The long way
El Nido from Puerto Princesa: twenty hours, and whether to do it
Puerto Princesa is where most flights to Palawan land, and El Nido is five to six hours north of it by road. There is a day trip that does the whole thing there and back — and this page is honest about what that actually means.
Quick answer
The day trip from Puerto Princesa to El Nido costs $313 and runs about twenty hours door to door. It includes the road journey both ways and an island hopping trip in the middle. It carries 35 reviews at 3.5 — the lowest rating on this page — and the reason is in the arithmetic rather than in the islands.
The day trip, at a glance
- Price
- $313per person
- Duration
- About 20 hoursdoor to door
- Rating
- 3.5across 35 reviews, the lowest here
- Distance each way
- About 5–6 hoursby road
- On the water
- A few hoursin the middle of the day
- Departure
- Very earlyusually before dawn
- Return
- Lateoften near midnight
- The alternative
- Stay two nightsin El Nido itself
- Cheapest tour in El Nido
- $23if you are already there
- Free cancellation
- Yesup to 24 hours before
The honest arithmetic
Twenty hours, of which eleven are a minibus
The islands are fine; the eleven hours of road are what the 3.5 is rating.
Ten to twelve of those hours are the road. Five to six each way on a route that is winding for much of it. That leaves a few hours on the water.
You leave before dawn and get back near midnight. This is a long day by any standard, and it is why the rating sits at 3.5 while every other trip on this page is above four.
The islands are not the problem. Bacuit Bay is as good from a day-tripper’s boat as from anyone else’s. It is the eleven hours of minibus either side that people are rating.
When it makes sense: if you genuinely have one spare day in Puerto Princesa, no flexibility to move hotels, and you would rather see Bacuit Bay exhausted than not at all.
What to do instead
Two nights in El Nido
Two nights in El Nido turns the same road hours into two full boat days.
Move. Take the road journey once, sleep two nights in El Nido, do Tour A one day at $23 and Tour C the next, and travel back. The same road hours buy you two full boat days instead of a few hours.
Or fly. There is a small airport at El Nido with flights from Manila and Cebu, which removes the road entirely.
Or go the other way. If Coron is also on your list, the three-day expedition at $275 gets you from El Nido to Coron and doubles as transport.
And if you must do the day trip: book it for a day when nothing follows it, sleep on the bus, and expect to arrive back very late.
Common questions
From Puerto Princesa, answered
How long does it take to get from Puerto Princesa to El Nido?
Five to six hours each way by road. The day trip that does it both ways takes about twenty hours door to door.
Is the El Nido day trip from Puerto Princesa worth it?
It is the lowest-rated trip on this page at 3.5 across 35 reviews, and the reason is that ten to twelve of the twenty hours are spent on the road. If you have any flexibility, sleep in El Nido instead.
How much is it?
$313 a person, which also makes it one of the more expensive single days here.
What is the alternative?
Travel to El Nido, stay two nights, and do Tour A and Tour C on consecutive days. The same road hours buy two full boat days.
Can you fly to El Nido?
Yes, there is a small airport with flights from Manila and Cebu, which removes the road journey.
What if I only have one day?
Then the day trip is the only way to see Bacuit Bay, and it does work — just book it for a day with nothing after it.
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.
