It has been said that El Nido was quite remote from most of the known islands and places to visit in the Philippines. The place is approximately 6-hour drive from Puerto Princesa City, the capital of Palawan, which is known for the Underground River. There are segments of rough road on the way to El Nido.
When we heard of a ticket sale from one of the airlines which flies to Palawan, me and my badminton buddies decided to visit El Nido. It was June of 2014. Most of the people would not risk going to the place during this time because it is the start of the rainy season in the Philippines. Yet we all took the risk and we enjoyed the place, all 16 of us.
Our flight is Manila – Puerto Prinsesa. Since we will be arriving at lunchtime, we decided to have a short city tour within Puerto Princesa. I once visited Puerto Princesa and stayed in De Loro Inn where I met friendly staffs. So I decided to reach out to the same hotel (who also offers a package to El Nido) and they gave me quite a good deal (approximately 6k per head for a 2 day island hopping in El Nido, and a half day city tour in Puerto Princesa, all inclusive of hotel accommodation and van rental).
Here’s a copy of our itinerary:
Tour Itinerary: 1st Day: June 19, 2014 Arrival and Half Day City Tour Destinations: Crocodile Farm, Bakers hill, Mitra’s Ranch, Tiange-Tiange, Cathedral, Baywalk, Plaza Cuartel Inclusion: Round Trip Air Conditioned Van Transfer, Entrance Fees, Licensed Tour Guide, Travel Insurance.
ACCOMMODATION( De Loro Inn) 1 Barkadahan Room and 1 Executive Room A 2nd Day: June 20, 2014 Puerto Princesa City to El Nido ( Private Van ) @ 1:00 am El Nido Tour A (Simizu Island, 7 Commando, Small Lagoon, Big Lagoon, Secret Lagoon Beach)
ACCOMMODATION ( Rovic’s Inn ) 5 Aircon Rooms 3rd Day: June 21, 2014 El Nido Tour C (Talisay Beach, Helicopter Island, Hidden Beach, Matinloc Shrine, Tapiutan Straight, Secret Beach)
ACCOMMODATION ( Rovic’c Inn ) 5 Aircon Rooms Last Day: June 22, 2014 El Nido to Puerto Princesa City straight at the Airport
Here are some photos from Puerto Princesa.
They have standard packages in El Nido so you do not have worry about the price comparison because everyone else offers the same package. It is just a matter of friendly bangkeros who will take you to the islands.
The package is inclusive of lunch. Our bangkeros cook our food in the boat and everything is so fresh… so yummy! In an island hopping like this, I usually befriend a bangkero who will guide me every time I got out of the boat (I am not a swimmer and I am quite afraid of deep waters, so I have to make sure somebody is there to rescue me, just in case I panicked). There are islands where the waves are quite strong, and it was fearful, so I really need to overcome my fear. Eds, one of my best badminton buddies, had to make sure she is beside me whenever I got off the boat. Thanks my dear friend!
One of the most memorable experiences I had of the place is when I overcame my fear of the deep water. We went to one of the shores to enjoy swimming. But little by little, the boat has to leave the shore because of strong winds and waves. We do not have our life jacket when we initially got off the boat because water is just hip-deep. Since the boat is now quite far from the shore, we had to swim. But the problem is I am not a swimmer (I can do a few strokes but that will not be enough for survival). So I had to hold to one of the bangkeros arm, kick as much as I can (as my swimming coach taught me), and try my best to not panic. And Eds was so proud of me (she knew how I almost cried when I panicked during our Coron trip even with a life jacket on) because I was able to swim a few meters without life jacket.
Here are some of my favorite photos. By the way, if you want to enjoy El Nido, do not bring DSLR camera, bring a water-proof camera instead.