El Nido Island Hopping Tour: What You Need to Know
One of the best things to do in El Nido is to visit its many beautiful islands. But with so many options, which El Nido island hopping tour should you book? Where should you book with? Should you join a shared tour or book a private tour? And what are the things you need to prepare to have a fabulous time in El Nido?
El Nido is a beach lover’s paradise. And I say that even if I come from a country with many gorgeous beaches. It’s one of those places that require some time and energy to reach, but once you’ve experienced its beauty, you’ll definitely realize that it was worth the time and effort.
I visited El Nido a few years back, and it remains one of my favorite beach destinations. With its paradisiacal islands, stunning limestone cliffs and formations, and lovely locals, if given the opportunity, I’d visit El Nido again in a heartbeat.
We only had very limited time in El Nido when we visited. I got you! And, if you’re reading this, you may also be in the same boat as we were.
So, I get why it’s essential for you to learn about which El Nido island hopping tour to choose and, more importantly, which provider you should book with, which will, to some extent, guarantee that you’ll have a fantastic time. You may also want to know whether you should choose a shared or private tour, and what you need to pack so you’ll have a marvelous time.
By the end of this blog post, you’ll learn what you need to know about going on an El Nido island hopping tour, including where I recommend booking your El Nido island hopping tours and why I recommend booking a private tour. Plus, I’ll also share some tips (based on personal travel experience to El Nido) that can help you have an epic trip. Enjoy!
⏳ Short on time?
Here are my recommended resources for your next trip!
✈️ Airasia (budget flights in Asia)
🔎 Trip.com (flight aggregator)
🛏️ Agoda, Booking.com, Hostelworld (hotels + accommodation)
🏞️ GetYourGuide, Klook, Viator (tours & experiences)
🚂 12go (trains, buses, sea ferries)
*These are all travel resources I personally use for planning and booking my trips. If you use them, some of them will earn me a commission at no extra cost to you. This helps reduce the ever-increasing costs of keeping my site up. Thanks!
🏝️ El Nido Island Hopping Tours
There were a few things that we wanted to do in El Nido during our visit, but going on an island hopping tour was at the top of our list. As it may be in yours, too, here’s an overview of the places you’ll visit for each El Nido island hopping tour to help you decide which one to book:
El Nido Island Hopping Tour A (Lagoons & Beaches)
Here are the places you’d visit when you choose to book El Nido Island Hopping Tour A (standard price of Shared Tour A: Php 1,200 per pax):
🗸 Small Lagoon or Big Lagoon (depending on availability)
🗸 Shimizu Island
🗸 Payong-Payong
🗸 Secret Lagoon
🗸 Seven Commando Beach
El Nido Island Hopping Tour B (Caves & Secluded Islands)
Here are the places you’d visit when you choose to book El Nido Island Hopping Tour B (standard price of Shared Tour B: Php 1,200 per pax):
🗸 Entalula Island
🗸 Cudugnon Cave
🗸 Cathedral Cave
🗸 Snake Island
🗸 Pinagbuyutan Island
El Nido Island Hopping Tour C (Hidden Beaches & Shrines)
Here are the places you’d visit when you choose to book El Nido Island Hopping Tour C (standard price of Shared Tour A: Php 1,400 per pax):
🗸 Secret Beach
🗸 Hidden Beach
🗸 Matinloc Shrine
🗸 Tapiutan Island
🗸 Helicopter Island
El Nido Island Hopping Tour D (Secret Beaches & Snorkeling Spots)
Here are the places you’d visit when you choose to book El Nido Island Hopping Tour D (standard price of Shared Tour A: Php 1,200 per pax):
🗸 Small Lagoon (Subject to slot availability)
🗸 Nat-nat Beach
🗸 Cadlao Lagoon
🗸 Pasandigan Cove
🗸 Paradise Beach
💡 PRO TIP: More on the adventurous side? You may want to check out the this highly-rated El Nido island hopping expedition.
Best El Nido Island Hopping Tour
But which of these tours should you book? Well, it depends on your preference.
Personally, I loved the private combination Tour A and C island hopping tour. We visited gorgeous islands and avoided crowds in some places because we took a private tour. But because they are the most popular tours, too, we had to deal with more crowds during our visit.
📝 NOTE: As per Kuya Jerry of GEA Travel and Tours, El Nido tour operators aren’t allowed to offer a combination Tour A & C anymore. You can only go on one island hopping tour per day.
But Tour B and Tour D, while also offering stunning views, are less popular and thus draw fewer crowds than the other two. So, if you prefer less crowded spots, then Tours B and D would be the best options.
Whether you like the more popular tours or prefer the ones with lesser crowds, I think you’d have a fantastic time because El Nido is truly a beautiful paradise.
Shared or Private El Nido Island Hopping Tour?
