HomeAsiaPhilippinesLuzonPalawanTaraw Peak El Nido, bird’s eye view of Bacuit Bay Palawan By Marcos Detourist on August 10, 2012I was back to traveling solo in El Nido, Palawan. My travel mates for the past four days already left, before day break, for the 6-hour ride to Puerto Princesa and return flight to Manila.There was no awesome view of the sunrise to cheer me up that morning because of the thick haze of heavy clouds tirelessly hovering over the islands.I had a couple of hours to spare before checking out of Rico’s Beach Cottages, the resort we stayed at in El Nido. In the meantime, I thought it would be a good idea to do a quick hike of Taraw Peak, which offered a bird’s eye view of the islands around Bacuit Bay. Conquering El Nido’s majestic limestone cliffs was something that I have been wanting to do since my first visit.Even though the weather was not perfect, I pushed through with the hike anyways. The result? I was to find out soon enough. View of El Nido outside Rico’s Beach Cottages. Starting point of my trek to Taraw Peak.Planning a hike to Taraw PeakAsked our tour operator the day before where I could find willing local guides to Taraw Peak. They were the ones who looked for a guide and instructed me to wait at Rico’s Beach Cottages around 7:00am. Really convenient :)I suppose it also would’ve been easy to find a guide myself since it’s a fairly popular activity among tourists in El Nido.My guides were two high-school students who do “guiding” on the weekends or on holidays.I noticed they only had slippers on. I was highly advised previously to bring hiking shoes for this trek because of the sharp limestone rocks that made up 99% of the trail. I wouldn’t have brought my shoes otherwise because I knew I’d be spending 99% of my trip on the beach. I reckoned I could have done the trek with thick soled flip flops or sandals… oh well :|The two boys led me to the base of the trail, which was located near the pier (western side of the town proper/poblacion). I felt so like the typical tourist being escorted through the town streets of El Nido.Hiking timeThe hike took around an hour, which wasn’t too bad. It was a bit of an effort to climb the sharp rocks and steep cliffs, which could be dangerous if not being careful.Beautiful deep forest viewAsked my guide to point out any interesting flora/fauna we might encounter along the way. Got excited when he finally gestured at me to take a look at something … It turned out to be this guy, LOLDwarfed by the rock cliffsThe fun beginsThe trail started to get very steep 1/3 of the way.Close to the peakCloudy dayThe view on top although spectacular wasn’t “post card” perfect because of the haze. No blue skies that day :( El Nido Town ProperFull view of Taraw Peak View of El Nido’s northern shores and mountainsView of Cadlao Island Cadlao Island, the pumpboats and local houses near El Nido pier Closer view of Cadlao Island, which has the highest peak in all of Bacuit BayClouds start rolling inMy luck must have worn out because it started drizzling. We barely started our descent when the heavy rains came. As in we were really drenched! I should have brought extra waterproofing (A.K.A any plastic bag) because my daypack (slash camera bag) didn’t have decent waterproofing.That was the least of my problems … the trail was extra dangerous because of the slippery rocks. We did manage to come down safely, and at just 30 minutes this time.Asked my guides how much I should pay for the tour. They said it was “up to me.” They agreed to a rate of P300, which was the normal rate I read online. Gave additional tip.I planned to stay in El Nido for a couple more nights. I needed to transfer to another place to stay that was more budget-friendly for a solo traveler :) My visit was in perfect timing because there was a new backpacker hostel in El Nido, called La Banane Hostel, that just opened.Ambot-ah Taraw Peak Itinerary 6:00am – Bid goodbye to travel mates. Start solo travel in El Nido 7:00am – My two guides for the hike to Taraw Peak arrived at Rico’s Beach Cottages Taraw Peak guide fee – P300 Walk to jump-off point for Taraw Peak (under 15 minutes) 7:20am to 10:09am – Taraw Peak trek (1 hour to reach summit from jump-off point) 8:22am – reached summit 10:09am – back to jump-off point Walk back to Rico’s Beach Cottages Check-out at Rico’s Transfer to another place to stay in El Nido that is better for solo travelersDon’t leave yet. There’s more!Breakfast at Calaan Beach. Planning an epic 3-day El Nido…Rediscover Palawan - 13 days in Tabon Caves, El Nido &…El Nido Tour A + B: Snake Island and Cudongon CaveEl Nido and Puerto Princesa Underground River Itinerary 8…Arrival in El Nido: DIY Solo BackpackingEl Nido Tour A + B: Seven Commando Beach and the Return to…Comments Trip@dora