El Nido: Sun, Sand and Sea at it's best.

I love to travel especially going to beaches anytime of the year. I have visited one of the best destinations for people who love the sun, sand and sea. That is the heaven called El Nido. It is literally one of the best beaches in the country because of it's great scenery and marine life preservation.

El Nido is a small municipality located in the Northeast part of the province of Palawan. It was about an hour and half (I think!) flight away from Manila (Philippine's capital city). But from where I come from, I had to take connecting flights from Bacolod to Manila to Puerto Princesa (capital of Palawan), since there are no direct flights from my city to El Nido or Puerto Princesa. So it was roughly about 2 hours of travel to reach Puerto Princesa. From the capital city of the beautiful island of Palawan, we had to drive to El Nido for about 5-6 hours, which was a very good way to explore the region. Yeah! I know what you are thinking, "6 hours of sitting in the car on bumpy roads?" No worries. There is a stop over in the city of Roxas after 2 hours of travel for lunch, bathroom breaks and the like.

Puerto Princesa Airport, Rizal Ave., Puerto Princesa, Palawan

We got to see fantastic views of nature that we would never ever see in developed cities such as Bacolod and/or Manila. We took a glimpse of the rainforests of Palawan that is greatly preserved by their government. I salute the unity of the people there since they are very determined to keep the natural beauty of their place and especially their discipline to retain to their title "Paradise of the Philippines". Eventhough the ride was sometimes bumpy and made us sore, the welcoming view of El Nido wiped out all of those. Indeed, patience was a virtue and paradise was within arms-reach after a long agonizing ride.  Hahaha.

Welcome to El Nido!

The activities in the locale were not limited to the ones you can do on shore. The best way to explore the entire location was Island Hopping. Believe me! This was the "awesomest" way to get to know the place. We stayed at Islandfront Cottages and Restaurant where their rooms were filled with wood furnishings and colorful wall designs. We signed up for the tours through the Cottage's receptionist for the next day's recreational activities. And the first day was the beginning of my adventure of a lifetime.

We started off with the Tour A. This includes trips to 5 different destinations. The first stop was the Small Lagoon. The way in and out for this lagoon is through a small crack between rocks and only way to get in is by swimming through or if you do not know how to swim (like yours truly), kayak will be the best transportation and do not forget the life jacket. Once you are in, everything looks marvelous and untouched.

Small  lagoon from the outside.

The next stop was the Big Lagoon. The deepest and darkest blue water I've ever seen which gave me an eerie feeling. It felt like you do not want know what was down there when you're on top of the water. But this is one of the popular snorkeling spots in  El Nido. And according to the tour guide, sharks visit the place sometimes when the tide is high or if there is a storm because the water is calmer compared to the open sea.

Entrance to the Big Lagoon (This is usually seen in post cards or souvenir stuff)

The view from the  inside of the  lagoon.

The third stop was the Payong-Payong Island. This was where we had our lunch. While we snorkeled, enjoyed the fine white sand and the amazing rock formations, our tour guide and the boatman cooked and prepared our lunch of ribs, grilled fish, and  a variety of fruits.

Payong-Payong Island

After the scrumptious lunch we had, we then went to visit the Secret lagoon. In order to get into the hidden spot, you need to crawl into a small hole to be able to view the cliffs of limestone surrounding the cool waters of this lagoon.

Accessible via a small hole, behind this rock is the Secret Lagoon.

Inside the Secret Lagoon. The farther you go the deeper the water gets.

Next on the list was home to many marine life, Simizu Island. Named after a Japanese diver who died in the island's underwater tunnel. I am not sure if the tunnel is still open due to the accident that happened a long time ago. I was totaly in awe with the different fishes you get to swim with and feed! Plus the coral reef on the sea floor are just stunning! This was when I started to enjoy snorkling and my life vest. For someone who doesnt know how to swim, the life vest is  great help to enjoy the water.

Holla Simizu Island!

Snorkling and feeding the fishes.

The last stop of our island hopping tour A is the 7 Commandos Island. Again another beach that you can just chill and lay on the powdery white sand while the waves rushed to the shore. After the entire day of touring a part of El Nido, this was the best place to end the trip and relax while having a fresh coconut drink. This site is best for Ulimate Frisbee or beach volleyball/football.

7 Commandos Beach

Fresh Coconut Drink and just chillin' by the beach.

By the end of the day, I felt like I was truly exploring the Philippines (even if it was just a few islands out of 7,107.) I started to appreciate the beauty of my country through my first day in El Nido. It was one heck of a tour. I have conquered my fear of the depth of the sea (Thank you Life Vest, my best friend!) And this is definitely a vacation I will treasure for the rest of my life. It was my first time in El Nido and it has blown me away. This led my friends and I to try the next tour on the list, Tour B. 'Coz we just can't get enough of the nirvana this place has brought us.

And that would be on the next blog. Thanks for touring with me around El Nido. Till next time!