El Nido-Underground River in Palawan Travel Guide 2019



Got To Believe In Paradise! Our 4 days Tour In El Nido and Puerto Princesa Palawan.


Palawan Island is one of the most visited place in the Philippines. It is well known because of its alluring and astounding Beaches, Cliffs, Sandbars, Lagoons, Underground River and Caves.
Palawan is on the top of my mind when you say the word TRAVEL. Who would resist Palawan to visit? Well I guest no One. It is a place that every travellers would like to go specially for those who love adventures and Beach Vacations.

How To Get To Palawan
1.Via Air
There are daily local flights to Puerto Princesa such as Cebu Pacific, Air Asia and Cebu Pacific.
There is this airline which you could directly flight from Manila to El Nido,the Air Swift which is the fastest way yet the most expensive flight to get there which operates several times daily the total travel time is 1 hour and 30 minutes compared to fly going to Puerto princesa to El Nido takes 1 hour flight and 5 hours travel by land.

2.Via Bus
From the Puerto Princesa Airport,ride a bus to El Nido for approximately 5-6 hours.

CHERRY BUS

I've got this schedule from their website.
DEPARTUREARRIVALTIMETRAVEL HOURSFARECLASSS
Puerto Princesa, PalawanEl Nido, Palawan9:00 AM6480Aircon
Puerto Princesa, PalawanEl Nido, Palawan11:00 AM6385Ordinary
Puerto Princesa, PalawanEl Nido, Palawan1:00 PM6480Aircon
Puerto Princesa, PalawanEl Nido, Palawan3:00 PM6385Ordinary
Puerto Princesa, PalawanEl Nido, Palawan9:00 PM6480Aircon
DEPARTUREARRIVALTIMETRAVEL HOURSFARECLASSS
El Nido, PalawanPuerto Princesa, Palawan7:00 AM6385Ordinary
El Nido, PalawanPuerto Princesa, Palawan9:00 AM6480Aircon
El Nido, PalawanPuerto Princesa, Palawan11:00 AM6385Ordinary
El Nido, PalawanPuerto Princesa, Palawan1:00 PM6480Aircon
El Nido, PalawanPuerto Princesa, Palawan9:00 PM6480Aircon
Eulen Joy Bus
Puerto Princesa to El Nido
Schedules are 5AM, 8AM and 10AM
El Nido to Puerto Princesa
Schedules are 5AM, 7AM and 9AM
Bus Fare is 350 Pesos/person
Travel Time is 7-8 hours
3.Via Van-If you like a comfortable and faster way to travel you may ride a van which has a higher rate than bus but has a shorter trip. Compared to 6-7 hour bus ride, it takes 5 hour and 30 minutes to travel.

Lexus Van Shuttle
TRIP SCHEDULES FOR VAN IN PUERTO PRINCESA AND EL NIDO
PUERTO PRINCESA TO EL NIDO              EL NIDO TO PUERTO PRINCESA
TRIP NO.DEPARTURE TIMETYPE OF VANTRIP NO.DEPARTURE TIME
TOYOTA COMMUTER14:00 AM
15:00 AMTOYOTA COMMUTER25:00 AM
27:00 AMTOYOTA COMMUTER37:00 AM
38:00 AMTOYOTA COMMUTER48:00 AM
49:30 AMTOYOTA COMMUTER59:30 AM
511:00 AMTOYOTA COMMUTER611:00 AM
61:00 PMTOYOTA COMMUTER71:00 PM
72:30 PMTOYOTA COMMUTER82:30 PM
84:00 PMTOYOTA COMMUTER94:00 PM
95:30 PMTOYOTA COMMUTER105:30 PM
10> 8:30 PM or waiting for last flight / Reserved Guest from airportTOYOTA COMMUTER117:00 PM

FARE ON VAN SHARING PER PAX AND VAN RENTAL RATE
(PUERTO PRINCESA CITY AS POINT OF ORIGIN)
ROUTETRAVEL TIME (HRS)
AIRPORT AND HOTEL DROP/PICK UP PER PAXFARE PER PAX TERMINAL TO TERMINAL ONLY
VAN RENTAL (1WAY)VAN RENTAL (2WAY)
within the day		TYPE OF VAN
EL NIDO5.506005005,500
6,000		10,000
11,000		COMMUTER11SEATER
GRANDIA 12SEATER
PORT BARTON3.004503504,5008,000GRANDIA 12 SEATER
SABANG2.003002502,5003,500GRANDIA 12 SEATER
SABANG -EL NIDO6.008007007,000GRANDIA 12 SEATER
Eulen Joy Shuttle Vans
Puerto Princesa to El Nido
Schedules are 5AM, 7AM, 10AM and 1PM
El Nido to Puerto Princesa
Schedules are 5AM, 7AM, 9AM and 1PM
Shuttle Van Fare is 600 Pesos/person if you have a big bag and 500 Pesos/person if you have a small bag
Travel Time is 5 hours
Day Tripper Van
DEPARTURE
DESTINATION
TRAVEL TIME
VEHICLE
RATE PER WAY
Puerto PrincesaRoxas2 - 2.5Executive Van
Executive Coach		500
600
Puerto PrincesaTaytay4 - 4.5Executive Van
Executive Coach		750
850
El NidoTaytay1.5Executive Van
Executive Coach		400
500
El NidoRoxas3 - 3.5Executive Van
Executive Coach		700
800
Their station is located in San Jose Transport Terminal in Puerto Princesa.

