Twelve boats leave El Nido, and the first thing to understand is that Tour A, B, C and D are four fixed routes with their own stops — not four grades of the same trip. Tour A has the lagoons; Tour C has Hidden Beach and Matinloc. This page sets all four out stop by stop and puts every boat side by side, from $23 to $438.
From, per person
12 trips compared$23
And the three-day group expedition to Coron is $438
Average rating
Across all 12 trips4.5 ★
Across 2,984 verified reviews
Time on the water
The number that sets the price5–72 h
Five hours under sail, or three days all the way to Coron
Everything you can book here
Twelve departures in price order. Use the switch to show only the route you want. Tour A is the lagoons, Tour C is the far beaches, the combined A+C days do both, and the three-day expeditions sail the whole way to Coron.
★ 4.4 · 1,974 reviews
★ 4.8 · 37 reviews
★ 4.4 · 82 reviews
★ 4.7 · 15 reviews
★ 4.4 · 17 reviews
★ 4.8 · 26 reviews
★ 4.7 · 49 reviews
★ 4.8 · 586 reviews
★ 4.8 · 157 reviews
★ 5.0 · 3 reviews
★ 3.5 · 35 reviews
★ 5.0 · 3 reviews
Two questions
Twelve departures across the fixed routes of Bacuit Bay. Tour A for the lagoons, Tour C for the far beaches, both in one day by speedboat, or three days all the way to Coron. Pick what matters and the page picks the boat.
See it before you pay for it
Three quite different days: the lagoons of Tour A, which you enter by kayak because boats are not allowed inside; the far beaches of Tour C at Matinloc and Tapiutan; or three days of open water on the expedition to Coron.
Side by side
This is the decision everybody arrives with, and the names give nothing away. They are fixed routes, set by the local boat association, each with its own five or six stops. Tour A is the lagoons and the most booked; Tour C is the far beaches and the most weather-dependent; B and D are the quiet ones.
Swipe the table sideways →
| MOST BOOKEDEl Nido: Island Hopping Tour A Lagoons and Beaches | El Nido: Private/Exclusive Island Hopping Tour A BEST PRICE! | EL NIDO: Private Island Hopping Tour C w/BUFFET LUNCH | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price per person | $23 | $117 | $122 |
| Time on the water | 6–8 hours | 8 hours | 8 hours |
| Cost per hour | $3.29 | $14.62 | $15.25 |
| Boat | Shared bangka | Private bangka | Private bangka |
| Route | Tour A, shared | Tour A, private | Tour C, private |
| What you see | Big, Small and Secret lagoons, Shimizu, Seven Commandos | The same five stops, on your own schedule | Hidden Beach, Secret Beach, Matinloc, Helicopter Island |
| Stops | Five, fixed order | Five, your order | Five, your order |
| Rating | 4.4 · 1,974 | 4.4 · 82 | 4.4 · 17 |
| Best for | A first day, at the lowest price | Getting to the lagoons first | The far beaches, quieter |
| Book this one→ | Check dates | Check dates |
Free cancellation up to 24 h · Reserve now, pay later
Verdict
Big Lagoon, Small Lagoon, Secret Lagoon, Shimizu and Seven Commandos, for the lowest price on this page — and 1,974 ratings behind it, more than everything else here put together. The two things that decide how it goes are the hour you leave and whether you have cash for a kayak at the Big Lagoon.
Check dates and availability→Before you book
The shared Tour A carries 1,974 ratings and the Coron expedition 586, while several private boats here carry fewer than twenty between them. That does not make the smaller listings bad — but a 5.0 from three people tells you very little, and 4.4 from nearly two thousand tells you a great deal.
Two-minute check
Twelve boats across fixed routes that the listings name by letter and never explain. Three answers narrow it to one: which route you want, whether the boat should be yours, and whether you have a day or three.
Which route do you want?They are fixed, with their own stops
What are you willing to spend?Per person; the eco fee is separate
Own boat, or share?The lagoons are busy by mid-morning
You'll get the boat that fits your answers, the thing about it that catches people out, and an honest word about how much evidence its rating rests on.
