A traveler's guide to El Nido
The boat day is the trip. Book it with a crew that leaves early, and protect one day with no boat at all.
El Nido is a town at the end of Palawan and a maze of limestone islands in front of it. The beaches are small, bright, and mostly visited from a bangka. The town beach is pleasant. The lagoons are the reason for the long transfer.
When to go
December to May is the dry window and the time the lagoons are calm enough. The rest of the year can still be beautiful and can also cancel the tour. Flex the boat, not the flight, if you are on the edge of the season.
The beach
The town has a crescent of sand for sunset. Nacpan and Calitang, a ride north, are the long beaches. The island beaches are short arcs under cliffs, shared with other boats by late morning. Early is the whole strategy.
In the water
Lagoons are for swimming in water that looks unreal and is also a place other people are coming. Reef shoes help on the coral bits. Listen when a guide says the current at a mouth is not for swimming.
If you only remember this
- The drive from Puerto Princesa is five hours or more. A flight to El Nido exists and sells out.
- Tours A, B, C, and D are a local code. Ask what you actually stop to swim.
- Cash. The ATMs have moods.
- A rest day is not a failure of planning.