saysAugust 10, 2012 at 11:30 pmito talaga ang babalikan ko. the night before our supposed taraw climb, umulan. tapos kinaumagahan, di pa rin gumagaling ung gasgas ko sa legs. natakot ako. so sabi ko sa mga kasama ko, balikan nalang namin ung taraw.there’s always the 2nd time naman :) Marcos saysAugust 19, 2012 at 8:14 pmI also trust my instincts whenever I do something risky when I’m traveling or in “everyday” life. “There’s always the 2nd time,” is also one of the lines that I tell myself all the time, hehe ^_^ Drew Mamangun saysAugust 10, 2012 at 11:44 pmAng ganda! I just came from watching The Bourne Legacy movie which had in its last scene this gorgeous view of El Nido. And then I see this post! Parang may pinapahiwatig saken ang universe hehe! Or parang Twilight Zone lang hehe! Marcos saysAugust 19, 2012 at 8:15 pmI have to watch that movie :D El Nido is summoning you Drew! Micamyx|Senyorita saysAugust 11, 2012 at 7:07 pmGagawin ko dapat ito, but I was discouraged by the locals. Umuulan kasi at unpredictable ang weather nun. Didn’t bring hiking sandals din. I heard na may naaksidente a few months ago na Korean kaya di ko muna ni-risk hehe. Babalikan ko ‘to, pangako :D Marcos saysAugust 19, 2012 at 8:19 pmKahit ako, I was a bit scared when it rained during our descent. Parang survivor mode lang. paul | walkflypinoy saysAugust 12, 2012 at 8:38 amgreat to know there’ll be a backpacker hostel in El Nido. hike looks challenging though, especially in the rain. maybe better if i go in the summer. Marcos saysAugust 19, 2012 at 8:28 pmYes, summer is an excellent time to visit El Nido! The rainy season also brings out a different mood to the islands but seeing El Nido basked with the perfect tropical weather is still the best. Ada | Adaphobic Travels saysAugust 19, 2012 at 12:22 amSana pag punta ko dito okay ang weather. :) Will be in El Nido on Sept a belated happy birthday celebration to me :D Marcos saysAugust 19, 2012 at 8:42 pmWaw! Safe trip Ada. Have a good one! TheFrugalWanderer saysNovember 27, 2012 at 10:25 pmI’m planning to include this in my itinerary pero di ko na ata to masasali, kulangan na ng time. Maybe on my third visit nalang. Thanks for this post, btw. :) Marcos saysDecember 4, 2012 at 6:40 pmAs they say, always leave some spots unexplored for your next visit :) Posting of new comments is disabled temporarily.Connect with Marcos on:Detourista.comMarcosDetourist.comFacebookInstagramTwitterDetourista.comDiscover more travel guides and blogs about the Philippines and beyond by Marcos DetouristChoose your next destination: Cambodia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam
Trip@dora saysAugust 10, 2012 at 11:30 pmito talaga ang babalikan ko. the night before our supposed taraw climb, umulan. tapos kinaumagahan, di pa rin gumagaling ung gasgas ko sa legs. natakot ako. so sabi ko sa mga kasama ko, balikan nalang namin ung taraw.there’s always the 2nd time naman :)
Marcos saysAugust 19, 2012 at 8:14 pmI also trust my instincts whenever I do something risky when I’m traveling or in “everyday” life. “There’s always the 2nd time,” is also one of the lines that I tell myself all the time, hehe ^_^
Drew Mamangun saysAugust 10, 2012 at 11:44 pmAng ganda! I just came from watching The Bourne Legacy movie which had in its last scene this gorgeous view of El Nido. And then I see this post! Parang may pinapahiwatig saken ang universe hehe! Or parang Twilight Zone lang hehe!
Micamyx|Senyorita saysAugust 11, 2012 at 7:07 pmGagawin ko dapat ito, but I was discouraged by the locals. Umuulan kasi at unpredictable ang weather nun. Didn’t bring hiking sandals din. I heard na may naaksidente a few months ago na Korean kaya di ko muna ni-risk hehe. Babalikan ko ‘to, pangako :D
Marcos saysAugust 19, 2012 at 8:19 pmKahit ako, I was a bit scared when it rained during our descent. Parang survivor mode lang.
paul | walkflypinoy saysAugust 12, 2012 at 8:38 amgreat to know there’ll be a backpacker hostel in El Nido. hike looks challenging though, especially in the rain. maybe better if i go in the summer.
Marcos saysAugust 19, 2012 at 8:28 pmYes, summer is an excellent time to visit El Nido! The rainy season also brings out a different mood to the islands but seeing El Nido basked with the perfect tropical weather is still the best.
Ada | Adaphobic Travels saysAugust 19, 2012 at 12:22 amSana pag punta ko dito okay ang weather. :) Will be in El Nido on Sept a belated happy birthday celebration to me :D
TheFrugalWanderer saysNovember 27, 2012 at 10:25 pmI’m planning to include this in my itinerary pero di ko na ata to masasali, kulangan na ng time. Maybe on my third visit nalang. Thanks for this post, btw. :)
Marcos saysDecember 4, 2012 at 6:40 pmAs they say, always leave some spots unexplored for your next visit :)