ISLAND HOPPING À EL NIDO

A trip to the Bacuit Archipelago(island hopping) is often THE reason to come to El Nido and maybe even to the Philippines. The bay of Bacuit and its small and large islands are indeed breathtakingly beautiful. Between the incredible verticality of the dark gray karst rocks, the turquoise lagoons, the pristine beaches and the lush vegetation never touched by man, it is simply a unique mix of colors, one of the most beautiful landscapes in the world that you have before your eyes.

It is very easy to make a tour of the islands. Most hotels can organize it and many agencies have swarmed in recent years. There are four different standardized tours that allow visitors to be spread out over the different sites. A typical tour leaves at 9am and returns at 4pm. Lunch - often very good (vegetables, fresh fish, fruit) - is always included as well as the transfer to/from the hotel. Snorkeling or kayaking equipment is either included or extra.

The prices are generally aligned, even if some agencies try to sell off their prices to attract customers. We advise you to stick to the suggestions of your hotel or to the official agencies spread out in the center of El Nido. We generally leave on a large banca from the port of El Nido, enclosed in its cliffs, it is already incredibly picturesque. Be careful, to reach the boat that leaves most often from the "beach" of El Nido, you often have to walk in the water (keep your shoes on) or even swim, better be warned. Some providers offer speedboat tours: it is faster, you go further and you spend more time in the water or on the beach. The ideal would be to make a circuit in banca and another in speedboat. You can choose to do a group tour (15-20 people) or a private tour. A private tour is certainly more expensive (about 65 € per person for a group of 4) but is synonymous with privacy and freedom.

Tour A: Seven Commando Beach, Big Lagoon, Shimitzu Island, Paayong Payong and Secret Lagoon. 1,200 PHP/person/group; 12,000 PHP/2 persons/private.

Tour B: Entatula Isla, Snake Island, Cudognon Cave, Cathedral Cave and Papaya Beach. 1,300 PHP/person/group; 11,500 PHP/2 persons/private.

Tour C: Helicopter island, Hidden Beach, Cagbatang Island, Secret beach and Matinloc shrine. 1,400 PHP/person/group; 12,000 PHP/2 persons/private.

Tour D: Cadlao Lagoon, Paradise Beach, Pasindigan Cove, Buka Island and Small Lagoon. 1,200 PHP/person/group; 11,500 PHP/2 persons/private.

The Petit Futé's opinion. Tours A and C are the most popular (especially because of the Big Lagoon in tour A and the Hidden Beach in tour C), so you will not be alone, far from it... Tours B and D allow a little more solitude even if it is rare - non-existent, let's admit it - in this dreamy archipelago. If you can afford it, we recommend a private island hopping, you won't regret it, your guide will not hesitate to move away from the tourist spots because he knows the crowded hours. The cherry on the cake would be to leave very early in the morning to arrive on the sites before everybody! In any case, even if you choose the option in group and in daytime, it will not take anything away from this unique experience which will remain magical.