I waited for 3hrs at NAIA 3, but it’s fine, coz I know in
about 2hrs of plane ride, I’ll reach a paradise.yey!
After arriving at Puerto Princessa Airport, I took the 5 hour journey to EL
Nido.. Yes It was that long, the road to El Nido is as tumultuous as a
roller coaster is an understatement, yet it is all worth'it. Took a
van, shed around P600 for the fare and comfort, compare to a bus which is way
cheaper for only P300, yet travel time is an hour longer and not to mention
sacrificing the comfort.
Once again, I wish to be selfish and keep El
Nido's beauty a secret.
Unfortunately, you're just tooo beautiful to be
kept a secret, so I shall tell...
White-sand shores,
Amazing Krast formation, hidden lagoons, coral-crusted reefs, mysterious caves,
lush green forests, and towering cliffs All-in-One. ‘twas ELNIDO.
See that? Im sure you can now imagine how im catching my breath. did i just tell you I can't breath?!
now wait, lets
start over.. upon arriving in a small coastal town of ElNido, the van
actually halted in a small terminal, where tricycle are abundant and are very
willing to bring you to your hotels/inns. P50 is the minimum fare if you will
rent it, I rented one and we paved our way to Strong Tower INN. Thumbs-up for
the cleanliness, Its also affordable and the location is within the
proper. Free towel, Air-conditions and fan rooms available.
the bonus factor?
the view outside our window!
from our home stay,
you can have a short walk going to the beach, hmm mga 100 na hakbang or
less nasa dagat kna. and from there, Beautiful set of islands will
amaze you. I almost want to ride the boat and start the island tour.
A bit of a steady drizzle in the morning,
but still a beautiful view to wake up to.
The beach is a
parking lot for boats. and that added a kick to the scenery, It was just pretty
breathless! Look! Isn't it Amazing?!
ElNido houses the best if not the best'est Islands in this country, so why just
go for a single package tour if you can avail of all the packages, wherein you
can visit every single islands! so yeah, our group decided to spare a larger
piece of moolah, and up to this day i never regreted that I spend bucks to
witness the beauty of this place!
Island Tour A. B, C and D
Rates:
Tour A P1,200
Tour B P1,300
Tour C P1,400
Tour D P1,200
This is per pax. and it is for the Island Hopping rates alone(with free Lunch).
Inclusive of the Environmental fee na rin. Not included the accommodation,food
and other expenses. So just a heads'up, bring a lot of extra cash. You can
avail for all the tours tutal nasa El Nido na kayo. We did, and It's worth'it!
Picking a favorite spot in El Nido is just so impossible, I cannot possibly
choose one. It’s like asking parents to pick a favorite child amongst their
brood; it’s unfair.
We rested and had our lunch in SHIMIZU Island
The island named after the Japanese who got lost and died in that area.
I don't think that's creepy, It's actually cool.haha
if you want an island named after you,
all it takes is just your life really.haha
Our Lunch? Taste great! Seafoods overload!
Oh El NIdo, I have fallen for you!
So many lagoons of different sizes and forms.
Lush greenery from both towering cliffs and deepest waters,
This is as virgin as nature could get.
 |
Of all the lagoons this is the biggest,
so common sense it's called BIG LAGOON. haha
|
wanna see another parking lot? here!
This is SMALL LAGOON parking lot.
If you think nothing so special about it?
well, wait till you rent a kayak for P300 and thread yourself to this hole:
and squeeze yourself to this hole:
Squeeze
in the body tight then exhale at the grandness that Mother Nature inside!
nothing beats the eye-gasmic view when inside the SMALL LAGOON.
I curse not having an underwater cam.
Lucky us, our companion has one.
We make sure that we also have our own on-the-tip-of-the-boat pictures taken
side by side with limestone's that sprout from the waters. The Small and Big
Lagoon is where it all happens. It reveled at the clear waters and the rock
sentinels from above and marveled at the vibrant-colored corals and the richness
of life underneath.
 |
| ohh you gorgeous El Nido! |
And what better way
to end the day? (well aside from a bottle of cold beer while in the
beach) It is always and forever be better to end the day by watching
the sun set with this Panoramic view
And what better way to end the day? (well aside from a bottle of cold beer while in the beach) It is always and forever be better to end the day by watching the sun set with this Panoramic view
And great way to start the night?
