Island-hopping at El Nido

it rained the past days so i deem it such a blessing when we were greeted by warm sunshine that morning, just perfect for our scheduled island tour. it was Mang Sonny who introduced us to Mang Jun, a fellow Cebuano who became more enthusiastic upon learning we speak the same dialect.

we set off at around 9am and proceeded to our packaged tour A which supposedly include Payong-Payong Beach, Shimizu, Miniloc, Secret Lagoon, Small Lagoon, Big Lagoon and 7 Commando Beach.


our first stop was in Payong-Payong Beach, whoa! sand was so fine, waters azure blue and it was deserted we had it all to ourselves that we had a grand time clicking away and frolic in the sun.



after reminding everyone that it was only our first stop, we headed to our next destination. we anchored near Shimizu Beach for snorkeling and fish feeding. indeed, fishes abound in the area and they are as cam whores as we are too!


for our lunch, Mang Jun took us instead to Snake Is. which is supposedly part of Tour B. He said the sand bar would be more interesting and we could trek towards the view deck for a better view of the surroundings as well. we took more photos, took a dip while Mang Jun prepared our lunch.



lunch was composed of grilled fish and pork, crabs and some vegetable salad. yum! Mang Jun does know how to prepare an island feast!




and that is the breath-taking view from the view deck. the hues of greens and blues are totally relaxing even if the sun was shining down brightly on us.

from Snake island, our next destination was the Secret Lagoon.



and here's the entry to the secret



our final two stops were the Small Lagoon and the Big lagoon.



we finished with the tour at around 5PM totally exhausted but sated. El Nido is indeed gorgeous and everything there makes us feel we are truly in paradise.

(Tour cost is 500PhP including the snorkeling gear and meals.)

The Road To El Nido

i can't sugarcoat it, the drive towards El Nido is indeed rough, though the first 4 hours or so ride is smooth it could get dizzying at times because the roads are winding.

it didn't help much that it was raining during our trip.

i took bonamine and though i fell asleep on the first few hours i was jolted off from sleep because of the sudden twist and turns.


on the last 2 hours of the trip that's when the roads became really bad. parang nangangabayo ka lang. especially for me who was seated on the rear most part of the van.





but i had great company, we slept, ate a lot, we had chips and hopia and asado, and pianonos bought from Baker's Hill. we'd sing, dance to 80's music playing in Mang Sonny's stereo.

and when we finally got to El Nido this is what we saw:



the beach looks so calm, serene, inviting. the trip is just worth it!

we left Puerto Princesa at around 11am, had lunch at Roxas and arrived El Nido at past 5pm. so yeah, the trip takes around 6 hours.

Please contact Mang Sonny: 0926-5732031 if in case you'd want to go there and need a van.

our roundtrip van rental was P12,000.00, when we got to PP airport, some ladies there are offering van rentals for 12k one way.
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