Island hopping tours in El Nido (A, B, C, D): Which tour should you choose? Our experience

Yes, you’ve read the title right: The four tours with such unremarkable names are the reasons people travel to El Nido from all over the world! Don’t worry, the places you’ll see on the tours are actually nothing short of extraordinary.

Blue lagoons, abandoned shrines, echoey caves, beaches that are ranked among the most beautiful in the world (!) — El Nido can open up to you in all the best ways once you decide to book a tour.

Which one? Well, if you have more than a week to island hop, then book all four — it’s the most logical decision, in our opinion. However, if you have a limited time and a tight budget, we have created an entire guide to El Nido island hopping tours that will 100% help you make an informed choice.

Article contents

1. Things you need to know before
2. How many tours are there in El Nido:
   2.1. Tour A — the most popular
   2.2. Tour B — the least crowded
   2.3. Tour C — the most canceled
   2.4. Tour D — the most underrated
3. Private island hopping tours in El Nido
4. How many days is enough for El Nido?
5. Where to stay in El Nido?

Things to know about island hopping tours in El Nido

Ahoy, future island hoppers! While it is important to have fun when you book an activity in such a heavenly setting as El Nido, it is also vital to understand the process of the tour you’re embarking on. And even though El Nido island hopping tours rarely have any downsides, we’re still sticking to the notion of giving you the necessary rundown of this popular activity.

Let’s start with the entire process, from first thought to happy and tired smiles after the tour’s over.

1. Booking a tour. When traveling in Asia, we always rely on Klook for booking our tours and activities. Even though you can find similar island hopping offers on GetYourGuide, we like to speak from hands-on experience: When our Tour C (which we booked via Klook) got cancelled last minute, the service was fast and seamless; we got a refund in a matter of minutes.
2. Getting a confirmation. Check your email for confirmation, where you’ll receive a date and place of your tour. The meeting place will be not too far from El Nido Beach, which, in turn, is close to El Nido Port.
3. Arriving at the meeting point. Most tours have unique meeting points like a bar or other attraction of some sort. Meeting at the beach itself is possible, but there will be tons of people and boats. The guide will take you to the boat (you will already get wet during this part, wading through water! it’s very zero to one hundred with island hopping tours in El Nido).
4. Getting onto the boat. Get familiar with the tour guide, and, for the love of God, remember the name of your boat! There can be dozens of boats at each location, and you’re supposed to return to them on your own accord.
5. Starting the tour/leaving El Nido. Not only does the boat need to be cleared by local law enforcement (based on tidal and weather patterns), but it also needs to maneuver around a bunch of other tour boats anchored in the same small area. Thankfully, the crews are usually very competent: We wouldn’t dare play a game of Jenga with them; their precision skills are to die for!

The average group tour size is 24 people. However, we saw crazy huge party boats (with two decks, no less!) that looked like they fit way more holidaymakers. If you’re more introverted, consider investing in a private El Nido island hopping tour — keep reading to get all the deets on this VIP experience.

El Nido island hopping tours last from 9 a.m. till 4 p.m. This is just the right amount of time for many reasons: You catch low tide at most locations, there’re higher chances of clear skies.

“Do I need to know how to swim to go on an El Nido island hopping tour?” Well, not exactly: Every tourist is expected to wear a life vest for the entire duration of the trip. When the boat docks at a beach, you can simply walk in the shallow waters. In lagoons, you’re expected to rent kayaks. There are a couple stops in deep water where you’re offered a chance to snorkel, but you could always stay on the boat instead.

When is the best time to set out on an El Nido island hopping tour? Basically, follow our advice on when to visit Palawan in general, it’s the same thing. However, it’s the tropics, and you can get lucky or unlucky at any point of the year. We traveled to El Nido in September and had a mixed bag of an experience. One of our island hopping tours was amazing, the other one was unfortunately disturbed by rain, and another one got cancelled altogether due to particularly bad weather.

