It was finally time to see the beauty of El Nido, Palawan under daylight. Staying at Calaan Beach, a small cove north of the town proper, afforded us an open uncrowded view of Bacuit Bay.

Come sunrise, we woke up to a beautiful sight of cloudy skies hovering over the calm coast, limestone cliffs, and forested islands of Bacuit Bay. El Nido never failed to amaze me.

Walking out to see the view of Bacuit Bay in El Nido, Palawan

During my first visit, I left El Nido convinced that it had the most beautiful seascapes I’ve seen.

18 months and heaps of wanderlust-inducing adventures later, El Nido is still at the top of pack (Bucas Grande isn’t far behind). I confirmed to myself that it wasn’t just the first-time goggles that made me so hung over with El Nido.

Sinister clouds lording over the towering limestone cliffs of Cadlao Island

Breafast at Hadefe Beach Cottages

After photo-ops at the beach, we had coffee and breakfast prepared by Hadefe Beach cottages. The menu was simple and consisted of filipino-style sausage,  pan de sal (salt bread), tuyo (dried fish), scrambled eggs, watermelon, and banana.

Breakfast at Calaan Beach. Seems dried fish has been a well celebrated staple in our beach trips :)

It was our first time to see (and eat) the yellow-colored watermelon. It wasn’t as sweet as the red-tinged variety though.

My plate

Hadefe Beach Cottages at Calaan Beach

Our trip planner, Fritzie, suggested we stay at Hadefe Beach cottages after I mentioned about my sunset walk at Calaan Beach. We decided to base ourselves in the area for the first two days so we could enjoy the sunrise/sunset views.

Calaan Beach is a 10 to 15 minute walk north of the town proper. There are two ways to get to Calaan Beach. The best way was on the trail, which follows the coast. The shorter one was an inland trail passing through the entrance of eerie town cemetery (very creepy after dark).

Preparing for an Island Hopping Tour in El Nido

Our main task that day was kick-starting our 3-day beach marathons in El Nido.

Me and Fritzie already did Tour A and Tour C. On this trip, we decided to combine the best of the island hopping tours in El Nido.

• our first day 1 was reserved for a combination of Tour A and Tour B
• day 2 for combined Tours C and D
• then a land trip to the twin beaches of Nacpan and Calintang on our last day (last day traveling together that is)

Organizing an El Nido Island Hopping Tour is convenient because there are a lot of travel agencies offering set packages codenamed “Tour A,” “Tour B,” and so on until “DEF”. If you’re traveling in a group you could arrange to combine those tours (like what we did). For solo travelers, booking a tour will depend on what’s available for that day. There’s at least one tour for “ABCD” leaving everyday. So, you’re guaranteed of enjoying the islands when you visit El Nido.

Reserving a tour beforehand isn’t necessary because there are a lot of shops in town offering these tours. Most visitors coming from Puerto Princesa arrive in El Nido in the afternoon (after the 6-hour van ride or 8 to 10 hour ride on the local bus). You can walk around town and shop for the best deals. Most tours leave the town proper at 8am.

Locals crossing Calaan Beach at dawn

Next in the series: Island Hopping Tour to Miniloc Island, El Nido.

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