El Nido Off The Beaten Path

An hour Cliff climbing up the cliff behind town and see a stunning view.

This tour is not for everyone and you must be reasonable fit. There is no path and it cannot be done without a guide.

The El Nido Tour Guides Association, with its office at Artcafe, organizes trips up the cliff (min. 2 people). The trip take about 3 hrs.

P200 per person (2007/2008)

Located about 14km north of downtown (10km north of airport), Nagkalit waterfalls offer a nice alternative to the water and beaches.

The paths are not marked and there are no signs. Therefore, you will need a guide. But do not worry, since nearly all tricycle drivers know the way and will guide you. The ride will be about 25 minutes (one way), the hike will take you about 30 minutes each way. You should be able to negotiate the tricycle and guide for less than 800PHP.

The hike will take you by some local village people, through some rice fields, and ultimately up through the jungle trails. The path will require you to cross a few rivers, so wear shoes that can get wet.

The lower waterfall cascades into a large natural pool that you can wade and even swim in!!
Just another 5 minutes up the path, the upper falls cascades onto rocks from ~10m above.

When I was in El Nido, I was planning to do a lot of island hopping and found a good responsible company called TaoPhilippines expeditions- who does trips and expeditions to the islands in Palawan- el Nido, Coron and around. I was so amazed with their project of visiting villages and remote islands, i changed my travel plans and joined them for 10 days of exploring the islands until reaching Coron. There are about 7 guest and 5 staff onboard a big banka, we roam around the El nido islands and the northern isles on the way to Coron and visited beaches and villages most of the tourist never see, we sleep on the boat, camped and stayed with families who are very friendly and very accommodating. Tao pays the family well for accommodating their guest as to spread out the money to locals. The villages are amazing, we walk around playing with kids, treks to the hills had the local healers for massages and had amazing seafood. I never saw another tourist along the way. It feels like for the first time this places are being explored. I enjoyed the roughing it with the islanders but also felt very well taken care off by Tao crew, I made very good friend with them and promised them that i will spread out the word about their amazing trips. Visit Taophilippines.com and find out what they do. Dan

4 more images

You can simply take a walk along the coast and meet more of the locals and see their way of life. It's worth doing if you're into some quiet sight-seeing... Just have plenty of water and know when the tide is high as there are spots where the beach gets very narrow and a bit rocky. A good point of destination from the town proper would be Dolarog resort, where you can have a meal and a drink before heading back. The one-way walk should take about 1.5 to 2 hours --- it really depends on your pace. Don't forget your camera as there will be plenty of great photo ops along the way.

The sunset cruise is also a good experience. People who come to El Nido who aren't on a very tight schedule often just spend the last day resting in town and a sunset cruise with a cold beer would be a really great way to end your last day (the town faces East and with the cliffs behind it, you won't get to see the sunset unless you're out on the ocean.)

Another activity you can do depending on your energy level and nerves, would be climbing the "taraw" -- the local term for those imposing limestone cliffs. There is a particular route that locals and some daring visitors climb to get an exhilirating view of the town and Bacuit Bay. It's supposedly a good hour or so of rock-scrambling - free-style and with no ropes or harnesses - but supposedly doable even for inexperienced climbers. A local guide would be a must, and do this only when there's enough light and when there is no threat of rain. Be properly equipped - the rocks may be a bit sharp.The view up on top should be well worth it.

Other activities could include kayaking in the Bay, mangrove tours, bird-watching, mountain-biking, or seeing some waterfalls (w/c I've so far only heard of but never actually been to.) For more information on this and the other activities mentioned , the Municipal Tourism Office should be of help. Note that being a Protected Area, most activities in El Nido would require a permit and/or payment of a minimal user's or conservation fee.

4 more images

Unfortunately, sunsets aren't visible from El Nido town. You must be on a boat or on an island away from the town to watch the sunsets.

These photos were taken from a late boat tour.

This cool bar really does the trick. The owners used old furniture from their house and placed it around the bar. The music really is cool plus the artworks everywhere.