Palawan will never fail to surprise you when it comes to natural beauty. From Puerto Princesa, known for this massive limestone caves and underground river listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and voted as a New7Wonders of Nature.

In the town of Coron known for world class diving sites, crystal clear freshwater lakes, coral reefs, and limestone karst landscape.

To this truly unique beauty of San Vicente the unspoiled longest Golden white sand beach.

And the most visited destination in Palawan – El Nido.

The most visited destination in Palawan. El Nido is known for its white sand beaches, coves, lagoons, coral reefs, and the astounding craggy limestone cliffs that would definitely mesmerized the visitors for its enchanting dreamscape of Bacuit archipelago. 

Located in the northernmost tip of  mainland Palawan. It is composed of 45 islands and islets, each has its own unique geological  formations. The highest peak is at Cadlao Island.

HOW TO GET TO EL NIDO

Direct Flights to El Nido. This is definitely the fastest way to get to El Nido.  AirSwift offers daily flights from Manila, Cebu  and other spots in the Philippines. The flights land directly to Lio airport, located about 5-6 kilometers from El Nido town proper. 

The second option to get to El Nido is fly via Puerto Princesa. Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific and AirAsia offers daily flights. Book your ticket in advance to get a cheaper price. Once you arrived at Puerto Princesa get ready for 5 to 6 hours trip to El Nido. Shuttle vans are available, there are travel agencies that could arrange the transfer for you or simply book it online. Mostly vans are fully air conditioned, and roads are fully paved. There are also buses you could choose but it takes  7 to 9 hours trip way too long. Another possibility is to rent a private car or motorbike. 

Another airport located in Busuanga Coron (FRANCISCO  B. REYES AIRPORT). Travelling from Coron to El Nido or vice versa has two options, the fast and slow ferry. For more info about ferry transfer you may visit other websites.

The newly opened San Vicente Palawan Airport, travelers allow to bypass Puerto Princesa en route to the resort town of El Nido.  Philippine Airlines offers daily flight from Clark to San Vicente Palawan. Once you arrived at San Vicente Airport there are Shuttle vans available to take you to El Nido. If you are going to stay in the sleepy town of San Vicente there are also electric trike to take you to your hotel. We paid 120 pesos for the 3 of us (sharing with other travelers) going to the town. Travel time from San Vicente to El Nido takes around 2 to 3 hours. 

EL NIDO ACCOMMODATION

Though this is a small town but it has plenty of nice places to stay in  and easy to find your ideal room at your own budget. El Nido has a range of budget friendly accommodation from small cottages to a high end resorts. 

For those who are into parties or get along with other travelers staying in the heart of El Nido town would be ideal. Travelers could fully enjoy the nightlife do bar hopping, good live band music, and numerous restaurants and the fascinating view of Bacuit Bay. 

Travelers wishing to stay away from the bustling center but still want to enjoy the stunning Bacuit Bay.  There are also few accommodations in the area.  A ten minutes drive from the center, located in barangay Corong Corong – a nice and quiet beach with lots of shades, perfect for relaxing. 

Palm Bay Beach Cottages – a few meters from the highway.  Good location, nice garden landscape, and just a few steps to the beach. Fully air conditioned room and  it was quite nice and clean, comfortable bed and wall fan backed up. Free wifi.

Lolo Panding Inn

Located in barangay Maligaya along Rizal highway. Affordable price  basic rooms with flat screen tv. Free wifi but difficult to get signal especially in the room. It has a balcony and a nice view of the cliff. 

Citrine Tourist Travel Lodge

Located in Barangay Corong corong along the national highway. It has also a small balcony where you can get signal in the room. Fully air conditioned room and ceiling fan. Hot and cold shower. Small flat screen tv.  Free coffee. Friendly staff.

Eastwind Beach Club

RESTAURANTS AND CAFES

Scene Onsight Seafront Inn and Restaurant

A fresh seafood restaurant and it has a great view of the beach. Located in the heart of El Nido

The Cavern

ArtCafe

The restaurant is on the second floor…and walking distance from the beach.  It has a decent menu selection at a reasonable price. Strong wifi connection. 

Cafe Athena

a Greek restaurant right in front of the beach

The Vegan Cafe PH

Trattoria Altrove

Subasko Music Bar and Restaurant 

Coco Bar

Sava Beach Bar

Amos Restaurant

Rooftop Bar

La Plage

ACTIVITIES IN EL NIDO

The best way to experience this breathtaking views of Bacuit bay is by island hopping tours. From tour A to tour D these will take you to a different stupendous beaches, caves, best snorkeling spots and lagoons. 

These joined tours starts around 9am to 5pm, and these would include a nice buffet lunch and drinks (purified water) and a local tour guide. There are many traveling Agencies around El Nido town that could arrange a tour for you. Online booking tours are also available. This way you can save a little less. 

El Nido Eco Tourism Development Fee (ETDF) requires all the tourists to pay 200 pesos  before going to any tourist destinations within El Nido. This One-time fee will be valid for 10 days. 

