The Best Beaches In El Nido, Palawan: Mainland and Island Hopping
Palawan is an island in the Visayas, Philippines that is known for having some of the best white sand beaches in the world. From local surf spots to long, stretching beaches with calm tropical water, there is something for everyone. Palawan’s most popular stop is the town of El Nido, as from here you can join a boat tour for a day trip to some amazing beaches plus you can explore on scooter or by taxi the other beaches the island has to offer.
Throughout this blog we will share the best beaches on El Nido's mainland and the best from our island hopping tour. Pack your snorkel and swim wear as you’re about to visit some of the most picturesque beaches in the world!
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Not the most famous beach, but that also means Duli Beach is quieter than others found around El Nido. This beach is a local hang out spot and in the right season a surf beach, grab a board and have a lesson because where else can you learn with such a stunning backdrop! The access road to Duli Beach isn’t well kept and you need to take care if you’re on a scooter or join a tour here! Location 📌
Nacpan Beach – Calitang Twin Beaches
The most famous beach near El Nido and voted one of the best beaches in the Philippines. Nacpan beach is a long strip of powdery sand with gentle lapping waves making it perfect for sun-bathing, swimming and relaxing, you can even go on a day tour here or include in a jeepney tour. If you’re looking for some more adventure head down to the Mad Monkey hostel where they offer water sports including Parasailing.
Nacpan beach joins Calitang beach where you can get a hike to view the beautiful landscape.
Nacpan Beach is the best beach on the mainland (book your transfer here) and is also a famous sunset spot, grab a cocktail and watch the sun go down or if you want a bit of luxury stay in one of the yurts right on the beach. Location 📌
El Nido Beach is a bay that sits in front of El Nido Town. The famous day trip boat tours leave from here meaning in the morning and evenings the bay is full of local boats creating a picturesque spot. Although this bay is not the best for swimming there are a few beachfront bars and restaurants which are nice in the evening, and we even shared a pizza on the sand here while watching the sunset… a romantic spot with the limestone cliffs emerging out the water and we ate as the sky turned an pinky purple. Location 📌
Picture perfect paradise is the phrase that comes to mind when I think about Seven Commandos Beach. A stop on Boat tour A or accessible by kayak this beach with a rich history has a party atmosphere. A beach bar and volleyball net make this a social setting perfect for any solo traveller. We spent our time here sitting in the shallows soaking up the sunshine, a perfect place for relaxing. Location 📌
Las Cabanas aka Maramegeg and Vanilla Beach Shopping Area
Las Cabanas is the most famous sunset spot on the island and where travellers gather in the evening. There are many sea front bars and restaurants for you to enjoy plus a large beach with a swimming area and water sports. On top of this Las Cabanas beach is where you’ll find the famous zipline between two islands.
Las Cabanas is locally known as Maramegmeg beach, but they are in fact the same place.
Vanilla beach is the new shopping centre located in front of Las Cabanas. Vanilla Beach Shopping centre has a gym, barbers, souvenirs, clothes, food and even a McDonalds. In fact you can park near the McDonalds when visiting the beach. Location 📌
Corong Corong
Not a beach for swimming but if you’re looking for somewhere to garb a drink with a view Corong Corong is perfect. You can also hire kayaks from here to paddle over to Seven Commandos Beach. Location 📌
Lio Beach
At Lio Beach you’ll find calm sea, white sand and lots of little restaurants and bars for you to enjoy lunch or dinner. Only a 25 minute drive from El Nido, Lio beach is closer and easier to access than Nacpan or Duli beach making it a perfect beach to visit for a shorter amount of time or join a Jeepney Tour to explore with new friends. Location 📌
Best Time To Visit El Nido
How To Get To El Nido?
El Nido has a small airport that you can fly in to however by far the most popular way to get to El Nido is a flight to Puerto Princesa Airport then a 6 hour shared van.
The shared van to El Nido takes 6 hours and costs ₽600 each, you can pre-book a van here or book on your day of travel.
Best Places To Eat In El Nido
To discover the best places to eat in El Nido download our Philippines Pinned Map, that gives you access to over 300 locations around the Philippines that we recommend or have been recommended!
Explore hidden gems, top spots, restaurants and more - instantly available in Google Maps. Download over 300 pins for FREE!
Best Places To Stay In El Nido
El Nido has lots of areas for you to stay in. You could stay in the centre of the town, everything like tours, bars and restaurants will be a walk away as your based in the hub. The town is quiet in the day but comes alive at night. If you don't want to stay in the town or are on a budget look at other areas such as Corong Corong.
We use Booking.com and HostelWorld for all of our stays around the world!
Below is a list of top accommodations we recommend for El Nido, Palawan:
Essential Travel Items You Need
Essential Travel Items You Need
 | Lifestraw - Filtered Water Bottle Allowing you to fill up water whenever and wherever with peace of mind plus you’re helping the environment! |
 | Jungle Formula - High Deet Mosquito Spray
The weak sprays will not work! Make sure to bring a high deet percentage spray made for the tropics. We also use Mosquito Wipes.
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 | Water Shoes - Lightweight with Protection
Stay protected from Sea Urchins with these, also useful for snorkelling, waterfall hikes and more. We also love our Microfibre Towels and Dry Bag.
|
 | Universal Travel Adaptor With Multiple USBs
Life while travelling will never be the same again! Charge multiple devices all at once in any country... game changer.
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Top Tips For Travelling The Philippines
If you’re visiting the Philippines here are our top travel tips:
Book flights in advance - they can become expensive if you leave it last minute… oh and check your luggage allowance to skip expensive check in fees at the airport. Don't forget your Apple Airtags to track your bags
Agree on taxi prices upfront - when getting into a tuk-tuk, tricycle or taxi, make sure you agree on a price or they have a meter, so many tourists get ripped off with a huge price tag at the end of the ride.
Take it slow - don't feel the need to see all the islands, we recommend picking a few and doing them properly. See the island in full, find some locals and sing Karaoke..
Embrace the chaos and get stuck in, the locals are friendly and love to help and share information about their home!
For a checklist of what's needed to pack for your trip, read: How to Pack for Backpacking to South East Asia: Backpacking Essentials and Accessories
We love our DJI Mini for all of our drone shots!
Travel Tools To Help You Plan
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Thank you for reading and enjoy your Philippine adventure. Reach out to us over on Instagram @KateandMikesTravels. We always love to hear from people who read our blogs!
For our Filipino friends: Maraming salamat sa pag babasa, hangang sa susunod nating pag kikita, mamimiss namin kayo, mabuhay ang pilipinas! Salamat
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