offwegooo.com
Travel guide
El Nido
3 days · 8 things to do
Best time to go: November to April (the dry season)
offwegooo.comPrint it, fold it, take it with you
Welcome
El Nido, in a few days
Forty-five limestone islands in Bacuit Bay, with enclosed lagoons you paddle into by kayak between sheer rock walls. Four boat tours, lettered A to D, cover most of it, as long as you set off before the other boats.
- Day by day
- D1 Day 1 3 things
- D2 Day 2 3 things
- D3 Day 3 2 things
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
The trip
Day by day
Map of the sights (numbers follow the suggested order). It prints with the base map.
D1
Day 1
3 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Big Lagoon, Miniloc · about 1 hA narrow entrance between limestone walls opens onto a turquoise lagoon about 600 metres long, so shallow in places it glows.
- Afternoon · Small Lagoon · about 1 hAn enclosed pool entered through a narrow gap by kayak or swimming, with emerald water, sheer walls and a cave on one side.
- Late afternoon · Hidden Beach, Matinloc · about 1 hA white-sand beach hidden from the sea by a wall of rock; you slip through a narrow passage to a shallow bay under fig-covered cliffs.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Sea Cocoon Hotel ↗ · All places to stay by budget →€65 a night
D2
Day 2
3 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Secret Beach · about 1 hA small cove ringed by cliffs and invisible from the sea, reached by swimming through a gap about a metre wide under the rock.
- Afternoon · The Helicopter Island tunnel · about 2 hA 35-metre underwater tunnel on the north side of Dilumacad, a dive between 12 and 6 metres deep with shrimps and squirrelfish.
- Evening · Sunset at Las Cabañas free · about 2 hA west-facing beach south of the town with loungers for the sunset, and a 750-metre zip line across to Depeldet islet.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Sea Cocoon Hotel ↗€65 a night
D3
Day 3
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Taraw Cliff via ferrata · about 2 hAn hour up the sharp limestone above town on cables, rungs and bridges, harness provided, to a platform over Bacuit Bay.
- Afternoon · Nacpan Beach · half a dayFour kilometres of golden sand and coconut palms north of the town, on the open sea, with real waves and currents in places.
Before you go
Worth sorting before you go
📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
Some links are partner links: we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
Good to know
Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Adobo: meat braised in vinegar, soy and garlic, the dish every family claims to make best.
- Lechon: whole roast suckling pig, the centrepiece of any celebration.
- Sinigang: a sour soup made with tamarind, with pork, prawns or fish.
- Halo-halo: shaved ice layered with beans, fruit, jelly, ube and evaporated milk.
- Calamansi: a small local citrus squeezed over almost everything, and into juice.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Check the typhoon forecast before booking between June and November.
- Take ferries and bangkas run by established operators, and make sure there are life jackets on board.
- Drink bottled water only, and cover up on the boat: the sun at sea burns fast.
- Agree the fare for tricycles and boats before you set off.
Getting by
Words that help
English ↔ Tagalog
| English | Tagalog |
|---|---|
| Hello | Kumusta |
| Thank you | Salamat |
| Please | Pakiusap |
| Yes | Oo |
| No | Hindi |
| Excuse me | Pasensya na |
| Goodbye | Paalam |
| Do you speak English? | Marunong ka ba mag-Ingles? |
| I don't understand | Hindi ko maintindihan |
| How much is it? | Magkano ito? |
| Where are the toilets? | Nasaan ang banyo? |
| The bill, please | Yung bill, pakiusap |
| Help! | Saklolo! |
| Cheers! | Tagay! |
The essentials
The practical page
CurrencyPhilippine peso (PHP)
BudgetAbout €83 a day, mid-range
Best seasonNovember to April (the dry season)
PlugA/B/C · 220V
Tap waterBottled only
TippingAppreciated, around 10%
Emergency911
EntryVisa-free for 30 days with a passport valid six months beyond arrival, for EU, UK, US, Canadian and Australian citizens, with proof of onward travel. Everyone must also register online on eTravel within the 72 hours before arrival.
HealthHepatitis A and typhoid are recommended. Malaria is present in some rural areas, including parts of Palawan, so ask about prophylaxis for your route. Dengue occurs across the country: use repellent.
Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/el-nido
Don't forget
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.