Beer, bonfire, sand and stars!
IT'S OFFICIAL I'M IN LOVE WITH EL NIDO.
*********************
Leaving the place
really broke my heart. I will be back for sure. Over and over.
How to get there:
CebuPAc flies to
Puerto Princesa, Palawan four times daily and offers year round fare promos.
Vans and Bus drives from Puerto Princesa to to El Nido and vice versa eight
times daily from 5:30am to 5:30 pm. AirAsia has four daily flights between
Manila and Puerto Princesa City. Tip: check out for promo tix, it will save you
a lot!
Where to stay:
For those who want
a cheaper yet quality accomodation, you can check out STRONG TOWER INN and
BLESSED INN. P300/pax for a non-aircon room good for two with CR anf free
wifi,coffe and towel(yes towel as in tuwalya.hehe) And if you have enough
budget, best is Cadlao BeachFront or El Nido Beach Hotel is located along the
beach of the town and provides for one of the best sunrise vantage point. They
also offer Island hopping and land tours, scuba diving, and cliff climbing
activities. Their standard room goes for 3,000 PHP for a non sea-view room to
5,500 PHP for a sea-view family room.
P5,000 budget?! (Weekend Travel)
Our El Nido trip was for 5days, Im broke after this El Nido trip.haha
There are four Island packages and we all tried those,we partied every night and I spent a lot for pasalubongs. But whoever says that El Nido are for rich kids like us? charot! haha
A friend asked me: "Keri na ba ang 5K pa Elnido?"
Definitely YES! (without the airfare and airport fees)
Say you will be spending your weekend in El Nido,then you need to be back in Manila by Monday coz of work. (I strongly suggest you plot your leave on a Friday)
The lowest airfare are usually around mid afternoon or after 12NOON, so let say you booked the 1PM flight Manila-Puerto Princesa on a Friday, and a return flight on a sunday afternoon/Night).
let me give you a sample itinerary and budget breakdown.
Day1 Friday
2:00PM Arrived PP Airport
7:00PM Arrived El Nido
Day2 Saturday
6:00AM Breakfast
7:00AM Preparing for Island tour
8AM-5PM Island Tour
6:00PM Dinner
7:00PM Pasalubong Shopping
8:00PM Night @ the Beach
Day3 Sunday
7:00AM Breakfast
8:00AM Check the Beach / stroll
11:00AM Lunch
12:00NN Travel back to PP
5:00PM Arrived PP City
6:00PM ETD PP
7:00PM Hello Manila!
**I suggest you eat dinner at an earliest time possible as the store and establishments in El Nido are mostly closed by 7PM. No Jolibee/Mcdo and other fastfood chains, No resto's as well. The bars located in the beach offers foods as well, yet its always jam packed for a night party and drinking session.
Now based on the sample itinerary, we can do the sample budget breakdown.I will not include your budget for the pasalubongs and for your Nigh Life party or Drinking session.
Day1
P30.00 Trike and Jeep from PP airport to PP provincial terminal
P300.00 Bus bound to El Nido
P100.00 Dinner
P500.00 Accomodation/for two. additional P200 for extra mattress (Inns or homestay)
Day2
P500.00 Accomodation
P100.00 Breakfast
P1,200.00 Package A Island Hoping (package A kasi ang may pinaka magagandang Islands)
Its a whole day tour, inclusive of lunch
P100.00 Dinner
Day3
P100.00 Breakfast
P100.00 Lunch
P50.00 Trike to terminal
P300.00 Bus bound to PP City
P50.00 Trike/Jeep to PP Airport
**the food (breakfast/lunch/dinner) are fixed for P100.00 ( subject to change though as you can either buy food more than the said amount.) No fast food chains or resto in the area, there are eateries/karenderias that offers delicious and quality meals, that's less than P100.00
Now, do the math guys. : )
To whoever want to visit ElNido, please tag me along.hehe
Qouting from an article I recently read:
"Travel. As much as possible, whenever you can. Traveling will change you like little else can. It will put you in places that will force you to care for issues that are bigger than you. It’s about experiencing true risk and adventure so you don’t have to live in fear for the rest of your life. And...inspiring others to step out of that fear, too"
