“- You have been arrested at least five times for assault. What can you tell me about that?
– Five fights. Rocky Marciano had forty and became a billionaire!”
From the movie One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, M. Forman, 1975
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Itinerary in pills
- Day 1: Lio Beach and sunset in Las Cabanas beach
- Day 2: Tour C + D
- Day 3: Tour A + B
- Day 4: Nacpan beach and transfer to Puerto Princesa
- Conclusions
Introduction
The choice of the introductory aphorism for this article is the final result of a fierce battle between a cinema milestone and G. Pascoli’s poem “Il gelsomino notturno” (Night Jasmine). Since the Philippines was the destination of my honeymoon, Pascoli’s poem would perhaps have been more fitting, but I decided to award the victory to Milos Forman’s film, which particularly struck me for the way it depicts, among other things, the disruption of daily routine through a perfect mix of freedom and madness. Freedom and madness are two fundamental components that I try to intertwine in my travels, in search of emotions to experience.
El Nido is the destination where I first heard about Palawan, an island considered by many to be one of the most beautiful and evocative in the world. I dreamed of those wild places while looking at images of the Big Lagoon on the web, and I told myself that sooner or later my eyes would have to admire that extraordinary beauty in person.
Like Coron, El Nido is usually included by travelers among the must-see destinations in the Philippines. In fact, some of Palawan’s most characteristic and well-known landscapes can be found in its surroundings, and you can access beautiful beaches without having to take boat trips.
Itinerary in pills
Accompanied by my wife, I visited the Philippines in the second half of April 2024. We arrived in El Nido on a direct flight from Coron, choosing the plane from among the various options available (reference airport El Nido, ENI). Alternatively, you can reach El Nido from Coron by direct ferry, or by participating in the so-called Expedition, a multi-day tour of the islands located between the two destinations. For more information on the latter option, I suggest you visit the websites of the local agencies that organize the excursion, including Tao Experience, Buhay Isla, Big Dream Boatman and Keelooma.
The most important attractions strictly related to El Nido can be visited through daily boat tours, which can usually be booked directly through your accommodation or by choosing one of the many agencies located near the port. Tours can be taken in groups or privately. The advantage of private tours is that you can choose your departure time and destinations, with the real possibility of avoiding the crowds. In terms of cost, group tours charge a fixed fee per person (usually around 1500 PHP per excursion, or about €25, including taxes and meals), while private tours divide the cost of the boat, which increases with the number of participants, and food is paid for separately. The cost of private tours in El Nido is higher than in Coron, with prices starting at 9000 PHP (about €135) for a tour for two people. The cost then increases by approximately 1000/1500 PHP for each additional person, so it is better to be in a large group to pay less.
There are essentially four group tours that depart from El Nido, named A, B, C, and D. Each tour includes five stops, which do not change (so agency X and agency Y mean the same thing for Tour D, for example). Some agencies also offer combined group tours. In this case, there are still 5 stops, but chosen from two different tours. Even with private tours, it is generally possible to use combos, in which case the advantage is that you can choose the stops you want (still 5 at most). The most popular tours are A and C.
If you don’t want to take part in boat trips, or if you have some time to fill, El Nido offers several easily accessible beaches (usually by scooter or tuk-tuk). The most famous beach is undoubtedly Nacpan Beach, which is very long and partly equipped. Other beaches worth mentioning are Lio Beach, located near the airport, Duli Beach, and Las Cabanas Beach, the latter located in the neighboring town of Corong Corong and famous for its spectacular sunsets.
Below is a recap of our itinerary.
| Day | Main attractions | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Transfer from Coron + Lio beach | Morning flight USU-ENI. Night in Corong Corong |
| 2 | Tour C + D | Night in Corong Corong |
| 3 | Tour A + B | Night in Corong Corong |
| 4 | Nacpan beach + transfer to Puerto Princesa | Night in Puerto Princesa |
Day 1: Lio Beach and sunset in Las Cabanas beach
As mentioned above, we arrived in El Nido via a domestic flight from Coron. Although this was not our preferred option, it was dictated by time constraints. Our preferred option would have been the Expedition, but this would have meant cutting one destination between Malapascua/Kalanggaman and Siargao, which we really wanted to visit. In addition, the direct boat crossing takes about 4 hours, and the schedule does not allow us to do anything else during the day, so we decided to take the 40-minute domestic flight, departing early in the morning.
