Pinoy Roadtrip: El Nido

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El Nido Island Hopping Tour A with Kids

November 15, 2011

El Nido Island Hopping Tour A with Kids

Map of where we went

Photo of map taken from El Nido Boutique and Art Cafe (arrows added by me)

The places we visited:

1. Small Lagoon
2. Secret Lagoon
3. Simizu Island
4. 7 Commandos Beach

The Big Lagoon was included in this tour but during our visit, the Survivor Series, Swedish edition was filming there so the lagoon was closed to the public.

Our Island Hopping Tour A Itinerary by Rovics Pension

6:00 AM

Wakeup

7:00 AM

Breakfast at Marina Garden Resort Cafe

9:00 AM

Departure from Marina Garden Resort for Island Hopping Tour A

Heading towards the Small Lagoon

10:00 AM-11:00 AM

Swimming at the Small Lagoon

see my article Small Lagoon at El Nido for more details on what to see.

11:00 AM-11:30 AM

Banca ride to Secret Lagoon. We passed by Big Lagoon and El Nido Resort Miniloc Island but didn't visit it. Big Lagoon is closed to visitors because the Survivor Series, Swedish version, is using the Big Lagoon.

11:30 AM-1:00 PM

Lunch at the Secret Lagoon

Explored the Secret Lagoon

see my article Secret Lagoon at El Nido for more details on what to see.

1:30 PM-2:30 PM

Snorkeling at Simizu Island

see my article Simizu Island at El Nido for more details on what to see.

3:00 PM-3:30 PM

7 Commandos Island

see my article 7 Commandos Island at El Nido for more details on what to see.

4:00 PM

Arrival at Marina Garden Resort

7:30 PM

Dinner at Squidos Restaurant

The 7 Commandos Beach at El Nido

November 13, 2011

The 7 Commandos Beach at El Nido

Why see the 7 Commandos Beach

You can actually skip this beach because the only thing we did here is to drink buco or coconut juice. This is the end of Tour A for us so in a way, to drink fresh buco or coconut juice is a refreshing end to a long, hot day at the beach.

What to expect when you arrive at the 7 Commandos Beach

The view of 7 Commandos Island as from our boat as we approached it

Our boat, Arribada, anchored at the shore of the beach

The store selling fresh buco juice

The coconut juice was very sweet ....

... and the coconut meat was very tender (malauhog, as we Filipinos call it)

The Simizu Island at El Nido

November 12, 2011

The Simizu Island at El Nido

Why see the Simizu Island
For the snorkeling!!!

What to expect when you arrive at Simizu Island
We didn't visit Simizu Island. We dropped anchor off Simizu Island to go snorkeling. This is one of the best snorkeling sites in El Nido.

This is the view as we approached Simizu Island. See the crystal clear waters.

This is our boat, Arribada. Simizu Island is right behind us.

Underwater Photos

(taken with a camera encased in Dicapac)

The Secret Lagoon at El Nido

October 14, 2011

The Secret Lagoon at El Nido

Why see the Secret Lagoon

The Secret Lagoon is hidden within an island with a pristine white beach and crystal clear water. You go there to enjoy the view from the beach, the beach itself and to explore the Secret Lagoon. This is where we had our lunch, provided by the boatmen. It is a perfect place to enjoy your lunch while in the midst of all the beauty of this island. The pictures will speak for itself.

What to expect when you arrive at the Secret Lagoon

The view from our boat as we approach the island

A boat docked on the island.
The lunch table for the tourists is set up underneath the coconut trees.

This is the view from the beach where our boat docked

From where the boats are docked, you walk through these huge rocks
to go to another beach area.

This is the other beach area.
No boats are docked in this area because the water is shallow

We stayed in the beach area where no boats are docked

The sea water is as crystal clear as drinking water.

Our kids playing around in the second beach area.

Our delicious lunch was cooked on the island by the boatmen.
The fish was my favorite because it was so fresh.

We went back to where our boat was docked and ate lunch under the coconut tree.
This is our view as we ate our lunch.

After lunch, we went back to the second beach area
and made our way to the secret lagoon.

After traversing the rocky part of the beach, we reached this hole which is the entrance to the Secret Lagoon.

The kids are about to go through the hole which is the entrance of the Secret Lagoon.

The view of the hole from the Secret Lagoon

Inside the Secret Lagoon

The Small Lagoon at El Nido

October 11, 2011

The Small Lagoon at El Nido

Why see the Small Lagoon

You experience floating in water surrounded by the majestic cliffs of the Small Lagoon. Some people ride the kayak and explore the perimeter of the Small Lagoon. Other tourists climb the cliffs and jump into the water as an adventure challenge.

