“El Nido is known as the
Philippines’ last frontier, and if you’re looking for magnificent beaches in an
unspoiled setting, it’s a perfect place for you to vacation.” – Tripadvisor
Palawan holds a very special
place in my heart. The place made a lasting impression on me. It is still my
most favorite of favorites until now. I even repeatedly tell my friends, “If I
ever go missing one day, this is where you can find me”.
My friends and I went to Coron on
the first quarter of 2016. That trip sparked our eagerness to see El Nido to
find out what it has to offer (and which is better lol). We’re so lucky to get
to see it on the Valentines week of 2017.
You know that in El Nido, Island
Hopping Tour is as easy as choosing A, B, C and D. What you might not know is
that there is a new addition, Tour E, which includes Nacpan Beach and Mt. Taraw
which I think you can do on a DIY (that’s just me).
Everybody also knows that the
most popular tours are A and C. And no contest at all, Tour C is the best so it
is where everybody goes. The 2nd option is always Tour A which is equally good.
We’ve been to the latter on our first day and I can attest to why it is
frequented by tourists. Much to our despair though, due to unfavorable weather
conditions during our stay, the coast guard restricted the other tours
including Tour C.
Tour A is packed with
breathtaking lagoons. Our first stop is the Small Lagoon. The water is
naturally turquoise. We swam our way to a narrow entrance, and got stoked while
inside the Small Lagoon. There are a lot of territorial fishes in the area though,
its natural defense mechanism against predators is to attack and bite them. By predators,
that would mean us, they see us as such so beware of them. Some of my friends
got bitten by territorial fishes. But nothing so serious, yes it can startle
you but it’s not life threatening.
 |
| Attempted to do the "circle of friends" pose, but failed lol! |
We headed to Shimizu Island for
lunch. Aside from minor snorkeling and basking in the sun, there’s nothing so
special about this island. But the view you get from crystal clear water and the jagged limestone
cliffs around is extremely unforgettable. It’s even a great way to stare at
them while having your lunch.
Secret Lagoon is our next stop. The
waves were challenging! We stopped at the end of some huge rocks then I asked,
where are we heading? Then I finally realized what we were about to do next. We
passed through a hole until we were inside, and witnessed an enclosed lagoon.
The Big Lagoon is my personal favorite! The entrance towards
the big lagoon was just so surreal and magical that I literally cried. It feels
like we’re entering a different realm. It was so beautiful! I’ll let the
pictures do the talking now hahahaha! #blabbermouth
Our final stop is the Seven Commando Beach. Unlike Shimizu Island,
the sand in Seven Commando beach is so fine. It is comparable to the sand in
Calaguas, but of darker shade. With its white beach, clear water plus limestone
cliffs, it will really satisfy your every craving for relaxation in an island
paradise. It is the nearest island to El Nido town, which is why this is the last
island to explore. We waited for the sun to set, then head back to town to wrap
up our tour.
Our day 2 is supposed to be spent
for Tour C, but as I’ve said earlier, it is restricted because of the weather.
Safety first. Since we were already there, we just resorted to do spontaneous sidetrip
to Nacpan and experience the zipline at the Las Cabanas Resort while waiting
for the sunset by the beach.
Surprisingly, the view at Nacpan Beach did not disappoint us. This side of El Nido is like a breath of fresh
air. It is the other side of El Nido which will make you realize that the place
is diverse and multi-faceted. The water in Nacpan beach is in this weird
fluorescent blue that it literally looks like the exit to the Gatorade factory!
The landscape is incredible. One downside though, because Nacpan is still untouched,
you’re just limited to sunbathing and swimming. Be careful still. The waves are
somewhat tricky, I consider myself as a good swimmer, but I almost drowned.
Thanks to Odette and JB for saving my life! I’m ok guys, no worries ;)
We ended our day by gearing up on
a little trek and zipline. I have a minor fear of heights (with emphasis on the
minor lol), but it didn’t stop me. I fed my hunger for adrenaline rush by
experiencing the zipline. Which I did not regret, coz the view from the top is
just so --- (insert adjective here). #noragrets
We capped it all off by chillaxing by the beach at Las Cabanas Resort while waiting for the sunset. Ordered some drinks and took a
timelapse video (as shown below). It wouldn’t be a perfect island experience
without a perfect sunset and El Nido has a lot of them. I’ve witnessed a number
of sunsets, but each is unique making it worth capturing.
Our trip to El Nido was not so
perfect. All of us experienced excruciating stomach pain that made some of us
missed day 2 and stayed at the hotel, the cause is still unknown up to now. But
in general, the trip is one for the books! I want to end this on a positive
note, coz despite all these inconveniences of El Nido, the beauty of this place
makes it all worth it!
Here’s the sunset timelapse video
that I took on our last day in El Nido.
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