Pristine El Nido!

    El Nido is exactly 1,385.4 km from my hometown which is Davao City. According to CNNGo, it is the Best Beach and Island destination in the Philippines - for its "extraordinary natural splendor and ecosystem".The average water temperature ranges from 24°C to 26°C during the months of December to March and 26°C to 29°C during the months of April to November.(wikipedia)

looking for a place to eat

 We woke up 6 am,since island hopping starts at 8:30 on the same day. We took Northern hope inn and tours both for our place to stay and for the island hopping. The air conditioned room cost 1400 php for a night good for 4 pax and the tour cost 1000 per pax.

normal view in El Nido

    We went to look for a place to eat for our breakfast,we found this place. I forgot the name but it's "carenderia" that offers breakfast. I ordered tapsilog for 120 php.

breakfast

    As we look for a place to have our breakfast we found St. Francis of Assisi Parish.It's too bad it is still close when we arrived here.

Parish of Saint Francis of Assisi

   Combination tour A & C is very famous and since one day lang kami sa El Nido, wala na kaming time to try another tour so we grabbed it for 1000 per pax inclusive of snorkeling gears and lunch.

   Before we started the tour we went to the booth first for our registration and we paid 200 for the environmental fee which is good for 10 days.  

registration area

picture,picture while waiting for our boat

life vest check...

          We visited 10 islands these includes:

          a. Big lagoon
          b. small lagoon 
          c. Shimizu island
          d. 7 Commandos beach
          e. Mantiloc Shrine 
          f. Hidden Beach
          g. Secret Beach
          h. Helicopter Island 
          i. Secret Lagoon

egzoooited!

first stop!

7 commandos beach

on our way for the second stop

    The second stop was called "Shimizu" island. The island was named after the Japanese scuba diver who died near the island because of insufficient oxygen in his tank.

snorkeling @ Shimizu Island

   

fish feeding...

Big lagoon

 Mantiloc Shrine is the most difficult part because you need to climb few steps before reaching the top. But everything is so worth it! Just be careful and watch out for mosquitoes there were everywhere, it is indeed a good idea to apply mosquito repellents. 

buwis buhay pose

it's a climb

   
  Visiting this kind of place makes me proud of being a Filipino. I never imagine that this kind of places really existed in our country. It's good to know that Government officials are doing their best to protect El Nido.

Matinloc shrine

small lagoon

  There's a small cave inside the small lagoon, the boatmen called this "conference room". This was the most difficult part for us, since it was high tide when we arrived in this place. My younger sister and I can't swim at all, so it was really a struggle to go here.

conference room (small lagoon)

   
  Island hopping in El Nido is literary not a boring thing to do. You have to face a lot of obstacles just like going inside that hole in which you can see on the picture below.

   

approaching the entrance to SECRET beach

Are you ready?

  

1 person can fit inside the hole

good thing it's low tide,if not you have to dive just to get inside that small hole

  It's really important to have an aqua shoes, since you have to step on the rocks.  We rented ours near art cafe for 75 php each or if you own one it's better to bring it than paying 75 bucks.

scary look...hahaha

   

ayos...

inside SECRET LAGOON

tourist inside secret lagoon

swimming time

  The boatmen prepared our lunch,gutom na kaming lahat buti nalang ang sarap ng food. I was thinking that the foods may not be enough since the group compose of 4 men and 10 women but to my surprise it is just enough (ang dami pa ngang sobra)...yum..yum..yum...

sumptuous lunch

   

hidden beach

low tide

nemo and dad

  

On our way to the last stop of the island hopping activity which is the helicopter island, the boatmen gave us coconut fruit!weee....

refreshing buko on our way to helicopter island

   We started 8:30 am and the tour ended past 5:00 pm.  

jump shot

    
    This place never fails to drop my jaw. Felt super blessed to have an opportunity to visit this beautiful place! I am looking forward to go back here with my family.

Northern Hope tour rate:

SINGLE TOUR	COMBINATION TOUR
TOUR A – 700 php/pax	COMBI TOUR A & C -1000 php/pax
TOUR B – 800 php/ pax	COMBI TOUR C &D -1000 php/pax
TOUR C – 900 php/pax
TOUR D – 700 php / pax

 Contact : Ate Neriza 0939-902-2216 

El nido island hopping tour must have: 

1. snorkelling gear (provided in the tour)

2. sun block

3. underwater camera

4. aqua shoes

5. water

Here is the break down of the total expenses of the day for each person:

EXPENSES	AMOUNT
Accommodation	350
Breakfast	120
Tour	1000
Environmental Fee	200
Aqua shoes	75
Bottled Water	30
Tricycle	25
TOTAL	1800 php

next: 7th Wonder of the World!