El Nido, Palawan: A Treasure Box of Wonder

Long winding roads on a highway, running through mountainous slopes with a view of the beach below--they say the journey in itself is a reward and the eight-hour drive from Puerto Princesa City to El Nido proves the same. But this time, the destination is even better.

The view right outside the place where we stayed. :-)

A small community, El Nido in itself is just a short stretch of beach. One can walk on it’s shore from end to end in a few hours. The locals are friendly and at night, the waves lull everyone to sleep. A church, a market and police station is present as well. There are some few bars and many restaurants with menus serving Asian, European and American cuisines among others. If island hopping on other places is an option, it is a must in El Nido.

The almost-magical islands of El Nido are scattered in different parts of the South China Sea. Huge boulders and rocky mountains under the bright blue sky are like ornaments. Similar to the usual island hopping, motor boats are used to explore the islands. Bookings can be done through the travel and tours agencies all over the place. A full day tour usually starts at 9AM and ends at 5PM, but the schedule still depends on the guests. Lunch is also included on the tour. While the guests can lounge around the island or go snorkeling or anything, the food is being prepared by the crew. The food to be served is also the choice of the guests.

If I remember it right, this is Manny Pacquiao's island.

Snake island 

In addition, it seems like El Nido wants its guests to be up for endless surprises and challenges. Through the four varied tours, some of the itineraries would be the Small Lagoon, the Big Lagoon and the Secret Lagoon. There are also Hidden and Secret Beaches behind huge boulders. A helicopter-shaped island is also present and the Snake Island boasts of two islands being connected with a snake-shaped-bridge-like white sand beach. There are also several caves throughout the tours. Aside from island hopping, snorkeling and diving are also some of the best ways to appreciate El Nido. The vast marine life is so intensely beautiful that it would just leave you in great awe. Various types and multi-coloured fishes, sea cucumbers, huge sea cucumbers, tortoises and corals are just some of the amazing biodiversity that El Nido hides underwater. Even the vegetation is breathtaking. Snorkel on a fine day and the light of the sun adds up to the magical view below. 

In some of the hidden and secret beaches as well as lagoons, guests would need to swim through entrances that could fit only a person at a time. For those who can’t swim, a kayak is often provided. However, some entrances are so small that only a person can enter. And for the daring ones, this just makes the tour more challenging, interesting and fun. And when finally inside, all the effort is definitely worth it.


Mountain climbers can also climb to the peak of the mountain where the widely known edible birds' nest are found. They say that the view from above is spectacular. Sometimes, eagles would fly over the small town displaying its grace in flight to the locals and tourists alike.

A week is not enough to experience everything El Nido has to offer but what’s important is to make the most of your stay. You can always come back. This is where the come-back-come-back magic of Palawan takes effect.  Six to eight hours of boat ride from El Nido lies the majestic island of Coron and in the city of Puerto Princesa, several tours and islands await, including the Star Fish Island, Snake Island, Honda Bay and of course, the Puerto Princesa Underground Subterranean River which is currently being considered as one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature.

A quiet time with nature, away from all the tall buildings and traffics and stress and hassles of the cosmopolitan life. A breather, a short escape from everything. A time to think and to commune with one’s soul in the presence of a bright blue sea and sailing clouds. A time to relax, to reward yourself after days, weeks or months of stress. 

It’s still a long journey ahead and batteries are needed to be recharged from time to time. Don’t worry. You can always come back and Palawan won’t run out of experiences for you to enjoy. Just also don’t forget that we are all responsible for it and the existence of its value and beauty depends on how we take care of it.

Cheers to my first attempt to write a travelogue! Haha. I bought a travel magazine today to learn the basics of travel writing. Oh also, Pico Iyer, we're so gonna be the best of friends.