El Nido is a tiny village on the northwest side of the island Palawan. Nowadays ist famous among travellers and backpacker, so be prepared that it can get very crowded. It is still a highlight and must do while being in the Philippines, therefore you will find a short overview below of the things to do in El Nido.
Things to do in El Nido
Nacpan Beach
Nacpan beach is 40 minute tricyle or a short taxi or tuktuk ride away from El Nido town, but its totally worth it. It is an extremely long stretch of beach and you will be able to find a quite spot and relax.
Las Cabanas & Corong Beach
Las Cabanas Beach is a 10 minute tricycle ride from town and shouldn’t be more than 50-100 peso. It is as well a lovely beach to relax on, zipline from one island to another, grab some lunch and drinks and watch the stunning sunset.
The beach in El Nido itself is not really nice! The water is covered with hundreds of boats and on the beach are many bars and restaurants.
Island Hopping
The island hoping tours around El Nido are some of the best in the world. It’s a must on your to do list. I recommend tour A & C, as they are the best tours El Nido offers. Tour A is the most popular one.
Tour A
Small Lagoon, Big Lagoon, Secret Lagoon, Shimizu island and 7 commando beach.
Tour B
Snake Island, Pinagbuyutan Island, Entalula Beach and Cudugnon Cave.
Tour C
Helicopter Island, Matinloc Shrine. Secret Beach, Star Beach and Hidden Beach.
Tour D
Ipil Beach, Cadlao Lagoon, Paradise Beach, Pasandigan Beach, Natnat Beach and Bukal Beach.
Where to eat in El Nido
Silog Republic
Best and cheapest Pancit (meat noodles) in town, my favorite place in El Nido. And it is almost 24hours open.
Skyline restaurant
Reasonable priced meals
Art Cafe
Great (swiss) food and wifi. Swiss owner 😉
Angel Wish
Best seafood and directly at the bach
Tavern Agape
Tavern Agape for greek Food
Lucky Alofa
Best burger in town
Where to drink in El Nido
Phuka bar
Legendary party nights at Phuka bar, Right on the beach of El Nido
Coco Bar
Right on the beach of El Nido
Sava Bar
Right on the beach of El Nido, more upscale.
How to get to El Nido
There is an airport in El Nido, which is the easiest way of getting here, but by far not the cheapest as flights are expensive to El Nido.
You can get a van from Puerto Princessa airport which takes roughly 6 hours. They told me that the last van is leaving around 1am. It can be that you have to wait a while in the van until it is full. The ride can be rough as it is a curvy road, take travel sickness pills if you need it.
In ase you are going or coming from Coron Island, you can take the low cost ferry. Be ready for not so comfortable 6 hours.
General Information
There is only one ATM in El Nido, so bring enough cash with you! The time I was there, the ATM only got filled up once per week, every Sunday morning. So make sure you go there early enough.
- Curious about the whole Philippines? My post about the Top things to do in the Philippines – Ultimate Itinerary will give you some useful advice.
- Check out as well the Manila City Guide.