What to expect when you arrive at the Small Lagoon

Heading towards the Small Lagoon

This is what we saw when we arrived at the Small Lagoon.
Several bancas were docked outside the entrance of the Small Lagoon.
We're supposed to get off our banca and swim towards the entrance of the Small Lagoon.

Our kids immediately donned their snorkeling gear and life jackets, got off the boat and swam towards the entrance of the Small Lagoon.

This is the hole that represents the entrance to the Small Lagoon

This is the depth of the Small Lagoon

Inside the Small Lagoon

Some tourists brought in kayaks inside the Lagoon. They have to carefully navigate it through the small hole.

Other tourists climb the cliffs inside the lagoon (see the tourist in the photo above climbing the cliffs), and jump into the water after reaching the summit.

Outside the Small Lagoon where the bancas were docked.

El Nido Island Hopping Tour Guides: A Quick Guide to Services and Rates

June 20, 2011

El Nido Island Hopping Tour Guides: A Quick Guide to Services and Rates

The municipal ordinance that standardizes the rates of tours in El Nido.
Current rate are as follow:
Tour A: 700 pesos with food (minimum of 4 persons)
Tour B: 800 pesos with food (minimum of 4 persons)
Tour C: 900 pesos with food (minimum of 4 persons)
Note: mask and snorkel not included
(Enlarge photo above to see the details)

My tip:

With the standardization of rates, how do you choose your guide?

1. Each tour guide offers different places to visit for Tour A, B, C.

As you will see below, although Tour A usually includes the Small Lagoon, the Big Lagoon, the Simizu Island and the 7 commandos, some include either Entalula Island or the Secret Lagoon. Although the ordinance states 6 places to visit in Tour A, the standard rate usually applies to 5 places to visit per tour. Some also offer 6 places to visit but with my experience, 6 places to visit per tour may be too many and the visit per place will be too fast.

2. Ask what food is included.

Standard food included is grilled pork/chicken, grilled fish, vegetable salad, rice, fruits. But you still have to ask just to be clear about what food they serve. Drinks are not usually included but some tour operators include drinks for free.

3. Ask what time the tour starts and what time it must end.

A lot of the tours start at 8am and end at 5pm. Our tour with Rovics Pension start at 9am and ends at 6pm.

3. Ask if snorkel and mask are included.

It's usually not included but some tour operators include it as a freebie.

3. Ask for a discount, especially if you are in a large group.

As a rule, they are not allowed to charge rates different from those indicated by the municipal ordinance, but you can ask for freebies like additional islands to visit, include drinks with the food offered, or include snorkel and mask for all in your group or for just a few.

NOTE: You can book your tour guide when you arrive because there are so many island hopping tour operators you can choose from. Restaurants and resorts also offer island hopping tours. For hassle free booking, you can book through your hotel or resort. Unlike in Bohol, booking through your hotel or resort will not turn out to be more expensive than the others because of the existing municipal ordinance standardizing rates.

TOUR GUIDE WE USED:

We used Rovics Pension for our island hopping tour. We got tour A and tour C. I chose Rovics Pension because they replied promptly to my email and text and gave me a discount. They were easy to deal with and had a hassle free island hopping tour with them. We rode the boat Arribada and their boatmen were kind and assisted the kids a lot with snorkeling and exploring the beach during tour A. We, therefore, requested them again at tour C. The owner, Bethel Maranan, who's based in Manila, and her assistant in El Nido,

Here are the terms I got from them:

Tour A is P700/pax: Small lagoon, Big lagoon, Secret Lagoon, Zimisu Beach 7 Commando Beach

Tour C is P900/pax: Secret Beach, Talisay Beach, Hidden Beach, Matinloc Shrine & Helicopter Island.

Food includes Grilled fish, Grilled pork or chix, Veggie Salad & fresh fruits.

Drinks are excluded only food (picnic lunch) is included.

There were slight deviations in the tour when we got there because of the filming of Survivor Series, Swedish edition. We were prohibited to visit some sites like the Big Lagoon and Helicopter Island. They replaced some sites with Star Beach and Nat Nat Beach to make up for the sites included in the tour but we were not able to visit. Another deviation is the lunch at Talisay Beach. There were already many tour boats docked in that beach so our boatmen found another beach that has no people on it.