This publish was written by Ashley Yap, BMTM’s Director of Model Relations.
Planning an island hopping tour on El Nido will be pretty easy – you simply want to choose one of many 4 that’s supplied all around the island. Every itinerary presents one thing a bit of totally different – tour A takes you to the well-known Massive Lagoon, tour B to the Snake Island, tour C to the Helicopter Island, and tour D to the Cadlao Lagoon. I visited El Nido in November 2022 and joined excursions A, B and C throughout my 5-day keep on the island. Right here’s my trustworthy overview of the tour C that will help you resolve if it’s for you:
The right way to Guide El Nido Tour C:
I booked all of my El Nido excursions by way of Klook, which I extremely advocate, as I didn’t should spend any extra time on the lookout for a bunch tour while on the island. Due to that, I used to be in a position to plan my days on the island forward of time, and in case you are a Kind A like me, you’d respect that, too.
I used to be stunned to see that the tour is marketed at a better worth on the island, which, whereas I’m positive it’s negotiable, I very a lot want to have had it booked on-line. El Nido can also be a really cash-based island, so should you e-book the tour in particular person, you’ll most definitely should pay in money. Talking of which, come to the island with enough money! Despite the fact that there appear to be loads of ATMs on the island, they don’t all the time work. Foreign money alternate charges are very poor…I discovered that the laborious manner.
Guide El Nido Tour C right here
How A lot is El Nido Tour C?
El Nido Tour C itself prices $22.59, making it the most costly tour out of the 4 itineraries. My guess is that that is primarily as a result of route that takes longer to get to. As well as, tour C supplies the best alternative for coming nose to nose with sea turtles and is understood for having the perfect snorkeling. Word that you will want to pay an entrance payment to the Matinloc Shrine (200 PHP or about $4) and a rental payment for a 2-person kayak (300 PHP or about $5). If you wish to lease a masks and snorkel set, it’s one other 150 PHP (about $3). There’s additionally a obligatory environmental payment to pay at 200 PHP, which is legitimate for 10 days and can be utilized for different excursions. These charges are collected in money solely. Positively take these charges into consideration when planning your journey.
El Nido Tour C Itinerary:
Resort switch will not be included on this tour. You possibly can organize for a tricycle journey for about 300 PHP to the meetup level, which is Klook’s counter at Jhanna’s Inn, earlier than 8:30am. then, relying in your luck, your group could depart anytime between instantly to an hour later, relying on the coastal guard clearance. That is the fact of group excursions, don’t let it spoil your day! When you board the boat, it’s essential to placed on a life jacket for the boat to go away. The tour information launched himself and the remainder of the boat crew, which encompass a prepare dinner, a captain, and two boatmen.
First cease: Helicopter Island (45 minutes)
It took some time to get to Helicopter Island, but it surely was definitely worth the wait! The tour’s first cease is among the most well-known islands of the Bacuit archipelago. The normal identify is Dilumacad Island, but it surely took on the identify Helicopter Island attributable to its form – though some assume it extra carefully resembles a camel or a dolphin… You’ll simply should resolve for your self! We did snorkeling right here, and though the climate was cloudy and windy, the visibility underwater remained clear and the colourful corals and small fish had been gratifying.
Second Cease: Matinloc Shrine (1.5 hours)
As soon as a spot that hosted a convent and a faculty, the Matinloc Shrine is now the place guests can stroll round and discover the eerie but charming land that legends say is haunted by a ghost. Right here you’ll do a 3-minute hike up the limestone hill and luxuriate in a chicken’s-eye view from the highest. We additionally explored the deserted constructing whereas the crew ready our lunch.
Lunch was served in a shaded space, and we had a shock go to from the native monkeys. Although deserted, the Matinloc Shrine is guarded, and it appeared just like the guards’ essential process is to shoo the monkeys away.
Third Cease: Secret Seaside (45 minutes)
After our lunch, the wind appeared to choose up once more, and we had a considerably rowdy journey to the third cease, Hidden Seaside. To enter the seaside, you have to swim by way of a small gap within the limestone, which was a little bit of an journey for me as the ocean was tough. I loved it, however in case you are not a really assured swimmer, the tour guides will seize your life jacket and make it easier to enter. Inside Hidden Seaside, there are a couple of small swim holes and a small seaside to chill out on, however I higher loved snorkeling with the fish on the entrance.
Fourth Cease: Hidden Seaside (45 minutes)
Because the identify suggests, this cease is hidden from plain sight. The boat will cease outdoors the seaside, and you’ll do a mixture of swimming and ducking to get to the seaside. The calm and serene waters inside make an fascinating distinction to the waves of the open sea simply meters away. It was low tide once we arrived, and we loved exploring tiny octopuses camouflaging the corals. Our tour information additionally talked about that child black-tip sharks can generally be noticed right here too.
Further Cease (a shock): Cadlao Lagoon (45 minutes)
I’m not positive what occurred, however our tour information added an additional cease to the Cadlao Lagoon, which is supposedly the spotlight of El Nido Tour D for us. Cadlao is the most important island of the Bacuit archipelago and is residence to top-of-the-line lagoons and the enjoyable Nat Nat Seaside. The dramatic entrance is full of corals and an abundance of fish. That is additionally identified to be the least crowded in comparison with lagoons visited by different excursions.
No complaints from me as a result of I completely liked this place, maybe much more so than the well-known Massive Lagoon! I rented a kayak right here and loved kayaking across the rock formations on child blue waters. I additionally noticed a stingray right here.
Guide El Nido Tour C right here
Is Tour C Value It?
Tour C was the final of the three island hopping excursions I did on El Nido, and I anticipated myself to really feel a bit out of it, however I used to be pleasantly stunned by how a lot I loved the whole itinerary! Every cease had one thing distinctive to supply, and the buffet lunch was scrumptious, with an enormous number of dishes to dig into. Whereas I didn’t get to see any turtles on this tour, I used to be impressed by the corals and colourful fish I noticed whereas snorkeling.
This tour can also be much less crowded in comparison with Tour A. There have been solely 13 of us onboard, in comparison with 22 on Tour A. That stated, a number of different boats had been at every cease, so keep in mind your boat identify and get again onboard on time! When you’ve got time for two excursions on El Nido, I undoubtedly advocate this and tour A.
READ NEXT:
El Nido Tour A: Is the Group Tour Value It?
What to Deliver on Your Journey
You can be out on the ocean the whole day, so it’s greatest to come back ready! Right here’s every thing I introduced on my island hopping journey, they usually all match right into a 10L dry bag:
I hope this text offers you a transparent overview of what to anticipate on El Nido Tour C. If you’re considering testing the opposite group excursions on El Nido, learn these subsequent:
- El Nido Tour A overview (group tour)
- El Nido Tour B overview (group tour)
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