Six kinds of day
Ratings are the operators’ own numbers on GetYourGuide, shown exactly as published. We do not write reviews and we do not average other people’s into a score of our own. The shared Tour A carries nearly two thousand ratings on its own; several private boats carry fewer than twenty, and we say which is which.
★★★★★
Based on 2,984
verified reviews
All twelve trips on this page, rated by the people who took them on GetYourGuide.
Read all 2,984→El Nido to Coron: 3-Day 2-Night Island-Hopping Expedition
From $275 · 586 reviews
★★★★★
Three days and two nights sailing from El Nido to Coron, sleeping on remote beaches between them. 586 reviews at 4.8, which is the strongest evidence behind any multi-day trip here.
El Nido: Island Hopping Tour A Lagoons and Beaches
From $23 · cheapest here
★★★★★
The shared Tour A: Big Lagoon, Small Lagoon, Secret Lagoon, Shimizu and Seven Commandos, for the lowest price on this page. 1,974 reviews at 4.4 — more than anything else here.
El Nido Tour A & C: Two Iconic Tours in One Day by Speedboat
From $75 · rated 4.8
★★★★★
A speedboat rather than a bangka, which is how it fits the lagoons of Tour A and the far beaches of Tour C into seven hours instead of two separate days. Rated 4.8.
El Nido: Private/Exclusive Island Hopping Tour A BEST PRICE!
From $117 · 8 hours
★★★★★
Tour A with your own bangka, which matters here more than almost anywhere: the Big Lagoon is busy by mid-morning and a private boat is how you arrive before it. 82 reviews at 4.4.
EL NIDO: Private Island Hopping Tour C w/BUFFET LUNCH
From $122 · Tour C
★★★★★
Tour C privately: Hidden Beach, Secret Beach, Matinloc Shrine and Helicopter Island, which sit further out in the bay and are the first stops cancelled when the sea gets up.
El Nido Islands: Private Paraw Day Sailing with Lunch
From $146 · rated 4.8
★★★★★
A traditional paraw — a Philippine outrigger sailing boat — rather than a motor bangka. Five hours, lunch included, and a completely different sound to the day.
What it really costs
From $23 a person for a shared Tour A, to $438 for a three-day group expedition to Coron. On top of any of them sits the Eco-Tourism Development Fee — 400 pesos a person in 2026, paid once and valid for ten days.
Swipe sideways →
| What you are paying for | Price | What you get | Cancellation |
|---|---|---|---|
| A shared day tour | $23–$75 | Tour A, or Tour A and C combined in one day by speedboat | Free cancellation 24 h |
| A private day tour | $117–$281 | Your own boat, your own pace, lunch on a beach | Free cancellation 24 h |
| The three-day expedition to Coron | $275–$438 | Two nights on remote beaches, and you end up in a different town | Free cancellation 24 h |
The honest answer
Yes, and the cheapest trip here is the proof: a shared Tour A costs $23 and carries 1,974 reviews at 4.4. Bacuit Bay is more than forty limestone islands, and the lagoons of Tour A are the reason people come to Palawan at all.
The day, hour by hour
Boats leave off the sand in El Nido town, not from a pier. Bring the eco-tourism fee receipt if you already have one; otherwise you buy it here.
Wooden bangkas with outriggers, and limestone islands standing out of the water within minutes of leaving the beach.
On Tour A this is usually the Big Lagoon. Boats wait outside; you go in by kayak, which costs extra and is paid in cash at the entrance.
Narrow entrances through the rock, and the Secret Lagoon is reached through a gap you swim or wade.
Grilled fish, rice and fruit laid out on the sand. This is included on almost every trip here.
Snorkelling, then a wide beach with shade and a bar. The last stop before turning for home.
Six to eight hours in total on a day tour. The expeditions carry on and anchor for the night.
The one decision that matters
Everything else on this page is a preference. This one decides what your photographs look like. In the dry season the Big Lagoon has a line of bangkas at its entrance by mid-morning and thirty kayaks inside it, and the difference between arriving at half past seven and arriving at ten is the difference between an empty limestone amphitheatre and a queue. A private boat at $117 is not about cushions — it is about leaving when you choose. And bring cash for the kayak: boats are not allowed inside, so if you cannot rent one you look at the most famous place in El Nido from the entrance.