Lunch is included in every El Nido tour: It is made on the spot, with grilled meats and seafood, rice, fresh fruit, and potentially some local delicacies. The lunches are usually prepared on some of the beaches, but just know that if the “picnic” area is too crowded, the boat men will arrange your meal to be had right on the boat itself.

There’s an Eco-Tourism Development Fee of 400₱ ($7) per person that you have to pay to visit the sites (it’s usually not included in the price of a tour). Keep the slip, as the paid fee is valid for 10 days.

If you plan on spending a week in El Nido, booking two of the four tours seems like a generally nice consensus. Our last trip here was shorter than that, and realistically we were torn between the two main tours — Tour A and Tour C. Here’s a super short guide to El Nido island hopping tours, classifieds’ style:

• Which to choose — Tour A or Tour C? It’s a hard one: Both have unique locations, both are usually pretty crowded, both are worth the money… If you want to kayak through an expansive lagoon, choose tour A. If you want to uncover “secret” locations, go with tour C. The decision will be purely based on vibes, and you know it!
• Which tour is best for snorkeling in El Nido? It’s also a hard one: Tour B has more exciting snorkeling locations, while Tour D simply has MORE snorkeling locations. Both tours are pretty unpopular, but Tour D rarely fills all seats on a boat, so, for the sake of guarantee, we would go with Tour B.

Apart from figuring out the locations, it is also wise to make other, more tangible preparations before going on a tour.

What to bring on the boat?

Here are the things you need to have at hand to get the ultimate El Nido tour experience:

🔹 A swimsuit (duh!). You will be snorkeling a lot.

🔹 A cover-up and a hat. Even though the tours utilize traditional bangka boats that have a small roof in the middle, it is still easy to get burned — generally you will spend more time out and about under the scorching Palawan sun than in protective shade.

🔹 Waterproof phone case or even an entire dry bag. Both items can be bought locally for 100₱ and 250₱–350₱, respectively, and both come in very handy. Especially if you take valuable electronics or other important things with you on the boat.

🔹 Water! While some tour boats provide water for the group, it’s always a good idea to come prepared: You can buy a bottle at the beach for 50₱ or spend astronomical amounts of pesos on water that is sold on locations (and even then, not all of them have this option).

🔹 Snacks. Even though lunch is included in all tours, all the snorkeling and exploring will give you the craziest appetite of your life. Grab a couple of snacks that will tide you over until the freshly prepared lunch.

🔹 Water shoes (or any other type of shoe that you don’t mind getting wet). You can rent a pair of water shoes for only 100₱ at the beach.

How many tours are there in El Nido?

There are four tours in El Nido: Tours A, B, C, and D. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the amount of booking choices online and tour kiosks in El Nido itself, but what you should know is that all the tours of the same letter are the same, no matter the provider. El Nido tours are under strict control of the local department of tourism, so every company has to follow their guidelines.

However, one question remains at the top of everyone’s heads: Which of these four El Nido island hopping tours to choose? In our map below you can see that they cover different islands in the Bacuit Bay, not too far from El Nido proper:

What are the main tour attractions that you can expect to see on the tours? All the exciting stuff:

• Lagoons,
• beaches,
• caves,
• lots and lots of great dive sites,
• even an abandoned shrine makes an appearance!

Each tour includes unique locations. All of the destinations will make you feel one with nature (mainly because they are VERY uninhabited), almost castaway-like (speaking of castaways, a few locations in El Nido served as bases for the CBS show Survivor — that should tell you a lot about the lack of civilization on these islands!).

The map won’t actually tell you too much if you do not have a general vibe check to back up the data. So, what are the four El Nido tours all about?

El Nido Tour A (Lagoons & Beaches; 1,200₱ / $21 per person) — discover the Big Lagoon and the Secret Lagoon; swim in the colorful-fish-infested clear waters of Shimizu Island and admire its awe-inspiring coral reef.

El Nido Tour B (Caves & Islands; 1,300₱/$22,50 per person) — catch the low tide on the serpentine-like Snake Island and look up at the sun from one of the few chambers inside the Cudugnon Cave.

