Island Hopping in El Nido

Located 238 kilometer north of Puerto Princesa at the tip of Palawan’s northwestern coast is where you will find the small village of El Nido and the stunning beauty of it’s surrounding marine reserve park. Due to it’s remote location the Bacuit Bay remained virtually unknown to the world until 1979 when a boat propeller accident at sea forced a group of divers to set anchor in the archipelago. What they discovered was a breathtaking scenery of endless islands and islets made of thick virgin forest surrounded by fine white sand beaches, crystal clear waters and magnificently sculpted limestone cliffs. El Nido’s archipelago played a key role in the decision of National Geographic Traveler magazine to rate Palawan as the best island destination of East and Southeast Asia in 2007. So don’t be put off by the 6-8 hour long journey (half of on bumpy roads) from Puerto Princesa as the price to pay for a bit of discomfort is undeniably well worth the reward.

Map of the Puerto Princesa to El Nido route

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El Nido town

El Nido town is a charming and quiet little Filipino village with very simple living that  thrives mainly from fishing and tourism. Located along the beach and facing the Bacuit bay it is surrounded by the region’s dramatic landscape of towering limestone cliffs covered in a blanket of green that mirror onto its emerald waters. Affairs as you would imagine are very relaxed here and the whole town is made up of a few quaint streets filled with a variety of surprisingly good little restaurants serving both local delicacies and international cuisine, laid back beach bars where you can sip a cold San Miguel after a long day spent island hopping, a karaoke bar (videoke as they call it in the Philippines) where you can join the locals for a tune or two, a few grocery stores and souvenir shops. Those looking for a bit of nightlife should head to the Balay Tubay joint as it features a live band every night playing a mix of Rock, Folk and Filipino music. A bit of dancing is also possible at El Nido’s only discotheque made up of an imaginatively redecorated 50 Sq. Meters house.  There are plenty of budget and mid-range accommodation options in town that will cater to just about everyone’s needs.

Pictures of El Nido town

The El Nido Marine Reserve of the Bacuit Bay

Though the town is quite pleasant in itself the real beauty of El Nido lies amidst it’s Bacuit Archipeleago. The most striking features of the Marine Reserve is the scenic landscape made up of 45 magnificently sculpted limestone islands of varying shapes and sizes. Each one of them with their own unique features of beautiful lagoons, thick green forests, coves, bays, white sand beaches, caves all scattered about the sparking crystal clear seas. Hiring a boat to take you island hopping and snorkeling  for a 6 hour day tour should cost you about 1500-2200 Philippines Pesos (Those on a budget can join a group for around 500-800 PHP). I highly recommend arranging to have your tour guides include (some have it bundled it in the prices while other ask extra) a cooler for cold beverages and lunch made up of fresh fish, beef or pork that they will BBQ and serve with rice and fruits on one of the beaches of your choice. A truly unforgettable experience to dine in the Bacuit bay. Since the bulk of the boat tours start at 8-9AM and follow one of the main four island hopping tours in a linear path a good tip  is to leave an hour late to avoid any crowds.

Pictures of El Nido Island Hopping

There are three types of transportation that will to get to El Nido as you can:

Travel by Land

1. Air-con Shuttle Van:  Take one of the air-con mini vans from Puerto Princessa’s new market bus station between 6 and 9 AM in the morning and 1 to 2PM in the afternoon.  Costs are 600 pesos (±$12) per person and the trip takes 6-8 hours. Possibility to make reservations (best for afternoon trips) via phone at: +63(0)9209815702 or +63(0)9172762875.
2. Local Bus: Take the local non-aircon daily bus that Leaves Puerto Princessa’s new market bus station everyday at around 8 AM for El Nido and costs P350 pesos (±$7) per person. BEWARE as these buses are packed to the brim with people (or livestock) standing inside or on top. Windows are nonexistent so expect to be covered in a dirt  by the time of your arrival. Trip Takes from 8 to 12 hours depending on weather and how many flat tires to change. Eulen Joy Bus phone: +63(0)9197162210 or Sweety Bus phone: +63(0)919711922.
3. Private Van for Hire: These can be arranged in Puerto Princesa on any given day but the prices are steep around P10,000 (±$200) and can fit around 8 people. Not too bad if you are travelling in a group. Trip Takes 5-8 hours depending on how many stops you want to make.

Travel by Boat

1. Sabang – Port  Barton – El Nido Banca route: These boats on run regularly during high season for around P1,500.00 to P2000/person (±$30-40) . Trip takes around 7 hours.
2. Manila to El Nido:  San Nicholas Shipping Lines (phone: +63(0)9182161764) and Atienza Shipping Lines (phone: +63(0)9274066036) make  trips 2-3 times a week for around P1,200.00 (±$25). Trip takes ±30 hours
   

Travel by Air

1. Manila- Elnido: daily flighs with ITI. One way is around is P8,000 (±$165)
2. Manila – Puerto Princesa: Daily flights with Cebu Pacific, Seair, Air Philippines or ZestAir.  One way from P1000-4000 (±$15-50)

View from on one of the islands of Pagdanan Bay

Port Barton is located midway between Puerto Princesa and El Nido on Palawan’s Northwest coast. This lovely little coastal beach town’s activities are mostly geared towards island hopping, swimming, diving and snorkeling around Pagdanan Bay while the mainland offers some walking or hiking trips to discover several of the nearby waterfalls. The atmosphere is very laidback in Port Barton so don’t expect any nightlife outside of your resorts bar. We did heard of a small local bar that turns into a disco and stays opened late once a week on Saturdays when there are enough people. Attempting to go there at around 11PM we found it closed.

