El Nido Palawan Philippines

El Nido Palawan Map

El Nido Palawan is a municipality located in the northwest tip of the province of Palawan in the Philippines. It is about 430 kilometers southwest of Manila, and about 238 kilometers northwest of Puerto Princesa, capital of Palawan. El Nido is bordered by the Strait of Linapacan in the north, the Sulu Sea in the east and the South China Sea in the west. The Municipality of El Nido is composed of 18 barangays covering a total area of 50,000 hectares. Its population of 27,000 people, is a mixture of native Palaweños, with a strong presence of immigrants from other parts of the Philippines.

El Nido is the name of the edible nest swiftlet (Collocalia fuciphaga) found in crevices of limestone cliffs. These nests, “nido” in Spanish, is the main ingredient for the gourmet nido soup. El Nido is considered a showcase of Palawan’s geology and diverse wildlife. Its majestic limestone cliffs stand guard over clear waters, with hundreds of species of tropical fish and corals, and three species of endangered sea turtles. El Nido’s forests are home to more than 100 species of birds, many of which are endemic to Palawan.

Helping the diverse wildlife of El Nido is vast forests, especially tropical forests, lowland evergreen found in the mainland and islands, such as Miniloc, Lagen and Pangulasian. Other major types of natural forests in El Nido is semi-deciduous forests, forests on limestone, forest beaches. In addition, mangrove forests are found mainly around major rivers and streams in the mainland.

El Nido still boasts of dense tropical forest with majestic tall trees whose roots are often taller than a grown man. The rainforest is also a rich source of local materials, such as a palm leaf called “nipa”, which is used as a roofing for houses, and tree roots, sometimes used as a rudder for the boat local stabilizers, or “banca.”

Short story of El Nido Palawan

El Nido was quite remote from most of the inhabited islands in the Philippines. Its pristine beauty was hidden to the world until 1979 when a sea accident happened in Bacuit Bay. As the story goes, “a tuna line disabled a dive boat’s propeller in the middle of the night forcing it to drop anchor in an inlet. The following morning, the divers woke up to an amazing scenery of skyscraping dark cliffs, thick green forest, white sand beach, sparkling water and rising above it, a series of magnificently sculpted jade islands.”

In 1983, a dive station was established in Miniloc Island by a group of divers who were on board the dive boat M/V Via Mare. In the same year, major tourism commenced in El Nido, when the Ten Knots Development Corporation, a Filipino-Japanese joint venture company, opened a divers’ resort on Miniloc Island, and an airstrip (Lio Airport) at Villa Libertad on the mainland. In 1992, the company set up a second resort on Pangulasian Island, and in 1998, the third and largest Ten Knots resort on Lagen Island. The opening of the third resort coincided with the destruction of the Pangulasian Resort by fire. During this period several other tourism establishments were developed, paving the way for tourism to become a thriving economic sector.

Today, several resorts open in El Nido Palawan, Philippines. Many of them are a very luxurious accommodation and tourist attractions in El Nido Palawan.

Here is the few of them:

1, El Nido Viewdeck Inn – El Nido Viewdeck is a newly built bed and breakfast located in the most scenic part of El Nido. It offers absolutely superb views overlooking the seaside, town, as well as the cliffs nearby, and conveniently located 5 minutes walk from the center.

Viewdeck has lovely new bamboo cabins suitable for couples or individuals. The cabins are very comfortable, with an ensuite bathroom fitted with a shower, as well as a fan for the room. They also come with a furnished individual balcony so one can really make the most of the views. The rooms are very clean and nicely decorated, and you will have most comfortable stay in El Nido, Palawan

2, Cathedral Cave – This cave is actually a cave in an island. The big opening by the sea side makes it like a cathedral.

3, Snake Island – It is so called Snake Island because its sandbar is shaped like “S” – like a snake. This island is a good place for snorkeling. It has a small hill at the end of the sandbar.

4, Secret Lagoon – You will enter on a small passage. Only kayaks are being allowed to enter the Secret beach.

5, 7 Commando Island – The beach here is comparable to Boracay’s White Beach – blindingly white and powdery.

6, Simizu Island – The island’s main attraction is not its fine white sand but its marine and coral life.

7, Secret Beach – You swim through a rock opening to get to the beach. Inside is very shallow but with fantastic corals. if you snorkel at the opening, you’ll see lots of small fishes and there’d be big fishes eating the small ones.

8, Lagen Island – Is a tropical hideaway set in a cove and fringed by a lush forest.

9, Helicopter Island – The beach on Dilumacad Island or Helicopter island is an area for snorkeling, swimming and picnic lunches during island-hopping trips. For divers, there is an underwater tunnel at the northern side of the island and a fringing reef on the southern side. Helicopter island houses a beautiful beach that is ideal for snorkeling and swimming. If you’re to let your kids swim, make sure they are watched as the water abruptly deepens. Both ends of the beach have snorkeling spots. The beach is also a big one, stretching to some 200-300 meters.

10, Miniloc Island – Getting there from Manila is a journey in itself: 1.5 hours on a small 19-seater plane, then a 5 minute bus trip to the beach, then a speed boat takes you to a motorized banca outrigger offshore, and then it’s another 45 minute trip through calm blue water until you get to the resort of your choice where another speed boat takes you ashore. Highly recommended.

At El Nido, there are several resort to select. You can book early before you go there. Please ask your travel agent to find the best accommodation you have. Alternatively, visit this link El Nido to find a suitable place for you.

Here is a few photos of El Nido Palawan: