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Published: June 30th 2010
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Our time in El Nido was like a dream. I've never been anywhere as stunningly scenic as the places we visited in the past 5 days. John describes it as ethereal. The views were so overwhelmingly beautiful that Brenda said we must have died and gone to heaven. Neither words nor pictures will really do this place justice. We arrived on the 25th after an hour flight from Manila. We stayed in El Nido town proper instead of the luxury resorts in the islands on the archipelago. The whole stay ended up costing us a third of what it would have had we opted to stay in either Lagen or Miniloc. We made all our arrangements through
El Nido Art Cafe , a one stop shop cafe/restaurant/travel agency on the El Nido main street. We were extremely satisfied with their eco-conscious approach to exploring the islands. Judith who runs the cafe,her staff and guides are such an asset to this town. They booked us at El Nido Bay Inn just across the street from the Art Cafe. The rooms were tiny, basic but tidy and the staff especially Abel very accomodating.
El Nido is actually the name of the town but the star attraction
are the islands of the Bacuit archipelago. These islands of erroded limestone with their sheer cliffs that jut out of the tranquil waters of the bay made for very dramatic scenery. The under water scene was just as stunning. Coral beds of vivid colors, plentiful fish of all shapes and sizes plus water so warm it made for perfect snorkelling.
Here are only a few of the highlights of our trip:
* Sunset Cruise- The first thing we did after arriving. A banca (small boat) took out into the bay where we watched the sun set in the horizon while sipping San Miguel beer and listening to the gentle ocean waves. We even went in for a swim as we watched the sky turn golden.
* Island Hopping and Snorkelling- The main event here. There are so many islands to visit, fine beaches, hidden lagoons and coves and coral reeefs. You could spend days snorkelling, kayaking, swimming or just laying on the beach and gazing in to unbelievable scenery. We visited so many islands that I won't enumerate all of them. Special mention should go to the following:
* Miniloc with its hidden lagoons. A smaller one, that
can only be entered through an opening in the rock wall that can be entered via kayak or swimming. Inside was an emerald green lagoon sorrounded by rock wall. We paddled around and enjoyed the silence broken only by the sound of birds and hushed voices of fellow kayakers. The other lagoon aptly named Big lagoon was no less stunning. Partially sorrounded by the same limestone walls and with a nice area for swimming.
* Cadlao- looms as you look into the horizon from El Nido town. Lonely Planet describes it as a "mini Tahiti transported in the Bacuit archipelago". I've never been to Tahiti but it's likely an accurate description . The island was lush with forest cover, there was a beach perfect for living out your Robinson Cruisoe fantasy and a cove perfect for snorkelling.
* Matinloc had two attractions we visited. There was a hidden beach, which is not visible from the sea. Then there was Secret beach, which provided the biggest thrill of the trip. The only way to enter this beach is to swim through an opening in the rock wall which was about 5 ft. wide x 15 ft. tall x 15ft. long. The
best way to get through is to swim under water since only about 1-2 ft. of the hole is above the water line. As if that was not enough, the hole was line with sharp/jagged rock. I probably should not have read the Lonely Planet's description stating that swimming through with any waves around can prove fatal. It was not as difficult as I feared and anyone who is a decent swimmer with enough care (kicking as hard as you can also helps) can get through. The pay off is well worth it, inside is a small cove with a narrow beach and sorrounded 360 degrees by sheer rock wall.
*Tapiutan and Helicopter islands- the best snorkelling we had during our trip. The coral and fish plentiful and colorful. It is worrisome though that there were tourist who were stepping on some of the coral. All through our trip we saw people who had no business snorkelling traipsing through the beds with their life jackets, totally unaware that they are killing the very thing they came to enjoy. Our guides were very concientious about telling them off. My advice for people who do not know how to snorkell is to
ask your guide to teach you how to or ask them to drag you over the beds as they swim. Never ever step on the coral.
*Hike to the waterfall and hot springs- The over-looked attractions of El Nido. These were about 6 miles from the town proper. The tricycle ride gave us a glimpse of the rural countryside. Farming communities tilling the land with ox (in this case carabao) and plow, coconut groves and rice fields. The trek to the hot springs was a little tricky. It was very muddy at parts and we had to step on tree roots or fallen logs so as not to sink in the mud. One false step and one of us ended up knee deep in mud. The hike to the water fall was longer (about 50 minutes) and involved about 10 stream crossings. It was mostly through secondary growth forest. Our guide Romeo, was very good at explaining the different uses of the local plants. The waterfall itself was just OK. About 30 ft. tall with a cool refreshing pool we swam in.
To say that we had a great time in El Nido is putting it
mildly. We left it hoping we would return someday and find it in the same relatively pristine condition it is in (or maybe even better). I worry about how this place will evolve. It must not fall prey to the mega hotels, huge developers and hordes of tourist that have ruined so many places here in the Philippines. It's not just the scenery or the underwater wildlife but the pace of life (and in our case travel) here that is threatened. We have been to many places where tourism is the commercial activity, where people can be very aggressive at selling you things and services. Not so here, we were never bothered, never a sales pitch, no annoying time shares sales people and no tour buses.
Sorry for the rant but I really hope the Philippine government does not screw up this place. The Filipinos have every reason to be proud of this world class site but more than just being proud, they have to be responsible for its future. This is a very fragile paradise.
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tony
non-member comment
awesome
heard how beautiful amd untouched el nido ws. glad you guys are having fun. someday i will ge there. great info