Island Hopping in El Nido

Guide Chris

My first priority today was to find a Tour C to take. El Nido is known for island hopping tours to the many small beaches and lagoons on the tiny islands surrounding it. Tours A and C are the most popular and many leave from Corong Corong beach where I was staying. Someone on tripadvisor had mentioned a good tour company and it was almost across the street from where I was staying so I walked over to see if they had room today. They did not have a Tour C but they had a Tour A. I had just enough time to move my luggage to my new hotel and check out of the old one. I returned to Lovelyn Tours and paid my 1600 (1200 for the tour, 200 for the park area permit which is good for all the tours so I won’t need to pay that tomorrow, and 200 for the big lagoon permit). The prices are pretty much standard over all the tour companies unless you book through a travel agency who may add a surcharge then book you with one of the tour companies.

top of bow sitting

There was a group of 4 people in my tour plus another 7 people coming from another location for a total of 12 of us and 4 crew, 2 guides, a cook, and a captain. While we were waiting for the other group to arrive, they took some pictures of us standing on the bow. We took some more once we started heading out and it was much harder to balance when the boat was moving though the background was nicer. I almost fell but managed not to. The whole boat was a little scared for me. The group of 4 were Wilson and Evelyn (a couple from Alberta, Canada) and I think their parents/in-laws. The group of 7 was made of a matriarch, her daughter and two grandkids, her son with his wife and brother in law. All of them live in the Bay area except the daughter and grandkids. All 11 others are Filippino so it is very common here for tourists from America to be Filippino.

Me on beach before tour

top of bow at sea

top of bow sitting looking up

coconuts for sale

The first stop was a secret lagoon which had a small hole you have to enter through one at a time. Then you are in a cone with rock walls. It was hard to get good pictures in here as they all look like I am just standing in front of a rock wall. There were also people on canoes selling fresh coconuts to drink, but the one I had in Moalboal was enough to last me this trip. I’m not a huge fan. Next was lunch on a little beach all to ourselves. While waiting for the food I hung out in the shade on the boat. I noticed the family of 7 talking and pointing to me so I waved. I think they worried about me feeling lonely so they invited me to eat with them in the shady area they had staked out.

secret cove

island outside secret cove

First island

Boat in cove

me on bow from side

more pretty clear water

lunch tour A

Lunch was good. The staff had a grill on the boat and they cooked up mussels, pork, chicken, a surprisingly amazing eggplant dish,shrimp, fish, cucumber, and various fruit. We then went kayaking in the Big Lagoon, which had a neat little mini canyon area where you wind underneath some rocks then along a narrow waterway between tall walls. After that we hit a couple more beaches before heading back to Corong Corong Beach in El Nido.

Lunch Spread tour A

Lunch spot

Boat at lunch

Getting into the canoe

me in canoe 3

waterway to big lagoon

side lagoon

me on canoe 1

me in canoe 2

My boat from kayak

going through the hidden passage

big lagoon

rocky cliffs and pretty water

kitten purring

Once back, I watched their adorable kitten harassing/playing with its mom by stalking and attacking. Eventually the owner gave the mom a break and tossed the kitten into a room, but she let me take it out and pet it. It was super cute and purred loudly. They also had a very cute puppy. I booked my Tour C for the next day and went home to clean up.

Cute puppy at Lovelyn Tours

kitten planning attack on mama cat

pork skewers

I went out in search of Adobo for dinner and my guide Chris showed me a great little street food stand. They didn’t have adobo that day but promised to save me some the next day. Instead I picked out some pork skewers (10 pesos/20 cents each), some rice (15 pesos), and a squid for 60 pesos. They also had fish and chicken. While I was waiting for my food to cook I watched their daughter take a thin plastic bag, blow it up, tie it off, and play with it like a balloon, keeping it up in the air until it lost its air. It was so impressively creative! After I ate my pork while I waited for the squid, I blew up one of the bags they had given me and made a balloon out of it and we played with it keeping it up in the air. Her name is Angelica with a hard “i.” I promised to come back and play more tomorrow. Side note: they serve a seasoned vinegar in the Philippines with the food, which is so so good!

grilled squid

BBQ stand

Sunset at Corong Corong Beach

Sunset with kids playing

towels at new hotels

My new hotel, El Nido Moringa Resort, was very nice, and a steal at only $62 (regularly $109). The balcony overlooked the pool area which was beautiful. You can’t see the ocean and the resort is not on the ocean, but otherwise perfect!

Moringa room

Moringa balcony

Moringa bathroom 1

Moringa bathroom 2