Five Days In El Nido – A Complete Guide
If you are planning a trip to El Nido, we have put together the perfect five days itinerary for you. The places and activities you can’t miss.
El Nido, an island in Palawan, Philippines. As well as it’s neighbor Coron is El Nido has beautiful scenery around it – ragged limestone landscapes, crystal clear waters and lagoons. Fun fact about the limestone is that it every year increases six centimeters in height. In El Nido town you can find parties, restaurants and several stores that sell souvenirs and other things you might need for your El Nido trip.
So let us take you on a 5-day tour around El Nido!
How to get there and around?
To get to El Nido you can take the flight to Puerto Princesa from Cebu or Manila and from there take a van to El Nido town. The van costs 500 pesos per person and the van ride takes about six hours, it might not be the comfiest ride but definitely the cheapest.
There is also an airport in El Nido but it’s a bit more pricey since there are not as many flights going here. If you are coming from Coron you can take the ferry to El Nido and then you will arrive at the pier, right in El Nido town. The ferry from Coron costs 1800 pesos per person and the ferry takes about 3 hours.
VIEW POST: Top 5 Epic Things To Do In Coron
When you arrive in El Nido we recommend you rent a motorbike to be able to explore the island on your own. A motorbike is 500 pesos a day and you can probably get the price down a bit if you’re renting the bike for several days. Even if you dont spend five days in El Nido, we recommend to spend at least a few days in El Nido to be able to explore as much as possible on this beautiful island.
Where to stay in El Nido
We recommend staying close to El Nido town since most activities are around the town.
Where you find us – Bunakidz Lodge – A hostel close to the heart of El Nido town. For a private room with you pay 20€ per night and then you get breakfast included, a very basic one but it makes it possible to save some pennies.
Mid-range – Layanglayang Home – This hotel is located 200 meters from Caalan Beach. The hotel offers bed and breakfast and free wifi. The prices starts at 52€ per night.
Daydreaming – Lagùn Hotel – Close to the beautiful Calaan Beach you can find this hotel. The hotel has a pool and is located 8 kilometers from both Small and Big lagoon. The prices for this hotel starts at 121€ per night.
If you want to get away from the busy El Nido town and have a more authentic island experience we would recommend to stay a couple of nights in Sibalatan which is on the other side of the island.
Where you find us – Efrena Agro Tourism Beach – A family-owned hostel right on the beach. They offer bungalows and tents. We stayed in a bungalow and paid 9€ per night. The family that owns is so friendly and they really make you feel welcomed. Every evening they host a family dinner where all the guests in the hostel sit down and eat together and you pay 200 pesos per person and you can then eat as much as you want.
Day 1
For this first day in El Nido, we recommend you to go and rent yourself a motorbike and drive to Nacapan Beach. A beach 20 kilometers north from the town. Nacapan Beach has white sand and clear blue water and along the beach, the restaurants lines up. The restaurants here serve seafood, Philippine food and they also have vegan options. You can buy cold a coconut and just enjoy the sunshine.
Close to Nacapan Beach you can also find Duli Beach, another beautiful beach with clear blue water. This beach is a good alternative if you like to surf or if you just want to relax. This is the perfect place to watch the sunset. Be careful when driving back in the dark as the road is partly a bit rough.
Day 2
It’s time for one of the top activities in El Nido, island hopping tour. We recommend doing tour A, the most popular one but it visits some stunning places. But don’t stress too much about what ”letter tour” will be the best, you will in all of them visit lagoons and beaches that will amaze you.
To book your EL NIDO ISLAND HOPPING TOUR A you can click HERE. You can check availability and book online.
It includes: Secret Lagoon, 7 Command beach, Big or Small Lagoon, Shimizu Island, snorkeling and the chance to see small sharks and BBQ Lunch.
To book your EL NIDO ISLAND HOPPING TOUR B you can click HERE. You can check availability and book online.
It includes: Snake Island, Cudugnon Cave, Pinagbuyutan Island, and BBQ Lunch
To book your EL NIDO ISLAND HOPPING TOUR C you can click HERE. You can check availability and book online.
It includes: Helicopter Island, Matinloc Shrine, Talisay Beach, Secret Beach, and BBQ Lunch.
To book your EL NIDO ISLAND HOPPING TOUR D you can click HERE. You can check availability and book online.
It includes: Cadlao Island, Small Lagoon, Natnat Beach, Pasandingan Beach, and BBQ Lunch.
Day 3
After a full day of island hopping it can be nice to just relax a bit, so we recommend heading to Las Cabanas Beach. This beach is only 5 kilometers from the town and will greet you with once again beautiful white sand and the clearest blue water. Looking out over the ocean you will see islands, islands, and islands. A beautiful view. On this beach, you’ll find hip restaurants and bars. You can buy a drink and lay on the beach sipping it and you can find delicious food. There are also opportunities to go zip lining over the beach for 500 pesos per person.
The sunset from Las Cabanas is beyond beautiful so why not stay to watch it? Walk further along the beach line to get to the quieter part of the beach.
Day 4
It’s the fourth day of the El Nido trip and it’s time to rent a kayak and go out and explore the Cadlao Island. The island is included in Tour D but many choose to overlook since it’s so close to El Nido town. We don’t think you should overlook it since it has a lot of beautiful beaches that you can kayak around to and explore it at your own pace without the stress from Islands Tours and without the crowds. Cadlao Island has beautiful wildlife with monkeys, big lizards, and hornbill birds. Renting a kayak for a full day is 500 pesos and is well worth it.
Don’t forget to bring your own lunch or snacks, AND a lot of water since it gets hot out on the water and there is no chance to refill your bottle. Bring all your garbage back to the town and don’t litter. El Nido is trying to reduce the plastic waste to keep the Palawan beautiful, so we need to help them.
Day 5
Last day in El Nido and we recommend to hike Taraw Peak. A short hike that could be done for sunrise. The hike is short but not completely safe so you need a guide to get to the peak. When you reach the peak you will get rewarded with a beautiful panoramic view out over the bay.
The rest of the day we think you should take the time to explore El Nido town or maybe go on another Island Hopping Tour.
