Travel to Palawan - El Nido's Attractions - Secret Beach

Our second Island Hopping Tour in El Nido brought us to the Secret Beach. It is really not so secret anymore as tourists opting for Tour C can actually get there. We woke up at the ungodly hour of 600 a.m. (well, ungodly at least for us ;)) because our boatmen were supposed to pick us up at 630 a.m. As usual, they were on Filipino time and arrived at 8:00 a.m. Their lateness allowed us to bask in El Nido's sunrise and early morning activities -- fishermen getting ready for the day's work, resorts cleaning up the previous nights excesses and getting ready for another day -- and to have a leisurely breakfast of pan de sal (1 peso each) and Nescafe instant coffee (10 pesos) on our inn's balcony with a view of the Bacuit Archipelago.

Tour C is the most expensive among the tours (700 per person minimum of 4 persons and 2,200 if you rent the entire boat) since the islands are also the farthest from El Nido town. Our boatmen gave us a discount and we paid only 1,800 pesos for our own boat.

It took us 1 hour to reach our first stop - the Secret Beach on Matinloc Island. It is accessible only during low tide that's why it was important for us to reach there early in the morning. We had to swim through a keyhole in between the limestone karsts to enter the Secret Beach (see picture on the left). It looked very initimidating to me (even if I can really swim and even in my life vest!). I was worried if the current would become too strong while I'm half way through the hole, then I'll be pushed against the sharp rocks. After repetitive assurances from our boatmen and after one of them volunteered to swim ahead of us, we dove in to check out if all the fuss was really worth it.

Thankfully, the tide remained steady and we were able to get through. But not before I got stung by a jellyfish! Until now, I still have the jellyfish sting marks on my left thigh. It seems that the Secret Beach is also the favorite hideway of the jelly fishes. I'm glad our boatman guided us on where to swim to avoid the jellyfishses and where to tread to prevent from stepping on sharp stones. Once we went through the keyhole, I forgot about my pain. The Secret Beach was really nothing like I've ever seen. It is a small strip of white sand beach enclosed within the limestone karsts.


It was indeed a pleasant freak of nature -- a beach inside the rocks. I'd like to think that hundreds of years ago, the rocks weren't there yet and it was just an ordinary white beach. The limestone karst probably appeared out of volcanic activity. Of course, my theory sounded incredulous to The Boy! :) Aside from the jellyfishes guarding the entrance, another downside is its shallow waters. You can't really swim along its waters because it is only waist deep. But yeah the fine white sand and the rocks were perfect for just lazing around and appreciating the harmony and symmetry of it all... we lingered for a few minutes, enjoying the silence and the intimacy -- we claimed it as our own secret spot away from the bustle of the outside world even for only a few minutes.

We even fantasized of being island castaways and also of buying the Secret Beach for ourselves (as if we could! :D) but our boatmen's calls jolted us back to reality. It was time to go before the current got too strong. I dreaded going back because of the jellyfishes so our boatman had to swim through the hole again to fetch me! I clung to his life vest for dear life and got out unscathed with the Secret Beach's beautiful memories still in tact -- jelly fish sting and all.


* Electricity in El Nido is only from 1pm to 1 am. There were frequent black outs when we were there (because of the fiesta), so make sure to bring a flashlight and extra battery for your camera. My battery conked out and I wasn't able to take photos of the other attractions like the Hidden Beach, Matinloc Shrine and Cadlao Lagoon. Will post about them as soon as I get copies of the photos.

El Nido's Secret Beach

I am too sleepy to write a long post on El Nido's other attractions. The Secret Beach was part of Tour C and like most of El Nido's islands, it did not disappoint. Here is a photo of the limestone walls surrounding the beach to whet your appetite. Gute nacht! :)

Travel to Palawan - El Nido's Attractions

I am back! I wanted to update this blog last Friday but my internet died on me. So I took advantage of the downtime to get the much needed sleep because my poor eyebags have suffered the effects of my blog addiction.

Back to my El Nido adventure, the main activity there is the island-hopping on Bacuit Bay's stunning archipelago. The El Nido Boatmen's Association have organized island-hopping tours with standard rates and very imaginative (not!) titles. Tour A consists of visits to the Big and Small Lagoons on Miniloc Island, Simisu Island, and 7 Commando beach for 600 pesos/person; Tour B includes a tour to Snake Island, Cudugnon Cave, Lagen Island, Inabuyutan Island, Cathedral Cave for 650 pesos/person while Tour C includes snorkelling around Matinloc Island and Tapiutan Island, with a visit to the Secret Beach for 700 pesos/person. The rates are inclusive of lunch (tomato and onion salad, grilled fresh fish, rice, mangoes/banana for dessert) cooked by the boatmen on one of the islands. If you stay in the expensive Miniloc and Lagen resorts, the island-hopping activities are part of the accommodation fee.