El Nido Tour C (Secrets & Shrine; 1,400₱/$24 per person) — visit the deserted and eerie Matinloc Shrine and take a gander at the Secret Beach (Palawan Island does love its secrets).

El Nido Tour D (Lagoons & Beaches #2; 1,200₱/$21 a person) — the most beach-forward tour of the bunch; a perfect opportunity to get your snorkeling fix.

Tour A — lagoons and beaches

Tour A is arguably the most popular island hopping tour in El Nido. Why?

• Well, it has two of the area’s biggest hits listed in its itinerary: Big Lagoon and Secret Lagoon. These destinations are as stunning as they are magical; though, they may come with some unique twists that could make or break your time here.

Overall, Island Hopping Tour A in El Nido is a jack-of-all-trades tour: You will be treated to snorkeling, kayaking, towering limestone cliffs, fascinating marine life, and the ability to try on an explorer hat — the allure of getting to the Secret Lagoon is a thrilling experience in and of itself!

Learn more about El Nido Island Hopping Tour A >>

Remember that the order in which you make the stops will be decided on the day of your tour, depending on the weather, number of tourists, and other factors. We have added a couple of alternate stops your tour provider could make if some of the locations get too crowded.

So, here’s what you can expect to witness if you choose Tour A in El Nido:

Seven Commandos Beach.

Located within a 25-minute boat ride from El Nido, this beach doesn’t look real when you first lay your eyes upon it: Calm, azure sea is crowned by a narrow crescent of powdery white sand, with coconut trees and striking cliffs completing this already incredible picture.

The beach is half the drama of this destination: If you turn away from the water and over to the cliffs, you will, without a doubt, be awe-stricken by the verdant lusciousness of the local vegetation. When we first came to Seven Commandos, we couldn’t help but make a connection to scenes from Lost TV series — the thick jungle looks same parts enchanting and menacing, like there’s something hiding in the bushes.

On average, you will have 40 minutes to explore Seven Commandos Beach at your own pace. Saving up all your energy for later destinations? Then you can simply relax in the idyllic setting of the beach — grab a coconut and lie in the palm shade.

Even though the Seven Commandos Beach is pretty large, it can get super crowded. When we were here, there were around 20 boats parked in the water, with tons of tourists exploring the beach (the small beach hut that serves drinks even had a line in front of it!). If your guide thinks that your experience will be ruined by the number of people, they can offer you an alternative — time spent at Papaya Beach instead! It is almost just as beautiful, while remaining a tad more isolated, and thus staying in a more pristine condition.

Big Lagoon.

A half-hour boat ride will take you to your next destination — El Nido’s Big Lagoon. This is a legendary site that you absolutely must visit when in El Nido.

• Your tour boat will NOT take you into the lagoon itself. Instead, you are expected to rent a kayak on the spot (300₱ per kayak and it fits two people at a time) and paddle to the lagoon yourself.
• The entrance to the lagoon is also a sight to behold: You first paddle through the shallow water. Its color is much lighter — at low tide, it is see-through white, revealing the sandy sea floor and all its colorful inhabitants.
• The Big Lagoon is giant, very deep (the water is dark emerald in color now; stately and majestic), and surrounded by towering limestone cliffs on all sides.

You can do a wide circle and take all the expansiveness in at a grand scale, or you can get up close and personal and explore every nook and cranny that the huge rocks hide in their midst. Small caves and even tunnels are pretty narrow, but so are the kayaks — just be mindful of the time limits. You usually have less than an hour to explore the Big Lagoon (we had 40 minutes), and you have to account for the time it will take to get back to the boat.

Even though Big Lagoon is one of the most popular stops on El Nido’s Tour A (thus, the most crowded), you don’t feel cramped in the space together with other tourists! The wide opening is big enough for you to feel isolated from fellow holidaymakers. You truly feel like the first person to ever witness such a grandiose sight, even though the area is visited by thousands every day. We personally loved every minute spend here, and the shots we got will show you why.

Shimizu Island.

