El Nido For First Timers: What Scents To Expect In This Lovely Palawan Destination

El Nido

Are you planning on having a beach getaway in the Philippines? There are many choices, 7,107 islands to be exact. But let me recommend one of the best places you can visit to achieve that ultimate beach getaway - EL NIDO & PUERTO PRINSESA in PALAWAN.  Here are some of the scents and sights you can expect, do's and don't's and how to optimise your first time visit.



Of Transportation and Accommodation
First things first. Transportation. The easiest way is to catch a flight from Manila to Puerto Prinsesa.  Cost may range from USD 100 - USD 200. I suggest you go during the summer months of March to May or the lean season of July to October.

As for accommodation, you can check Trip Advisor or other websites for that. Rovic's Pension House  is a place I can recommend since this was where I spent my 4D/3N stay.  The accommodation during the lean season is around USD 30 - 40 per night.  Extra services can be availed of directly from them: island tours, Puerto Prinsesa Underground River  (PPUR) Tour and the van that picks you up from the airport and brings you there on your flight to your next destination.  You can also arrange with them your entire transportation needs going around El Nido. Rovic's can also fix your permits and licenses going to the Underground River. There is only a maximum number of people per day allowed to go inside. Plus you have to pay all these permits to get there.  All you need to do is to ask for a price quotation for all these activities that you plan to do. They will itemize everything for your reference.

There is a 0730H flight from Manila to Puerto Prinsesa via Air Asia.  Puerto Prinsesa is the capital of the island of Palawan.  El Nido is in the northern part.  As soon as you land, you'll be greeted by the driver commissioned by Rovic's and will bring you directly to the Underground River. The duration of the travel is 3 hours or ETA is lunch time.  Underground River is exactly in between Puerto Prinsesa and El Nido.

Upon arrival, you will be treated to a sumptuous lunch buffet of Filipino dishes - grilled seafood and eggplant, kare-kare, and sinigang and some Filipino desserts like jelly and halu-halo. This is part of the arrangement with Rovic's so there will be no extra charges.

Drop-off point to PPUR

Limestone wall. View on the way to PPUR

Going to PPUR requires you to take a boat.  The 20-minute ride will give you some visual treats of the island as you go around it leading you to the entrance of PPUR.  The entrance itself is majestic, so do not forget to click on those cameras and smartphone for photo souvenirs.  There are also photographers in the island much like in theme parks. You can buy the printed versions for about USD 1 - 3 depending on the size.  There is a strong guano (bat droppings) scent permeating the area.  The odour becomes stronger as you approach the entrance of the underground river.

PPUR Beach Shore - of sea shore scent, sea breeze, of sand, of crab smell

PPUR Entrance Sign - of forest scent, of damp soil, of woods and greens and leaves

There is a 500m or so walkway that will get you to the Underground River's majestic entrance.  Going inside the cave will be via boat with a tour guide/boat man.  The tour guide will try to make you laugh with very Filipino humour - from toilet humour to witty and pun intended types. A person from your group will be assigned to hold the light. Make sure he/she understands what is left and right as the person we assigned couldn't distinguish one from the other. LOL.

Strong guano odor permeating the entire area

Underground Entrance - of fresh water, of salt water

Going Inside the cave - strong sulfur scent, strong scent from bat droppings, of bat urine scent

  

Inside the cave - of sulfur scent, of bat droppings and urine, of strong moss, of damp and wet limestone walls

Of sulfur smell, of guano (bat droppings), of strong urine scent

A trip here is enough. You don't have to go back the next time you visit Palawan. So this is off the bucket list already.

A sample of the picture souvenirs sold at the site

You'll spend at most 3 hours in the area as there are no other attractions inside except if you are a selfie/picture junkie. Then be prepared to click away as there are so many nice view to take a photo of.

You take the boat again back to the main island and you start your 3-hour journey to El Nido.  After 2 hours, you'll have one stopover to eat dinner.  This you have to pay on your own.  It's one of those carinderia (canteens) where you can eat and drink and take the toilet.  The 3-hour bumpy journey is going to be one hell of a ride. Remember to tell this story to other tourists once you arrive in El Nido. I am sure they will have their bumpy stories to tell.

Of El Nido, Palawan
Since you will arrive late at night, I suggest to rest and enjoy the next day's activities, which you can be pre-arranged with Rovic's prior to your arrival.

A bottle of beer before ending the crazy day won't hurt.

There are several island tours in El Nido - A, B, C, D - each has its predetermined destinations.  We took A and C. All tours last for one whole day. You'll leave El Nido island at 10AM and will be back at 4PM.  No need to worry about lunch as they will be serving grilled seafood, chicken, pork and vegetables and fruits for desserts, freshly cooked once you arrived at the lunch destination. Bring your own snacks and water. There are no stores in any of the islands except at Seven Commandos Beach. Island hopping tours cost from USD 30 to USD 40.

Wake up the following morning to this view.  You will see joggers, lovers and kids playing in the morning.  You have to wake up early for the day ahead to prepare for the island tours.

Treat yourself to the scent of sea breeze and sand while having your breakfast with this view of El Nido beach!!!

Good morning from El Nido

Of TOUR A
Big Lagoon
This place, the guides were saying, was one of the locations of The Bourne Supremacy movie starring Jeremy Renner.  Going inside is already a visual and olfactory treat!  Once inside, you see more limestone formation. Swimming is not allowed in the area.

