El Nido Island Hopping Tours A, B, C, D: Which to Book

El Nido sells its boat trips as four letters, and the letters tell you almost nothing. Tour A, B, C and D each cover a different corner of Bacuit Bay, and they differ in more than scenery. They also differ in how often they get cancelled, which fees get added on the boat and how crowded the first stop will be when you get there.

If you only have one day on the water, book Tour A. It has the Big Lagoon, it stays inside the sheltered part of the bay and it rarely gets called off. With two days, add Tour C for the cliffs and hidden beaches, and keep a spare day in case the sea is rough. Tours B and D are good third and fourth days, especially for families and anyone who prefers swimming to scrambling over rocks.

Below is what each tour actually involves, what it costs once the extra fees are counted, and how to choose based on your days, the season and the people in your group. Rates in El Nido are not standardised, so treat the figures as a planning range and confirm them with your operator the day before.

How El Nido Island Hopping Works

Every tour follows the same basic day. A van or tricycle picks you up in town or along Corong Corong around 8:30, the boat leaves at about 9:00, and you are back on the beach between 4:00 and 5:00 in the afternoon. A shared or "joiner" boat carries up to around two dozen guests, plus the boatman and a guide who cooks lunch on board or on a beach.

The joiner rate usually covers the boat, the guide, lunch, drinking water, a life vest and a basic mask and snorkel. It does not cover the environmental fee, the lagoon fees, kayak rental, the Matinloc Shrine entrance or tips. Those are what turn a ₱1,300 tour into a ₱2,000 day, so ask the agent for the full figure before you pay.

Operators do not sell combined joiner tours. A boat that does A and C in a single day is a private charter, so plan on one letter per day.

Tour A: The Lagoon Day

Usual stops: Big Lagoon, Secret Lagoon, Shimizu Island and Seven Commandos Beach. Joiner rate: about ₱1,200 to ₱1,500.

Tour A is the one on the postcards. At Big Lagoon the boat stops at the entrance and you paddle or swim in between tall limestone walls into clear, shallow water. Secret Lagoon is smaller and reached by squeezing through a gap in the rock, so it can feel more like a queue than a discovery around midday. Shimizu is a lunch and snorkelling stop with a narrow beach under the cliffs, and Seven Commandos is a wide, easy beach to finish the afternoon.

Big Lagoon has a daily visitor limit, and agencies reserve slots ahead of time. That is why your boat may wait at the mouth for a while in peak months. Tour A works in most weather because it never leaves the inner bay, which is the main reason it suits a one-day visit.

Tour B: Caves and a Sandbar

Usual stops: Snake Island, Cudugnon Cave, Cathedral Cave, Entalula Beach and Pinagbuyutan Island. Joiner rate: about ₱1,300 to ₱1,600.

Tour B gets less attention than A and C, which works in its favour. Snake Island has a long, curving sandbar you can walk at low tide, with a short climb to a viewpoint over the bay. Cudugnon Cave has a small opening you crawl through into a cool chamber, and Cathedral Cave is seen from the boat. Entalula is often the best plain beach of the day, with soft sand and calm water for swimming.

Boats on this route tend to be less crowded, and the stops are spread out, so the day feels slower. Choose it if you want beaches and caves without the lagoon crowds.

Tour C: Cliffs, Hidden Beaches and the Shrine

Usual stops: Helicopter Island, Hidden Beach, Secret Beach, Matinloc Shrine and Talisay or Star Beach. Joiner rate: about ₱1,400 to ₱1,800.

Tour C has the most dramatic scenery and the hardest access. Hidden Beach sits behind a wall of jagged rock, and Secret Beach is reached by swimming through a low gap in a cliff, which can be tricky when there is a swell. Matinloc Shrine is an abandoned shrine with a viewpoint up a short, steep path, and it charges its own small entrance fee. The snorkelling on this route is often the best of the four.

The catch is the weather. Tour C goes out past the shelter of the bay, so it is the first tour to be cancelled when the wind picks up. If C is the reason you came, book it for your first full day and keep another day free to try again.

Tour D: The Gentle Option

Usual stops: Small Lagoon, Cadlao Lagoon, Pasandigan Cove, Paradise Beach and Natnat or Bukal Beach. Joiner rate: about ₱1,200 to ₱1,500.

Tour D stays close to town and has short boat rides between stops. Small Lagoon is entered by kayak or by swimming through a narrow opening, and it is quieter than Big Lagoon. Cadlao Lagoon sits at the foot of Cadlao Island, the big peak you can see from El Nido town. The remaining stops are swimming beaches.

This is the easiest day for small children, older travellers and anyone who gets seasick.

What a Tour Day Really Costs

Here is a realistic budget for one adult on a joiner tour. The environmental fee is paid once and covers several days, so keep the receipt or sticker for your next tour.

• Joiner tour: ₱1,200 to ₱1,800, depending on the tour and the agent
• El Nido environmental fee: ₱400 for adults, with a lower rate for children (paid once per visit)
• Big Lagoon (Tour A) or Small Lagoon (Tour D) fee: about ₱200 per person
• Kayak at Big or Small Lagoon: about ₱300 for a two-seater, shared between two people
• Matinloc Shrine (Tour C): a small entrance fee, optional
• Tip for the crew: ₱100 to ₱200 per person is common

A private boat for your own group usually starts around ₱6,000 for the day, plus the same per-person fees. For four or more people, that price gets close to the joiner rate, and you choose your own start time. Leaving earlier than the joiner boats is the simplest way to see Big Lagoon before it fills up.

Picking Your Tours by Number of Days

One day

Book Tour A. It has the lagoon most people come for and the lowest chance of cancellation.

Two days

Do Tour C on the first day and Tour A on the second. If C is cancelled, you still have the backup day for A, and you can try C again only if the weather allows.

Three days or more

Add Tour B for the sandbar and caves, or Tour D if you have children with you or want a lighter day. Leave a free day after two tours. Spending eight hours in the sun on a boat is more tiring than it sounds.

Season, Weather and Cancellations

The calmest sea runs from about January to May, with February and March usually the best for Tour C. December to April is also the busiest season, so book a day ahead and expect queues at the lagoons. From June the southwest monsoon brings rain and rougher water, and July to October is the hardest stretch for boat trips. During those months some days are lost to weather, and Tour C is cancelled far more often than the others.

When the coast guard suspends sea travel, every boat in the bay stays in, private or joiner. Ask how your agent handles refunds or rebooking before you pay, and avoid booking an island-hopping tour on the morning of your flight out.

Booking Tips That Save Money and Stress

• Book the evening before through your hotel or a walk-in agency in town. Prices are similar and you can check the weather first.
• Ask what is included in writing, especially the lagoon and kayak fees.
• Bring your own mask if you have one. Shared gear is often worn out.
• Pack water shoes for Tour C and Cudugnon Cave, plus a dry bag for your phone.
• Carry small bills for fees, drinks on the beach and the tip.
• Use reef-safe sunscreen, and never stand on coral in shallow water.

For a fuller packing list and what to check before you board, see our island-hopping safety guide.

So, Which El Nido Tour Should You Book?

If you can only do one, do A. If you want the scenery people talk about later, do C and give it a backup day. B is the quiet beach day, and D is the easy one. Two tours spread over three days is plenty for most people, and it leaves time for Nacpan Beach or a sunset in Corong Corong.

If El Nido is one stop on a longer route, compare it with the other bases in our guide to El Nido, Coron and Puerto Princesa, and look at Palawan's quieter spots if the lagoon crowds sound like too much.