El Nido, located in the Palawan province of the Philippines, is a true paradise. A postcard photographers dream location if you will (where do we get this job by the way?). With some of the clearest blue water, pristine white sand beaches lined with tall palm trees and towering limestone cliffs, this place is exactly what you think of when you think of the Philippines!
We were lucky enough to spend 5 days exploring the El Nido area and it’s surrounding islands. In this blog post we are going to share things to do, places to stay and the best places to eat when you visit!
Things To Know Before You Visit
What Area To Stay
There are a few different areas to stay, in and around El Nido!
El Nido town proper is the heart of the city, where the majority of restaurants and shops are, as well as the main dock for ferries and boat tours.
There is Corong- Corong, which is a short 5 minute Tricycle ride from El Nido Town Proper. This small beach town has a bustling market and a few restaurants scattered throughout.
Las Cabanas is a stunning beach side paradise that is about a 15-20 minute tricycle ride from El Nido Town Proper. Here you will find one of the most beautiful beaches, a few more luxury style hotels and a small shopping centre with a few souvenir shops and cafes.
Payment/ ATM
Although El Nido is becoming a more developed city, most establishments still exclusively take cash. Especially boat tour providers, tricycles and most restaurants. Most hotels will also ask for a few thousand PHP cash as a damage deposit on check in, which is returned to you at checkout.
There are many ATM’s scattered throughout El Nido Town Proper and Corong- Corong to take out cash. There is one cash exchange counter in El Nido Town as well however we are not sure how reliable it is.
How To Get To El Nido
From Puerta Princesa
If you are flying into Puerta Princesa, it is about a 5 hour van ride to El Nido Town. You will need to arrange the van transfer in advance. You can pay for a private van which is about $150 USD. Or you can pay per person for a shared van which is 650 PHP a person. They will pick you up from the airport. However if you choose a shared van, they do wait until the van is full before they leave, so definitely don’t be in a rush when using this method of transportation. This is the most convenient and most common way to get to El Nido Town from Puerta Princesa.
From Coron
If you are coming from the neighbouring island of Coron, there are two ways to get to El Nido Town directly.
There are a small number of flights a week through Air Swift that land directly in El Nido Town at their small airport. This is a very small plane (about 30 seats) so make sure to get your ticket well in advance as they do sell out.
There is a fast ferry which travels between El Nido and Coron throughout the week. The ferry takes approximately 4 hours, is air conditioned and has a small snack stand on board. The ferry travels directly into El Nido Town Proper making it a very convenient mode of transportation. There are two ferry operators, Judy Ferry and Atienza Ferry and they operate on opposite days of the week. You can find their schedules and book tickets online here. There are also ticket offices near the port as well if you would rather purchase in person.
From Port Barton
If you are traveling to another popular beach town on the island, Port Barton, there is a van transfer available daily which takes about 4 hours. This needs to be booked in advance! The shared van is approximately 600 PHP per person and will drop you off at the terminal in El Nido Town Proper.
Health and Safety
For your health and safety do not consume any tap water in El Nido. Unfortunately the El Nido area has notoriously tarnished drinking water, making visitors very very sick. When visiting a restaurant, ask for bottled water. Also ask what water is used to wash any raw vegetables and to make ice. We stayed away from ice in drinks and raw vegetables because a lot of establishments still use tap water for this. Make sure to use bottled water to brush your teeth, and do not get any water in your mouth when showering.
Things To Do in El Nido
The most popular activity to do when visiting El Nido is island hop. El Nido is close to some of the most famous lagoons and islands in the world. There is however, so much more to do in the area. We are going to share some things we think you can’t miss when visiting El Nido!
Island Hopping Boat Tours
We will begin with the most popular activity in El Nido. Traditionally there are tours A, B, C and D. Each tour offering a set of 5+ beaches, islands, lagoons and snorkelling spots. A group tour can be joined at various establishments throughout El Nido Town, however these boat tours often have 20+ people on each boat.
We personally love seeing the beauty of each place in a small group or on a private tour. We met a tour guide when we visited in 2020 who has become quite popular for providing his custom tours with small groups (12-14 people). You can also choose to do a private tour as well. Brian’s tours are designed to take you to some of the most iconic locations without crowds. His tours leave at 7:45 AM, meaning you have an hour and 15 minutes ahead of every other boat tour leaving from El Nido. He will change the stops to work in an opposite direction of the other boat tours. We were in Big Lagoon with only 10 other people. Typically there are 100+ people at a time.
If you are looking for an incredible boat tour while in El Nido, then we highly recommend contacting Brian. He can be found on Facebook.
Taraw Peak Cliff Climb for Sunrise
If you are looking for the adventure of a lifetime, then this Cliff Climb is for you. You begin the hike at 4:30 AM and will take about 1-1.5 hours to reach the top depending on the group size. The cliff climb is a lot of scramble and vertical ascents on Limestone. You absolutely need an experienced guide to take you up here.
We hiked with Brian (yes the same guy that does boat tours). Him and his team are one of the only guides to offer this Cliff Climb. They provide you will helmets, headlamps, knee pads and gloves. There are two guides with every group helping you safely navigate your way up and down Taraw Peak.
You can contact Brian to schedule your Cliff climb via Facebook.
You can read more about our full experience here!
Taraw Peak Canopy Walk
If you are not looking for a cliff climbing adventure, there is a canopy walk that was recently installed at a lower portion of Taraw Peak. There are ropes and platforms that take you to a view point. You can find more information about the Canopy Walk here
Get 5% off your tickets if you book through the App using the code BetterOnApp !
