El Nido is said to be the most beautiful place in the Philippines.
And honestly?
It’s HARD to disagree!
From the otherworldly limestone cliffs to the fine white sand, El Nido is a complete feast for the eyes.
But what exactly can you do here?
And what exactly is there to see?
Today we’re going over the 22 best El Nido tourist spots, so you won’t miss out.
Let’s dive into it!
Visiting El Nido soon? Read my El Nido Travel Guide for tips, tricks, and everything you need to know before going!
Understanding El Nido’s Tourist Spots
Before I start listing down the spots, it’s important to understand how El Nido works first.
Most of El Nido’s tourist spots are only accessible by joining boat tours.
There are four standard tours:
These all visit different islands and spots around El Nido Bay, which I’ll get to below.
But if you want to pick and choose which spots you want to visit, you’ll need to hire a private boat.
That said, there are a few spots that you can access without a tour boat.
I’ll start this list by listing the ones you can get to without a boat tour, then go over each of the four tour options!
The 22 Best Tourist Spots in El Nido
Here are the 22 best spots in El Nido!
Let’s have a closer look at each one!
DIY El Nido Tourist Spots
Spots:
El Nido is mostly known for its boat tours.
But exploring the mainland was one of my favorite things to do while here!
There are some tour operators who offer land tours.
But to be honest, the best way to explore these is to do it DIY.
You can rent a motorbike in El Nido for php500-700 a day. Or, you can haggle with a tricycle to take you around!
DIY El Nido Tourist Spots #1: Nacpan Beach
Fees: None
The Philippines is world-renowned for its beaches.
And one of the VERY best ones is found just 30-45 minutes away from El Nido town.
This four-kilometer-long beach has some of the finest white sand your feet will touch and the most crystal clear waters ever.
On the south end of Nacpan, where you enter, you’ll find several restaurants, resorts, and bars.
You can swim here, but remember!
Nacpan is facing the open sea, so the wind and the waves can be pretty strong around here.
If you want some alone time, you can walk north. The establishments will thin out slowly until you’re all alone with the sand, the sea, and the sun.
Nacpan is facing west, making it a wonderful place to watch some surreal sunsets.
And if you’re up for some activity, you can also rent an ATV for php1,000 and ride the entire length of the beach and beyond!
All in all, Nacpan is easily one of the best beaches in the Philippines.
It’s a definite must-visit if you’re in El Nido!
How to Get to Nacpan Beach:
- The best way to get to Nacpan is to rent a motorbike in El Nido town for around php500-700 a day. This way, you can also explore other spots and lesser-known beaches.
- You can also opt for a shuttle service from El Nido. Ask your accommodation for help, or check out this website. This costs php400 per head for one way, or php700 for both ways.
- You can also haggle with a tricycle to bring you there. Expect to pay around php1,500 for the trip though!
DIY El Nido Tourist Spots #2: Taraw Cliff Canopy Walk
Fees: php400 entrance and guide (additional php300 for spider webs) (There’s a small discount if you book online, php630)
Opening Hours: 8 am – 5 pm
Overlooking El Nido is the mighty Taraw Cliff – a jagged limestone rock shooting 250 meters toward the sky.
Somewhere between the ground and the peak, a manmade walkway hugs the cliffs, allowing visitors to get a bird’s eye view of the town.
The view from up here is quite nice.
You see the town below, the busy dock with tour boats leaving, and even some of the majestic islands off on the horizon.
Beside the lookout are the spider webs.
These are cool for pictures, but you’ll have to pay an additional php300 to get to them (which is quite overpriced in my opinion.)
DIY El Nido Tourist Spots #2.5: Taraw Cliff Hike!
Fees: Haggle, roughly php500/head
Important Note: Hiking Taraw Cliff is technically prohibited after someone fell off the cliff. However, there are still plenty of people who do this hike!
If you’re looking for thrills, you can opt to CLIMB Taraw Cliff rather than just walking the canopy walk.
