destination located at Miniloc Island, Big Lagoon is one of the two well-known lagoons in the area that are noted for its clear blue waters surrounded by limestone cliffs. The other is Small Lagoon that sits right next to it which, as its name implies, is the smaller version of Big Lagoon. Boats are not allowed to go inside the lagoons so tourists need to rent a kayak for ₱300 to explore the place and reach its center. There’s a shallow part in the middle of the lagoon where tourists can get off their kayaks and swim to experience the lagoon’s waters.
Honestly, I’m uncertain if the reason why I’m not that impressed with Big Lagoon is because of the tourists or the more amazing experience that I had at Twin Lagoon in Coron. In the latter, I felt really amazed with the dark blue waters and majestic limestone cliffs surrounding it that I felt one with nature because we’re literally the only ones in it, while in the former, it also felt amazing but with the added realization on how commercialized the place is considering the queueing we had to do to pass through between two limestone cliffs and the number of times we have bumped against another kayak. I guess this experience is an indication that local tourism is really getting back to its feet again.
After an hour of kayaking around Big Lagoon, we went back to our boat and made our way to our second destination which our guide has announced as the South of Miniloc.
A bit of a surprise since it was not in the itinerary that we’ve received during my inquiry, South of Miniloc is a snorkeling spot in the same island that houses a coral reef that is home to different kinds of fishes found in the area.
Another uncertain reason whether our experience was mainly an effect of increased foot traffic, I was a bit disappointed upon taking a look at the coral reef below South Miniloc. Unlike in Coron where it is colorful and full of fishes, the reef in South of Miniloc seems to be suffering from coral bleaching as there are hardly any color that can be seen from it. There were also very few fishes swimming around although I can’t fully say that it is the same case as in the other spots in the area as I didn’t snorkeled that far from our boat. Nonetheless, I couldn’t help myself from being a bit sad of what I’ve seen.
Moving on to our third destination for the day, our tour guide has announced that we will be going and having lunch at another famous attraction which is the Shimizu Island.
A usual stopover of tours for picnic lunches, Shimizu/Simizu Island is also located near Miniloc Island and boasts of crystal turquoise waters with a background of towering karst cliffs. Stories have been circulating that the origin of the island’s name came from a Japanese who got stuck in the island before.
Unfortunately, we weren’t able to actually get on the island and eat lunch there as it was full at that time, but since our boat was big, we all agreed to just have lunch on it with a view of a big limestone cliff in our background. We also did a little bit of swimming before getting back to our boat again and head to Secret Lagoon.
A not-so-secret small lagoon tucked inside limestone cliffs, our experience at Secret Lagoon marked my realization of the difference of El Nido from Coron. In able to reach this lagoon, one has to pass through a small hole in the cliff that will open out to a natural pool. It may sound simple but the real challenge is to get inside without hitting your head against the rocks while battling against the waves. Tour guides will be there to cautiously assist tourists but an alert mind will also help and be needed during the visit. Once inside, you’ll be able to marvel at the limestones and few stalactites surrounding the area. The pool in it is also a mix of seawater and rainwater that falls above the lagoon.
There’s also an adjacent white sand beach outside Secret Lagoon where tourists can lounge and swim around.
Last destination for our tour was Seven Commando Beach located just behind El Nido Town Proper. A white sand beach boasting of clear turquoise waters, popular activities in the place are swimming, beach bumming, drinking coconut shakes and even playing volleyball with other tourists. It was actually here where we were able to mingle with other tourists from other tour groups. The lush greenery of the cliff and towering coconut trees also add to the idyllic setting of the place. Food here can be expensive though as there is only one store that serves all of the tourists in the area.
I lost track of the time on when we were able to reach the town proper again but after getting back to our hotel and freshening up, we went out to go to our last agenda of the day which was Corong-corong Beach.
A less popular beach located in the barangay of the same name, we visited Corong-corong Beach by grabbing early dinner at an Italian beachfront restaurant called Bella Vita. Probably one of the most recommended restaurants in El Nido on Tripadvisor, this dining spot literally lives up to its name because the place is a a very good spot to watch a sunset. Food is also delicious particularly their pepperoni Diavola (₱470) pizza that boasts of a combination taste of parmesan cheese, mozzarella, tomato sauce and olive oil.
Corong-corong Beach can be reached from the town proper by riding a tricycle at a price of ₱50.
Tour C and Las Cabañas Beach
Our third and last full day in El Nido is probably the best time that I had in the place and one of my most memorable travel experiences.
Similar with our first tour, our day started with us being picked up from the hotel, coincidentally, by the same guide and being dropped off at Discover El Nido’s office to settle our last remaining balance and meeting almost the same group of tourists that we were with yesterday as our tourmates for today’s trip. After reaching the beach and getting on our boat, we found ourselves en route to our first destination which was the famous Hidden Beach.
A cove located in Matinloc Island nestled in between tall karst cliffs, Hidden Beach prides itself of its picturesque clear turquoise waters, white sand shore and huge limestone formations that border it. Usually, visitors would need to swim from the main bay to get to this beach as boats are not allowed to enter the area. Aside from swimming, snorkeling is a popular activity in the place.
If there is one thing that makes El Nido different from Coron, it would be the effort to see the destinations. Honestly, after minutes of swimming to reach Hidden Beach, I found myself dragging my body to the shore as the way going to it was a bit far from our boat’s location and I needed to resist the current when it went against my direction. But just like a reward that you have to earn, the effort was worth it when you get to see the beautiful and majestic view from the shore. Marine life is also better in the place as we actually got to see more fishes in its waters.
After taking pictures and snorkeling, we swam back again to our boat which was trickier this time as the current was against us again and the waves were bigger, before going to our next destination which turned out to be another challenge.
