Assignment Number 11: El Nido on a Budget

El Nido is one of those fabled dream destinations that people think they can never afford - which is an unfortunate misconception. For the adventurous traveler, it's actually possible to spend less in El Nido than your usual trips to Boracay or Puerto Galera. Just be prepared to rough it up a bit with the long and bumpy roads, lack of 24-hour electricity and absence of modern day conveniences like ATMs and fast-food outlets. All the better actually if you ask me, the relative inaccessibility keeps the big crowds away from this little paradise.




You can reach El Nido by land from Purto Princesa City by taking a bus (P350/way) or a more comfortable shuttle van (P700/way). The bus takes 7-8 hours to get there, but the van is a lot faster at just 5-6 hours travel time. Once in El Nido town, you can walk along the main roads of Hama and Serene streets to check out the lodging, rooms can go as cheap at P300/night up to P1,200 for air-conditioned ones. We stayed at Rosanna's Cottages, a steal at P900/night for a room good for 3, with a breathtaking view of Cadlao Island right from the room's balcony.




Getting an island hopping tour is very convenient because they locals have coded and fixed the destinations per tour. The popular ones are Tour A only P500/pax (Big & Small Lagoon, Secret Lagoon, 7 Commandos Beach)and Tour C for P700/pax (Matinloc Shrine, Hidden Beach, Secret Beach, Tapuitan Island). This will take you around the Bacuit Archipelago to marvel at the magnificent limestone cliffs, and snorkeling stops to ogle a all the corals and fishes.



The damage? P700 for 2way bus travel from Puerto Princesa, P900 for 3 nights lodging, about P1,200 for 2 days of tours, and set aside P1,000 for food (pegged at P250/day). That's a total of just P3,800! YOU GOTTA TRY IT ONCE!

YOU GOTTA TRY IT ONCE!