1st Day in El Nido

Excitement leveled up when we reach the paradise of El Nido. Seeing their limestoned Cliff and Powdery white Sand that mesmerized and dazzled our eyes.
Nacpan and Calintang Twin Beach
Every single time is precious! We planned for Our DIY to Nacpan and Calintang Twin beach as soon as we arrived to El Nido. 

We negotiate to one of the tricycle driver in their terminal upon our arrival to bring us to the twin beach with a side trip to Marimegmeg beach after Nacpan sight seeing.
Total Fare for the tricycle is PHP1500/4 persons or Php375/person.
Environmental fee: Php50.00
you may also rent a motorcycle in El Nido proper.
You have to travel 30-45 minutes to reach the unspoiled beach of Nacpan.
To see the 360 view of the twin beach you'll have to climb the hill located in the left side. Photo opt at the top of it is perfectly amazing.

You'll not get tired to climb the hill promise. 2 minutes you'll reach the top.
After enjoying the view of the twin beach we next head to our next destination "Marimegmeg beach" its just a 5 minutes drive from the town proper of El Nido. Just like the Nacpan and every beach of El Nido, it has also fine white sands and aside from that you will be mesmerize by the view of the Helicopter Island a reggae music in the bar,families and foreigners enjoying the salty crystal blue water. Can you imagine that? Isn't it Paradise?

 
Our Photo Opts
[gallery ids="714,715,713" size="full"]


 Our first day was already fulfilled our satisfactions.However, our exploration doesn't stop here. Here are more attractions that we had visited.

2nd Day

Island Hopping
For our 3 days tour in El Nido,because we only have a limited days, We only availed Tour A and Tour C.
There are different Island Hopping in El Nido: Tour A, Tour B, Tour C, Tour D.Each Tour you will spend a day. If you don't have enough time, you may choose Tour A and Tour C which are the most picked Island Hopping Tours.
Supposedly our 1st Island Hopping is the Tour A but unfortunately it rained and our boat operators changed the plan, so we had to go for Tour C as our 1st island hopping tour.
Island Hopping Tours starts at 9:00 in the morning.
Tour C takes you to the beautiful beaches, Shrine and Snorkeling spots.
The price is Php1,400/person
Tour C Destinations: Helicopter Island, Matinloc Shrine, Secret Beach, Cadlao Lagoon and the Hidden Beach
1. Helicopter Island
It is an Island that has shaped like a helicopter without the propeller.It is officially called "Dilumacad Island". It has a beautiful cliffs and white sands. The best thing to do here is Snorkeling.


2.Hidden Beach
Our 2nd destination. It is really hidden because you have to go further to see the beach. It was hidden between the 2 rocks.You will have to swim. I suffered stress here haha for me the beach is far to swim and I am scared because the water is deep even though I have Life jacket. But it is worth the tiring swim when we reached the beach. It is beautifully surrounded by the limestone formations of the rocks.

3.Matinloc Shrine
It is an abandoned heart shaped island site located at the west coast part of the Matinloc. It is formally known as Shrine of Our Lady of Matinloc. We never had the chance to see inside because the guides told us that there is nothing much to see so we end up having our lunch on the nearby island(I forgot the name).


4.Cadlao Lagoon
I was amazed by the sedimentary rock formations around the lagoon with turquoise water color that is perfect for snorkeling.

Tour guides ended up our tour at 4:00 pm.
At night, you may have dinner in the town proper. From our accommodation, we are surrounded by stores and restaurants so we are lucky enough that we don't have to ride tricycle just to eat so we only walked about 2 minutes. Along the beach,there are restaurants that you could choose to dine.

3rd Day

Canopy Walk and Island Hopping
Our Canopy Walk or the Taraw Cliff Climb activity was not included in our itinerary,but the night before we thought of any activity before our island hopping to maximize our exploration in El Nido. Canopy walk perfectly suits our limited itinerary on our last day in El Nido. We have to wake up around 5:00 am to get there earlier but upon surrendering our key in the front office in the hotel she asked where we going and she informed us that we should had call a reservation because the canopy walk starts only at 6:00am luckily the front office staff know one of the tour guide so she called the operator and we had started our canopy walk round 5:45 am.

Registration fee costs Php400.00 including the tour guide fee. We've reached the top view of the taraw cliff after 30 minutes and was very amazed by the birds eye view. The climb is worth when you reach the top. You'll see the boats in Bacuit bay with its stupefying view.

