What it costs
El Nido island hopping price: $23 to $438 a person
Twelve boats, and the cheapest of them carries more reviews than everything else on this page put together. But the headline price is never the whole price here, because of a fee that is collected in cash on the day.
Quick answer
Island hopping in El Nido costs $23 to $438 a person. A shared Tour A is the floor at $23; a private boat for the day is $117; the three-day expedition to Coron is $275. On top of any of them sits the Eco-Tourism Development Fee — 400 pesos a person in 2026, paid once, in cash.
Every trip, current fare
Every price on this page
Twelve trips, cheapest first
| 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 |
| El Nido: Private A+C Highlights + Entalula EscapeThe best of A and C, plus Entalula | 7 h | $274 | Tour A + C | $0.65 | 4.7 · 49 |
| El Nido to Coron: 3-Day 2-Night Island-Hopping ExpeditionThree days across Palawan to Coron | 3 days | $275 | To Coron | $0.06 | 4.8 · 586 |
What the money buys
- Cheapest
- $23shared Tour A, 1,974 reviews
- Tour A and C in one day
- $75seven hours by speedboat
- A private Tour A
- $117eight hours, your own bangka
- A private Tour C
- $122the far beaches, privately
- Under sail on a paraw
- $146five hours with lunch
- A + C plus Entalula
- $274seven hours, private
- Three days to Coron
- $275two nights, all meals
- The group expedition
- $438the most expensive here
- Eco-tourism fee
- 400 pesosonce, valid 10 days, cash
- Kayak at the Big Lagoon
- A few hundred pesosextra again, also cash
The two fees nobody puts in the price
Four hundred pesos, and then the kayak
Bring pesos: 400 each for the eco fee, plus a few hundred per kayak at the Big Lagoon.
The Eco-Tourism Development Fee. 400 pesos a person in 2026 for non-resident visitors. You pay it once, it is valid for ten days, and it covers every island tour you do in that window. It is almost never included in what you paid online, and it is collected in cash — usually at the tourism office or at the beach before you board.
The kayak at the Big Lagoon. Boats are not allowed inside, so the bangka waits at the entrance and you paddle in. Rental is a few hundred pesos per kayak, paid there, in cash. If nobody in your group wants to paddle, you look at the most famous place in El Nido from the doorway.
What to do about it: bring pesos in small notes for everybody in the party. There is no card machine at a lagoon entrance and no cash machine on an island.
Where the price step actually is
Shared, private, expedition
The step is shared → private → three days, and the middle one buys the hour of the morning.
Under fifty dollars: a shared bangka. $23 for Tour A with lunch on a beach. It is the most-reviewed trip in El Nido by a wide margin, and it is a full six to eight hours.
Around a hundred to a hundred and fifty: the boat is yours. $117 for a private Tour A. What that actually buys in El Nido is not comfort — it is the hour you leave, and therefore how many other boats are in the Big Lagoon when you get there.
Two hundred and fifty and up: three days. The expedition to Coron at $275 includes the boat, the beds and every meal, and it leaves you in a different town — so part of its price is transport you would otherwise pay for separately.
Common questions
Prices, answered
How much is island hopping in El Nido?
$23 to $438 a person. A shared Tour A is the cheapest; a private boat for the day is $117; the three-day Coron expedition is $275.
Is the environmental fee included?
Almost never. The Eco-Tourism Development Fee is 400 pesos a person in 2026, paid once, valid for ten days, and collected in cash on the day.
What else costs extra?
Kayak rental at the Big Lagoon, a few hundred pesos, paid in cash at the entrance. Boats are not allowed inside, so this is the only way in.
Is lunch included?
Yes, on almost every trip here — grilled fish and rice laid out on a beach.
Is a private boat worth the extra?
In El Nido, more than most places. It buys the hour you leave, and the Big Lagoon is busy by mid-morning in the dry season.
Can I cancel?
Yes — every trip on this page is free to cancel up to 24 hours before.
Go deeper
More on island hopping in El Nido
Which 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.
Two daysDoing two tours
Which pair to combine, and how to fit them in.
