Still dreaming of this magical place. Someone take me backkkkkk!

After a whole day of exploring Puerto Princesa, it was finally time to head to El Nido. Six hours later we found ourselves at El Nido Bus Terminal. It was still dawn when we arrived, specifically around 1am. It was kinda part of the plan since we were not planning to book any rooms that night. At first we thought maybe we could just stay at the terminal for the entire night but after an hour we went to Tay Miloy’s Inn to drop our bags (where we plan to stay the following night) and had very early breakfast because everyone was so drained and exhausted that we needed food to energize ourselves. It wasn’t enough and clearly at this point we knew all we wanted was a good sleep.

We went back to Tay Miloy’s but obviously the guy in charge was already asleep (which I don’t blame btw haha) so we end up “trying” to sleep at their reception area and to be honest it wasn’t the most comfortable way to spend the night. But nevertheless the sun came (thank God) and we were then escorted to our rooms for early check in. YAY!

 Day one in El Nido finally started and the itinerary for the day is to go on Island Hopping Tour A and have Tour C for the next day (more details on our complete Palawan itinerary on a separate post) 2 out of 4 island hopping tours in El Nido but due to weather conditions we ended up switching the plan, having Tour C first for that day instead.

For Tour C we went to Secret Beach, Matinloc Shrine (wasn’t able to go down from the boat), another beach for lunch (wasn’t sure of the name), Hidden Beach and Helicopter Island.

We went to a local place that offers island hopping (I forgot exactly what the name was but I’m sure you’ll find one since almost everyone is offering island hopping tours). This is us waiting for a few more people to join our bangka (boat). Selfie!

On to our boat and the tour has finally begun!

We haven’t even reached our first destination yet but the view is starting to impress us already!

I just can’t stop taking photos!

First stop: Secret beach. It’s called secret for a reason because you can’t really see the beach unless it’s low tide. You will also need to go swim through the mini passage by yourself! The boat will usually just park outside the passage hole and a rope will be set up as a guide to the secret beach.

Unfortunately I don’t have a photo inside to show you guys but I promise you it was wow. VERY WOW. You should see it for yourself!

Photo op on the way to the next stop!

We passed by Matinloc Island where the Matinloc Shrine is at. As far as I can remember, there was an entrance fee. Sad part for us because most all of our tour mates already went there during their Tour A yesterday so they insisted to skip it. So advice for you if ever this will ever happen to you please don’t be intimidated by your tour mates. Remember you paid for it and it was part of the tour so don’t be afraid to tell the boatman if you wanted to drop by the destination.

Lunch time!! This is what I love about the tours. All of the tours offered by different establishment in El Nido have the same fixed rate which is inclusive of lunch already. Unlike in Boracay where you stop at one island to have the buffet lunch, in El Nido on the other hand is prepared by the boatman themselves. They grilled the meat at the back of the boat and prepare the rest of the meal in an island just in time for lunch. Our lunch includes grilled fish and chicken, some shrimps, vegetables and fruits. You thought I’d forget the rice? One kaldero please! haha

Photo op again after lunch. Hiyak gyud besh! (also, clearly I didn’t get the memo haha everyone was wearing black and white! lol)

Next stop: Hidden Beach. Hidden because you can’t see the beach unless you’re at a certain angle. This was the toughest for me personally. The waves was against each other on the way here and it. was. a. struggle. (okay maybe its just me. Disclaimer: I do know how to swim butttt I cant swim for a long period of time because I get tired easily and it makes me harder to swim when waves just keep on splashing on my face because duh I’m blind. Also I’m afraid of sharks. HAHAHA)

Anyway, but omg the struggle will be worth it I swear! Hidden beach was my favorite destination during that day. The clear turquoise waters and the cool rock formations (see that heart shaped formation in the photo below?) will surely leave you in awe!

Last Stop: Helicopter Beach. It’s called helicopter beach because of the land that forms like a helicopter. We walked on the leftmost part of the island and had a little private space away from everyone. We spent a few minutes there sitting and laying by the beach shore while waves continuously trying to wash us out. haha

After Helicopter Beach we then went straight back to the main town of El Nido. We washed and settled in at the accommodation before we had dinner. Since everywhere was so packed and most of the restaurant can get a little pricey, we decided to order food for takeout. We ate at the room and had conversations over drinks before we finally call it a day.

If you think this was a photo heavy post then you clearly haven’t seen Day 2 yet! Stay tuned!

For the meantime you can check all my Palawan post here.

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