I’ve written an El Nido budget and itinerary before. But thru time details have changed. Even the town of El Nido was not the same when I first visited it.
I thought about modifying the previous itinerary I’ve made but I thought that it’s great to look back at the past details so we could know the changes that we see in the present. So I decided not to delete or modify my previous post and here I am writing again a Do-It-Yourself (DIY) budget and itinerary that I hope would help you plan your trip in El Nido.
This time also the budget for food and accommodation is higher for a more comfortable travel. 🙂
No. of Persons: 2 persons
Budget: 11,000 Pesos/person without airfare
Duration: 5 Days – 3 Nights
Estimated Start: Day 1 – 9:00AM Arrival at Puerto Princesa
Estimated End: Day 5 – 6:00PM flight out of Puerto Princesa
Lodging: Aircon room with Private CR and breakfast at Joaquinn’s Bed & Breakfast.
Activities:
- Island Hopping (Tour A and Tour C)
- Nacpan and Calitang Twin Beaches
- Maremegmeg Beach
- Environmental Enforcement Museum
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Day 1 | |
9:00 AM | Arrival at Puerto Princesa City Airport |
9:10 AM | Ride tricycle to San Jose Terminal (150 Pesos/tricycle) |
9:30 AM | Arrival at San Jose Terminal Buy tickets for RORO Bus to El Nido (483 Pesos/person) |
10:00 AM | ETD RORO bus to El Nido |
12:30 PM | Lunch at Roxas stopover |
5:00 PM | ETA at El Nido |
Ride a tricycle to your accommodation (50 Pesos/tricycle) | |
5:05 PM | Check-in at your accommodation |
Register for your Island Hopping Tour C the next day. | |
Day 2 | |
7:00 AM | Wake-up, get ready and eat breakfast |
8:30 AM | Go to the starting point for Island Hopping Tour C Pay Eco-Tourism Development Fee (ETDF) (200 Pesos/person) |
9:00 AM | Start Island Hopping Tour C (1,400 Pesos/person) |
4:00 PM | End of Island Hopping Tour C Go back to Accommodation Shower & Rest |
7:00 PM | Go out for dinner |
 | |
Day 3 | |
8:00 AM | Wake-up, get ready and eat breakfast |
10:00 AM | Start of Tricycle Rental to Nacpan & Calitang Twin Beach |
11:00 AM | Arrival at Nacpan Beach Order lunch in advance (250 Pesos/person) |
12:00 NN | Lunch |
4:00 PM | Ride tricycle to Maremegmeg Beach |
5:00 PM | Arrival at Maremegmeg Beach jumpoff Walk to Maremegmeg Beach |
5:05 PM | Arrival at Maremegmeg Beach Explore while waiting for the sunset |
6:15 PM | Walk back to tricycle |
6:20 PM | Ride tricycle back to Accommodation |
6:35 PM | Arrival at Accommodation Shower & Rest |
8:00 PM | Go out for dinner |
Day 4 | |
7:00 AM | Wake-up, get ready and eat breakfast |
8:30 AM | Go to the starting point for Island Hopping Tour A |
9:00 AM | Start Island Hopping Tour A (1,200 Pesos/person) |
4:00 PM | End of Island Hopping Tour A Reserve for the bus tomorrow Go back to Accommodation Shower & Rest |
7:00 PM | Go out for dinner |
Pack bags for departure the next day | |
Day 5 | |
Early breakfast and get to | |
5:30 AM | Ride tricycle to El Nido Terminal |
5:40 AM | Arrival at El Nido Terminal Buy tickets for RORO Bus to Puerto Princesa |
6:00 AM | Ride RORO Bus back to Puerto Princesa City |
1:00 PM | Arrival at San Jose Terminal Ride tricycle to Bonas Chaolong (150 Pesos/tricycle) |
1:20 PM | Arrival at Bonas Chaolong Late Lunch |
2:30 PM | Ride tricycle Environmental Enforcement Museum (10 Pesos/person) |
2:40 PM | Arrival at Environmental Enforcement Museum (20 Pesos/person) |
3:30 PM | Ride tricycle to Puerto Princesa City Airport |
3:35 PM | Arrival at Puerto Princesa City Airport |
4:00 PM | Check-in at Puerto Princesa City Airport |
6:00 PM | Flight out of Puerto Princesa City Airport |
The budget is in the assumption that you will be booking with Joaquinn’s Bed & Breakfast. Book them in advance as they get fully booked as the trip nears.
