Eto naaaa! Finally, after 3.5 months, naka-hugot na ng sapat na lakas para sa El Nido blog post! Hindi na kayang daanin sa quickie levels ang kagandahan ng El Nido. Hindi keri sa tatlo, limang photos lang. ♥
To be honest, Toto and I weren't planning to visit El Nido this soon. Because we've been to Coron twice, we thought we didn't need to see El Nido anymore. Countless of articles have compared the two Palawan tourist spots and it's always a super duper close call. That just means they're very similar to each other, right? However, we couldn't resist booking MNL-PPS-MNL tickets during one of AirAsia's seat sales last year!
To be honest, Toto and I weren't planning to visit El Nido this soon. Because we've been to Coron twice, we thought we didn't need to see El Nido anymore. Countless of articles have compared the two Palawan tourist spots and it's always a super duper close call. That just means they're very similar to each other, right? However, we couldn't resist booking MNL-PPS-MNL tickets during one of AirAsia's seat sales last year!
I'll save the how-to's, itinerary, budget and all that jazz next time. Gora na agad tayo sa kung saan sikat ang El Nido - island hopping tours! Tour A (Php1,200/pax) kami on our first day of island hopping, which actually was our second day in El Nido because the first day was spent on the road. If you need some help in choosing which tours to take, click here.
Related Content: Tour C // Tour B // Coron // Puerto Princesa
Big Lagoon
Our tour started in Big Lagoon. If you google "EL Nido," the first photo that will appear is that of the Big Lagoon. Our reaction when we arrived here was...meh. Don't get us wrong! It is beautiful (postcard levels!), it's just that nakulangan lang kami sa wow factor niya. Maybe because it was cloudy that time so the water wasn't as turquoise as we imagined. Or maybe because we've already seen this scenery in Coron? Aaaahhh! I hate to say this but Coron has forever marred our expectations of other places :(
Anyhoo! Big Lagoon isn't the best place to snorkel, so more more picture taking lang dito tsaka swimming and kayaking :)
Anyhoo! Big Lagoon isn't the best place to snorkel, so more more picture taking lang dito tsaka swimming and kayaking :)
Secret Lagoon
Loooove Secret Lagoon! Kahit inulan kami nang bongga and kahit mej nabasa ang mga fudang, pak na pak this place! I know it's weird that I like it better than Big Lagoon, which is like the queen of all lagoons in El Nido, but this place is da bomb! Powdery white sand, turquoise water, rock formations, mini caves, and trees = my definition of a tropical paradise. ❤
Shimizu Island
Blockbuster ang docking area sa Shimizu Island when we arrived! So hindi na kami naka-punta sa beach part niya. I later found out that this is the location of the orange tree that Chyng Reyes blogged about a couple of years ago. I also read that this is supposedly one of the best snorkeling spots in El Nido, but hindi ko naman siya masyadong na-sense. Marami lang maliliit na fish but 90% of the very few corals here are already damaged, if not dead. Irresponsible tourism practice? :(
Small Lagoon
Jusko, naabutan kami ng low tide! Nasubukan tuloy ang endurance namin sa paglangoy ng about 50 meters bago nakapasok sa lagoon! Very reminiscent of Kayangan Lake and Twin Lagoons ang experience namin ditey sa Small Lagoon. I like this better than Big Lagoon, and mas exciting siya bilang may mga naligaw na jellyfish and may mystery factor! Alam mo 'yung feeling na you're one with nature, surrounded by these towering limestone rocks, with matching birds chirping sound effects. Charaught! Itigil na ang kalokohang ito, hindi ko bagay magpaka-deep :))
Best siguro kung mag-rent ka ng kayak para mas madaling ikutin ang small lagoon but kung mas bet mong magpaka-Enchong Dee, gora lang! That's what Toto and I did. Despite the rain, pinush talaga naman maglangoy lang around the lagoon, silently praying that we could still go out of the lagoon alive and kicking (and without jellyfish sting!).
Best siguro kung mag-rent ka ng kayak para mas madaling ikutin ang small lagoon but kung mas bet mong magpaka-Enchong Dee, gora lang! That's what Toto and I did. Despite the rain, pinush talaga naman maglangoy lang around the lagoon, silently praying that we could still go out of the lagoon alive and kicking (and without jellyfish sting!).
Seven Commandos
Named after the 7 soldiers who used to live here. This was the last stop of our tour and it was when the sun decided to show...hooray!!! Perfect 'tong beach na 'to for beach bumming and suntanning ganyan. Medyo may hints na ng commercialism because may mga tinatayo ng resorts and all that so nafo-foresee ko na medyo magiging White Beach Boracay levels na siya in about 10 years.
So! That's the end of our first island hopping tour! Kahit inulan kami in the morning, we still enjoyed it :) Yes, I got a bit disappointed with Big Lagoon and Shimizu island, but what I should probably highlight here is that we sincerely appreciated all the other underhyped sites, especially the Secret Lagoon. Partida, mej malakas pa ang ulan noon doon!
Our tour A experience wasn't perfect due to the weather, but it only made us more excited to see what more El Nido has to offer! Actually, while leaving the Big Lagoon, Toto and I already agreed that we'd give it another chance and come back in the summer to see how the most famous El Nido lagoon would look like under the blaring sun. Pramis!
Our tour A experience wasn't perfect due to the weather, but it only made us more excited to see what more El Nido has to offer! Actually, while leaving the Big Lagoon, Toto and I already agreed that we'd give it another chance and come back in the summer to see how the most famous El Nido lagoon would look like under the blaring sun. Pramis!