What to do in El Nido, Palawan - 12 tips for travelling in the Philippines

Writer: Helena Bergström

Updated August 2026 | What to see and do in El Nido, in the province of Palawan in the Philippines? This Philippine town is beautifully situated surrounded by fabulous mountain formations and is very popular with tourists. Many come here to experience lagoons, beaches and boat trips in an enchanting environment.

El Nido in Palawan

El Nido and Palawan offer an imaginative landscape unlike many other parts of the Philippines. The specially shaped mountains are perhaps more reminiscent of the Halong Bay in Vietnam or the landscape of the fantasy film Avatar. Add to that all those delicious lagoons and hidden beaches...

We travelled in the Philippines for three months earlier this year and we've already told you about the boat trips we took in El Nido. But there's more to see and do in El Nido, so we've pulled out the rest of the photos and memories.

El Nido is located in the northern part of the island of Palawan, in the western part of the Philippines.

What to do in El Nido?

So, what to see and do in El Nido? There are a lot of great places that you don't want to miss out on. We've gathered our top tips here in a list.

1. strolling in El Nido

First of all, you might want to discover the town of El Nido by strolling around. The houses are surrounded by both dramatic mountains and glorious ocean, framing the town in a very beautiful way.

The streets are a bit hectic and intense, as they usually are in the Philippines, but El Nido also has a nice atmosphere with lots of shops, cafes, restaurants and bars, and plenty of tourists from all over the world.

2. embark on an adventure with a moped

Renting a moped is a great way to get around on your own. For example, you can get to the different beaches around El Nido and the waterfalls in the area.

3. Relax on Nacpan Beach

Nacpan Beach is a stunningly beautiful beach located just north of El Nido, and is easily accessible by scooter. The long sandy beach offers beautiful views and great opportunities for sunbathing, swimming and relaxing.

On the beach, you can rent a sunbed if you wish, and there are also simple restaurants and eateries where you can order something to eat or drink.

4. Bathing at Bulalucau waterfalls

Around El Nido are a few different waterfalls, such as Nagkalit-Kalit, Makalitkalit Falls and Bulalucau. We chose, during our hike, to visit the third of these. We stopped at the sign for the waterfall, paid a small fee, and then had a guide take us to the waterfall on foot.

To help us keep our balance on slippery rocks, we were each given a walking stick. The walk took maybe around 20 minutes and was not overly strenuous, although of course the intense and humid heat affected us.

When we arrived at the waterfall, we realised that it was not that impressive, but we were still happy with the trip. It was a nice trip through nature, and we had a lovely bath in the cooling water.

5. go on a boat trip

One of the most popular things to do in El Nido is to go on a boat trip. The most common are day trips, known as "island hopping", where you can join a Filipino boat for a full day, with five stops at different islands, where you can both swim and snorkel.

There are several different combination tours to choose from, taking you to dreamy locations such as Big Lagoon, Small Lagoon, Secret Lagoon, Shimizu Island, 7 Commando Beach, Hidden Beach, Helicopter Island and Matinloc Shrine. You can read more about the different tours at the Read more link below.

If you want to embark on a multi-day tour, you can instead book via the Big Dream Boatman, which offers 3-4 day excursions around El Nido and Coron.

READ MORE: Boat trips in El Nido - fabulous islands in Palawan

6. Discover the Secret Lagoon

One of the places you won't want to miss during a boat trip in El Nido is the Secret Lagoon, located on Miniloc Island. This is a stunningly beautiful place with a small sandy beach surrounded by tall rocky rock formations. To discover the secret lagoon, you have to jump in the water and swim to a small entrance, which leads you to the "secret" place.

7. Kayaking in the Big Lagoon and Small Lagoon

Another special experience is kayaking in the Big Lagoon or Small Lagoon, which you can do by booking one of the boat tours that include one of these stops. The tour boats stop right next to the lagoons, where you can hire a canoe and then experience the magical landscape from the canoe. This is something you don't want to miss doing in El Nido!

8. Enjoy the view at La Salangane restaurant

We hung out in El Nido for so long that we got a favourite restaurant: La Salangane. This French restaurant has a great view of the beach, the water and the blue mountains in the background. It may not be the cheapest restaurant in El Nido, but in our opinion the best. Their breakfast is high quality, as are the French dishes. We can't wait to come back here!

9. Visit different bars and restaurants

Of course, there are also many other bars and restaurants in El Nido. As it is a very touristy place, you can find many places with cool and different decor.

You can eat anything from Filipino dishes and fresh fish to fast food and international dishes. Since we had spent almost three months in the Philippines at this point, and had tried most things, the dishes were pretty simple and classic for us: pizza, pasta and burgers.

10. Discover El Nido in the evening

El Nido is great for sunbathing, swimming and boat trips during the day, but this town is also a great place to explore in the evening. When it gets dark outside, all the bars and restaurants light up, shops stay open and people move around the streets. Now is a great time to stroll around, or maybe sit down for a drink and watch the crowds.

11. Take a trip to the underground river in Puerto Princesa.

On the same island where El Nido is located, in Palawan, is the underground river of Puerto Princesa. This eight kilometre long river, along with the national park where it is located, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and well worth seeing. However, getting to the river from El Nido takes almost five hours by car, so you might consider visiting before or after El Nido, depending on your itinerary.

READ MORE: Underground river in Puerto Princesa - a Unesco heritage site

12. Travel to the Coron archipelago

You can also choose to travel from El Nido to the Coron archipelago, which is part of Palawan and located north of the main island. For example, you can reach Coron by ferry from El Nido, which takes about five hours. In Coron, you can go on boat trips and experience amazing places like Kayangan Lake, Twin Lagoon or CYC Beach. You can also go snorkelling or diving, or perhaps swim in the Maqunit Hotspring.

READ MORE: Things to do in Coron, Philippines - our top 11 tips

More to see and do in El Nido

There is, of course, more to see and do in El Nido than our suggestions. Below you'll find a few more tips.

• Duli Beach is a beach located north of Nacban Beach.
• Las Cabanas Beach is a beach located south of El Nido.
• Snorkelling and diving can be done in several different places.
• Zipline is located at a site south of El Nido.

Where to stay in El Nido?

There are lots of different hotels in El Nido, in all different price ranges. We stayed at a simple but nice place called Ashoka Homestay. From here you are close to everything, and the owners are fantastically nice and helpful, no matter what.

More to see and do in the neighbourhood

El Nido is located on Palawan, and there is of course more to see and do here. For example, you can visit the quieter Port Barton, rest on the beach at Atremaru Jungle Retreat and discover the city of Puerto Princesa. For even more tips on what to see and do in the Philippines, click on the image below.

More tips for things to do in El Nido?

Have you been to El Nido? How was your experience? Do you have any other good tips on what to see and do in El Nido?

READ MORE: Things to do in the Philippines - 30 sights and experiences