We only had two days in El Nido after our Tao island-hopping expedition and I think we could have done with an extra day. The weather was also mediocre on our second day, so our day trip wasn’t the most enjoyable. I also wasn’t able to hike up Taraw Peak. We were half way through our month-long trip to the Philippines so probably also could have done with a day to relax and recuperate.
Thursday 26
The Tao HQ is here in Corong Corong. It’s about 10-15 minutes from the main town. There are a few chill hotels and restaurants on this side of the island, but it definitely feels like the action is closer to El Nido town, along the beach.
We decided to stay at Amos Portside Inn which was pretty basic but was in a pretty good location close to the action.
We got freshened up and headed back to Corong Corong on the other side of town for dinner and to meet the other guys from the Tao trip – at Bella Vita El Nido.
After dinner we ended up at Tribu Kuridas for a few (too many) beers.
Dinner turned into drinks and we went into town to Tribu Kuridas for a few (too many) beers.
Friday 27th.
We got up early and had a bit of breakfast at Brunch El Nido, before heading back to the Amos Portside Inn to wait for our guide.
The weather was a bit miserable, but we’d decided to go on the TOUR A El Nido island hopping adventure.
The guide collected us around 0905 (despite the 0830 pick up time) and transferred us to the tour office to sign our now familiar disclaimer.
They then transferred us to the beach to wait for our boat.
There was a lot of waiting and stuffing around, but eventually, around 1000, we waded waist-deep into the water to climb on the boat.
I wish I remembered the name of the tour company, because I wouldn’t recommend it, but it’s what it was.
The tour took us to the super busy secret lagoon which I’m not sure was worth it. There was a line to climb through a small hole and into an enclosed cesspool filled with tourists.
The nearby Jiji’s beach was pretty nice though.
Next up we continued to the Big and Small Lagoons.
We rented a couple of kayaks for the big lagoon, and despite the waves and the weather, it was pretty epic.
The Kayak rental was 600PHP/$16 (for two kayaks). It wasn’t only worth it, but probably essential. I’m not sure we could have got into the Big Lagoon otherwise, considering the waves and the weather we experienced.
We also had a couple of opportunities to go snorkeling. We decided only to rent a pair of snorkels and share them between the four of us. That set us back 200PHP/$5.50.
Next up, we stopped at Shimizu Island for lunch, or off the beach, in any case.
Finally, we had a quick afternoon stop at 7 Commando Beach, before braving the waves and the weather on our way back to El Nido town.
The weather was pretty average and the water was rough, but we managed to somehow get a bit of sunshine each time we stopped at one of our destinations.
We survived the tour and got got back to the beach and then the hotel around 1700.
We got warmed up and changed before heading out in search of dinner.
We ended up at Wilnags Resto.
Saturday 28th
I had planned to get up early to climb Taraw Peak for sunrise but I couldn’t seem to find a guide to take me. No one was replying and I guess because the weather was foul, it probably would have been unsafe anyway.
Instead, around 0730 we headed down the road for a bit of breakfast at El Nido Boutique Artcafe.
At 0930 the driver arrived, and we all bundled into the van for our long trip to Puerto Princesa.
We paid 6000PHP for the private transfer, which is about $165. The trip took us five hours with a couple of stops.
We arrived at the airport around 1500 and seeing as though we had a bit of time before our 1845 AirAsia flight (Z2546) to Cebu, we decided to check out bags then hop back in a taxi and head out to find some food.