Day 1 | ||
75 Pesos | Tricycle from Puerto Princesa Airport to San Jose Terminal | 150 Pesos/tricycle |
483 Pesos | RORO Bus from San Jose Terminal to El Nido | 483 Pesos/person |
100 Pesos | Lunch at Roxas Stopover | 100 Pesos/person |
25 Pesos | Tricycle from El Nido Terminal to Accommodation | 50 Pesos/tricycle |
200 Pesos | Dinner at El Nido | 200 Pesos/person |
883 Pesos | TOTAL Day 1 | |
Day 2 | ||
200 Pesos | Eco-Tourism Development Fee (ETDF) | 200 Pesos/person |
1,400 Pesos | El Nido Island Hopping Tour C | 1,400 Pesos/person |
200 Pesos | Dinner at El Nido | 200 Pesos/person |
1,800 Pesos | TOTAL Day 2 | |
Day 3 | ||
750 Pesos | Tricycle Rental for Nacpan Beach & Maremegmeg Beach | 1,500 Pesos/tricycle |
250 Pesos | Lunch at Nacpan Beach | 250 Pesos/person |
200 Pesos | Dinner at El Nido | 200 Pesos/person |
1,200 Pesos | TOTAL Day 3 | |
Day 4 | ||
1,200 Pesos | El Nido Island Hopping Tour A | 1,200 Pesos/person |
200 Pesos | Dinner at El Nido | 200 Pesos/person |
1,400 Pesos | TOTAL Day 4 | |
Day 5 | ||
25 Pesos | Tricycle from Accommodation to El Nido Terminal | 50 Pesos/tricycle |
483 Pesos | RORO Bus from El Nido to San Jose Terminal (PPS) | 483 Pesos/person |
75 Pesos | Tricycle from San Jose Terminal to Bonas Chaolong | 150 Pesos/tricycle |
100 Pesos | Late Lunch at Bonas Chaolong | 100 Pesos/person |
10 Pesos | Tricycle from Bonas Chaolong to Environemental Enforcement Museum | 10 Pesos/person |
20 Pesos | Environmental Enforcement Museum Registration Fee | 20 Pesos/person |
10 Pesos | Tricycle from Enviromental Enforcement Museum to PPS Airport | 10 Pesos/person |
100 Pesos | Terminal Fee | 100 Pesos/person |
823 Pesos | TOTAL Day 5 |
Budget Summary
6,106 Pesos | Total Food, Tours and Transportation |
4,100 Pesos | Accommodation for 4 nights (Joaquinn’s Bed & Breakfast for 2,050 Pesos/room/night) |
794 Pesos | Extra Money |
11,000 Pesos | TOTAL BUDGET per person (2 persons) |
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If you want to go cheaper, you can book with the following accommodations.
Telesfora Beach Cottages | 1,300 Pesos/room/night for 2 persons | Beach front resort Located at Corong-Corong Aircon room with Private CR Includes breakfast |
Makulay Lodging House | 1,300 Pesos/room/night for 2 persons | Balcony/Terraces looking over the sea Fan Room with Private CR A bit of a walk but worth it |
Relucio Travellers Pension | 1,100 Pesos/room/night for 2 persons | Beach front pension Fan room with Private CR |
The earlier you book online, the cheaper it becomes.
- Clothes good for 4 days and 3 nights
- Swimming Clothes
- Towel
- Tissue
- Kikay Kit/Pogi Pack (Toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, soap, etc.)
- Flashlight
- Personal Medication
- Umbrella
- Sunblock
- Camera
- Snacks for sharing
- Goggles/Mask & Snorkel
- Small bag while walking around
- Small bottle of water to be refilled once in a while
- Electricity in El Nido is from 2PM to 6AM the next day. Be sure to charge everything during the time that there’s electricity.
- If you are visiting during the rainy season (June to November) you may want to bring a jacket during your island hopping tours. You’ll definitely get wet evey if you wear a jacket but at least it will minimize the wind chill factor.
- Island Hopping Tours includes mask & snorkel, life vest, lunch and tour guide.
- Based on my experience, most mask & snorkel’s provided are not that reliable. I encourage to test your mask & snorkel before borrowing.
- You can include a climb to Taraw Cliff on Day 3 which you would do from 6AM to 10AM. Rate is 350 Pesos/person.
- The buses that run the route of Puerto Princesa to El Nido are currently running a promo making their current fare as 380 Pesos/person (one-way). I just placed 483 Pesos/person (one-way) on the budget because I do not know when the promo will end.
- This itinerary is just a guide to help you plan your travel to El Nido. If you try to follow it to the minute, you will just be frustrated and not enjoying your travel. So just follow this itinerary generally if you want to follow it.
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Hi.. me and my friends are going to puerto princesa and el nido for 5 days this summer. what tour option would you recommend to us since we can only stay for 2 days in El nido. thanks 🙂
if you’re a person who likes peace and quiet better not stay along the foreshore in el nido.noisy and overpriced during peak season.best to opt out to the beaches out of town and commute by tricycle.
Hi John
what month is peak season.
Noisy from loud music or construction or lits of people partying while drinking?
THANKYOU
Hey sftraveller, peak season is from October up to May.
hi, wl heading to el nido this july for 1 1/2 day I would say, can u suggest which tour should we take? no idea a, b and c. thanks.
Hi, will be traveling solo to el nido this April/May (7 days). Would you recommend to just stay in one lodge the entire time or would it be worthwhile to transfer inns depending on the area i want to visit. Planning on staying 2 nights or so in Maremegmeg which i heard is much peaceful. Your thoughts? TIA
This differs from each person. I tend to make the accommodation my home when I’m travelling so I always would like not to move around too much. My preference is to stay at one lodge and just visit the other places. But it’s really up to you.
Maybe if you do not like the lodge that you are staying then you can move somewhere else.
I wonder how expensive seems to be the “cheap” accommodation in EL NIDO. You say the Joaquinn’s Bed & Breakfast cost 2050 p/n, This is very expensive in Philippines for so basic lodgment!; anyway the Agoda link shows prices of 94€ and 116€ per night in May!! In my opinion it’s more than awfully expensive, it’s a scam; quite a few 5 star Manila hotels are cheaper than this basic B&B in the same dates!
Seriously, Is there any cheap accommodation in EL NIDO (I mean under 1000p, but not a dump place)? Can you recommend any?
Hi Tom, thank you for sharing your opinion on this. Since you already know ahead how much the prices are you can save up for your travel to El Nido. If Joaquinn’s Bed & Breakfast is expensive for you, then don’t book there. Look for other accommodations. I’m not updated with the prices as I do not live in El Nido but you can ask directly the accommodations. Agoda also has a function where you can order their list from cheapest to the most expensive. I hope that would help you.