Compared
El Nido Tour A vs Tour C: the real comparison, stop by stop
This is the question people actually ask on Reddit, and the answers there disagree because both routes are genuinely good. Here are the ten stops side by side, with the practical difference that decides it.
Quick answer
Tour A has the three lagoons; Tour C has the two hidden beaches. If you only do one, do Tour A — it is the reason people come to El Nido, it works in sheltered water and it costs from $23. If you have two days, do A then C. If you have one day and want both, a speedboat does them together in seven hours for $75.
Ten stops, side by side
- Tour A — Big Lagoon
- Kayak onlyboats wait at the entrance
- Tour A — Small Lagoon
- Kayaknarrower and usually quieter
- Tour A — Secret Lagoon
- Swim or wade ina short stop, and it queues
- Tour A — Shimizu
- Snorkellingoften the lunch stop
- Tour A — Seven Commandos
- A wide beachshade and a bar
- Tour C — Helicopter Island
- Snorkelling and a beachnamed for its profile
- Tour C — Matinloc Shrine
- A ruin and a viewpointover Tapiutan Strait
- Tour C — Secret Beach
- Swim through the rockneeds calm water
- Tour C — Hidden Beach
- Behind a rock wallusually the highlight
- Tour C — Tapiutan
- Snorkelling in the straitand often lunch
The practical differences
Four things that are not in the stop list
A is sheltered, busy and needs a kayak; C is exposed, quiet and needs you to swim.
Shelter. Tour A works inside protected arms of the bay. Tour C goes out to Matinloc and Tapiutan, where swell arrives from open water. In marginal weather A goes and C does not.
Crowds. Tour A is the most booked route in El Nido, and the Big Lagoon has a queue by mid-morning. Tour C’s stops are further apart and far less busy.
Kayaking. Tour A needs one for the lagoons and it costs extra, in cash. Tour C needs you to be willing to swim through a gap in the rock at Secret Beach.
What you photograph. A gives you vertical walls above green water. C gives you beaches you cannot see until you are inside them, and the viewpoint above Matinloc.
Which to do, in three situations
The short answer
One day: A. Two days: A then C. One day and greedy: the A+C speedboat.
One day, first visit: Tour A. From $23. The lagoons are what El Nido is known for, it is the safer booking in doubtful weather, and it carries 1,974 reviews.
Two days: A then C. Do A first while you are fresh and the lagoons are the novelty, and C second, privately at $122 if you can, for the quieter day.
One day and you want both: the speedboat at $75. Seven hours, both routes, at the cost of less time at each stop. It is a speedboat rather than a bangka, which is how it fits.
And if the weather is marginal, take A. Not because it is better, but because it will actually run.
Common questions
A or C, answered
What is the difference between Tour A and Tour C in El Nido?
Tour A visits the Big, Small and Secret lagoons plus Shimizu and Seven Commandos. Tour C visits Helicopter Island, Matinloc Shrine, Secret Beach, Hidden Beach and Tapiutan. A is sheltered and busy; C is exposed and quieter.
Which is better, Tour A or Tour C?
For a first day, Tour A — the lagoons are why people come, and it runs in weather that stops C. People who have already done A often prefer C.
Can you do Tour A and Tour C in one day?
Yes, by speedboat: $75 for about seven hours. Bangkas cannot do both in a day.
Which one is busier?
Tour A, by a wide margin. The Big Lagoon has a queue of boats and kayaks by mid-morning in the dry season.
Which one needs a kayak?
Tour A — boats are not allowed inside the Big Lagoon. Tour C asks you to swim through a gap in the rock at Secret Beach instead.
Which is more likely to be cancelled?
Tour C. Its stops are the most exposed in the bay.
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.
Two daysDoing two tours
Which pair to combine, and how to fit them in.