This is technically prohibited, but everyone knows that people still climb it anyway.
To do this, you WILL need a guide since the climb is steep, jagged, and dangerous.
The easiest way to find a guide is to walk into the canopy walk office and ask around there.
Yes, this is backdoor stuff, but all the locals know that visitors want to climb the real deal, not just the overpriced Canopy Walk.
Your guide will tell you to meet up at 4 am so you can catch the sunrise from the top.
Sadly, I wasn’t able to make the hike since I was feeling under the weather, but I’m told the view is much higher and grander than that of the Canopy Walk!
DIY El Nido Tourist Spots #3: Nagkalit-kalit Falls
Fees: Mandatory guide php500
Most people don’t think about waterfalls when they come to El Nido.
But tucked away in the forests is a small waterfall that’s well worth a visit!
It’s not the most spectacular.
But it does offer something different from the rest of El Nido.
For Nagkalit-kalit, the treasure is the journey.
To get there, you’ll have to walk for about 30 minutes through forests, streams, and cashew trees.
I highly recommend taking it in, instead of rushing towards the destination.
Once you’re already sweaty, you’ll get to the cool, refreshing falls!
In a place as crowded as El Nido, finding this little falls away from everyone else is quite nice.
How to Get to Nagkalit-kalit Falls:
- The best way to get to Nagkalit-kalit is to rent a motorbike in El Nido town for around php500-700 a day. This way, you can also explore other spots and lesser-known beaches.
- You can also haggle with a tricycle to bring you there. Expect to pay around php1,500 for the trip though! (You can hire the tricycle to bring you here and to Nacpan Beach as well)
DIY El Nido Tourist Spots #4: Scuba Diving
Fees: Around php4,800 (3 dives), or php5,400 (discovery diving for beginners)
Whether you’re an experienced diver or have never tried it before…
El Nido is one of the best spots in the Philippines for scuba diving!
El Nido Bay and Bacuit Bay are full of colorful reefs sprawling with marine life.
For advanced divers, there are also underwater caves here waiting for you to explore.
There are dozens of dive shops around El Nido, but most offer a similar package:
Php4,800 for 3 boat dives, complete with gear, lunch, guides, and sometimes even pictures!
For beginners, this is one of the best places to try scuba diving – or even get your certification.
In discovery scuba diving, you’ll have an instructor with you all the way, teaching you safety skills, or even just carrying you around so you get to enjoy the underwater world!
The dive sites I explored when I was there included
- Natnat – a reef on Cadlao island, packed with different species of fish and sometimes HUGE turtles
- South Miniloc – a more challenging dive due to currents. South Miniloc is also a highway for boats, so you’ll have to stay well below the surface! There are also tons of different fish and corals around here
- Helicopter Island – sandy dive site with a resident turtle! You can feed the turtle some grass here
El Nido Tour A
Price: php1,400 (+php200 environmental fee) (php950 if you book using this discount link)
Spots:
El Nido Tour A is by far the most popular boat tour here.
As a result, expect a LOT of people if you go on this tour.
But despite the crowd, El Nido Tour A is probably still the best tour to go on.
Why?
Because the spots are absolutely stunning!
Spots such as…
El Nido Tour A Tourist Spots – Big Lagoon
Big Lagoon is probably the most recognizable spot in El Nido.
The massive limestone cliffs…
The enchanting blue-green water…
This spot is truly one of the most beautiful spots not just in the Philippines – but in the world!
Your tour boat will park right outside the lagoon.
From there, you can either swim in or kayak in!
Kayak rentals cost php300, but it’s well worth it to get one.
Inside, you’ll find that the lagoon is true to its name:
It is BIG.
You can spend a whole hour just kayaking and swimming around here, and you won’t get bored!
El Nido Tour A Tourist Spots – Shimizu Island
Shimizu Island is Tour A’s main snorkeling spot.
