El Nido Town as the Base Camp for Bacuit Bay and Island-Hopping Tours

On prices: the figures on this page were gathered in September 2026 and are given as bands rather than current quotes. Rates, fees and timetables change every season - check with the operator before you book.

El Nido Town is Not a Beach Paradise

You arrive in Elido town for the postcard lagoons, but the town itself is no island idyll. This is a base camp. A functional, often frayed logistics hub for accessing Bacuit Bay. The main street, Calle Hama, is a cramped corridor of tricycle traffic, tour booking desks, and rapid, unregulated construction. The local beach, Calaan, is narrow and crowded with outrigger boats. Expect dust. Generator noise. The constant hum of arrivals and departures. Your reward for enduring this is direct access to some of the planet's most dramatic seascapes, but manage your expectations for the town itself. It is a place to sleep, book a tour, and charge your camera. It is not a destination for evening strolls along the sand.

The Reality of Staying in El Nido Town

Your choice of accommodation in El Nido is a direct trade-off between convenience and comfort. Staying in town puts you steps from the tour departure points. You sacrifice peace and reliable infrastructure.

Power and Water Shortages

Daily rotational brownouts are a fact of life, especially during the peak tourist months from December to May. The power outages kill fans and air conditioning without warning. They disrupt charging for devices. Many establishments rely on private wells or delivered water, and shortages are frequent. The town has no centralised sewerage system, a fact that underscores its struggle to keep pace with its own growth.

The Accommodation Landscape

Since the road from Puerto Princesa was paved in 2018, a construction boom has filled every available plot with hostels and budget hotels. A municipal ordinance limits buildings to three storeys. Enforcement is uneven. The result is a dense, overbuilt town that feels loud and hectic. For a quieter alternative with sunset views, consider the accommodations along Corong-Corong Beach, a ten minute tricycle ride south of the main action. Swimming there is only possible at high tide, but the atmosphere is markedly more relaxed.

Booking Your El Nido Island Hopping Tours

This is why you are here. The island hopping tours depart directly from the beach in El Nido town. Book through any travel agency or your guesthouse the day before you want to go. Payment is almost always cash only.

Tour A: The Essential Lagoon Tour

Tour A is the non-negotiable classic. It includes the Big Lagoon, where you kayak or swim into a turquoise channel walled by limestone, and the Small Lagoon, which you enter by swimming through a narrow rock cleft. The tour also stops at Shimizu Island for snorkelling and Seven Commando Beach. Book this tour for your first day. Departure is at 09:00, but arrive earlier to secure a kayak. The environmental fee is 200 PHP per person, collected by the local tourism office and covering a multi-day pass for Bacuit Bay. An additional 200 PHP fee is required to enter the Big Lagoon itself.

Tour C: The Hidden Beach Tour

Tour C covers the Secret Beach, which you access by swimming through a narrow rock opening, and the haunting Matinloc Shrine. Access to the shrine building itself is prohibited due to structural decay. This tour is more frequently cancelled during the July to September monsoon due to rough seas. The price is higher, around 1,400 to 1,600 PHP.

Avoiding the Crowds

Boat overcrowding is a significant issue on popular tours. Forty or more visitors descend on the Small Lagoon simultaneously by 10:00. Your only defence is an early start. Be on the first boat out to have any hope of solitude. For a more private experience, hire a custom boat for your group. This lets you combine stops from different tours and set your own pace.

Escaping El Nido Town to Nacpan Beach

When the generator hum and tour desk touts become too much, your daytime escape is Nacpan Beach. This four kilometre stretch of white sand is roughly 16 km north of town, a 45 minute tricycle ride away. Budget 1,500 PHP for a round trip. The road is now mostly paved. Nacpan is a twin beach, connected to Calitang Beach by a narrow headland. Development is scattered and low key. Beachfront shacks serve lato seaweed salad and cold drinks. Swimming is safe during the dry season, but be cautious of strong currents from June to November. The entrance fee is 50 PHP per person, paid at a small checkpoint on the access road. This is the beach you imagined finding in Palawan.

Navigating El Nido Town Logistics and Money

Palawan is logistically demanding, and El Nido town is its epicentre of beautiful friction. Plan your moves and your money with military precision.

The Cash Only Economy

Assume every transaction requires cash. ATMs in town are limited and frequently run out of money, especially by Sunday afternoon. Bring enough Philippine pesos to cover your entire stay, plus a buffer. Tour operators, kayak rentals, and most restaurants will not accept cards.

Getting In and Out

Most visitors arrive via a five to six hour shared van from Puerto Princesa International Airport, which costs 600 to 800 PHP. These vans operate on a wait until full basis, not a fixed schedule. A planned 09:00 departure can become 11:00. The direct flight from Manila to El Nido Airport on AirSwift is a faster but more expensive alternative. There are no scheduled commercial ferry services connecting El Nido town to other islands.

Connectivity and Advice

Globe and Smart offer patchy 4G coverage in the town centre, but the signal vanishes the moment your boat enters Bacuit Bay. Download offline maps and any essential information before you leave your accommodation Wi Fi. Mobile data reliability plummets during the daily brownouts.