Nacpan Beach
One of the most famous beaches in the area, Nacpan Beach, is 4 KM long and has stunning clear blue water and powdery white sand. There are restaurants and vendors lining the main portion of the beach, with sun chairs for rent at a few establishments.
To get there, there is a shuttle to and from El Nido Town to Nacpan Beach every hour with the first trip to the beach at 8am and the last trip back to El Nido at 7pm daily. You can book the shuttle at your hotel counter in El Nido Town, there is no need to book this one ahead of time.
If you are looking to spend more time at Nacpan Beach, there are some great hotel and hostel accommodations there. We spent 2 of our 5 nights on this island at Nacpan Beach!
If you are visiting, this beach is notorious for sand flies so make sure to pack bug spray.
Duli Beach
Located 10 minutes further north of Nacpan Beach, this is another beautiful white sand beach. This beach is not as popular and there is not a shuttle service here at present. You can book a private van transfer, rent a motorbike for the day or hire a tricycle to visit Duli Beach from El Nido Town.
If you do not have a motorbike, we would recommend splitting your visiting to Nacpan Beach with Duli Beach if you only have one day to visit here. You can take the van transfer to Nacpan from El Nido and then take a tricycle from Nacpan Beach to Duli Beach and vice versa.
Places To Eat
With El Nido Town proper becoming more popular, there are a lot of different restaurant and cafe options in the area. Always make sure to read reviews before visiting an establishment as they are the best indicator of quality and service. These are a few places we recommend eating at during your visit to El Nido!
Dayo
This relatively new establishment has some great breakfast and dinner options. They have a large menu of custom specialty coffees and matcha. For breakfast make sure to order the Soufflé Pancakes and a smoothie bowl! For dinner, they have a wider variety of dishes, but we highly recommend the Red Curry!
Dayo has some of the fastest wifi in town that we found. They also have a lower and upper level to the restaurant, which means plenty of seating. It is open air, so no Air Conditioning, but the shade and fans keep this place quite cool.
Big Bad Thai
Located directly on the waterfront, this Thai spot is incredibly popular, and for good reason! Their food is incredible and the views are great. They have a variety of traditional Thai dishes and some great custom cocktails. They have a main restaurant area and a rooftop bar. This place gets very busy, so we recommend contacting them for a reservation if you can. If not, we waited only 15 minutes for a table!
Happiness
This cafe is located on the lower level of the hostel in the downtown area. With swings for seats at the bar, and large booths and tables, this place is a great spot for breakfast or happy hour! Their smoothie bowls for breakfast were our go-to! They also serve shakshuka in the morning, and it was so good! We don’t necessarily recommend this spot for dinner as it is mostly small plates and pitas. But they offer happy hour from 3-8 PM if you are looking for a place for drinks and a snack. They also have fast wifi here, a rarity in El Nido.
Art Cafe
This restaurant has been a staple in El Nido town for quite some time. With a unique setting, ocean views from the second story patio, and a large menu, this is a good spot for dinner. We did notice that the prices went up since our last visit in 2020, but that is to be expected now throughout the Philippines. They serve some great wood fire pizza and traditional Filipino dishes. Art Cafe also no longer serve bottles of water! They have filtered drinking water available here.
Bella Vita El Nido
Located in Corong- Corong, this Italian restaurant is located directly on the beach. Their highly rated restaurant serves some yummy pasta and wood fire pizzas. We had lunch here and it was great!
Lion’s Bar and Restaurant
This hidden gem is located in Corong-Corong and is one of our favourite restaurants in the area. They are a multi-floor restaurant and have one of the best views of the sunset in the area. Their food quality is excellent. We went with a small group and shared a few appetizers and mains, and all of them were great. The standout for us was the Red Curry! It is the best one we had in the Philippines. We had a reservation but they accept walk ins as well.
Rooftop Bar at Cuna Hotel
This restaurant and bar has one of the best unobstructed views of the bay and surrounding cliffs of El Nido. They have a happy hour daily on a few different cocktails. We found the food prices were quite high here, but you are paying for the atmosphere and view. Definitely worth checking out.
Places to Stay
Cuna Hotel
Located in the heart of El Nido Town, this hotel is a great choice. The rooms are clean, they have AC, and the water actually gets hot (a luxury in the Philippines). We stayed here for 2 nights and would absolutely recommend it. They are located just a few minutes walk to the port where you will meet for your boat tours as well as the ferry. It is in the heart of downtown, meaning it is a few minute walk to bars and restaurants as well. They have a rooftop pool, restaurant and bar as well!
Friends Hostel
Located in the downtown area, this is one of the most popular hostels in El Nido Town proper. They have a reputation for clean rooms and shower spaces. They have a large cafe and lots of areas to hangout in the evening. If you are looking to meet people while travelling and you are on a bit of a budget, then this is a great option!
A place we don’t recommend staying
One El Nido Suite. This hotel has to be one of the worst hotels we have stayed at in the Philippines. Our room had a window that looked directly into the staff room and closet. The staff were going in and out of this room all night and were SO loud. The rooms were musty, the shower water was cold, the staff was rude and they advertise that they have wifi but they do not. The shower had black mold as well. We recommend staying far away from this hotel.
Final Thoughts
El Nido is a town in the Palawan region of the Philippines known for island hopping adventures and white sand beaches. This is an island that we feel you can’t miss during your visit to the Philippines.
We hope you enjoyed this blog post. Let us know if you have any questions at all in the comments below! We would be more than happy to answer them.