It depends on your preference. We booked the El Nido Private Island Hopping Tour, and it was worth it. Here’s why:
👉🏼 On a shared tour, you would have to wait for everyone to finish exploring a place, regardless of whether you are enjoying it or not, or need to hurry up if everyone’s ready to leave even if you are still enjoying the vibe of the place.
Whereas in a private tour, you can take your time in a spot you enjoy or skip a destination altogether if it is too crowded.
For example, we skipped Secret Beach because it was too crowded, and my slippers were close to giving up. We stayed longer at Shimizu Beach because it was all ours and it had fine sand, which was what I was looking for.
👉🏼 Joining a shared tour also means you would have to share the watchful eyes of your tour guides. On a private tour, you get to have the attention of your tour guides, and they will ensure that nothing untoward happens to you.
👉🏼 It was a whole day trip, and we needed a good water supply to stay hydrated. If you are a joiner, there is a chance that there will be a scarcity of water and food (we noticed this in one of the tour groups that had lunch at Matinloc Shrine). But, in a private tour, you get to fill your stomach with freshly cooked food and no competition with the drinking water supply.
💡 PRO TIP: If you have the funds, I encourage you to consider booking a private El Nido Island Hopping Tour.
Where to book your El Nido Island Hopping Tour
Let’s cut to the chase. There are many trustworthy tour operators in El Nido. But there’s only one I can recommend. And that’s because of my experience going on a private island hopping tour with Kuya Jerry of GEA Travel and Tours.
We met Kuya Jerry when our hotel in El Nido contracted him to pick us up for the transfer from the Puerto Princesa-El Nido drop-off point to our El Nido hotel.
He was polite and respectful and provided excellent customer service – definitely what you can expect from an experienced security staff of famous El Nido hotels and former security OIC of a few Survivor shoots.
With his help, we were able to explore the beautiful beaches of Palawan in our own time, snorkel at Helicopter Island, enjoy the still waters of the Hidden Beach, have the beach to ourselves at Shimizu Island, see the stunning view from Matinloc Shrine, marvel at the lovely limestone formations at the Secret Lagoon, be in awe at the Big Lagoon, and witness the beautiful sunset at 7th Commando Beach.
They provided excellent service, value for your money, and much more. I had such a fantastic time with them that when it was my brother’s (and a few friends’) turn to visit El Nido, I recommended booking their tours with GEA Travel and Tours. And now, I’m doing the same with you.
You can contact GEA Travel and Tours directly via their FB page or send them a Whatsapp message at +63.921.598.4756 or +63.968.640.3934. While at it, please mention that you learned about him through this blog. He provided us with superb service, and I would want to make good on my promise that we would help him promote his tour company. Thank you!
🛌 Where to stay in El Nido, Palawan, Philippines
There are a lot of accommodation options in El Nido, and choosing one can be a tad bit overwhelming. While some travelers choose to book accommodations when they’ve arrived at their destination, I prefer booking ahead of time (especially during the peak season) to make sure I get my chosen accommodation.
Now, I did the curating for you. Here are the top-rated El Nido accommodations that you may want to book:
➡️ Luxury Option: Staying at Vellago Resort will let you experience breathtaking sunsets in El Nido. If you’re looking for a luxurious stay on this beautiful island, book your stay with Vellago Resort.
➡️ Mid-range Option: Guests love staying at El Nido Garden Resort because of its stunning views, spacious and clean rooms, swimming pool, and proximity to the El Nido port (for island hopping) and restaurants and bars.
➡️ Budget Option: Spin Designer Hostel is a hip hostel highly rated by travelers because of its top-notch service and location. It offers bunk beds in mixed male and female dormitory rooms (shared bathrooms). They also offer a private single room with a private bathroom if you’re looking for more privacy.
📝 El Nido, Palawan, Travel Tips
Here are some tips that I hope will make your trip to El Nido an epic one:
How to get to El Nido, Palawan, Philippines
Looking forward to exploring the stunning beaches of El Nido through an island hopping tour? It’s now time to book your ticket to El Nido!
Manila to El Nido
Coming from Manila? Here are the ways to get to El Nido:
✔️ Best for those short on time: Go on a direct flight to El Nido
✔️ Best if you’re on a budget: Fly via Puerto Princesa and take the bus or van to El Nido
✔️ Fly to Busuanga (Coron) and ferry to El Nido
💡 PRO TIP: If you’re taking the Puerto Princesa route, I recommend booking the earliest flight from Manila to Puerto Princesa, so you would be able to maximize your stay in El Nido. It takes about 5-7 hours to get from Puerto Princesa to El Nido, and the usual check-in time is at 2:00 PM. We landed in Puerto Princesa at around 8:00 AM and started the ride to El Nido at around 9:00 AM. We arrived at our hotel at around 3:00 PM, just an hour after our check-in time – not too early, not too late.