You are bound to be very hungry after all that paddling and swimming; thankfully, another half-hour boat ride takes you to your lunch location — Shimizu Island.

No matter which tour operator you choose, it’s safe to assume the lunch spread will blow your socks off! There’s something for everyone (even the vegetarian option): Freshly grilled fish and chicken, herby rice, and tons of fruit. You can buy a coconut to wash it all down with and walk along the island’s beach to help your digestion.

In about a half an hour or so, you are ready to take on the world again: Snorkeling is on the menu, and oh boy will you remember it! The marine life near Shimizu Island is nothing we’ve ever seen before: The reef suddenly ends and then there’s nothing but darkness of the deep water; the vibrant fishes and other aquatic animals (like starfishes) stand out in even more vivid colors in front of such a contrasted background.

Side note: If you’re a seasoned snorkeler, you might have your own diving gear. If not, your tour boat will have plenty of masks and fins to go around. We would advise you invest in some waterproof filming gear (doesn’t have to be expensive, a simple cover for your phone is nice enough): You will want to capture the underwater world of Shimizu Island to share with friends and family, trust us!

Secret Lagoon.

Another 30 minutes and you’re taken to a place that promises to deliver so much: As you round the corner into the cove and see a tiny beach absolutely dwarfed by the tall towering cliffs that surround it, you get the feeling something super monumental is about to unfold…

• Unfortunately, for us, it wasn’t the case; the anticipated swooning didn’t happen, but every experience is different. Come here and see for yourself this dividing destination!

You cannot actually see the lagoon from the water: It is a secret, after all! To get to the location, you will have to walk to the far end of the beach, then along the reef (depending on the tide, you might have to swim a little) to a tiny hole in the rock — this is the entrance to the Secret Lagoon. Once inside (there might be a line to get in, just saying), you will see a small blue-tinted “lake” and tall cliff walls ensconcing it on all sides. The picture is more striking when you get a bird’s-eye view of the lagoon — the drone shots show just how small the opening is and how outrageously large the rocks around it are!

To tell you the truth, we weren’t at all impressed with the Secret Lagoon: It’s just a bunch of people clinging to slippery walls looking at a pool-sized body of water in the center. The adjacent beach, in our opinion, is much more exciting to explore — it looks perfectly deserted and small when compared to the rocky formations blocking the sun from above.

Book Tour A on Klook >>

Tour B — caves and islands

Island Hopping Tour B in El Nido covers more “water” (as in, ground), with longer distances between stops. It is not as popular as tours A and C, so you will get a more personalized and full experience — the locations on the itinerary are hardly ever crowded, which means no more scrambling for your tour guides to find another, less packed spot.

Learn more about El Nido Island Hopping Tour B >>

What locations you’ll visit:

• Entalula Island (or Papaya Beach) — located within an hour-long boat ride from El Nido, this is the first stop for El Nido Tour B adventure; you get 30 minutes on average to spend exploring Entalula. The whimsical rock formations littered all across the island that greatly vary in size will leave you wanting to spend hours examining their every twist and turn. It will feel intimate, creating an experience that of a Robinson Crusoe — it’s almost never crowded, leaving you with endless opportunities for exploration (and there’s also snorkeling here).
• Pinagbuyutan Island — get ready for some world-class head-spinning views. The island can be described as looking a tad cartoonish: It has a giant rock formation covering almost all of the ground it gets, with the thinnest strip of beach circling its perimeter. Apart from being one of the most beautiful natural sights in El Nido (they say that the book that The Beach movie is based on was written here, in El Nido, with plenty of inspo taken from the Pinagbuyutan Island itself), the area is also popular with reality TV crews — the island and its surroundings were used as a setting for international Survivor series for more than a handful times!
• Snake Island — officially known as Vigan Island, this stop is one of the craziest locations! It gets its name from a long s-shaped sandbar that connects the islet to the mainland — this white winding path looks like a slithering snake from up above. This is the only reason the island is called the way it is: You can rest easy knowing that there are no venomous (and otherwise) snakes present on its shores. The reefs on either side of the sand bridge are great for snorkeling.
• Cudugnon Cave — it’s pretty hard to top Snake Island views, but tour B does a complete 180, thus leaving you delighted and a tad flabbergasted at your next stop. Once your boat is anchored, you reach a wonderful beach (the setting for your lunch later on), and then are taken along to the far end of it — there, a tiny opening in the rocks signifies the beginning of the gorgeous cave system. Inside, you have around 45 minutes to explore the magical cave scene — go up and down winding tunnels (which are naturally lit), look up at the tall jagged cave walls, or simply put to the test your climbing skills.
• Cathedral Cave — most overlooked part of El Nido’s B Tour, some tourists argue that it’s a mere photo-op of an opening in the cliff on some remote island. Cathedral Cave gets its name from its amazingly tall ceiling and an impressive collection of long stalactites that reach 40 meters (!) in length. But sadly, you will not be able to explore the cave from the inside: You will admire it from the comfort of your boat and take turns taking pics on the bow with the pretty site in the background.