A secluded beach hidden inside limestone cliffs, Secret Beach—similar to Secret Lagoon—requires visitors to pass through a small hole in the cliff to reach the tucked away beach where it opens up to. Tourists need to swim going to this hole and queue up where guides will be assisting them to enter inside. Extra caution is also needed in the place as the waves can be unpredictable and may cause one to hit his head against the rocks by its force. But after passing through this hole, visitors will be rewarded with a limestone formation paradise.
Personally, I wasn’t able to appreciate the beauty of Secret Beach at first as the first thing that I did after passing through the hole was to look back behind me and saw my other tourmates and tour guides struggling to get inside because of the strong waves. But when our guide directed us to go further, I found myself being mesmerized by the beauty of the limestones above me and clear turquoise waters around me. The small shore surrounded by limestones at the center of the place completed the idyllic setting of the beach.
After more or less an hour of exploring Secret Beach, our guides have recollected us again to depart from the place as the water was getting higher that might prevent us from going out. A few minutes later, we were back on our boat and ready to head to Talisay Beach where we will be having our lunch.
Another usual stopover of tours for their picnic lunches, Talisay Beach boasts of a small white sand shore surrounded by clear turquoise waters and big limestone cliffs. There’s really not much to do in the place aside from swimming but this place has a special spot in my heart.
On the day of our Tour C was actually my 26th birthday which our tour guide and some of our tourmates have learned in the earlier part of the day (thanks to my friend who subtly announced it to them). As a surprise, they dedicated our small picnic lunch to this occasion and even prepared a small fruit carving with a birthday greeting. This experience was a very heartfelt moment for me as I never had such kind of birthday celebration and it was also during our stay here when we were able to actually bond with our tourmates.
Around an hour after and with our stomachs filled, we headed to another iconic destination in the area which is the Matinloc Shrine.
A charming and unexpected religious site in the middle of the sea and karst cliffs, Matinloc Shrine is named after the island where it is located and is popularly known for the dome-shaped shrine dedicated to the Our Lady of Blessed Virgin Mary found in the place. There are also images of Sto. Niño and Jesus Christ erected in the small caves in the area but the real star of this destination is the panoramic view of the nearby Tapiutan Strait that it offers on top of the steep karst cliffs near the shrine. There’s also an additional ₱100 fee to enter the place.
Probably one of the only few who liked our visit in the place, I enjoyed my experience in Matinloc Shrine for the impromptu rock-climbing that it offered and the triumphant feeling of being on top of the cliff while marveling at the alternative perspective of the sea from it. I also found the shrine itself and the religious caves very charming for the isolated atmosphere that it offer while the view of the nearby island and adjacent cliffs from the docking area are note-worthy for its majestic and breath-taking perspective.
After marveling at these sights, we went back to our boat again to head to our last destination for the tour which was Helicopter Island.
An island that got its name from its shape, Helicopter Island is noted for its relatively bigger white sand beach, turquoise waters and rich marine life snorkeling spot. It was here where we were able to get a glimpse of a better coral reef and a handful of fishes. Our guide has also shared that the place also used to have a sea turtle that regularly visits the beach pre-pandemic but unfortunately, it hasn’t been in the area for two weeks according to him.
Despite of the better reef that we’ve seen in the island, I still found it lesser compared to the more beautiful and diverse marine ecosystem that I’ve seen in Coron. Although I found the fishes here and, generally in the waters of Bacuit Bay relatively bigger in size. The island’s beach is also a very nice spot to lounge around and marvel at the gigantic karst cliffs surrounding it.
Our return at the town proper was both a sweet and bitter moment for me as this officially marked the end of our adventure in El Nido. It was also a sad moment as this was our last and final goodbyes to our tourmates and tour guide who have been with us in the past two days. But at the same time, it was also a happy moment realizing all of the satisfying experiences that we’ve had in the previous days.
To officially seal our El Nido experience and to celebrate my birthday one more time, we decided to catch another sunset and drop by at another must-see destination in the area which is Las Cabañas Beach.
Also known as Maremegmeg Beach and Vanilla Beach, Las Cabañas is widely known for its stretch of white sand that offers a panoramic view of Bacuit Bay and one of the best sunset views in El Nido. The place is dotted with restaurants, bars and resorts along its shore that add to the laid-back atmosphere of the beach.
Probably one of the most beautiful beaches that I’ve seen in the country, Las Cabañas really does offer the best sunset in the area and glows during this time of the day. Its sand is fine and powdery and commercial spots are located at a distance far from the shore that does not spoil the beauty of the beach. Add up at the sight of the nearby islands in the horizon and you get a picture of a tropical paradise.
We were supposed to dine and have a birthday dinner at the popular The Nesting Table but during our visit, it turned out that the restaurant was closed at the time. So we looked for another restaurant near the beach and found Bugana Restaurant at Mua Tala Hotel whose ambiance and view did not disappoint although food was mediocre for me.
After a hearty meal and sealing our El Nido trip with the beauty of Las Cabañas, we went to back to the town proper via a tricycle priced at ₱150.
El Nido Musings
Generally, after our three-day trip, I was surprised by the fact that, on the day of our departure, I found myself longing more of El Nido despite me finding Coron more beautiful. El Nido seems to have that charm that fuels my desire for adventurous experiences but also offers the simple, laid-back yet a bit close to the lifestyle of what I’ve grown used to in Manila. Filipinos are known to be hospitable but the people in El Nido are very warm and easy to strike a conversation with, unlike in other provinces where people seem to be shy of tourists. Although it is also worthy to note that the place doesn’t have that unique offering most especially upon learning that the perishables seen in the town did not come from El Nido but in other neighboring towns instead.
Will I come back? Definitely, YES, though I need to prepare another big budget for this next time.
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