💡 PRO TIP: If you are taking the van, request the driver that you be seated on either the front seat or on the 1st row behind him for more leg room. The front seat would, of course, provide you with a better view of the road (it has some beautiful scenery), but it would be pretty uncomfortable if you were seated with another person.
💡 PRO TIP: Again, if you are taking a van, book with your hotel! It’s more convenient and will come out a little cheaper.
Coron to El Nido
Coming from Coron? Here are the ways to get to El Nido from Coron:
✔️ Best for those short on time: Fly from Coron to El Nido
✔️ Best if you’re on a budget: Take the ferry from Coron to El Nido.
What to pack for your trip to El Nido
- Camera – This is a must-have! Or, you might regret not having anything to capture the beauty of the places you’ll be visiting. An underwater camera is a plus! El Nido’s underwater life is so vibrant that it would be a pity not to have a picture/video for you to be reminded of them.
- Insect/mosquito repellant – There are a lot of mosquitoes in El Nido. And I mean a lot. So, spare yourself from getting irritated by the mosquito bites and just include this in your packing.
- Dry pack – If you are bringing your DSLR and your phone, I would recommend bringing your dry pack. There would be times when you have to walk in the water and have a high chance of getting your camera wet.
- Waterproof phone protector – If your weapon of choice in taking photos or videos is your phone, bring a waterproof phone protector. You wouldn’t want your valuable phone to get drenched in water. My friend, Angge, gave me her waterproof phone protector, and we used it to capture videos in El Nido.
- Beach footwear – There are some spots where you have to step on some pointy things, and getting to the beaches you would be visiting wouldn’t be too comfortable if you are just wearing plain slippers.
💡 PRO TIP: Download a comprehensive list of what to pack for your trip to El Nido.
Best time to visit El Nido
The Philippines is a tropical country, so I recommend visiting between January and March – when the weather isn’t as hot during summer, and the rainy season is usually over (thus, there is a higher possibility of sunny and clear skies).
💡 PRO TIP: Check the weather forecast. If you have limited time in El Nido, the presence of sunny and clear skies during your visit can make or break your visit to this gorgeous Philippine destination.
💡 PRO TIP: Travel with flexibility. Part of the fun of traveling within the Philippines is the unpredictability. It may not work for all types of travelers. But consider that it can expand you as a human being. I used to be stuck with following my itinerary to a T. But, having traveled to so far 34 provinces in the Philippines (in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao), I’ve learned to accept that some things may not go my way. And I can choose to be stuck with the anger/frustration or just enjoy the moment. I endeavor to choose the latter.
Enjoy, have fun, and be in the moment! El Nido is beautiful, indeed. And be grateful that you are blessed with the opportunity to experience what it offers.
FAQs: El Nido Island Hopping Tour
Here are some frequently asked questions about where to book your El Nido Island Hopping Tour.
How long are the island hopping tours in El Nido?
It takes about 7 hours, so it’s best (and is what’s only allowed) to schedule one El Nido island hopping tour per day.
How much is El Nido island hopping?
You can go on an El Nido island hopping tour (Joiner Tour A, B, and D) for as low as Php 1,200 per pax. Joiner Tour C is priced at Php 1,400.
What to wear in El Nido island hopping?
Your swimwear works! If you’re more conservative, you can also wear a T-shirt on top of your swimwear. As long as you’re happy and feel good about yourself, that’s what matters!
How many days is enough in El Nido
I think 5 days at the minimum should be enough. This will allow you to go on two (2) island hopping tours and one (1) inland tour. If you want to experience all El Nido island tours and add one more inland tour, then plan at least 7 days in El Nido.
What is the best tour of El Nido Island Hopping?
The most popular El Nido island hopping tours are Tour A and Tour C. But Tours B and D are also great options and may draw fewer crowds because they are less popular than the other two. So, if you prefer the more popular tours, then Tours A and C would be the best option. But if you prefer less crowded spots, then Tours B and D would work. Either way, I think you’d have so much fun because El Nido is a beautiful paradise.
What is included in Tour A El Nido?
You’ll get to visit either the Small Lagoon or the Big Lagoon (depending on availability). You will also visit Shimizu Island, Payong-Payong, Secret Lagoon, and 7 Commando Beach. An El Nido island hopping tour usually includes the following: buffet lunch, comfortable boat with insurance, life vest, licensed tour guide, boat captain, and helper to assist you.
The Wrap-Up: El Nido Island Hopping Tour
That’s it! Thank you for reading up to this point. I hope my blog about where to book your El Nido island hopping tour has helped you get clarity on the tour operator you should book your El Nido tour with.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. I’d be happy to help!
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