El Nido Itinerary: 3, 4, and 5 Days in Palawan’s Best Beach Town
El Nido was the destination I picked for turning 30, and more than a decade later it’s still the place I bring up when people ask about the best beach I’ve ever seen. We flew into Palawan, took a rough six-hour van ride up from Puerto Princesa, and spent the next several days moving between limestone cliffs, hidden lagoons, and a beach bar in Corong Corong that made the whole trip feel earned before we’d even started island hopping. If I ever make it back, my El Nido itinerary starts with a direct flight into town instead. Those six hours were fine in my twenties, but these days I’d rather spend them on the beach.
This El Nido itinerary covers 3, 4, and 5 days, and it’s built around a piece of fact-checking I had to do myself: the island hopping trip I actually did in 2016 isn’t bookable the same way anymore. More on that below, because it changes how you should plan your days.
Quick Facts Before You Go
- Getting there: Fly into Puerto Princesa or directly into El Nido’s own airport, or take the shared van from Puerto Princesa (roughly 5 to 6 hours on rough roads, so budget the better part of a day for it).
- Island hopping tours: El Nido’s boat trips run as four set routes, Tour A, B, C, and D, each covering a different set of lagoons, beaches, and islands. Since 2019, combining multiple lettered tours into one custom private day has been banned under a new environmental policy, and there’s now a daily visitor cap on Bacuit Bay. Book at least a couple of days ahead where possible.
- Fees: A national park or environmental fee applies to island hopping, typically valid for about 10 days once paid, plus a separate town eco-tourism fee on arrival. Confirm current amounts before you go, since these have changed more than once in recent years.
- How many days do you need: 3 days covers two tour days plus arrival and departure. 4 to 5 gives you room for a third tour or a slower pace.
3-Day El Nido Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival and Corong Corong
However you get in, plan for most of the day to disappear into travel. If you’re coming overland from Puerto Princesa, the road alone is rough enough to earn a rest afterward. Base yourself in Corong Corong if you want something quieter than the main town strip, or in El Nido town itself if you want to walk to restaurants and boat tours. Head to Las Cabanas Beach for sunset. It’s a short tricycle ride from town and one of the better sunset spots in the area, with local fishermen bringing in the day’s catch as the light fades.
Day 2: Island Hopping, Tour A
Tour A is El Nido’s headline route, covering the Big Lagoon or Small Lagoon (regulations now mean you’ll typically only visit one, not both, on the same trip), Secret Lagoon, Shimizu Island, and Seven Commandos Beach. This is the tour that includes the postcard shots you’ve probably seen of El Nido: kayaking into a lagoon boxed in by limestone walls, water so clear it looks edited. Book through a registered operator in town, bring a reusable water bottle since plastic isn’t allowed on the boats, and expect a full day, typically 8:30am to 4:30pm.
Day 3: Island Hopping, Tour B or C
Pick a second tour based on what you want more of. Tour B leans toward snorkeling and quieter islands: Snake Island’s sandbar, Entalula Island, and Cudugnon Cave. Tour C is the one with Secret Beach and Hidden Beach, plus a good chance of spotting turtles around Helicopter Island. If you only have time for one extra tour, C is generally considered the stronger of the two.
4-Day El Nido Itinerary
Add the tour you didn’t do on day 3. Between Tour A, B, and C, you’ll cover most of what makes Bacuit Bay a destination in its own right, and each tour is different enough from the others that it doesn’t feel repetitive.
5-Day El Nido Itinerary
Add a slower day with no boat tour at all. Walk El Nido town, eat somewhere new, or use the extra day to consider a side trip to Coron, which has a real reputation of its own for wreck diving and lagoons, though it’s a separate multi-hour boat or plane trip rather than a quick add-on. If you want a different kind of stay, this is also a good window to look into private island rentals in the area for a night or two, since a few exist around Bacuit Bay for travelers wanting something more secluded than a beachfront hotel.
A Note on Combining Tours
When I visited in 2016, we chartered a private speedboat and combined three tours’ worth of stops into a single day: Snake Island, Private Beach, Secret Beach, Helicopter Island, Small Lagoon, Big Lagoon, and Seven Commandos, all before sunset. It was one of the best travel days I’ve had. That specific approach isn’t available anymore under current regulations. Environmental policy changes since 2019 restrict boats to their assigned lettered route, and lagoon access within a single tour has also been limited to reduce crowding. The stops themselves are all still there and still worth seeing; you’ll just need to spread them across two or three separate tour days instead of one long private one.
Where to Stay
Corong Corong Beach is a good base if you want something a little removed from the noise of the main strip, with a long stretch of sand and rolling waves. El Nido town itself puts you closer to restaurants, tour operators, and nightlife. Either works well since nothing in El Nido is far from anything else.
Top Things to Do in El Nido
A quick list of the highlights. For the full rundown, see our complete Things to Do in El Nido guide.
- Island hopping Tour A: the lagoons and beaches most people picture when they think of El Nido.
- Sunset at Las Cabanas Beach: an easy, low-effort way to end any day.
- Secret Beach and Helicopter Island (Tour C): hidden coves and a good shot at seeing turtles.
- Snake Island (Tour B): a sandbar that appears and shifts with the tide.
- Kayaking Big or Small Lagoon: one of the best fifteen minutes you’ll spend anywhere in the Philippines.
Budget and Practical Notes
El Nido isn’t the cheapest corner of the Philippines, mostly because everything worth doing involves a boat, but it’s still reasonable by international standards. Island hopping tours run as day packages with lunch included, land transport is inexpensive relative to the boat tours, and food ranges from simple beachfront cafes to higher-end restaurants depending on where you sit down.
A note on pricing and rules: island hopping regulations, fees, and lagoon access in El Nido have changed multiple times since 2016 and continue to evolve. Always confirm current tour options, prices, and booking requirements directly before you travel rather than relying on any blog post’s numbers, including this one.
FAQ
How many days do you need in El Nido?
3 days covers two island hopping tours comfortably. 4 to 5 gives you a third tour or a genuine rest day.
Can you still combine multiple El Nido tours into one day?
Not the way it worked a decade ago. Environmental regulations introduced in 2019 restrict boats to a single lettered tour route per trip.
Should I visit El Nido or Coron?
Both have their own reputation. El Nido is known for its lagoons and limestone cliffs, Coron for wreck diving. If you have the time, many travelers do both.
Planning a longer Philippines trip beyond just El Nido? Check out our full Philippines Itinerary guide for how to combine it with Boracay, Cebu, and more.