EL NIDO ISLAND HOPPING TOURS

TOUR A – Php 1200 per person

ISLANDS: Big Lagoon, Shimizu Island, Payong Payong, Secret Lagoon, and Seven Commando

TOUR B: Php 1300 per person

Hop on the boat and take a plunge of yourself into these beautiful beaches, caves, and the long stretch sandbar in Bacuit Bay. Including Cudugnon Cave one of the important anthropological sites. Also where locals used to hide from Japanese invaders during WWII. Swim and enjoy snorkeling in Pinagbuyutan island. Fine white sand beach and so peaceful island. Discover and explore the Snake Island known for its unique sandbar in the middle of the sea. Hike and enjoy the stunning view on top of the mountain at snake Island. Here you can also see the wild pitcher plant and encounter the wild Bayawak (monitor lizard). 

ISLANDS:

Cudugnon Cave

Cathedral Cave

Entalula Island

Snake Island

Pinagbuyutan Island

TOUR C: Php 1400  per person

This is probably the most popular amongst El Nido tours. This will take you on a journey to one of the most stunning beaches, islands, and best snorkeling spots.  

I booked this tour for only 1250 pesos via klook app. We left the port past ten o’clock because it was a joined tour expect that it wont leave at exact time. But so  far it was a great experienced and really enjoyed it. 

ISLANDS:

Secret Beach

Hidden Beach

Matinloc Shrine (100 pesos entrance fee)

Aside from puzzling stories about this island, also one of the best views in El Nido its just INCREDIBLE!

Helicopter Island

Dilumacad Island this is also known as Helicopter island because of its limestone cliff  that looks like an helicopter. The island itself is small by land mass, but is rich in vegetation and has a thick, dense rainforest, along with some bare rock, that seems to rise directly out of the deep blue sea.

TOUR D: Php 1200 per person

ISLANDS: Small Lagoon, Nat-Nat Beach, Cadlao Lagoon, Paradise Beach, Ipil Beach and Pasandigan Cove

ANOTHER SPOTS TO VISIT IN EL NIDO

MARIMEGMEG BEACH or LAS CABANAS

Also known as The Las Cabanas Beach. Located around ten to fifteen minutes from the center of El nido. It is easy to find and tits very common for tourists. You can hire a tricycle for 150 pesos good for 2 persons. If you are on your motorbike just head to the south of El Nido town about 3 km away.

A great place to sit and relax. Enjoy during happy hour while watching the spectacular sunset.  Or do the zipline across the ocean.The beach is clean and good for swimming not overly busy. 

Currently they are building up a new commercials area named Vanilla Beach – souvenir shops, restaurants/cafe, spa etc. There are also plenty of tricycle parked along the highway beside Vanilla Beach. 

First time I went to this beach it was raining but still I did manage to enjoy the warm water and walked along the shore, and checked out some hot guys around… lol

After a few days I get a thrill out of coming back to this beautiful beach, yay! finally the sun came out. A perfect day indulging into the water, relaxing under the shades, looking up in the sky, cherishing every single moment into nature.

NACPAN BEACH

Head to the north  part of El Nido- this 4 kilometers stretch powdery golden-hued sand beach and pristine azure waters which is an hour drive from the town. The road to Nacpan is not yet fully developed. There are sections of the road as you go near the beach that are still unpaved and can be very muddy when it rains. So always drive safely. You can go by renting a motorbike starts at 400 pesos a day. Or hire a tricycle for special trip price starts at 1200 pesos. There is also a shuttle service from 9am to 7pm daily. Departs from Discover El Nido Office in town. For single trip rate is 350 pesos, and round trip is 600 pesos. 

DULI BEACH

Duli beach is about 25 kilometers from El Nido town a 45 to an hour drive, and located in barangay Bucana. If you are looking for a truly relaxing and quiet beach then is a must visit. A picture-perfect of a 2 km long stretch of golden sand beach. Duli beach can be reached by tricycle, van or motorbike. Once you get off the national highway, be prepared for a challenging rough road, and up and down hill  drive. The surfing spot of El Nido. 

There are just plenty of sand flies or nik-nik so beware. I had few bites and it was very itchy.

LIO BEACH

A hidden Eco-Tourism paradise located beside the only airport that fly directly to El Nido. It is 15 minutes away from the main town.

Lio Airport – there are daily flights via AirSwift from Manila Terminal 4. And other direct flights to and from El Nido: Boracay, Cebu, Bohol, PPS, Clark, and Coron (Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun) 

This is perfect with its long coastline, not crowded, and very inviting… its packed with excellent restaurants and bars along the beachfront. 

This is another hidden spot around El Nido. I f you are travelling by motorbike you can find this place near El Nido Cove Resort. If you are coming from the town once you passed by the said resort on the left side you can see a small alley about 200 to 300 meters from the entrance to this peaceful beach.

SIBALTAN ADVENTURES

This is a 45 km east of El nido and can be reached by van or motorbike. A peaceful fishing village rich in heritage and culture. About 15 mins away from Sibaltan is the New Ibajay where you can find the ILLE CAVE -one of the most important archeological sites in the country. You could also visit DEWIL VALLEY MUSEUM nearby to see and learn about the artifacts found in Ille Cave.

Thanks for reading…. kisses 🙂 🙂 🙂