We took Tours A and C (the must-tours according to other travellers) as we didn't have the time and the budget to do all the tours. We had to shell out 1,200 pesos for our own boat doing Tour A and 1,500 (already discounted rates) pesos for Tour C since we couldn't find other people to join us. This was a good decision as we could laze around and spend more time on islands that we really liked without having other passengers wait for us.

The first stop was the Small Lagoon on Miniloc Island. We had to swim through the small opening to get inside and the view that awaited was simply breathtaking. The Small Lagoon has crystal clear waters with varying shades of blue and blue-green and enclosed by El Nido's famous limestone karst.

The Small Lagoon's looming limestone karsts served as an intimate backdrop to our own frolicking and curious explorations. On the inner left side of the lagoon, we discovered a small cave that has a colder water compared to the rest of the lagoon. The Small Lagoon's waters was calm and perfect for snorkelling (along sides near the limestone karsts) and swimming to our heart's content. Using the life vests was good since they allowed us to just swim on our backs, gazing at where the karsts meet the endless sky.

Our second stop was Simizu Island. The island's main attraction is not its fine white sand but its marine and coral life. According to our boatmen, this was the best spot for snorkelling. I snorkelled while waiting for our lunch to cook and saw beautiful corals and colorful fishes. Too bad I didn't know what they're actually called. :D

Our boatmen cooked our lunch consisting of grilled fresh fish, rice, tomatoes and onion with vinegar and bananas for dessert, on the sides of the karsts. They forgot to bring utensils so we had to eat lunch with our hands. That made it more authentic - like being cast-aways on a deserted island :D.

After lunch, we got acquainted with our marine friends again, took a nap and just lazed around Simizu Island while waiting for the tide to rise. According to the boatmen, the boat can't enter the Big Lagoon on Miniloc Island during low tide. After more than an hour on Simizu, we chugged along to the Big Lagoon.


The Big Lagoon is obviously bigger than the Small Lagoon but not necessarily less charming. We went around with our boat unlike in the Small Lagoon where we had to enter via a small opening in between the rocks. The Miniloc Resort constructed a raft-like structure in the middle of the Big Lagoon which is perfect out for private romantic dinners, one-of-a-kind wedding proposals and even weddings! ;)

Our last stop for Tour A was the 7 Commandos Beach. I asked the boatmen why it was named 7 Commandos and they couldn't explain. Maybe there were 7 commandos who hid on the island during the war... my imaginatin ran wild again. The beach here is comparable to Boracay's White Beach - blindingly white and powdery. I didn't do much except lazed under the coconut tree while the others swam and snorkelled. It was the perfect way to end our amazing Tour A.

Next post on Tour C.

Travel to Palawan - El Nido

El Nido in Northern Palawan was one of my dream destinations. It became more famous since it was included as a pitstop in the Philippine leg of The Amazing Race. I thought I would never make it there because of the expensive rates offered by the high-end Miniloc and Lagen Resorts not knowing that there are other options of visiting El Nido without going bankrupt. The fastest and easiest (and most expensive!) way to go to El Nido is via a private plane operated by Soriano Aviation which costs 100USD per person one-way. Since we didn't have the budget for it, we took the long, difficult but the cheapest route to El Nido via Puerto Princesa. I am glad we decided to go to El Nido in spite the daunting 8-hour non-airconditioned bus ride, 3 hours of which were spent on unpaved road. From Sabang, we went back to Puerto Princesa and made reservations for seats in an air-conditioned van bound for Taytay. The original plan was to at least take the first 6 hours of the 8-hour trip in an air-conditioned van (600 pesos) and take the non-aircon bus from Taytay to El Nido (2 hours). We stayed overnight at Banwa Pension (550 pesos per night for a double room with own T/B) in Puerto Princesa and just sampled the city's cuisines.

We ditched the original plan when we reached the van terminal at 8:00 a.m. the next day. The Delica Van was too cramped and the aircon looked like it wasn't really going to work with so many warm bodies cramped inside. We decided to just brave the dust and unpaved road and took the 10:00 a.m. Eulen Joy Bus Line going straight to El Nido (P300 pesos one way) with a stop-over in Roxas town for lunch. The road to El Nido wasn't so bad compared to the one going to Sabang but I should've brought a scarf to cover my face and hair. If you take this cheap route to El Nido, be sure to be with someone you really like as the long bus dusty bus ride can wear you off.

Instead of staying in the expensive resorts in the islands, we stayed in Og's Inn along the beach of El Nido town proper. The place is well-maintained and clean plus the staff and owners are so friendly! It felt like a home away from home. For 5oo pesos for night, we had a clean room and our own T/B and the best view in town. We arrived in El Nido town at dusk and the view that awaited us in our pension's balcony was worth the dust, the heat and the almost 1 day trip to reach there.

Our stay also coincided with El Nido's town fiesta so we experienced this slice of Filipino life - the typical perya, baratillo sales, singing/dancing and beauty contests. Our days were spent island hopping, eating fresh fish cooked on the island by our boatmen, snorkelling, swimming in Bacuit Bay's numerous islands, and just lazing around.