Here you’ll find a lot of colorful corals, plenty of fish, and even some sea turtles!
Note: most tours don’t bring snorkels on board, so make sure you rent before you take off! Rentals cost around php150.
Aside from snorkeling, this is also the usual lunch stop for Tour A.
There’s a small hidden beach on the island, which is just big enough to have lunch on!
El Nido Tour A Tourist Spots – Secret Lagoon
Miniloc Island is famous for Big Lagoon and Small Lagoon.
But hidden on the other side of the island is the secret lagoon!
As the name suggests, you can’t see this lagoon from outside.
All you’ll see are the towering limestone walls of Miniloc.
But if you look closely, you’ll see a small crack in the stone.
And if you fit yourself through it?
You’ll find yourself in the Secret Lagoon!
Secret Lagoon is a small lagoon that’s surrounded on ALL sides by massive black cliffs.
Since it’s small and super popular, the lagoon tends to get VERY crowded.
So crowded, that you’ll have to form a line going in and out of the lagoon itself.
El Nido Tour A Tourist Spots – Seven Commandos Beach
Most of El Nido’s tours will include the limestone walls, a snorkeling area, and a really beautiful white sand beach.
For Tour A, the beach is the Seven Commandos Beach.
The beach here is quite stunning, with white sand, pristine waters, and lush coconut trees swaying in the wind.
You can snorkel around here, but Seven Commandos is better for chilling!
There are plenty of places you can have a seat.
And they even have a small store selling coffee too.
If you’re up for some fun, there’s a volleyball net, where there’s usually a bunch of strangers playing together!
El Nido Tour B
Price: php1,300 (+php200 environmental fee) (php1,100 if you book using this discount link)
Spots:
Tour B is one of the lesser-known tours.
It doesn’t stop over the famous Miniloc Island.
Instead, it takes you to some less crowded beaches, and lets you explore some caves!
El Nido Tour B Tourist Spots – Snake Island
Don’t worry!
There aren’t any snakes around here.
Instead, this island gets its name from the sandbar that snakes its way through the water.
The sandbar is so long, it connects Snake Island back to mainland El Nido.
The sandbar is only visible during low tide, which is something your tour operators will try to schedule around!
El Nido Tour B Tourist Spots – Pinagbuyutan Island
Pinagbuyutan is one of the most picturesque islands when viewed from afar.
It has those massive limestone cliffs, although they aren’t quite as dramatic as the ones in Miniloc.
Whatever the case, this island has a wonderful beach for you to chill around on.
Tour B tours usually have lunch here as well.
El Nido Tour B Tourist Spots – Entalula Beach
Another beach stopover for Tour B is Entalula Beach.
Complete with white sand, swaying palm trees, and the beautiful sea, this is a great spot to chill, swim, or snorkel around!
El Nido Tour B Tourist Spots – Cudugnon Cave
Aside from being less crowded, one of the main attractions of Tour B is the caves.
Cudugnon Cave is best visited during low tide.
During high tide, water makes its way into the cave, and you won’t be able to explore it as much.
The high ceiling and plentiful rock formations make this an exciting place to visit!
Aside from the cave, Cudugnon Island also has the usual beautiful beach and snorkeling areas.
El Nido Tour B Tourist Spots – Cathedral Cave
Another cave stopover for Tour B is Cathedral Cave.
This is just a short stopover for some pictures – and maybe swimming if you’re brave enough?
There is no beach around here, just a jagged cave mouth opening out to the sea.
The entrance is too narrow for your tour boat to enter.
El Nido Tour C
Price: php1,400 (+php200 environmental fee) (php1,200 if you book using this discount link)
Spots:
Tour C is the second most popular tour after Tour A.
While Tour A focuses more on the lagoons and the amazing cliffs, Tour C has more beautiful beaches than any other tour.
But of course, there is plenty of diversity in these spots as well!
El Nido Tour C Tourist Spots – Helicopter Island
The name comes from the shape of the island (not that there are helicopters on it!).
