What we did in El Nido, Palawan, Philippines

18th – 21st December 2022

Getting to El Nido from Puerto Princesa

We came to El Nido from Puerto Princesa. The main options would be by plane to the tiny El Nido airport, by private taxi, or by shared minivan. We chose the latter option, our hotel reception in Puerto Princesa arranged it for us, it was 600 pesos (around €10). We were picked up from our hotel at 10:15, and arrived in El Nido at about 4:30pm, taking just over 6 hours, there were various stops and pick ups on the way. The minivan was small and cosy, not much leg room and it was a long journey – just over 260 km, so be prepared for this. It was air conditioned. I enjoyed this way of travelling as you can enjoy the views and see the island of Palawan as we drove up, coastal views, seeing small villages and mountains along the way.

We had a comfort stop on the way, where we had time to eat. We made a little error here, Oliver had remembered ginataang langka  – jackfruit stewed in coconut milk as being meat and fish free, so we ordered some. Unfortunately, hidden in the stew were tiny fish. Upon a little research, this seems quite common in this dish, so do watch out for this!

The minivan’s final stop is El Nido Bus Terminal, about 1.5 km / 5 minutes from El Nido beach. There are many tricycles waiting around so you can easily hop in one of these to get to your final destination, if staying near El Nido beach.

Where we stayed:

Amos Portside Inn El Nido

We stayed in Amos Portside Inn, which had a lovely boardwalk leading up to the inn, and fantastic views of the cliffs and beach. Unfortunately, the accommodation itself was a bit run down, and at the time were dealing with not having running water. The staff were lovely and doing their best, and helped us hire mopeds, and up to date on the island-hopping tour statuses.

Island hopping

One of the main attractions of El Nido is the island hopping tours, that advertise fantastic snorkelling, beaches, clear water, lagoons, buffet, and being led by local people to these beautiful places. Unfortunately, the three days we were there, due to adverse weather, all tours were cancelled! On the day we were leaving, they were back on, such is life! A reason to return.

This gave us time to explore the various other beaches in the area.

El Nido beach

El Nido beach, where the town is centred around, clinging on to the coast, has the most stunning views karst limestone cliffs, it was incredible to see the picturesque bangka (traditional Filipino boats), floating in the bay. It is a quiet beach and the tide was close. A stroll along the beach revealed a washed up ruin of a boat, which was serving as a playground for some energetic local children, and bars on the beachfront too.

Lio Beach

Lio beach is in a well situated complex, encompassing El Nido airport and is about 15 minutes from El Nido Bay. It is well signposted from the main road. We arrived there on our moped and as part of the way leading to the beach, we went through a picturesque boardwalk shrouded by trees and wildlife, a shop with local artisan goods, various villas and other amenities. The water was beautifully clear, and it was a relatively quiet beach, creating a little paradise.

Nacpan Beach

Riding to Nacpan beach from El Nido – about 20km, 35 minutes away, the ride was beautiful, views of the mountains and coast, past rice field with carabaos. Eventually reaching the turn from the main road. At the time we were there, a bridge was in the middle of being constructed, and at the other side the road was roughshod and bumpy. Oliver managed quite well to navigate the dips and bumps. It had been raining the night before, nearer the beach and almost at the parking place, the road was very muddy and the moped was sliding around a lot, so do be careful!

Nacpan is a busy beach, well serviced with many restaurants, sun loungers, and is popular with local and foreign tourists alike. It was relaxing and sunny. The water was clear, but choppy, we had a paddle, but the red flags were out, meaning no swimming due to the weather warning. It was relaxing and a nice place to hang out, and we found some great food too.

You can also reach Nacpan beach by a mini van shuttle from El Nido, leaving the driving to someone else, but missing out the chance to be spontaneous and stop and take pictures when you want, or explore other places you happen to see along the way.

Maremegmeg Beach

We were trying to get to Corong Corong Beach, just 5 minutes away on moped, from where we were staying. It eluded us though, turns out I think you have to take one of the little tracks that look like they are private or don’t lead anywhere. Oliver doubted me at the time so we missed this one, however , we went a little further south – 5km from El Nido beach – and I’m glad we did.

Parking was easy in a car park nearby a walk down a walkway lined with shops and cafes that lead right down to the beach. When we arrived it wasn’t busy, and is fairly small, compared to Nacpan, for example. We got some sun loungers that were attached to the Maremegmeg Beach Club and we were served by a friendly member of staff who brought us a drinks menu – if ordering drinks or food from the Beach Club, the costs of hiring the sun loungers is knocked off the bill. I had a delicious soya milk iced coffee, looking out on to the Bacuit Bay.

The beach is named after the tree in the middle of the beach, said to be over 100 years old, the individual tree is named ‘Maremegmeg’, and I *think* it is an Indian Almond tree, Terminalia catappa, but I could be wrong! The tree made a spectacular character on the beach, surrounded by the pristine white sand, with a view of other islands in the distance. This was my favourite beach of our El Nido trip.

Wandering the streets of El Nido

Barangay Buena Suerte, El Nido, the town with El Nido Beach, is a bustling set of streets, full of life, souvenir shops, cafes, bars and accommodation of all kinds. The landscape is exhilarating, nestled in the midst of the towering limestone cliffs, and it’s pleasant just to wander the streets at night or during the day.

We had El Nido on our itinerary for the island hopping tours, and due to circumstances beyond our control were unable to, so in once sense it was disappointing for us. However, we found loads of beautiful beaches and hiring mopeds to go and explore was a great experience and allowed us to get out and about.  

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