Four of the stops
Boats are not allowed inside, so you paddle in.
Reached through a gap in the rock you swim or wade.
On Tour C, behind a wall of rock on Matinloc island.
The wide beach that usually closes a Tour A day.
Start here
Start with the thing every listing assumes you already know and none of them explains: Tour A, Tour B, Tour C and Tour D are four fixed routes, not four grades of the same trip. They were set by the local boat association, each has its own five or six stops, and the letters carry no ranking at all. Booking «the best one» is not a question with an answer until you know what is on each.
Tour A is the lagoons. Big Lagoon, Small Lagoon, Secret Lagoon, Shimizu Island and Seven Commandos Beach. It is the most booked route by a wide margin, and the shared version on this page carries 1,974 reviews — more than everything else here put together.
Tour C is the far beaches. Helicopter Island, Matinloc Shrine, Secret Beach, Hidden Beach and Tapiutan. These sit further out in the bay, which makes them quieter, more dramatic and the first stops cancelled when the sea gets up.
Tour B and Tour D are the quiet ones. B takes in Snake Island with its sandbar, Pinagbuyutan, Entalula and two caves; D covers Cadlao Lagoon, Paradise Beach, Pasandigan and Natnat. Fewer boats go, and people who have already done A and C often rate them higher for exactly that reason.
The Big Lagoon has a rule worth knowing before you book. Boats are no longer allowed inside. The bangka waits at the entrance and you paddle in by kayak, rented there for a few hundred pesos in cash. If nobody in your group wants to paddle, the single most famous stop in El Nido is something you look at from outside.
There is a fee on top of every trip. The Eco-Tourism Development Fee is 400 pesos a person in 2026. You pay it once, it is valid for ten days, and it covers all the island tours — but it is not in the price you paid online, and it is collected in cash.
And the last thing, which decides more than the route does: the lagoons are busy by mid-morning in the dry season. A private bangka is not about comfort here; it is about leaving early enough to be in the Big Lagoon before eight boats arrive behind you.
If one day is not enough
A day tour brings you back to El Nido for dinner. These three do not: the three-day expedition sails all the way to Coron and leaves you there, the reverse run does the same in the other direction, and the group version is the biggest boat of the three.
Practical
Five things decide how it goes: which route you booked, whether the boat is yours, the eco-tourism fee, the kayak rental at Big Lagoon, and the fact that the wet season here runs roughly June to November.
Big Lagoon, Small Lagoon, Secret Lagoon, Shimizu, Seven Commandos. From $23 shared.
Snake Island, Pinagbuyutan, Entalula, Cudugnon Cave, Cathedral Cave.
Helicopter Island, Matinloc Shrine, Secret Beach, Hidden Beach, Tapiutan.
Cadlao Lagoon, Paradise Beach, Pasandigan, Natnat, Bukal, Ipil.
By speedboat rather than bangka, in about seven hours.
Three days and two nights all the way across to Coron, from $275.
Entered by kayak only — boats are not allowed inside. Rental is extra, in cash.
A narrow entrance into a pool ringed by limestone; also usually by kayak.
Reached through a gap in the rock that you swim or wade through.
On Tour C, behind a wall of rock on Matinloc island.
A wide beach with shade and a bar, and the usual last stop on Tour A.
More than forty limestone islands, most of them uninhabited.
400 pesos a person in 2026, paid once, valid ten days, cash.
A few hundred pesos, also cash, paid at the entrance.
No pier; you wade the last couple of metres.
Grilled fish and rice on a beach.
Spray on a bangka and wet landings at every stop.
Bangkas have a partial roof and the beaches are bright.
Standard on all twelve trips on this page.
They fill by mid-morning in the dry season.
It buys the hour, not the comfort.
A, B, C and D are routes rather than grades.
The calmest sea and the most reliable boat days.
The shared Tour A has 1,974; several private boats have under twenty.
Best time
December to April is the dry season and the reliable window. Outside it, boats still go on good days, but Tour C is the first route cancelled because its stops are the most exposed.
Dec – Feb
The dry season at its most settled, with the calmest sea and the clearest water of the year. It is also the busiest: the lagoons are full by mid-morning, so private boats and early starts are worth the money.
