Why El Nido island hopping is best done on a private boat trip.
El Nido, Palawan was dubbed as the best island in the Philippines and the 6th top destination in the world by Tripadvisor for 2016. And it lives up to anyone’s expectations – the unique and stunning limestone cliffs, with white sand beaches dot El Nido’s amazingly azure waters that are rich with corals and different species of fish. The limestone rock islands also hide away clear lagoons and secret beaches. Needless to say, thousands of tourists flock the island each year for the El Nido island tours and beaches.
El Nido Island Tours
For everyone going to Palawan, the El Nido island tours are on the top of things to do. Travel agencies offer 4 main tours, simply named Tour A, B, C, and D.
- A – Small Lagoon, Big Lagoon, Secret Lagoon, Shimizu Island, 7 Commando Beach
- B – Snake Island, Pinagbuyutan Island, Entalula Beach, Cudugnon Cave
- C – Helicopter Island, Matinloc Shrine, Secret Beach, Star Beach, Hidden Beach
- D – Ipil Beach, Cadlao Lagoon, Paradise Beach, Pasandugan Beach, Natnat Beach, Bukal Beach
Most travel agencies charge 1,200-2000 pesos per person per tour, which includes the boat (which may have about 10-20 people on it) and lunch. Each El Nido island tour may take a day to do, from 10am to 4pm. Environmental fee is paid separately in some travel agencies, which is 200 pesos/person. Be sure to ask your agency about this. They also offer combo tours; the most popular is a combo of the best spots of Tour A and C, visiting the best beaches and the lagoons.
How to Get Your Own El Nido Private and Customized Island Tour
Likewise, you can opt to have an El Nido private and customized island tour. Many travel agencies offer this. My friends and I decided we only want to do the highlights of Tour A and C – apparently the most popular of the 4 main tours, and some of the highlights of other tours. This is perfect for those traveling on a budget and on limited time that wants to get the best out of El Nido to have your close friends!
We paid 7000 pesos for the 5 of us on a big boat then we got to pick the highlights of each main tour, where to go first and how much time we want to spend on a certain spot. We also got an extended trip so we can see the sunset from a secluded island. The tour started at 8am and ended at 6:30pm (the usual tour duration is 9-10 am and ends in 4-5pm). Our boatman, Johnny, was also kind enough to lead us to places where there are not a lot of tourists. You can contact him for the private tour in this number +639069224964.
Our Private tour: Big Lagoon, Small Lagoon, Secret Beach, Matinloc Shrine, Helicopter Island, 7 Commando Beach, and Ipil Beach where we stayed until 6:30pm for the sunset and there was only our group on the beach.
Links to check out!
Find the full El Nido blogpost here. Watch all of my El Nido photos and videos at my portfolio.
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Text by Jen Yap, photos by Martien Janssen
Hi there, I am Martien. This is where I write about my backpacking and photography adventures. From travel guides and itineraries to inspirational articles and helpful tips.
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This beauty will have so much to explore which will make your trip to El Nido a memorable one. I’ll definitely visit this amazing place someday ✌✌
Thanks, go for it!
Philippines definitely looks lovely. Can you please advice what month would be the best time to visit Philippines?
April – June are considered the best months, it’s summer. But I say any month is good. These days it’s often dry in rainy season and rainy in dry season, so you never know what you get..
It was so beautiful here! I did both group tours A and C and loved them both! The guides were great fun and met interesting people!
Good to hear 🙂
El nido with coron, cebu and bohol is high on my bucket list. Thanks for the contact… will use this page as reference when i begin planning the trip 🙂
thanks! Have fun when you go there!
What equipments did you use to film the videos?
DJI Mavic
Such beautiful places, it seems so fun out there. Will plan to visit that place. The photos just inspires one to travel.
That’s a great compliment, that’s what they’re meant to do
El Nido, Palawan Islands are not similar to any I have ever seen
i agree!
Saved as a favorite, I really like your blog!
Awesome, thanks!
Hello,
You don’t happen to know the name of Johnny’s company do you?
Cheers!
Hi. He’s just a boatman that got arranged for the trip, not part of a company. Company will want money too if you arrange through them..
Hi Martien, do you have Johnny’s email? Did you contact him there or before your trip? Thanks on advanced!
I do not unfortunately, I just met him there. But ask around for the Pirate boat tour. It’s easy enough to organise your own trip, there’s plenty of people and offices around to help you.