Things to Do

Most guests stay three or four nights. Here is what we would actually do with them.

Island hopping — the main event

Four standard tours, A to D, all by bangka and all bookable in town or through the resort. Tour A (Big and Small Lagoon, Secret Lagoon, Shimizu, Seven Commandos) is the one to pick if you only do one. Tour C (Hidden Beach, Matinloc Shrine, Helicopter Island) is the quieter, more dramatic one.

Book the day before, not the morning of. Big Lagoon needs a separate kayak permit and the slots go early.

On land

• Taraw Cliff viewpoint — a short, genuinely steep climb over sharp limestone. Guided only, closed shoes, early morning before the heat.

• Nacpan Beach — four kilometres of sand about an hour north. Go for the afternoon, stay for the sunset.

• Las Cabanas — the sunset beach nearest town, with a zipline over the bay if that appeals.

• Kayaking the lagoons — quieter than the tours and the only way into Big Lagoon at your own pace.

Eating

El Nido town is ten minutes away and full of small places. Ask the coordinator for the current list — it changes constantly and anything we print now will be out of date by April.