We arrive at our destination around 11 a.m. and reach our hotel in Corong Corong with a tuk tuk. After checking in, we took another tuk-tuk to Lio Beach, returning towards the airport. The water was very clear, and the beach had lush vegetation, but the colors of the seabed were not that special. There were several trees on the beach under which we could sit, and a few places where we could get something to drink if we wanted.
We stay on the beach all afternoon, returning to Corong Corong for sunset, which we go to see at Las Cabanas beach (another name for Maremegmeg beach). I had heard about the intense colors that paint the sky, but I didn’t believe it was really like that until I saw it with my own eyes. Definitely the most beautiful sunset I have ever seen (photos taken with a simple cell phone, as always, no filter). Yes, more exciting than those seen in Tanzania, Namibia, Australia, or the Maldives.
Day 2: Tour C + D
For our first full day in El Nido, we decide to take part in a combined C+D tour, entrusting ourselves to the Kraken Adventure agency in El Nido, which I had heard about on social media. The excursion still covers a total of five destinations, but the cost is about double that of other group tours (in our case, 3,400 PHP per person, or about €55, including lunch), even though it is not a private tour. The advantage of our choice is that the excursion with this agency departs at different times from the others, allowing us to visit all the destinations practically alone. And seeing the Small Lagoon without annoying tourists is truly priceless! In addition, lunch is really good and drinks are included, which we weren’t very interested in, as we are not big drinkers, but there were those who drank dozens of beers, practically paying off the extra cost compared to a normal group excursion.
Our excursion includes stops at Pansandigan Cove, Matinloc Island, Helicopter Island, Small Lagoon, and Hidden Beach. Until a few days ago, they were filming the series Survivor (or some similar program, which I don’t watch anyway) on the latter beach.
The first destination is Pansandigan Cove, a small cave accessed through a narrow crack between the rocks. The cave is adjacent to a beautiful beach, but we didn’t stop there for a swim, postponing it until later stops. Crossing the crevice, you can see several tiny jellyfish, which are completely harmless. My underwater camera had broken down in Coron, so I can’t show you any pictures of the cave, which didn’t seem unmissable to me anyway.
After a break lasting no more than fifteen minutes (partly because the cave is really tiny), we head towards the Small Lagoon, which we visit practically on our own. The lagoon is truly beautiful and can be circumnavigated by kayak in just a few minutes. The view of the lagoon also provides the backdrop for our excellent lunch.
Once we have enjoyed our well-deserved meal, we head to Matinloc Island and Helicopter Island for a snorkeling break, where we have fun chasing huge turtles, accompanied by lots of slightly stinging jellyfish that are practically invisible (which we will often encounter in El Nido), and then to Hidden Beach for a swim..
At the end of our stop at Hidden Beach, we return to the port of El Nido, concluding the excursion with a view of the sunset over Helicopter Island from the boat.
We were very happy with how the excursion was organized and would have gladly taken the combined A+B tour with the same agency the following day, but unfortunately we had to give it up because the agency does not operate on Sundays, which was the day the tour was going to start.
Day 3: Tour A + B
We therefore decide to do tour A privately the following day together with four other people we met locally, with the help of the captain of the combined tour C+D boat (but without involving Kraken Adventure), who gives us a great price (11,000 PHP in total, or about €180 to be divided between six people, lunch included), and also offering us the option of adding some stops from tour B if we wanted to.
At the captain’s suggestion, we decided to add Entalula beach (from tour B) instead of Payong Payong beach (tour A), while the other destinations remained those of tour A, namely Big Lagoon, Shimizu Island, Seven Commando beach, and Secret Lagoon. I had suggested to the rest of the participants that we replace Secret Lagoon (tour A) with Snake Island (tour B), but the proposal was rejected. In hindsight, we all agreed that it would have been the right choice.
