El Nido - Paradise Continued

After a few days in Port Barton, Andrea, Rodrigo and I headed north to the seaside town of El Nido. El Nido is known for its stunning surroundings, such as secret beaches, crystal clear and blue waters, white sand and lush green palm trees - in short, paradise. We also met up with Becca there, who I know from Pai. Anyway, the first full day we just explored the beach by the town and gathered a little crew for the full moon party in the evening.

The next day, we hired some scooters and drove to Nacpan Beach - one of the best beaches I have ever seen. White powder sand, endless stretches, warm and clear water, hardly any people and a very relaxed and laidback atmosphere. Just the type of beaches I was hoping to find here. We stayed until sunset, which was brilliant, as the scenery was magical - a little kid chasing a dog that was running in the distance, a motorbike driving along the beach, a couple walking, a stranded boat and people simply enjoying themselves.

Once back in town, I returned the scooter and was promptly offered some rum and chicken. One thing about the Philippines I realised by that point is that the people here are incredibly friendly and really enjoy living life - and that you do not need much to do so.

The following day, we explored Lio beach, which was, unfortunately, not as nice as Nacpan Beach. In the evening, I tried my luck at some local gambling spot, but was unfortunately not lucky.

Then it was time for the main thing to do in El Nido - Island hopping. With the new people we met the day before, we chartered a private boat and set off to do Tour C. The first stop was a small lagoon where we hired some kayaks to cruise around, before setting off to a hidden beach that was tucked away behind some high limestone cliffs. Doing the private tour was good, as we could avoid the big crowds. This was especially useful when we visited the secret beach. It was fully encircled by high rocks and the only way to get there is to snorkel through a small hole that is hardly visible from the outside. Once inside, it really is a secret beach with a small lagoon. Simply magical.

After a delicious lunch on the beach, we headed to our last stop - snorkelling. It was hands down the best one I have done so far. We not only swam with beautiful fish, but also with hundreds of sardines and a sea turtle. And that sea turtle swim was simply amazing - Becca and I swam with it for a good 10-15 minutes as it moved in rather shallow water.

That evening, we watched the sunset together and then got ready for one of the main highlights of my Philippines leg - a 3 Day/2 Night island hopping expedition from El Nido to Coron.Read more