El Nido Palawan Island Travel Guide For The Philippines

For me and many other travelers, El Nido Palawan Island was the place that put the Philippines on the world map (and on our bucket lists).

The exotic turquoise lagoons of El Nido and the sheer limestone cliffs are too unique and beautiful to overlook, and the photographic opportunities here are limitless.

the area around El Nido Palawan has many small islands (almost 50 in total), making it a tropical island hopping paradise.

How to Get to El Nido Palawan

The city of El Nido can be reached by plane, van, bus or ferry.

The easiest, fastest and most expensive (but recommended) way to get to El Nido Palawan is one of the direct flights sold by AirSWIFT.

El Nido Island Airport (ENI) does not receive international flights, that is, you must first fly to one of the main cities in the Philippines, Manila or Cebu, and from there fly to ENI.

driving in the Nest

The village of El Nido is quite small and easily accessible.

It’s small enough to walk to restaurants and most other things, but if you want to explore something outside the city, you will need transportation.

Scooter rental costs around 500 pesos (10 ) per day. You can stop a tricycle taxi for 100-250 pesos per trip, but the scooter is more economical for long trips or several stops.

Airport transfers can be arranged by your hotel and should cost around 250 pesos for a tricycle (2 people) or 1000 pesos for a van.

From island to island in El Nido

By far the biggest attraction of El Nido Palawan would be the awesome island boat tours that can be taken here.

The tours are divided into 4 different coverage areas: A, B, C and D. Below is a summary of each area.

In my opinion, there is no ‘best’ tour because everyone is fantastic! Do them all when you have time.

Tour Tour A

• The A Tour is the most popular tourist route in El Nido, and for good reason.
• The crazy blue lagoons and the pointy rocks have made this one of the best bucket list items in the Philippines. Lots of great kayaking activities and photography on this tour!
• Other main attractions of the A Tour are the Secret Lagoon, Shimizu Island and the Seven Commandos Beach.

Tour Tour B

• Experience some of the best beaches and caves in Palawan on El Nido Tour B!
• The main attractions of the B Tour are Snake Island, Pinagbuyutan Island, Entalula Island, Cudugnon Cave and Cathedral Cave. Sometimes this tour also includes Papaya Beach.
• You won’t want to leave Pinagbuyutan or Entalula. These two islands are really spectacular. If you have a drone, the B Tour is also one of the best for taking awesome aerial photos.

Tour Tour C

• Discover hidden beaches and sanctuaries at El Nido Tour C!
• This is the longest tour of the group and will take you further away from the city of El Nido, but you will see great dinosaur-shaped islands and exotic limestone bays.
• The main attractions of the C Tour are the Matinloc Shrine, Tapiutan Island, the Secret Beach, the Hidden Beach and the Helicopter Island.