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 not found 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
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.
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 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.
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 awesome! Do them all if you have time.
Tour A
The crazy sapphire 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!
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.
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.
Tour D
This Palawan tour is underrated and has the least crowds, but all of the sights are awesome, as usual. You’ll have some great kayaking opportunities at the lagoons, and the snorkeling spots on this tour are some of the best.
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