Book Tour B on Klook >>

Tour C — secrets and shrine

A strong contender to the fan-favorite tour A, Tour C is all about the area’s best beaches and water activities — expect to swim a lot and return with pounds of fine sand still lingering in all the wrong places. It is also the only tour that takes you to the full-on shrine (!), separating it significantly from the other itineraries.

It’s also important to note that El Nido Island Hopping Tour C will take you further out into the open sea than the rest of the tours. Because of that, it is the main one that usually gets cancelled, often last minute (choppy waters will make the journey unbearable) — in this case, you can either get a refund and spend the day exploring El Nido town or choose one of the other still available tours.

Sometimes, bad weather isn’t too “bad” for a boating adventure — Tour C might still be on the table, just with the exclusion of Hidden Beach (this location will prove the hardest to get to with the waves and wind blowing).

Learn more about El Nido Island Hopping Tour C >>

What places you’ll get to see:

• Hidden Beach — the tour starts off strong with a location that you have to work for a little: Hidden Beach cannot be clearly seen from the boat, you will have to swim (or walk, if it’s low tide) through a narrow (but not that narrow) tunnel and into the clearing with the blindingly white sand beach that looks straight from the dream. Despite having the descriptor “hidden” in the name, you would think the location would be almost completely deserted, right? Wrong! There will be dozens of boats anchored at the entrance, and plenty of holidaymakers bobbing in the water all throughout your line of vision.
• Secret Beach — and yet another secret location is in order! This one is as exciting as it gets: As your boat pulls up to the supposed destination, you see tall grey cliffs and nothing else… When your tour guide claims that you’ve arrived, you’re bound to be confused: But where’s the beach? To enter this concealed slice of paradise, you have to swim through a tiny hole in the cliff. It is pretty easy to do at low tide. Once you’re inside, in front of you opens up a hidden paradise, with a large pool of emerald-hued water and a small beach crowning the overall spectacle.

Side note: You might feel embarrassed asking your tour guides to take pictures of you, but from what we’ve witnessed, they’re more than enthusiastic about doing it! Particularly in the place like Secret Beach, we saw the guides climb limestone cliffs to get the overhead shot of the entire group, all the while grinning like it’s the funniest thing in the world!

• Matinloc Shrine — despite being the unique selling point of El Nido Tour C, it is often viewed as a “less-than” location: Most tourists like to see natural wonders, and a deserted building seldom floats the boat of holidaymakers. Not many tourists will want to explore the building sitting next to the shrine — its hallways are empty, and there’s nothing exciting to see inside otherwise. However, you will want to climb the cliff to the natural viewing point — from there, the waters look the most welcoming, and the green trees give off the most contrast to their completely grey hosts of cliffs.
• Talisay Beach — set across the Tapiutan Strait from Matinloc Island, Talisay Beach is one of the many beaches in the area used by Tour C as their lunch spot. Even though there might already be boats docked by the beach as you arrive, you won’t feel too crowded: Talisay, in the words of Goldilocks, is not too big and not too small, — it’s just right!
• Helicopter Island — the locals they called it “helicopter” because they thought it resembled a chopper in shape. The island looks very promising: Large, with verdant shrubbery nesting on the rolling cliffs and a narrow sand line bookending its limits. The activities you can do here also impress with quality: You can snorkel for hours (well, actually, for 45 minutes tops) admiring the marine life of the area. From eels to pufferfish, — if you have waterproof camera, this is THE place to put it to work!