Going Inside

Going Outside

Shimizu Island
This is where you'll have your lunch.  It is a stunning island with stunning limestone cliffs. While the guides are preparing your meal, go snorkelling, swimming or just simply enjoy the view.  Lunch will be grilled fish, squid, pork and chicken. There will also be grilled eggplant and sliced fruits for desserts. Please inform Rovic's if you have any allergies or food restrictions a day before to make necessary arrangements.

Lunch is served.

White sand, turquoise water. Life.

Secret Lagoon

Scent of fresh and salt water, smell of stagnant water. Kinda eeky.

Secret Lagoon is accesible via foot from the sea. The boat will stop about 100m from the entrance. So you have to tread yourself inside.  You can swim but you'll most like scratch yourselves on the corals. Best way is to go to the sides to your right and go around the beach shore and enter through the small opening leading to the lagoon.  Be ready to this tranquil and serene spot.  Water is barely waist deep.  It is a mixture of fresh and salt water.

One of those times when you wished your gadget is water proof

Small Lagoon
For me, this is the best place of the trip.  The lagoon is deep enough to cliff dive and yet small enough to have a nice conversation with your boat mates.  It is an ideal place to just swim and be one with the water.  Going there is quite difficult though as you walk a 300m coral garden.  Mostly dead, but the sharp edges are deadly. Hence, bring footwear to this area.

Entrance to the Small Lagoon

Seven Commandos
The last destination is Seven Commandos. It has a long beach shore where you can play beach volleyball. There are stores there where you can buy alcoholic beverages and snacks.  Another 45 minutes is allowed before you head back to El Nido.

The best way to end the tour - ice cold beer, beach volleyball and lovely conversations with newly found friends.

Of TOUR C
Hidden Lagoon
We took Tour C the following day.  This island is the first destination. You swim yourself inside the hidden lagoon. Water is not very deep so you can walk your way inside. Just be careful of dead corals that may wound your feet.  The first stop is not as eventful as the rest of the day.  But this one is still picture taking worthy.  It also looks exactly like the beach in the movie The Beach starring Leonardo Di Caprio.  The guides were claiming that the author of the book was actually pertaining to Palawan in his book.  For some strict policies during that time, the Beach was shot in Phuket instead of Palawan.

Entrance to the hidden lagoon.

Star Beach
For lunch, the tour brings you to this wonderful island where you can snorkel and swim while waiting for the usual grilled lunch and sliced fruits.  Facing the island on the opposite side is another limestone formation perfect for your picture taking backdrop.

Limestone formation

Some more lime stone formation

I could stay here for a week.

Friends from Germany and Canada. Perfect photo backdrop.

Secret Beach
Right after lunch you proceed to the Secret Beach. This is only accessible via a small crevice in the limestone rock wall separating the shore from the rest of the sea.  The boats cannot bring you in so you need to swim yourself in between the small crevice. Don't forget to look under the water as the opening drops way below into a V-shaped crevice.  As soon as you enter, you'll be treated to a cute hidden beach. Take pictures and sun bathe for 45 minutes.

Entrance to the Secret Beach. Photo grabbed form http://thetravellingdork.com/archive/page/6/

Matinloc Shrine
After this, you will head to Matinloc Shrine. This Shrine was built in 1982 and used as a church and as location for medical outreach program.  But now it is abandoned and dilapidated.  There is a rotating altar in the middle of this marble church.  You can walk up the limestone formation where you can take one of the most picturesque sites in Palawan.  You can take postcard worthy pictures.

That rotating altar and made of Romblon marbles

Matinloc Shrine Pictureque View

Helicopter Island
Named after the shape of the island, Helicopter Island looks more like a whale from The Little Prince book than a helicopter. Hihi. This 300m white sand beach is the last stop for this tour.  This is one of the best spots for snorkelling as the corals and sea animals are very abundant.  Your feet can already touch the corals! You are not allowed to touch any though.  The fish are so used to people that they will encircle your feet hoping for a food treat from the visitors.  Go under the water and swim along with them.  This is a very wonderful experience.

Photo grabbed form http://elnidoinn.com/ckfinder/userfiles/images/helicopter_island_el_nido04.jpg

Of Going Back to Puerto Prinsesa
The van will pick you up from Rovic's. Depending on the number of passengers, the van may still stopover at the terminal to pick-up more passengers.  The trip takes approximately 6 hours.  There will be a stopover after 2 hours for breakfast.  Then you continue the travel back to Puerto Prinsesa.  The van will stop along the way to pick more passengers if the van is not yet full.  It will stopover at the Puerto Prinsesa central terminal.  You can ask the driver to wait for about 20 minutes if you plan to shop for souvenirs.  Otherwise, it will bring you directly to the airport.  There are souvenir shops outside the airport  If you still want to explore the city, you can commission a tricycle to bring you around.

Goodbye for now. See you again soon. For sure!

Other Reminders

• You are not allowed to touch the walls, stalagmites and stalactites nor swim in PPUR
• Don't touch the corals however nice and visually appealing they are.
• Be careful of sea animals that are very territorial. They will attack intruders.
• Bring beach shoes. Those use for diving as it will protect your feet from sharp corals and rocks underwater
• Bring water protection for your gadgets. You need these to be fully functional in taking photos and memories.
• Be friends with everyone you meet especially those you will be riding the boat with.
• Don't forget to use, bring and reapply sunblock.
• You are not allowed to bring in mangoes from outside Palawan. The same is true to bringing out Palawan mangoes.
• Palawan is such a romantic place. Bring partners here for a romantic escapade.
• Giving tips is optional in the Philippines.  Some guides may even reject your tips. But it's still nice to offer.