The verdict
Is El Nido island hopping worth it? 2,984 reviews say yes
Twelve trips, 2,984 ratings, an average of 4.51. The islands have never been in question. What is worth thinking about before you book is the hour you leave and how much cash you have in your pocket.
Quick answer
Yes — and the cheapest trip here is the proof. A shared Tour A costs $23 and carries 1,974 ratings at 4.4, which is a larger sample than most tours anywhere. Bacuit Bay is more than forty limestone islands, and the three lagoons on Tour A are why people fly to Palawan at all.
The numbers behind the verdict
- Trips compared
- 12from El Nido and Coron
- Total reviews
- 2,984across the listings with ratings
- Weighted average
- 4.51across all rated trips
- Cheapest
- $23a full day with lunch
- Most reviewed
- $231,974 ratings
- Best multi-day
- $275586 ratings at 4.8
- Lowest rated here
- $3133.5 — the day trip by road
- Islands in Bacuit Bay
- More than 40most of them uninhabited
- Eco fee
- 400 pesosonce, ten days, cash
- Free cancellation
- All twelveup to 24 hours before
The case for
Three reasons it is worth the money
The lagoons live up to the photographs, the price is low, and the cheap boat has the most reviews.
The lagoons look like that. Vertical limestone walls straight out of shallow green water, and the Big Lagoon entered by kayak with the engines left outside. This is not a place where the photographs flatter the reality.
It is extremely cheap for what it is. A full day on the water with lunch for $23. Against the cost of getting to Palawan, the boats are not the expensive part.
And the evidence is unusually deep at the bottom of the price list. The cheapest trip carries 1,974 ratings. Usually the best-evidenced option is the mid-range one; here it is the floor.
The case against
Who should book differently
Go early, bring pesos, skip the Puerto Princesa day trip, and keep the wet months flexible.
If you arrive at the Big Lagoon at ten in February. There will be a queue of boats at the entrance and thirty kayaks inside. The islands are not the problem; the hour is. Book an early departure or a private boat.
If you turn up without cash. The 400-peso eco fee and the kayak rental are both paid in pesos on the day. People who arrive without notes end up looking at the most famous lagoon in the Philippines from the doorway.
If you book the day trip from Puerto Princesa. At $313 and twenty hours door to door it is the lowest-rated thing here at 3.5, and eleven of those hours are a minibus.
And if you come in September or October with one fixed day. Tour A usually runs, but Tour C and the Coron expedition often do not.
If you go, go like this
Four decisions that decide the day
None of these is expensive, and together they are the difference between the two kinds of review.
- Book Tour A first, and early in the morning
From $23. The lagoons are the reason you came and they are quietest before eight.
- Bring pesos for the eco fee and a kayak
400 each plus a few hundred per kayak. No cards anywhere that matters.
- Add Tour C on a second day
From $122 privately. The far beaches, and far fewer boats.
- Pay for a private boat only if it buys an earlier start
That is the one upgrade in El Nido that changes the day.
Common questions
The verdict, answered
Is El Nido island hopping worth it?
On the evidence, yes: twelve trips carry 2,984 ratings at an average of 4.51, and the cheapest of them alone has 1,974.
What makes it worth the money?
The three lagoons on Tour A, entered by kayak with the engines left at the entrance, for a full day at $23 with lunch included.
Who should skip it?
Nobody who is in El Nido — but skip the Puerto Princesa day trip if you can, and keep the wet months flexible.
What is the cheapest way to try it?
$23 for the shared Tour A, which is also the most-reviewed trip on this page.
Is it crowded?
In the dry season, yes, at the lagoons after mid-morning. An early departure is the answer, and a private boat is how you guarantee one.
How many days do I need?
Two full boat days covers Tour A and Tour C comfortably. Three lets you add Tour B or a paraw sailing 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.
