El Nido, a province in Palawan, Philippines, is known mostly for its pristine sand beaches, coral reefs, and crystal clear waters. You’ll be able to enjoy everything from lagoons to sand bars to snorkeling.
Contents
Getting There
By Plane
You can get to El Nido by flying into El Nido Airport (also known as Lio Airport). We didn’t fly into El Nido by plane but we did fly out of El Nido (with Air-Swift) by plane to our next destination: Cebu.
As you are walking to the terminals, you’ll feel like you’re walking through a jungle. The airport was half indoors and half outdoors.
The waiting area was pretty crowded and hot as well. Good thing we didn’t need to wait too long before our flight time.
I thought that the leg room was pretty good! I could stretch out my legs and everything.
By Boat
If you don’t like to fly, don’t worry, you can also get to El Nido via boat. This was how we arrived in El Nido from Coron thanks to the BDBM tour we went on.
Things to Do
There are a lot of things to do and see in El Nido. We only spent 2 days here and was able to do 2 out of 4 of their pre-packaged tours. If you are interested in doing all 4, you should stay at least 4 days. You don’t need to book your tours in advance but we did just in case.
Tour A
We decided to do Tour A for one of our days in El Nido because we wanted to visit the beautiful lagoons and go snorkeling! This tour cost 7,500 PHP for 3 people and there are also extra charges for the environmental fee (200 PHP per person) and a fee to use the lagoon (200 PHP per person).
The tour includes snorkel equipment (mask, snorkel), life vests, towels, and lunch. However, this was before COVID-19 so make sure to check with your tour company if these items are still provided.
The 5 locations we visited include:
Adbeens Reef
Shimizu Island
Seven Commando
Tour B
After doing Tour A, we wanted to do something a little different. While Tour A focuses more on lagoons and secret coves, Tour B takes you to sand bars and atypical caves.
This tour costs 7,500 PHP for 3 people. There is also an extra eco tourism development fee of 200 PHP per person.
The 4 locations we visited include:
Pinagbuyutan Island
Exploring El Nido
Unlike Coron, El Nido actually has a pretty good night life with ample restaurants and bars to choose from.
Brea and I also went to get a massage. She got a normal massage while I got an aloe vera massage (I was pretty sun burned from spending 4 days on a boat).
Where to Stay
There are numerous hotel choices you can pick from. We decided to stay at the Sea Cocoon Hotel.
The nice thing about this hotel was that there was a washing area right in front of the hotel so you can wash yourself and your belongings before going inside. It is also a short walk to the dock and various restaurants and bars. The rooms are spacious too!
It was nice being in a hotel for a change haha compared to in small huts on small islands…
We would definitely come back to El Nido the next time we get a chance so we can do the other 2 tours that we didn’t have time to do. If you are into lagoons, caves, white sand beaches, and snorkeling, make sure to add El Nido to your itinerary!