Mar – May
Still dry, getting very hot, and the water is at its warmest. Crowds thin after the February peak. April and May are a good compromise.
Jun – Aug
Rain comes in bursts rather than all day, and the near stops usually still run. Tour C is cancelled more often because it is the most exposed route. Prices drop.
Sep – Nov
The roughest sea and the most cancellations, particularly for the Coron expeditions. Boats go on good days, prices are lowest, and a flexible plan is essential.
Worth knowing
The letters are routes, not rankings. Tour A is the lagoons, Tour C is the far beaches, B and D are the quiet ones. Read the stop list before you read the price.
Boats cannot enter the Big Lagoon. You paddle in by kayak, rented at the entrance for a few hundred pesos in cash. If nobody in your group will paddle, you will see the most famous place in El Nido from outside.
The eco-tourism fee is extra and is paid in cash. 400 pesos a person in 2026, once, valid for ten days across all the island tours. Keep the receipt.
Go early or pay for a private boat. In the dry season the lagoons are full by mid-morning. The whole value of a private bangka here is the first hour of the day.
Tour C is the first thing cancelled. Its stops are furthest out in the bay. If the forecast is marginal, book it early in your stay so there is room to try again.
Read the review count as well as the score. The shared Tour A carries 1,974 ratings. Several private boats here carry fewer than twenty, and a 5.0 from three people is not the same evidence as 4.4 from two thousand.
Round out the trip
Go deeper
Common questions
From $23 a person for a shared Tour A, up to $438 for a three-day group expedition to Coron. The Eco-Tourism Development Fee of 400 pesos a person is separate.
They are four fixed routes with their own stops, not four grades. Tour A has the lagoons (Big, Small and Secret) plus Shimizu and Seven Commandos. Tour B has Snake Island, Pinagbuyutan, Entalula and two caves. Tour C has Helicopter Island, Matinloc Shrine, Secret Beach and Hidden Beach. Tour D has Cadlao Lagoon, Paradise Beach, Pasandigan and Natnat.
Tour A is the most booked and the most reviewed — the shared version here carries 1,974 ratings. Tour C is the one people who have already done A tend to prefer, because the stops are further out and quieter.
Yes, by speedboat rather than bangka. That trip is $75 and takes about seven hours.
The Eco-Tourism Development Fee, 400 pesos a person in 2026. It is paid once, valid for ten days, covers all the island tours, and is collected in cash rather than included in your online booking.
No. Boats wait at the entrance and you paddle in by kayak, which is rented there for a few hundred pesos in cash.
It carries 586 reviews at 4.8, which is strong evidence. It is three days and two nights sleeping on remote beaches, and it doubles as transport because you end up in a different town.
December to April, the dry season, which has the calmest sea and the most reliable boat days. The wet season runs roughly June to November.
Free · no account needed
One PDF: all twelve trips by route, hours and price, Tours A, B, C and D set out stop by stop, and the year month by month.
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Why trust this page
Durations, prices and ratings are read off the live listings rather than copied from other affiliate pages. The heights, distances and place names come from the published record.
Every trip here is sold by a letter that means nothing on its own. We put the route on every card and the stops in the guides, because that is what separates them and what the listings bury.
A 5.0 from two reviews is not the same evidence as 4.8 from two thousand, and we label it that way rather than sorting everything by score.
Twelve trips, ordered by price, ranked on which route they sail and how much evidence stands behind the rating. We earn a commission when you book, and it does not change what we recommend.
The answer
If you are doing one boat day in El Nido, do Tour A. The shared version at $23 carries 1,974 reviews, and the lagoons are why people come to Palawan at all — just go as early as you can, and bring cash for the kayak. If you have a second day, Tour C at $122 takes you further out to Hidden Beach and Matinloc, where the boats thin out. And if you are travelling on to Coron anyway, the three-day expedition replaces the ferry with the best part of the trip.
Check dates and availability→ Free cancellation up to 24 hours · Reserve now, pay laterBefore you go
All twelve trips by route, hours and price, Tours A to D stop by stop, and the year month by month.
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El Nido to Coron: 3-Day 2-Night Island-Hopping Expedition
★ 4.8 · 586 reviews · Free cancellation 24 h