Book Tour C on Klook >>

Tour D — lagoons and beaches #2

El Nido Island Hopping Tour D is the most underrated tour out of the bunch — we rarely hear people actually book it, or even consider booking it for their time in El Nido. Honestly, we have a hard time understanding why: Maybe because the itinerary isn’t that expansive? Still, it has some great gems in its midst, so that couldn’t be it.

El Nido Tour D, as we’ve established, is not highly popular, but that’s the beauty of it: It is similar to Tour A (mix of beaches and lagoons), but it doesn’t have the outrageous crowds that come with Tour A!

In addition, El Nido Tour D, unlike its previous alphabet fellows, doesn’t hop too much from island to island. Yes, it does an occasional detour, but otherwise it is mostly focused on the destinations of the Cadlao Island — El Nido’s largest island in this area (also closest to the mainland out of the islands mentioned above). This fact also helps with travel times — you will spend less time in transit and more actually exploring the fun locations.

Because of the lack of long “commute” between the islands, Tour D is perfect for families and travelers that suffer from sea sickness (you will get to your destination before you even had a chance to get sick).

Learn more about El Nido Island Hopping Tour D >>

The stops line-up does look pretty exciting, we’ll tell you that:

• Ipil Beach — it got on the Reader’s Digest’s list of “21 Gorgeous Beaches with the Clearest Water in the World”! And the rating isn’t wrong: Because of its isolated status, the water near the Ipil Beach is one of the most crystal-clear you’ll ever see in your entire life. They say that turtles sometimes come to lay their eggs on the beach and that the shoreline jungle is teeming with monkeys. You can do a little snorkeling, a little exploring, a little napping on the sand — these activities will set the tone for the rest of the itinerary, no doubt about it!
• Small Lagoon — it’s a baby Big Lagoon, but with the same amount of power to impress. The spot is perfectly sheltered from open sea by rugged cliffs, making it the place to kayak (you can rent a two-person kayak for 300₱). You have to squeeze your kayak through a small cave-like opening in the cliff and you’ve reached the motherlode — the Small Lagoon (which is not THAT small once you’re there).
• Cadlao Lagoon — yet another kayaking opportunity, this lagoon has a more “open” vibe: It’s not as cramped in by the dark-grey limestone cliffs as its predecessors. Visiting Cadlao will be your typical El Nido lagoon experience: Gliding on your kayaks towards the green-grey walls, stopping in a quiet corner to snorkel and enjoy gorgeous reefs and colorful marine life, and overall having a grand ole’ time.
• Pasandigan Cove — as your boat rounds into the cove, you are met with a captivating image that is the Pasandigan Beach — one of the rawest beaches in El Nido, which, coincidentally, makes it look and feel a lot like a place from a Hollywood movie. Pearly white sand, a thick line of coconut palm trees, and crystal-clear water — even though the ingredients sound the same as any other popular tourist location in Palawan, it is the way they are combined that takes Pasandigan Cove straight to the top of the list.
• Nat Nat Beach and then Paradise Beach — as Smash Mouth would put it, when the beaches in El Nido Tour D start coming, then they don’t stop coming, and they don’t stop coming… You get the idea! Both beaches feel very secluded. The backdrop of tropical forest paired with stately limestone cliffs feels like a shelter from the mysteries beyond the water line.

Book Tour D on Klook >>

Private island hopping tours in El Nido

Given the time constraints, not a lot of tourists are fond of El Nido group tours; and that’s understandable — when you like a spot, you want to keep exploring it for way longer than the itinerary suggests. Plus, booking a private tour lets you mix up El Nido island’s most exciting natural destinations, creating your own recipe for an amazing boat tour!