Helicopter Island has a wonderful beach.
There are several coconut vendors around here, so you can enjoy the full tropical life – chilling on the beach with a coconut in your hand.
If you’re up for snorkeling, there are some corals around here – although they’re quite far from shore.
They even have a resident turtle that lives around here!
El Nido Tour C Tourist Spots – Matinloc Shrine
Tours often spend very little time here.
And some skip it completely.
There are a few abandoned buildings on this spot.
One of these it’s a small shrine – hence the name.
Aside from that, you can also snorkel around here!
El Nido Tour C Tourist Spots – Secret Beach
On the same island as the shrine (Matinloc), there’s a “secret” beach that you’ll have to swim to!
The beach is hidden behind the tall limestone walls and is only accessible through a small crack.
Your tour boat won’t be able to dock inside, so you’ll have to get down and swim to it!
El Nido Tour C Tourist Spots – Hidden Beach
Aside from the Secret Beach, there’s also a Hidden Beach!
Now, you don’t have to swim through a crack on the wall here. But the beach is still quite hidden.
The towering limestone cliffs of Mantinloc almost surround it completely!
Truly a breathtaking place.
El Nido Tour C Tourist Spots – Talisay Beach
The main area for having lunch in Tour C is Tapuitan Island, usually on Talisay Beach.
And the crazy thing about these lunch areas is…
They’re already AMAZING in and of themselves!
Seriously.
There’s no such thing as “just a lunch island” in El Nido.
El Nido Tour D
Price: php1,400 (+php200 environmental fee)
Spots:
Last but not least…
Tour D!
Tour D centers around Cadlao Island, which is just off the coast of El Nido!
It isn’t as popular as Tour A and C.
But recently, more people are choosing this option since Small Lagoon was added.
Overall, Tour D feels a lot like Tour A – with the highlight being the enchanting lagoons and towering cliffs.
But it also has powdery white beaches and snorkeling spots as well!
El Nido Tour D Tourist Spots – Small Lagoon
Fun fact:
Big Lagoon and Small Lagoon are right next to each other!
So you get the same amazing views that you get from Big Lagoon.
Only this one is…
Well…
Smaller.
The main activity in Small Lagoon is kayaking.
You can rent one from your tour boat for php300.
Small Lagoon used to be a part of Tour A.
But to limit the crowd, Small Lagoon was later moved to Tour D – so you can enjoy the same views with fewer people!
El Nido Tour D Tourist Spots – Cadlao Lagoon
If you’re standing on El Nido beach and you look out into the horizon, you’ll see an island.
That island is Cadlao Island!
You can kayak here from El Nido Beach to visit this lagoon.
But okay…
That’s a bit out of topic.
Aside from Small Lagoon, Cadlao Lagoon is the other main attraction of Tour D.
Some say it’s not as grand as Big Lagoon, but you also get the benefit of fewer crowds!
El Nido Tour D Tourist Spots – Natnat Beach
Aside from the lagoon, Cadlao Island also has a very pretty beach.
This is where Tour D usually has their lunch break.
I might sound like a broken record, but what else is there to say?
Fine white sand.
Crystal clear water.
Good snorkeling spots.
What’s there not to love about Natnat Beach?
El Nido Tour D Tourist Spots – Pasandigan Cove
Last but not least is Pasandigan Cove!
Found on the other side of Cadlao, this stretch of white sand beaches and snorkeling spots is another great place to explore.
Klook.comConclusion
And there you have it!
Those are the 22 most popular El Nido tourist spots!
I have to say, unless you’re staying here for a long time, it’s going to be VERY hard to visit all of these.
Instead, take it slow!
I recommend visiting the DIY spots on one day, taking a tour on the next, and then maybe trying scuba diving on the third.
But it all depends on how much time you have.
I hope this list helps you plan your trip!
For more planning tips, check out my El Nido Travel Guide!