Island hopping in El Nido is an absolute must-do when visiting. It is one of the most beautiful places in the world, with small white sand beaches, lagoons, crystal clear water, and towering limestone cliffs. Choose from the four different boat tours and explore this paradise. This blog post shares our experiences and tips for island hopping with a private tour in El Nido, Palawan.
Island hopping in El Nido
Going on an island-hopping tour in El Nido is a must-do. You can choose whether you want to go on a group or private boat tour. A shared boat is the cheaper option, but you can only select one from the four boat tours. A private tour allows you to combine stops from two tours (not all tour companies will do that) and start earlier than the other tours. We started our tour at 8 am. Group tours usually start around 9.30 – 10 am.
An Island hopping tour in El Nido includes a boat with crew, snorkeling gear, drinking water, lunch, and the environmental tax. If you are vegan/vegetarian, don’t forget to tell them before, they will cook a meal for you without meat or fish. We had rice, veggies, and a fantastic fruit platter.
El Nido island hopping tours
There are four different island hopping tours you can choose from in El Nido, which we have listed here with our recommendations. If you book a private boat tour, they usually allow you to choose from two different tours.
Tour A
Tour A is the most popular one and that means the places on this tour are usually the most crowded ones.
- 7 Commandos Beach
- Secret Lagoon
- Shimizu Island
- Big Lagoon (additional entrance fee of 200 pesos per person)
Tipp: If you don’t choose this tour, you can visit 7 Commandos Beach from Corong Corong Beach in El Nido by yourself with a kayak, which is a fun adventure, too.
Tour B
Some of our favorite places on our private Island hopping trip were from tour B. We loved Pinagbuyutan Island and the small paradise beach of Entalula Island. We did not pick any of the caves since we looked more for the beach and lagoon stops.
- Pinagbuyutan Island
- Cudugnon Cave
- Entalula Island
- Cathedral Cave
- Snake Island
Tour C
The rest of the stops on the private boat tour we chose from tour C. We loved Helicopter Island and Secret Beach.
- Helicopter Island
- Hidden Beach
- Secret Beach
- Matinloc Shrine
- Tapiotan Island
Tour D
This is the least popular boat tour in El Nido. If you go on a group trip, we would recommend you choose tour D because chances are high that the boat won’t be complete on this tour.
- Small Lagoon (additional entrance fee of 200 pesos per person)
- Paradise Beach
- Nat Nat Beach
- Serenity Beach
- Ipil Beach
Where to book your private island hopping tour
We chose a private boat tour to go island hopping in El Nido and booked our trip at Wanderlust Travel El Nido. We can recommend booking with them because they did a great job. The crew was very friendly and hard-working, the boat was big and comfortable, they made vegan lunch for us, and we could choose stops that we liked from two different tours.
We recommend you book your tour 1-2 days before and tell them you would like to leave as early as possible in the morning, which is usually around 8 am. The meeting point is at their office, and they will take you to the boat from here.
Wanderlust Travel El Nido offers group tours as well. It’s not only for private boat tours.
Cost for a private boat tour
The Price for the boat (crew, lunch, snorkeling gear included) was 8’000 pesos (150 $). Besides, we had to pay 200 pesos (4 $) per person for the Environmental fee. This fee is valid for ten days, so if you do several different island hopping tours in Bacuit Bay within this time, you won’t have to pay for it again.
What to pack for your island hopping tour
- Dry bag for your camera & phone
- Swimwear & towel
- Reef-friendly Sunscreen
- Sunglasses / Hat
Info: You won’t have to bring drinking water for your trip. The boat company will provide a big filter water bottle and reusable cups. In fact, no plastic bottles are allowed on boat tours in El Nido to save the environment. This made us so happy to see.
We are going this week to El Nido! We will do at least two private tour days. Which islands/beaches do you recommend? I read Pinagbuyutan Island
Entalula Island
Helicopter Island
Hidden Beach
Secret Beach
Is it right? We also love (myself and my wife) small beaches/islands like yourselfs! Any more recommendation in El Nido?
In Coron I read that you liked Smith and Banul, and the lakes? Which recommedations for Coron? We will stay three days there (is it enough)?
Thanks!
Hi Pedro, We are excited for you! El Nido island hopping is amazing. Yes, correct these were our favourite islands. Please check out our other blog post for all our Coron Island hopping tips and 3 days for Coron are great. Have an unforgettable trip!