Anyway, our tour got off to a pretty bad start due to huge delays caused by the poor organization of the crew, who were nowhere near as good as the previous day’s crew, but we still managed to leave at a decent time, albeit together with the group tour boats. We headed straight for Big Lagoon, trying to get ahead of the other groups, and overall it didn’t go too badly. After haggling over the price, we visit the lagoon by kayak at a bargain price. The impression is that it is very similar to the Small Lagoon, larger but with very similar and equally fascinating colors. It takes us about a hour to go around the lagoon, stopping for a refreshment break.
After a long stop at Big Lagoon, we head first to Secret Lagoon, which turns out to be a bit of a disappointment, and then to Shimizu Island, where we decide to have lunch. Next, after passing briefly by Payong Payong Beach, we take a long swim break at Entalula Beach. The beach is very beautiful and wild, and has recently been included among the top 10 most beautiful beaches in the world (although in my opinion, it is barely among the top 10 most beautiful beaches I have seen in the Philippines alone, although still absolutely worthy). We allow ourselves a little relaxation, taking advantage of the total absence of people and the soft white sand to take a walk, immersed in the sound of the waves.
Leaving Entalula beach, our last stop is Seven Commando beach, one of the most famous beaches in the area. The beach is quite large and crowded, so we take the opportunity to play a very amateurish game of beach volleyball with some Filipino guys we meet there, who are so bad that I look like a multi-medal-winning Olympic champion in comparison.
The stop wasn’t very long, but before returning to Corong Corong, where we had started, we treated ourselves to one last swim.
Finally, we take advantage of being in Corong Corong to repeat the sunset experience of the previous days before returning to the hotel. We end the day by organizing the transfers for the following day, the first to visit Nacpan beach and the other to arrive in Puerto Princesa in the afternoon.
Day 4: Nacpan beach and transfer to Puerto Princesa
We get up early enough to go to Nacpan beach, which takes about 50 minutes (one way), so we can relax a little before the next few days, which are expected to be very intense. There are very few people at Nacpan beach, the beach is very beautiful, and the colors of the sea are absolutely stunning. However, we encounter the jellyfish problem here too, so we only manage to take a quick dip, but we take the opportunity to walk along the shore, as the beach is very long, and take some time to have lunch.
Back at the hotel, the van is waiting to take us to Puerto Princesa in about 5 hours, for 600 PHP per person (about €10). The journey is not very exciting, with cramped spaces and a few smelly passengers, but still normal. Once we arrive in Puerto Princesa, we go straight to dinner and return to the hotel early, because the next day we have to wake up at 3 a.m. to start our tour of Balabac. But that’s another story.
Conclusions
Many people believe that El Nido is very similar to Coron, and in my opinion, they have good reason to do so. Some people have asked me which of the two I prefer, so I will try to answer, first highlighting some substantial differences.
Compared to Coron, there is more to do in El Nido. As mentioned in the dedicated article, two full days are enough to visit Coron, the first for the Super Ultimate Tour (or similar) and the second for tri-island hopping. If you want to participate in all the tours in El Nido, without resorting to combos, you would need four days. In addition, unlike Coron, El Nido has excellent beaches that can be visited without resorting to boat trips.
However, thinking about what excited me the most, between El Nido and Coron, I would definitely choose the latter. In some ways, El Nido seemed to me to be a poor copy of Coron. For example, in my opinion, Twin Lagoon wins the comparison with Big and Small Lagoon, just as I consider Banol Beach and the beaches of the tri-island hopping superior to all those visited during the excursions in El Nido (even compared to Entalula Beach, despite what rankings compiled by “experts” claim). Finally, I also found Coron Town much nicer than the urban centers of El Nido and Corong Corong.
That said, as usual, I can’t fail to mention the podium of the best moments:
- The sunset at Las Cabanas beach, the most beautiful I have ever seen until the publication of the article you have just read.
- Small and Big Lagoons, similar to each other and equally beautiful.
- Hidden beach
In hindsight, I think using combos was a good idea, but if I could go back, I would definitely follow the advice to replace Secret Lagoon, which was rather disappointing, with Snake Island. Nacpan Beach was also very beautiful, while Lio Beach didn’t particularly impress me.
Related articles:
