The famous one
The Big Lagoon at El Nido: boats cannot go in
It is the photograph that sells Palawan, and it comes with a rule that surprises almost everybody on the day. The bangka stops at the entrance. If you want to go in, you paddle, and you pay for the kayak in cash.
Quick answer
Boats are not allowed inside the Big Lagoon — you enter by kayak, rented at the entrance for a few hundred pesos in cash. It is the first stop on Tour A, from $23 shared. The single thing that decides how it goes is the hour you arrive: in the dry season the entrance has a queue of boats by mid-morning.
The Big Lagoon, at a glance
- On which tour
- Tour Ausually the first stop
- Cheapest way there
- $23shared Tour A
- Private boat
- $117which buys the early start
- Boats inside
- Not allowedthe rule is enforced
- How you get in
- By kayakrented at the entrance
- Kayak cost
- A few hundred pesoscash, per kayak
- Best time to arrive
- Before 08:00in the dry season
- By 10:00
- A queue of boatsand thirty kayaks inside
- The water
- Shallow and greenover a pale sand floor
- The walls
- Vertical limestonerising straight from the water
What it is actually like
A corridor of water between walls
A shallow green corridor between vertical walls, and quiet because the engines stay outside.
It is longer than it looks in photographs. A narrow arm of shallow green water running back between limestone walls that go straight up from the surface, widening into a basin at the far end.
The water is shallow. Pale sand under green water, and in places you can stand. That is why the colour is what it is.
The paddle takes about half an hour each way at a gentle pace, and most boats allow roughly an hour in total.
And the sound is the thing people do not expect. With the motor bangkas left at the entrance, the inside of the lagoon is quiet in a way the rest of the day is not.
How to get it right
Three decisions
Arrive before eight, bring pesos for the kayak, and do the Small Lagoon as well.
Arrive early. This matters more than anything else on this page. Before eight in the dry season and the lagoon can be nearly empty; by ten it is a queue at the entrance and thirty kayaks inside.
Bring cash. The kayak is rented at the entrance, in pesos, and nobody there takes a card. This is the single most common reason people end up looking at the Big Lagoon from outside.
Consider a private boat purely for the hour. At $117 against $23 for a joiner seat, what you are buying is a half past seven departure rather than a nine o’clock one.
And do the Small Lagoon too. It is on the same tour, it is narrower, and a lot of people come away preferring it.
Common questions
The Big Lagoon, answered
Can boats go inside the Big Lagoon in El Nido?
No. Bangkas stop at the entrance and visitors paddle in by kayak, rented there for a few hundred pesos in cash.
Which tour goes to the Big Lagoon?
Tour A, usually as the first stop. The cheapest way there is a shared Tour A at $23.
How much is the kayak?
A few hundred pesos per kayak, paid in cash at the entrance. It is not included in the tour price.
What time should I get there?
As early as possible — before eight in the dry season. By ten there is a queue of boats at the entrance.
How long do you get inside?
Usually about an hour, which is roughly half an hour of paddling each way at a gentle pace.
Is the Small Lagoon better?
Narrower and quieter, and a lot of people prefer it. It is on the same tour, so you do not have to choose.
Go deeper
More on island hopping in El Nido
What it costs
From $23 to $438, plus the 400-peso eco fee.
The verdictWhich tour is best
All twelve ranked, by route rather than by letter.
The lagoonsTour A
Big, Small and Secret lagoons, Shimizu, Seven Commandos.
The quiet oneTour B
Snake Island, Pinagbuyutan, Entalula and two caves.
The far beachesTour C
Hidden Beach, Secret Beach, Matinloc, Helicopter Island.
ComparedTour A or Tour C
Stop by stop, and which to do if you only do one.
