10 Top Things to Do in El Nido

_{Tanning under the Palawan’s sun –}

What are the first words that come to you when you hear about The Philippines? If they are pristine sea water or with sandy beaches, then Palawan is your island to go.

_{Crystal clear sea}

If you Google Palawan, you might stumble on El Nido as a hot place to visit and it is easy to see why. El Nido is indeed beautiful. Afterall, who wouldn’t love secluded crystal clear beaches surrounded by limestone cliffs. This kind of combination is just like no other during my beach trip.

_{Limestone cliff with colorful coral & fish when you snorkel}

However, despite all the perks, I feel El Nido is also too touristy, which led to quite expensive prices. And last but not least, it would take 5 hours on a bumpy and curvy road to get there with a van from Puerto Princesa airport.

_{During arrival @ Puerto Princesa Airport}

But, you can be more than just a tourist following the mass tourism. You can enjoy El Nido in a personal way like I did below.

_{Swinging my way @ El Nido}

10 TOP THINGS EL NIDO

1 – Rent a motorbike and explore the island yourself. This option allowed me to go at my own pace. However, note that driving in South East Asia in general requires more attention since roads might be not well maintained and traffic could be crazy, i.e. a lot of tricycles.

Price – 8.80 USD per 24 hours

_{Motorcycle is a good option to mobile independently}

_{Please choose a bike with cellphone holder for safety reason when you travel solo}

2 – Ditch the standard island hopping tour, opt for an all package Mangrove tour with snorkeling and lunch from Dewil Eco Mangrove Tour. By doing so, you will avoid the mass and have a tour by yourself. There were three of us on the tour. Moreover, you will support the local community who has been building the ecosystem for the environment.

Price – 26.40 USD per person for 6 hours

_{Riding through mangrove forest}

_{Can you spot a hiding mudcrab?}

3 – Forget about some mainstream fancy bars, instead go for a karaoke bar. The Philippines love karaoke and why not try it like the locals while being there. We had a great time at 88 Karaoke Bar and the booze worked well ;)Price – depends on your booze choice. We paid 10 USD for 1.5 litre Piña Colada

_{Unleash your karaoke spirit when you are in The Philippines}

_{And we were luckily the only ones since we were super early there}

4 – Try affordable Filipino food at Inasal Eats Co. El Nido, specifically for Inasal or Chicken BBQ. And it comes, of course, with rice.

Price – 2 USD per portion for Inasal

_{But you could also order Sinigang or the Filipino stew}

_{Chicken Inasal Takeaway}

5 – But in case you want to splurge and open for something international, you can try Big Bad Thai for top notch Thai Cuisine or Gusto for brunch food and burgers.

Price – from 7 USD for food and drink

_{Pad Thai from Big Bad Thai – finger licking good}

_{Beside the western food, Gusto also serves you a delicious Halo Halo}

6 – You can’t go to The Philippines without getting a massage. We had ours at Luisa Massage for an hour and it was tension relieving.

Price – 8.80 USD per hour.

_{Otw to Luisa Massage}

_{After massage @ Luisa Massage}

7 – Go shopping at Walang Problema to support local artists. Plus they have a boyfriend waiting area too 😉

_{Walang Problema is located in the heart of the downtown}

_{Hubby when waiting @ Walang Problema}

8 – Just walk around El Nido. We ditched all the fancy tours and stuff and found a surprise which was rumbling around the hood with the local kids.

_{Hubby & Anne – Posing with the local kids}

_{Our view while strolling around}

9 – Visit Duli Beach if you want a serenity and are into surfing. We didn’t make it to Duli beach, but our friend did. She loved it since it was so peaceful there and felt like she had the beach to herself.

_{Hermie crab wanting to be put on the sand again}

_{Boat in the making}

10 – Walk from Corong Corong Beach until Vanilla Beach if the weather is supportive and you are fit enough to walk through different terrains, i.e. muddy grounds and stones, for approximately an hour.

_{Our start @ Corong Corong Beach}

_{Otw to Vanilla Beach}

Where to stay at El Nido?

We stayed at the Iresteran Guesthouse and were happy with the premises.

Pro – Good free breakfast, green and far away from business, great host

_{Green Iresteran}

_{Dogsilog for breakfast}

Con – Going downtown is easy, but going up would require you a lot of energy. We did tricycle for 1.80 USD for 3 of us every single time

_{Steps to and from Iresteran}

_{Remember to discuss the price first with the tricycle driver before coming in}

_{Note – This article contains no ads nor promotion. All tips are based on personal experience and not legal advice. Prices are from June travel 2025.}