El Nido's various attractions in the next posts....

Travel to Palawan - El Nido

I am too sleepy to write about the next leg of my trip to Palawan - the trip to enchanting El Nido. I will just leave with you this photo. This was taken at the entrance of El Nido's famed Small Lagoon. We had to swim through the small opening to get inside. The effort is worth it once you get inside the Small Lagoon. But yeah the rest of the story can wait after I get my beauty sleep! Good night, world! :)

Travel to Palawan - Sabang Beach

Sabang Beach in Puerto Princesa, Palawan is the jump-off point for the Underground River Tours. We opted to do the tour on our own - backpackers' style - instead of signing up for the airconditioned day trips (1,500 pesos per head) organized by the hotels and travel agencies in Puerto Princesa.

The road to Sabang isn't completely paved, so we were subjected to what seemed like a 3 hour butt massage.Accommodation in Sabang is also very basic -- no 3-star hotels here, just cottages with private or shared bathroom. We arrived in the evening due to an unbelievable 5 flat tires (!) and groped our way along the cottages to find accommodation. Most of the cottages were full. Fortunately, we found a room in Taraw Lodge for 350 pesos (good for 2 persons). Never mind if we had to share the bathroom/toilet with 2 other occupants and never mind that we could hear the other occupants' snores. The place was clean and there were no holes on the window screens (no mosquitoes!), what more can you ask for? :D

Aside from the Underground River, Sabang boasts of a long white sand beach perfect for romantic walks and of course swimming. The sand isn't as fine or as white as Boracay's but the quiet vibe was a welcome change from Manila's hectic pace. After the Underground River Tour, we asked our boatmen to drop us off to the mouth of the Poyuy-Poyuy River for the Mangrove Tour. For only 75 pesos, we enjoyed a 45 minute relaxing boat ride amidst the Sabang's 45 species of Mangrove. It was good our boatman didn't talk too much and just let us soak everything in - the calm brackish water, the soothing sights of mangroves on each side of the river, the steady chirping of the birds, and yes a couple of monkeys flirting.

After that, we walked back to Sabang enjoying the sand and sea water on our feet, lazed on our resort's hammock until the mosquitoes came out. Electricity in Sabang is only until 10pm. So there's no night life to speak of. But who needs a nightlife when you have a beach almost all to yourself, a hammock, and a clear endless night sky filled with stars? I wished I had taken more pictures but yeah, I was just too content and happy listening to the South China sea, gazing at my coconut from my hammock.

Where to Stay in Sabang:

• Taraw Lodge - cell no.: 09196011227 (cottages w/ own bathroom 500 pesos/night; cottages with common bathroom 350 pesos/night - good for 2

Things to do:

• Underground River Tour - DIY tour = 700 boat rental (good for 6 persons), park fee - 250 for Filipinos, 350 for foreigners
• Mangrove tour - 75 pesos per head for 45 mins
• Swimming and lazing on the beach - free!!!
• Star gazing - the sky in Sabang was really amazing especially when the lights were off (after 10pm). But we had to go inside our cottage as the place became too eery, with the dogs howling and barking.

Travel to Palawan - Underground River

Palawan has been described as the Philippines' last frontier and aptly so. I was able to visit Palawan last month after years of just looking at photos and reading travel stories. The province is really safe contrary to the dangerous image created by the kidnapping in Dos Palmas in May 2001. Armed with our Lonely Planet Philippines and information culled from the Internet, we decided to stay in Palawan for 10 days covering the Underground River and Sabang Beach, Puerto Princesa and Honda Bay and El Nido.

We took the flight from Manila to Puerto Princesa via Cebu Pacific and immediately went to the jeepney terminal bound for Sabang. The jeepneys (150 pesos one-way) didn't have a fixed schedule so we left after 3 hours of waiting for the jeepney to get full. The supposedly 2.5 jeepney ride took 5 hours because we experienced 3 flat tires and tons of house to house deliveries from eggs, to cooking oil, to gasoline in huge containers. We were lucky to get seats in the front otherwise it would've been a tight squeeze at the back -- not only with people but also with baskets and vegetables and chickens! The Underground River was worth the long, dusty and bumpy jeepney ride though.

The Puerto Princesa Subterranean National Park popularly known as the Underground River is considered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and considered to be the longest navigable river tunnel in the world. It takes 30 mins by pump boat (P700 pesos good for 6 persons) to get to the park's entrance from Sabang Beach.

Visitors are only allowed to traverse 3km of the river's length. Hundreds of bats await you once you go inside the cave. It was eery, scary and at the same time amazing. It was like a scene straight out of Lord of the Rings!

The guided tour itself showcased not only the cave's and river's beauty but also the guides' sense of humor. We had to stretch our imaginations and creativity to make out The Holy Family, a cathedral and some other objects from the stalactites and stalagmites.

After the tour, we decided to stay in Sabang Beach to enjoy its other attractions. And yeah, we didn't want to injure our butts for another bumpy jeepney ride.