El Nido Palawan Island Philippines 2023

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

El Nido’s exotic turquoise lagoons and jagged limestone rocks are way too unique and beautiful to miss, and the photo ops here are limitless.

It’s rare that you’ll see this place missing from a travel blog or a list of the best islands in the world, and rightfully so. All of the beaches and island hopping tours in El Nido Palawan are top notch.

Best of all, El Nido is quite affordable, and there are high quality hotels and restaurants here to suit every budget and type of traveler, from backpacker to luxury seeker.

This El Nido travel guide will give you some details on how to get there, what to do, where to stay, best beaches of El Nido, top El Nido sunset spots, and all about how to experience this paradise of the Philippines yourself!

 

 

    

Where Is El Nido Palawan Island?

El Nido is a small town and municipality located on the northern tip of Palawan island, in the Philippines.

The area around El Nido Palawan has lots of small islands (almost 50 total), making it pretty much heaven for tropical island hopping!

How To Get To El Nido Palawan

El Nido town can be reached by air, 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.

The El Nido island airport (ENI) is not served internationally, so this means you will first need to fly to one of the big cities in the Philippines — Manila or Cebu — and then fly to ENI from there.

You can shop for flights to the Philippines at Skyscanner.

Read More: How To Get To El Nido Palawan

 

Where To Stay In El Nido

 

How To Get Around El Nido

El Nido town is pretty small and easy to get around.

It’s small enough to be walkable by foot for restaurants and most other things, but if you want to do some exploring outside of town you’ll need transport.

Scooter rentals are about 500 peso ($10 USD) per day. You can flag down a tricycle taxi for 100-250 peso per trip, but the scooter is more economical for long trips or multiple stops.

Airport transfers can be arranged by your hotel and should run about 250 peso for a tricycle (2 pax) or 1,000 peso for a van.

El Nido Island Hopping Tours

By far the biggest draw of El Nido Palawan would have to be the incredible island hopping boat tours that can be done here.

The tours are split into 4 different areas of coverage: A, B, C, and D. You can find a summary of each of them below.

In my opinion, there is no ‘best’ tour, because they’re all amazing! Do them all if you have time.

🔹 Tour A

‘Tour A’ is the most popular touring route in El Nido, and for good reason.

The crazy blue lagoons and pointy rocks have made this one of the best bucket list items in the Philippines. Lots of great kayaking and photo ops on this tour!

Other top sights on Tour A include the Secret Lagoon, Shimizu Island, and Seven Commandos Beach.

El Nido Tour A: Book Now (or Read More)

 

🔹 Tour B

Witness some of Palawan’s best beaches and caves on El Nido Tour B!

The main sights of Tour B 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, Tour B is also one of the best for getting incredible aerial shots.

El Nido Tour B: Book Now (or Read More)

🔹 Tour C

Explore hidden beaches and shrines on El Nido Tour C!

This is the longest tour in the bunch, and it takes you the farthest from El Nido town, but you get to see massive dinosaur shaped islands and exotic limestone coves.

The main sights of Tour C are Matinloc Shrine, Tapiutan Island, Secret Beach, Hidden Beach, and Helicopter Island.

El Nido Tour C: Book Now (or Read More)

 

🔹 Tour D

See two more beautiful lagoons on El Nido Tour D!

This Palawan tour is underrated and has the least crowds, but all of the sights are amazing, as usual. You’ll have some great kayaking opportunities at the lagoons, and the snorkeling spots on this tour are some of the best.

The main sights of Tour D are Paradise Beach, Pasandigan Cove, Cadlao Lagoon, and Small Lagoon.

El Nido Tour D: Book Now (or Read More)

 

Best El Nido Day Tour Packages

Klook has high rated El Nido day tours for very competitive prices:

• El Nido Tour A – Island hopping to Big Lagoon, Shimizu Island, Secret Lagoon, and 7 Commando Beach.
• El Nido Tour B – Island hopping to Snake Island, Pinagbuyutan Island, Cudugnon Cave, Cathedral Cave, and Entalula Beach or Papaya Beach.
• El Nido Tour C – Island hopping to Helicopter Island, Matinloc Shrine, Secret Beach, Tapiutan Island, and Hidden Beach.
• El Nido Tour D – Island hopping to Paradise Beach, Natnat Beach, Cadlao Lagoon, and Small Lagoon.

You also get free lunch and hotel pickup. These are better prices than many of the tour companies you’ll find on the street in El Nido town!

The other advantage of booking an online tour like this is that you can pay by credit card or Paypal, so you won’t have to run to the ATM constantly (and the ATMs in El Nido are not known for being very reliable in the first place).

Book Now: El Nido Tour A / B / C / D

 

Multi-Day Trips In El Nido Palawan

Aside from the popular 1-day tours, you can also join multi-day sailing trips in El Nido and the surrounding area, with some expeditions lasting up to 4 days and 3 nights, taking you all the way from El Nido to Coron, or vice versa.

This can be a great way to go island hopping in paradise without the crowds and time constraints of a simple day tour, and you get to see a lot of nice new islands that are off the beaten path and not included on the main day tours. It’s also a fun way to meet other travelers.

There are several companies offering multi-day trips in Palawan, but one of the highest rated is Big Dream Boat Man. They’re based in Coron, but they also have sailing expeditions that start from El Nido!

Book Now: El Nido Palawan Sailing Expeditions

El Nido Beach Guide: The Beaches Of El Nido

El Nido has quite a few nice beaches on the mainland that can be seen without island hopping tours.

Here are some of our top El Nido beach recommendations:

• Marimegmeg Beach. A prime sunset spot, with nice white sand and lots of restaurants, bars, hotels, and beach clubs. Even though this beach has plenty of accommodation, it’s not nearly as developed as El Nido town.
• Las Cabanas Beach. Another nice beach that’s just a short walk from Marimegmeg, and it has nice island views. You can reach Las Cabanas and Marimegmeg by driving only 15 minutes from El Nido town.
• Nacpan Beach. Probably the most famous beach in mainland El Nido Palawan. It’s a 4 kilometer strip of white sand, with a twin beach next to it called Calitang Beach. There are some nice beachfront hotels, clubs, and restaurants popping up here by the shore. You can get to Nacpan with a 45-60 minute drive from El Nido town.
• Dolarog Beach. A small but scenic beach that can only be reached by boat or walking. It’s home to the Dolarog Beach Resort, and it has unreal views of Pinagbuyutan island.
• Duli Beach. A big, beautiful white sand beach on the north side of El Nido Palawan island. This one is home to the Duli Beach Resort.
• Corong Corong Beach. One of the closest beaches to El Nido town, so you can reach it in just 5-10 minutes of driving. This beach has lots of hotels and beachfront resorts.
• Lio Beach. Also known as Airport Beach, this is a clean, peaceful beach located right behind the El Nido airport. It has nice scenery and a number of resorts to choose from, including Seda Lio and Charlie’s El Nido.

These are some of the best beaches in El Nido mainland, and many of them have nice accommodation on the beachfront.

Regardless of which beach you choose to visit, you’re sure to enjoy some amazing scenery!