The big one
Private or joiner tour in El Nido? What the money actually buys
In most places a private boat buys comfort. In El Nido it buys something more specific and more valuable: the hour you leave the beach, and therefore how many other boats are in the Big Lagoon when you get there.
Quick answer
A joiner tour is $23; a private boat for the same route is $117. The difference is not the stops — they are fixed on both. It is that you choose the departure time and how long you stay, and in El Nido that decides whether the lagoons are empty or queued.
The two ways to do it
- Joiner Tour A
- $23shared, 1,974 reviews at 4.4
- Private Tour A
- $1178 hours, your own bangka
- Private Tour A with buffet
- $120lunch laid out on the beach
- Private Tour C
- $122the far beaches, privately
- Private A + C + Entalula
- $274seven hours, private
- Under sail, private
- $146a paraw, five hours
- What private buys
- The departure hournot comfort
- Big Lagoon at 07:30
- Often emptythat is the whole argument
- Big Lagoon at 10:00
- A queue of boatsin the dry season
- Free cancellation
- Bothup to 24 hours before
What a private boat actually gives you
Four things, in the order they matter here
The stops are fixed either way. Everything below is about when and for how long.
- The hour you leave
This is the whole thing. A joiner boat leaves when the operator says, usually around nine. A private boat can be on the water at half past seven, which in the dry season is the difference between an empty Big Lagoon and thirty kayaks.
- How long you stay
Joiner boats run a clock. If the light is good at Seven Commandos and you want another hour, on your own boat you have it.
- The order of the stops
A private crew will reverse the route to dodge the fleet — starting where everyone else finishes.
- Who is on the boat
Twelve to eighteen strangers, or your own party. That matters less here than the hour does, but it matters.
When a joiner tour is the right answer
It often is
Joiner for one or two on a budget; private for four or more, and for anyone who wants the lagoons empty.
If you are one or two people on a budget, take the joiner. $23 against $117 is a real gap, and the joiner carries 1,974 reviews at 4.4 — people are not having a bad time.
If you are four or more, the arithmetic flips. A private boat is priced for the boat. Four people split $117 and pay little more each than four joiner seats, and they get the early start.
If you are travelling in the wet season, take the joiner. Fewer boats are out anyway, so the crowd argument mostly disappears and the price difference does not.
And if you can only afford one upgrade in El Nido, make it this one — not the buffet lunch, not the speedboat. The morning is what you are buying.
Common questions
Private or joiner, answered
Is a private boat worth it in El Nido?
More than in most places. A joiner is $23 and a private boat $117, and what the difference buys is the departure hour — which decides how busy the Big Lagoon is when you arrive.
How many people are on a joiner tour?
Commonly twelve to eighteen on a bangka, on a fixed schedule.
Do private tours go to different places?
No. The routes are fixed for everyone. A private boat changes when you go and how long you stay, not where.
Is a private boat cheaper for a group?
It is priced for the boat, so four or more people pay little more each than joiner seats and get the early start.
What time does a private boat leave?
As early as you ask, often half past seven. Joiner boats usually leave around nine.
Is the joiner tour bad?
No — it carries 1,974 ratings at 4.4. It is someone else’s schedule, not a worse trip.
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.
