Sweetie Go: February 2019

EL NIDO PALAWAN TRAVEL GUIDE

“It’s a funny thing coming home. Nothing changes. Everything looks the same, feels the same, even smells the same. You realize what's changed is you.”

- F. Scott Fitzgerald; fiction writer, the great gatsby author, great man

El Nido is a small beach community that offers tourist plenty of things to do. You can find scuba diving, beautiful beaches, exotic boat tours, hiking, plenty of restaurant options and not so good internet which is great since you’re going there for getaway, far away, disconnect and have fun.

HOW TO GO TO EL NIDO

There is an airport located in El Nido but I don’t know about it I heard it’s not cheap. Mostly people fly into Puerto Princessa and take the journey up by van or by motorbike. Motorbike rentals typically run around Php 500/$ 10 per day (24 hrs) and for van around Php 500 per person each way and it takes approximately 6 hours to make the journey, they stop at least one usually at halfway point so you can get out, stretch, get some food, use the bathroom and walk around a bit. You can book a van at nearly any hotel in Puerto Princessa they also have tour agencies scattered throughout the city.

We booked our accommodation and tour packages through this website

( swiftlets-inn.weebly.com ).

Important Things to Know:

· The vans all stop at the bus station located in Corong Corong and about a mile from the popular downtown beach area. You can walk which takes 15-20 minutes or you can take a tricycle average fare from Coron Coron to the downtown El Nido area is Php 50/ $1 per person.

· Do not drink the water from the sinks. It’s okay to brush your teeth and shower but it should not be consumed. Most restaurants and hotels will provide water dispenser with safe drinking water. Stick to those and you will be good to go.

· Ice. If you can guarantee that it is filtered water and if unsure you might want to avoid it. Contaminated water can put you out of commission for several days, trust your gut.

· It’s better to bring your power bank for your phone or devices in case the power completely shut off for a few hours.

· WiFi. You probably gonna run into some issues if you need a strong internet. Connections are slow but for good reason. You’re in the middle of the ocean and in a beach community, soak up the view.

· Aqua shoes. It would be best to wear it some stones and broken corals are sharp to better protect yourself.

· Waterproof dry bag. So that your gadget is protected during the island hopping.

You will be spending most of your time either in the downtown area or on a boat.

BOAT TOURS

Which boat tour should you do? There are lots of options.

They basically breakdown into 5 categories:

TOUR A

Php 1,200/ $ 24

Big Lagoon, Shimizu Island, Secret Lagoon, and 7 Commandos Beach

TOUR B

Php 1,300/ $ 26

Pinagbuyutan Island, Cathedral Cave, Cudugnon Beach, Snake Island, and Entalula Island

TOUR C

Php 1,400/$ 28

Hidden Beach, Secret Beach, Talisay Beach, Matinloc Island, and Helicopter Island

TOUR D

Php 1,200/ $ 24

Cadlao Island, Small Lagoon, Ipil Beach, Nat-Nat Beach, Bukal Island, and Paradise Beach

TOUR E

Php 1,500/ $ 30

Land tour includes Twin Beaches, Marimegmeg Beach and some waterfalls

Tour A and C are the most popular of the 5. Any of these 5 options usually they leave at 9:00 AM and will return around 4-6:00 PM. There are also private boat tours that you can do you can get the entire boat to yourself the only catch is it’s more expensive and lunch usually is not included. If you with a group of 4-8 people, you can talk to companies around the area to know pricing and then walk the beach try to find an independent captain that’s willing to take groups out and get an idea of pricing from them as well.

I recommend to visit the hidden beach. It’s a must!

You can do Canopy Walk with a guide to take you to the top, price is Php 400/ $8 per person and the views from the top are definitely Instagram worthy.