Island Hopping in El Nido
I previously though that going into this part of the last frontier of the country we all know as Palawan would be really expensive. But I learned that with a bit of haggling, looking around and being with other thrifty companions while in El Nido can really stretch your budget. In the 5 days and 4 nights, with two days of Island hopping, 1 day of inland tours and sampling some of the good food of El Nido, I only spent P6082 (US$132) (excluding transport to El Nido from Manila). Read on for the details.
El Nido Bacuit Bay Map of our route
ITINERARY
Day 1
- Flying from Manila to El Nido Palawan via Seair
- Hadefe Cottages and other Budget Accommodations
- Caalan Beach Views in Changing Light
Day 2
- Going Island Hopping in Bacuit Bay Palawan
- Miniloc Island’s Small and Big Lagoon
- Miniloc Island’s Secret Lagoon Beach
- Snorkeling Shimizu Island and Lazing at 7 Commandos
Day 3
Day 4
- Discovering Matinloc Island’s Secret Beach
- Matinloc Island Shrine and finding the Hidden Beach
- Helicopter Island and Sunset at Ipil Beach 2
Day 5
TRAVEL BUDGET:
Accommodation
Hadefe Cottages (750/night) x 4 = P3000 – P1500 each (shared)
Tours
Tour A – P550/pax
Tour C – P690/pax
Inland Tour (Nagkalit-kalit and Makinit HotSpring) – P800 (P400 shared)
Taraw Cliff Climb – P300
Fees
Eco-Tourism Development Fee(Valid for 10days) – P200
Terminal Fee (Domestic) – P200
Terminal Fee (El Nido) – P112
Food, Snacks and Drinks – P1620
Transportation
Tricycle to and from Lio Airport – P200 (P100 one way)
Tricycle to Coron-Corong – P10
Taxi to Domestic Terminal – P140
Taxi Home – P 160
Seair Flight Manila-El Nido-Manila – FREE (Sponsored by Seair)
TOTAL = P6082
The airfare was sponsored by Seair and if you add the cost of flight (P13500) roundtrip the total cost would be P19582. The price would be much higher but good thing there are options for travelers to cut down the cost.
ALTERNATIVE WAYS TO EL NIDO
Via Puerto Princessa: There are buses, Eulen Joy Bus Line and Sweety Bus Line that departs early morning to El Nido and vice-versa for P400+ with travel time of 8 hours from 6:00am to 8:30am. Vans are also available which has a much faster 6 hours travel time for P500+ also leaving daily.
Via Coron: There are Atienza Shipping Lines ferry to El Nido on Tuesday spanning 10 hours of travel.
Ferdz Decena is an award-winning travel photographer, writer and blogger. His works has found print in publications such as Singapore Airlines’s Silver Kris, Philippine Airlines’ Mabuhay, Cebu Pacific’s Smile and Seair InFlight. He has also lent his expertise to various organizations like the Oceana Philippines, Lopez Group Foundation, Save the Children and World Vision, contributing quality images for their marketing materials.