Map of the Puerto Princesa to Port Barton route

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Pictures of the Port Barton

Resorts of Port Barton

The bulk of the resorts of Port Barton are located along the town’s long white sand beach. Prices go cheap in this part of Palawan where beach front accommodations prices vary from 400 to 700 Pesos($8-12). Another positive note good to mention is that you definitely won’t feel like you’ve ended up in a tourist ghetto here as we didn’t encounter as much as 10 other tourists the time we were there. Alternatively there is also the option to stay at the Coconut Island Garden Resort which is located in 45 minutes by boat in the Bay itself for a more secluded island getaway experience (from 600 to 1200 pesos).

Pictures of the Summer Homes Resort

Island Hopping in Port Barton

Located in Pagdanan Bay, Port Barton it is the ideal place for those who love to do Island hopping. All the boats for hire are available from the Fair Trade Mariners Association of Port Barton where prices vary depending of the number of passengers, length of the trip or chosen tour destinations. Among the many islands of the bay at least 15 contain fine white sand beaches. Most are virgin and inhabited and since Port Barton is a low key tourist destination so you’ll most likely have those islands all to yourself. The water is often of a splendid turquoise color and always crystal clear so you will be able to see through several meters below. Bring snorkel or scuba gear as the marine life is abundant and the corals seem to be untouched.

Pictures Island Hopping in Pagdanan Bay

Getting to Port Barton from Puerto Princesa and back:

To travel the 150 KM that separate Port Barton from Puerto Princesa you can:

1. Take the local Jeepney that Leaves Puerto Princessa’s new market bus station everyday at around 10 AM for Port Barton and costs 250 pesos (±$5) per person.
2. If you arrive later in the day and don’t want to stay overnight in Puerto Princesa another option is to take a one of the many Jeepneys that are leave for Sabang from 7 AM to 3 PM (150 pesos) at the new Public Bus Terminal. You can then get on one of the boats to do the trip from from Sabang to Port Barton (800 pesos). Boats only leave in the morning so this means you will have to spend the night in one of the beach resorts in Sabang.
3. Take one of the many vans for hire that do the trip up to Roxas once they get full (200-300 pesos)  from where you can take afternoon Jeepney that goes to Port Barton (250 pesos). Depending how late in the day you arrive you could get stuck in Roxas. If so I would recommend to stay in the Coco Loco Island Resort overnight.
   
4. Private shuttles taxis can also be arranged for around 3-4,000($90) and can accommodate up to 6 persons with their luggage.

Pictures of the Roxas to Port Barton Jeepney ride

The view from the beach on a moody afternoon at Coco Loco island

The Coco Loco island and resort was certainly one of the highlights of my last trip to the Philippines. The seven hectares spec of land that make up this microscopic sized island consists but of two things. Flat land abundant with Coconut trees which is completely surrounded by beautiful white sandy beaches that lead into the inviting crystal blue to turquoise green seas. All this with clear view of the lofty mountains of mainland Palawan in the background. Whats makes Coco Loco particularly special is that there’s only 34 cottages which are spread out through the island so its in no way overcrowded and you still kind of have a sense as if you were on your own. The entire island can be walked around at a relaxed pace in about 30 to 40 minutes so you get that castaway “away from it all” feel to it, a true Heaven on earth experience. The pictures don’t give justice to the place mainly due to covered skies where the absence of sunlight doesn’t let the colors look as vibrant as they really were.

Coco Loco Island

We hadn’t really planned to do anything on such a short stay so we played it very relaxed and carefree by the beach. Our only activity was swimming and snorkeling and it’s definitively an excellent place for that. You could snorkel right off the beach into what would seem like an aquarium full of tropical fish. Never seen quite something like this so for sure no need to rent a boat to do some quality snorkeling here. If you plan to stay there a while activities can be arranged such as island hopping, fishing, windsurfing, beach volleyball, kayaking, scuba diving or beginners diving courses (PADI).

Getting There

After a 2½ hours Van hire journey from Puerto Princesa on a paved road through the amazing and very unique Palawan scenery we arrived in the small Municipality of Roxas. Once at the Roxas’ wharf we proceed onto a banca for the last portion of the trip, a 40 minutes boat ride East onto the sea set to reach the paradisaic island of Coco Loco.

Map of Roxas to Coco Loco island and resort

Coco Loco Accommodation

The accommodations of Coco Loco resort are all made of traditional Filipino native style bamboo cottages. This means they are very basic but clean. Each one comes inside with the standard: The bed and its mosquito net, an electric fan, table and chairs, a bathroom with a non heated salty water shower and a flush toilet. The electricity is provided by the resorts generator which runs 12 hours a day from 6PM to 6AM. There is also a dive shop that also sells some souvenir items and a bar restaurant where guests can play billiard, ping pong, darts or watch cable TV.

Price and Food

The price is around P2,000 (roughly $40/€30) per person, per day and includes three meals“a la carte’” and boat transfers. Definitely a good run for your money for what you actually get at this resort, especially compared to other private island resorts of El Nido. This place stands out and is definitely recommended.