The road to paradise: El Nido, Palawan

Have you ever started going somewhere and stopped and thought "I hope this is worth it?" I have and it was on this trip! Darryl and I flew to the Philippines from South China, it was a short 2.5 hour flight to Manila (with a 4 hour layover) and another hour to Puerto Princesa, Palawan. We landed at dusk, the air was warm and, the San Miguel's were cold. We started scouting for our cab to take us to El Nido. We quickly realized we'd be taking a mini bus to El Nido with at least 10 other people. Finally after 30 minutes of waiting around, we got a full van. Then we were informed it was going to take 4 hours to get there! We looked at each other in disbelief (this was my lack of planning). So 4 hours later on an unpaved road we made a stop... a half way stop! I thought no way! Do we really have to endure another 4 hours of this hell. We DID! We arrived to El Nido (in one piece) around 4am. We rolled out of bed up the next morning to this view above... El Nido really is heaven on earth, just don't expect a paved road to get there! 
This would be the most off the beaten path, rugged and rewarding trip I've ever taken to this day! 

Still laughing off last night, we had breakfast and booked our first boat excursion. We stayed at the Aqua Travel Lodge, it's located in the heart of El Nido. The staff was extremely accommodating with preplanned, complimentary breakfast and they set up all of our activities. We had 4 full days and didn't want to waste a minute. Our first boating excursion we went on Tour C provided by El Nido Boutique and Art Cafe. On this tour it included island hoping to Matinloc, Tapiutan and, Secret Beach. I'm pretty sure when Conde Nast name Palawan #1 Island in the World they were talking about Matinloc Island. It was stunning, water so clear you can see all the way down to the bottom. Best part NO sharks, the water is to warm!! Each tour had tons of opportunities to snorkel and swim. Our guides made the day even better, definitely recommend booking through Art Cafe.
Added Bonus:  
Art Cafe provides snorkel gear to rent and lunch. They do recommend bringing your own towel and sun block. Darryl and I also picked up a bag like this in Thailand we used on both boat excursions... life saver! 

Shot taken with a GoPro as we had to swim under a rock formation to get to Secret Beach

That evening we headed to Trattoria Altrove! Darryl lit up like a Christmas tree when our delicious pizza came out. You'd never guess from climbing up the shaky stairs to this crumbling building that this restaurant would deliver a 5 star pizza... We went back every night. 

Trattoria Altrove, El Nido

The next day we took a break from being out on the water and rented scooters to drive up to Nacpan Beach. This is a MUST do when visiting Palawan. We could relish in the feeling of how free we felt all day, but I'll save you from that. Nacpan was gorgeous! Calm, inviting and private. It almost felt like we were the first ones to ever step out on this beach. 
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A tip to renting scooters: always take pictures of the scooter before you leave the rental spot. They may try to nickel and dime you when you get back. 
In our case they should have. Wait for it! 

The road to Nacpan Beach

Nacpan Beach, El Nido

As the day winds down at Nacpan Beach you can find a few stands that offer fresh coconut, mango and a few traditional dishes. 
We dove back to El Nido just in time to witness this amazing sunset below! But before we got back we had a few hiccups along the way. A brief rain storm swept through the area leaving the clay roads practically flooded. Our scooter lost traction making it down a small hill. The scooter fell over and skidded down, our legs caught between the bike and the clay. OUCH! Not to mention its quite freaky being in the absolute middle of nowhere during a rain storm. My only pair of sandals were sucked into this murky clay puddle. As Darryl reached in to find them my mind went racing with images of pythons and sink holes (dramatic much?). Shoes were rescued and we ran (limped) with our bike back to the paved road!!! 

On our last full day in El Nido before we headed back to Puerto Princesa, we took another boat excursion! This time on tour A we visited Big and Small Lagoon, Secret Lagoon, Simisu Island and 7 Commando beach. So many breathtaking views my phone was running out of storage. Swimming is not allowed in Big and Small Lagoon, so we cruised through, which was enough for me to want to leave the real world behind and become a tour guide in El Nido. 

Small Lagoon, El Nido

Before we went to Commando Beach we had lunch on Simisu Island. It feels like a dream when I think back to this perfectly cooked meal and staring off into the ocean. Art Cafe provided fresh caught fish they barbecued on the back of our boat (yea they do that) white rice, and MANGO. 

Where we enjoyed lunch on Simisu Island, El Nido

Just outside of Secret Lagoon

Our trip was cut short due to my poor planning... We had 5 days off and almost 2 full days were spent on travel. 
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A few tips I have when traveling to El Nido: 

• Factor in 7-8 hour bus rides to and from Puerto Princesa with your flight time and where you are staying!
• Jelly fish sting... and there is such a thing as Sea Lice (trust me.. I got it)
• Not a coffee culture, expect powder coffee everywhere! 
• El Nido doesn't have an ATM and 90% of places will not accept Credit Card!! Get your cash in PP.

What to bring and when to go!

• Casual attire (leave your jewels at home), swimsuits, sunblock, GoPro, Calamine lotion (for sea lice) and feminine products (they do not have them).
• We went in May and it was hot but actually quite perfect, they predicted rain but it lasted 20 minutes for 1 day. I'd say peak season is February, March and, April just like Thailand. 

I truly mean it when I say this, El Nido was the coolest trip I've ever been on! Yea some crap happened, but I wouldn't change any of it because El Nido feels untouched. I honestly hope it never becomes commercialized. The locals love and want to protect their waters, so you know its a special place. 

Okay planning my trip back...

Any questions please don't be afraid to ask below or by emailing me at abby@basicambition.com 

PS. Philippine mangos are INSANELY good! 

​xx. Abby 

Arriving to Palawan