The best El Nido island hopping tour: which of the twelve to book

It has the three lagoons. Big, Small and Secret. These are the places on every photograph of Palawan, and no other route has them.

It has the most evidence by a wide margin. 1,974 ratings on the shared version alone. The next-largest sample on this page is 586.

It is the cheapest thing here. $23 for six to eight hours with lunch on a beach. Even the private version at $117 is mid-range.

And the one caveat: it is the most booked route, so the lagoons fill by mid-morning in the dry season. The single most useful thing you can do is leave early, which is what a private boat is really for.

If you have a second day, do Tour C at $122. Hidden Beach, Secret Beach, Matinloc Shrine and Helicopter Island sit further out in the bay. Quieter, more dramatic, and the route people who have already done A tend to prefer.

If you only have one day and want both, take the A+C speedboat at $75. Seven hours instead of two separate days, at the cost of less time at each stop.

If you are going on to Coron, take the expedition at $275. Three days, two nights on remote beaches, all meals, and you finish in a different town.

If you have already done the classics, take the paraw at $146. A traditional sailing outrigger rather than a motor bangka — five quiet hours and a completely different day.