You will be happy to learn that you don’t have to look for additional resources to be able to book a private tour: Just use Klook again, and when you choose the desired tour letter, just pick the “private tour” box — and just like that, you’re all set!

The prices for El Nido private island hopping tours are pretty steep, we’re not going to lie. Expect to spend:

• Anywhere from 12,000₱ / $205 for a group of two
• Anywhere from 16,000₱ / $275 for a group of four

Side note: There are times when booking a private tour in El Nido is not an option, but more of a requirement to finally set out on your desired choice of itinerary. Why? Well, if you have your heart set on the underdog of El Nido tours — Tour D — there can be situations when there aren’t enough people that booked it to fill the boat. And, if instead of giving up and derailing to some other letter of the alphabet, you choose to stick with D — be ready to pay extra and make your outing D a private one.

Things to know about El Nido, Palawan

To tell you the truth, our awareness of El Nido, Palawan came from the complete infatuation we had with Boracay. Being yet another popular vacation spot in the Philippines, we had Palawan on the radar for quite some time before finally pulling the trigger and booking the tickets here.

While there are many things that El Nido in Palawan is known for (the list deserves a whole separate article), island hopping between the most naturally pure locations in the world seems to be the talk of the town among all the travelers that have already experienced the beauty of El Nido firsthand, or just the ones still looking to get inside the “been-there done-that” club.

We believe we’ve covered the topic of island hopping tours enough, but what else does a person need to know to comfortably spend their time in El Nido? Apart from it being literal heaven on earth, not much else:

Where is El Nido and how to get there?

El Nido is located on the northern tip of Palawan Island in the Philippines, and it sits at about 250 km away from Puerto Princesa, where you’re possibly going to be flying into. Many consider the journey between the two locations to be arduous (there are a few options of a shared or private transfer, or a bus), so much so that the entire topic sparks up entire articles to cover the details.

We’re no exception: Our guide to getting from Puerto Princesa to El Nido will help you get the most out of the trip either way.

How many days is enough for El Nido?

How many days in El Nido is enough to get the most out of your stay here? Island hopping tour-wise, we would say shoot for at least a week spent on Palawan Island. If you want to experience all the four tours, plan to have at the very least 10 days: Just account for possible weather disruptions and cancellations; also do not forget how physically taxing the experiences are, no matter how fun they might be!

Ideally, you will have two weeks to take it slow and have enough time to wind down between El Nido tours — but a girl can dream!

Where to stay in El Nido?

El Nido has no shortage of starkly different accommodation choices (we’ve already covered a lot of them here), but we don’t think the question is that relevant in this guide. Why? Well, it’s hard to focus on the reality of bunk beds or lavish spa treatments when El Nido tours lift the veil on some of the most iconic spots on our planet! Honestly, we would’ve slept on the beach if it meant more of the budget saved for other tours.

However, even if the question of where to stay in El Nido might seem prosaic and mundane by comparison, it still needs to be answered. We have a couple of options that you can start with when planning your trip here:

• Spin Designer Hostel (from $20 a night) — arguably the most affordable accommodation on the island; this hostel has both dormitory-style and private rooms. The shared spaces are modern, and the palpable sense of community and youthfulness (in a good way) wafts through the air. If you’re traveling on a budget, this is a place to stay!
• The Funny Lion (from $215 a night) — set right in the heart of El Nido, this boutique hotel has no shortage of big-scale (as well as some less apparent small-scale) luxuries that will make your stay here a grand one! Leaning hard into the feline vernacular, the hotel promises a vibe worthy of the coolest cats, with the “mane” attractions of a stunning pool, well-appointed rooms, and a complimentary access to the gorgeous Papaya Beach laying the groundwork for the most paw-rfect hotel experience! The Funny Lion hotel staff is the one for the books: You will be taken care of dawn-to-dark, with every possible creature of comfort at your fingertips!

And that’s our guide to El Nido island hopping tours! Let us know which one you would choose for your next El Nido trip in the comments down below.