El Nido is an incredibly popular destination within the Philippines for good reason. It boasts some beautiful beaches and incredibly clear water that you can’t resist seeing. But this well traveled location also attracts lots of visitors and can sometimes be a little over crowded. Here are 5 tips for visiting El Nido that are important to know before visiting!
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El Nido is an incredibly beautiful area but as more and more travelers flock to it the more the town area has been built up to accommodate tourism. If you’re looking for a lively place with a lot going on then El Nido is it! But if you’re looking for a quiet, laid-back beach town El Nido doesn’t quite have that feel. It’s definitely worth visiting El Nido as the cliffs and islands are incredible but it’s good to know a few things before visiting!
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1. It’s a little more expensive
Compared to other islands we visited in the Philippines we found El Nido to be slightly more expensive. Which makes sense as demand has increased in the last couple years to visit this spot it’s drove the prices up slightly too.
For example, our island tour in Siargao was on a private boat with just us 2 and cost 1,500 PHP or $30 USD total . While our Island tour in El Nido was on a boat with about 15 other people and cost 3,150 PHP or $63 USD total. Our tour in El Nido did include lunch while the one in Siargao did not but it still was significantly more money.
So keep in mind while you’re looking for accommodation options as well as walking around choosing places to eat. Expect some things to be a little more expensive than other less visited spots.
Travel Truth: If you’re looking for an affordable place to eat go to Paul’s G Vegan & Vegetarian restaurant. It’s a counter with 3 or 4 stools to sit and eat. Everything is vegan or vegetarian and absolutely delicious! Each dish is made to order so it takes a few minutes but we promise it’s so worth it! We ate there multiple nights in a row while we were staying in El Nido.
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2. Getting to El Nido is tricky
El Nido sits at the northern tip of the island of Palawan which makes it tricky to get to. There is a small airport, El Nido Lio Airport, a few kilometers from the town of El Nido. But flights into El Nido are very expensive. If it’s in your budget then the easiest option is to fly directly into El Nido. If you’re traveling on a budget, however, the cheaper option is to fly into Puerto Princesa Airport which is over 250 kms away.
From Puerto Princesa you have the option of either taking a bus or van up to El Nido. The bus is said to be very bumpy and uncomfortable so many people opt instead for a van transfer. You can book it directly online, through your accommodation or just show up and try to get a spot. It’s a very common route so there are vans going back and forth all day.
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The drive from Puerto Princesa to El Nido in a van took about 6 hours. We won’t lie it was not a very comfortable ride even in a van! A lot of people (and luggage) are squished into the van and the road is really bumpy and curvy. Our driver did stop frequently though so we were able to get out and stretch our legs as well as buy food and snacks along the way.
- Grab some snacks and water before you get in the van!
- This is one of those times wireless headphones are amazing! My AirPods Pro blocked out all the noise from people talking and the van itself so I was able to watch a show and even sleep a little too!
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3. Stay outside of the town of El Nido
Our biggest recommendation is to actually stay outside of the town of El Nido. The town of El Nido felt at times chaotic. We really enjoyed how quiet the areas around Corong Corong Beach and Las Cabanas Beach felt.
- If you’re looking to be in the middle of all the action then you will probably enjoy the town of El Nido!
- We weren’t expecting it to be quite as built up and crowded as it was which kind of took away from our overall impression of the town.
We would recommend to stay near either Corong Corong Beach or Las Cabanas Beach. There are a lot of accommodation options right on the beach or very close but it’s still just a short tricycle ride into the town of El Nido.
- Leading down to Corong Corong beach is a walkway lined with shops and restaurants that we really liked. There you will find some beach front bars offering drink specials as well as some quieter restaurants.
There are tricycles everywhere willing to take you wherever you want to go so you don’t have to worry about not being able to get into town. You also can rent a motorbike from pretty much anywhere so thats also an option if you want to drive yourself!
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4. Go watch the sunset!
The sunsets in El Nido are absolutely amazing so you need to go see at least one sunset while you’re there. From the port beach in the town of El Nido you can’t see the sunset because the cliffs block your view. Head to either Corong Corong beach where it’s laid back and not too crowded. Or go to the more popular Vanilla Beach or Las Cabanas Beach!
We saw sunsets at both beaches and could not believe how colorful the sky was! Even long after the sun set it just kept getting better and better!
- We packed towels in our day pack and made a whole day of it! Corong Corong Beach was almost empty during the day and even at sunset there were not that many people!
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5. Expect it to be built up
Because El Nido has gotten so famous you definitely won’t be the only one visiting regardless of when you go. There definitely were a lot of people in the town area.
The town is also pretty built up, specifically for tourists so it felt a little less authentic than some other places we visited. That’s just our impression and of course could be different from someone elses!
- If you’re looking for somewhere that’s slower paced and felt really authentic we loved the island of Siargao. The town of General Luna had plenty of restaurants and there is so much to do on the island but it didn’t feel overrun with tourists at all!
Hopefully these tips are helpful especially if you’re heading to El Nido soon! We are so glad we visited because we had dreamed of visiting for so long. There is no argument that the area surrounding El Nido is absolutely beautiful! But we also want to be completely honest with our experience so you know exactly what to expect!