Island Hopping
Tour A- Lagoon Tours
Cost of Tour A is Php1,200/person
In Tour A we were able to discover the 3 lagoons(Small Lagoon,Big Lagoon and Secret Lagoon) we were able to see also Shimizu Island and the 7 Commando Beach
1.The 7 Commando Beach
This is our first destination.The Island was named after the 7 soldiers who used to lived here.Afar from our approaching boat, we have noticed the swaying coconut trees,white sands and cottages. We were able to play volleyball,swing,swim in the crystal clear water and chill on the fine white sand. Some refreshments are also available here (not for free) like fresh buko(coconut) and sodas.



2. Big Lagoon
My excitement loaded up when our tour guides informed us that our next destination is to the Big Lagoon. El Nido is popular because of its beautiful Lagoons and one of the Lagoon is the Big Lagoon. It is known for its picturesque view of the rock formations surrounding it and the emerald water that will entice you to dive and swim.

3. Small Lagoon
It is located at the cove of the Miniloc Island.It is like a small natural pool surrounded by the big rock lime formations with greenery plants growing on it that makes it more picture perfect background.Its appearance is deceitful,calm and peaceful.Its just a bit difficult to get there as the only access is to enter in its cave like lower portion between the two big rock formations. So the best way to access here is to kayak and we'll have to lie down. After our kayaking around, we had our lunch in our boat.


4.Shimizu Island
This island is named after a Japanese diver who was died in the tunnel underwater .The island well known as a snorkeling site because of  its colorful species underwater. I have seen here nemo!It was an achievement to me. Haha.



5.Secret Lagoon
It is our final destination of our Tour A. We enter the lagoon by passing by through a small hole.Unfortunately waves here are violent at that time which made us to enter even more harder. One of our companion from our boat which is also a foreigner got wounded when he crawled the small hole in the entrance and the violent wave push him inside that he wasn't able to balance.

End of El Nido Discovery.........

4th Day 

Puerto Princesa Palawan-Underground River
After our El Nido,we head to Puerto Princesa for our Underground River Tour.
We left El Nido at 5pm and arrived in Puerto Princesa around 10:30 Pm.We slept overnight in the Hotel we stayed.
At 6:00am, the van which we rented(join tour) fetched us in our accommodation and travelled up to 2 hours to the underground river.
The Underground River is an 8 kilometer long subterranean national park.It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and One of the New 7 Wonders of Nature. It is one of the longest river in the world.You'll be enjoying the scenic boat ride here that takes about 20 minutes.An audio guide is available and provides lots of scientific information about the river and the caves, as well accompanying atmospheric music. We paid for Php1,800.00 for the tour including the van transfer with a tour guide and a buffet lunch.

We head back to PPS Town Proper at 2:00 Pm so we had the chance to buy souvenirs.
It was a fortunate experience for us that our flight was delayed so we had the opportunity to extend our stay for free with HOTEL! :)
Travel back to Manila..
Itinerary
1st Day
5:15amDeparture from Manila
6:30amArrival in Puerto Princesa
7:00amTravel to El Nido
12:30pmArrived in El Nido
12:45 AMCheck-In to Casa Cecilia
1:00PmTravel to Nacpan Twin Beach
1:30PmArrive in Nacpan
3:00PmTravel to Marimegmeg Beach
3:30PmArrival in Marimegmeg Beach
3:30Pm-5:30PmSwimming at Marimegmeg Beach
5:30PmWent Back to our Accommodation
7:00PmDinner
2nd DayIsland Hopping Tour C
7:00AmRise and Shine!
8:30amWent to Bacuit Bay/Starting Point of the Tour
9:00Am-4:00PmIsland Hopping
5:00PmRest
7:30 PMDinner
3rd Day
4:30amRise and Shine
5:30am-8:00amCanopy Walk
8:30am Breakfast
9:00amStart of Island Hopping A
4:00amEnd of Island Hopping
6:00pmtravel Back to puerto Princesa
11:00pmArrived at Big Brother house Hotel
4th Day
5:30amRise and Shine!
7:00amTravel to PPS underground River
9:00amArrived at PPS Under Ground River
9:30AmStart of the Underground River Tour
11:00PmLunch Buffet
12:00PmTravel Back to PPS
2:00PmArrived at PPS
2:00PmBuy Pasalubong
7:00PmCheck In to Sunlgiht Guest Hotel
5th Day
4:30amTravel Back to Manila

Accommodations We Stayed
El Nido
    Casa Cecilia Hotel
    Rizal Street El Nido, Palawan, Philippines
    casacecilia.ph@gmail.com
    0907-692-9798, 0926-203-2413
    website http://casaceciliapalawan.com/

    Puerto Princesa

Address: Manalo Extension, Puerto Princesa City, Palawan, Manalo St, Puerto Princesa, Palawan
Phone: (048) 723 5088

Palawan Office

Address: Malvar Street, Brgy. Tagumpay, Puerto Princesa City Palawan 5300

Trunkline: +6348 434 2334

Directline: +6348 434 2003

Mobile: +63917 521 4026 / +63999 998 3484

Email: ae1.sghp@sunlighthotelsandresorts.com

 

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