Value
The cheapest El Nido island hopping tour: $23, and it is the famous one
This is the rare case where the cheapest thing on the page is also the most booked and the most reviewed. The shared Tour A costs less than a taxi from most airports and it goes to the lagoons on the posters.
Quick answer
$23 is the cheapest island hopping tour in El Nido, and it is the shared Tour A. Six to eight hours, five stops including all three lagoons, lunch on a beach, and 1,974 reviews at 4.4 — more than everything else on this page put together. Add 400 pesos for the eco fee and a few hundred more for a kayak.
Every trip, current fare
The bottom of the list
Everything under a hundred and fifty dollars
| Trip | Duration | Price | Route | Cost per hour | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| El Nido: Island Hopping Tour A Lagoons and BeachesThe cheapest way into Bacuit Bay | 6–8 h | $23 | Tour A | $0.05 | 4.4 · 1,974 |
| El Nido Tour A & C: Two Iconic Tours in One Day by SpeedboatTour A and Tour C in a single day | 7 h | $75 | Tour A + C | $0.18 | 4.8 · 37 |
| El Nido: Private/Exclusive Island Hopping Tour A BEST PRICE!Tour A with the boat to yourselves | 8 h | $117 | Tour A | $0.24 | 4.4 · 82 |
| EL NIDO: Private Island Hopping Tour A with BUFFET LUNCHA private Tour A with lunch on the beach | 8 h | $120 | Tour A | $0.25 | 4.7 · 15 |
| EL NIDO: Private Island Hopping Tour C w/BUFFET LUNCHTour C privately: Hidden and Secret Beach | 8 h | $122 | Tour C | $0.25 | 4.4 · 17 |
| El Nido Islands: Private Paraw Day Sailing with LunchUnder sail rather than under engine | 5 h | $146 | Sailing | $0.49 | 4.8 · 26 |
What $23 actually buys
Nothing about the trip is cut short
The same five stops, the same hours, the same lunch — you give up the hour you leave.
All five Tour A stops. Big Lagoon, Small Lagoon, Secret Lagoon, Shimizu and Seven Commandos. The same route the private boats run.
Six to eight hours. This is a full day, not a half one.
Lunch on a beach. Grilled fish and rice, included.
And the largest review sample in the niche. 1,974 ratings at 4.4. When the cheapest option is also the most-evidenced one, that is worth noticing.
What you give up: the departure hour. A joiner boat leaves around nine, which in the dry season means arriving at the Big Lagoon with everybody else. That is the entire difference between $23 and $117.
Four ways to spend less
What actually moves the price
There are no discount codes here. These are the levers that exist.
- Take the joiner boat rather than a private one
$23 against $117. By far the biggest lever, and the routes are identical.
- Do Tour A rather than the combined A+C speedboat
$23 against $75. The speedboat buys a second route in the same day, not a better one.
- Pay the eco fee once and do two tours
400 pesos covers ten days. The second tour costs only the boat.
- Travel outside December to February
The peak firms prices and fills the lagoons. The wet months are cheapest, in exchange for a flexible plan.
Common questions
The cheapest boat, answered
What is the cheapest island hopping tour in El Nido?
$23 for the shared Tour A: five stops including all three lagoons, six to eight hours, lunch included.
Is the cheapest tour any good?
It carries 1,974 reviews at 4.4 — more than everything else on this page combined. What you give up is the departure hour, not the trip.
Is there anything cheaper?
Not on this page. That is the floor for a full-day island hopping trip in El Nido.
What extras should I budget for?
400 pesos a person for the eco-tourism fee and a few hundred more per kayak at the Big Lagoon, both in cash.
Is lunch included?
Yes — grilled fish and rice served on a beach.
Should I pay more for a private boat?
If you can leave early as a result, yes. That is the one upgrade in El Nido that changes the day.
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.
