Your Ultimate Guide To Getting To Palawan And El Nido: Travel Routes And Transportation Options
About El Nido, Palawan
El Nido is a small, picturesque town at the northernmost tip of the island of Palawan in the Philippines renowned for its stunning tropical beach-lined islands that jut out of the emerald sea.
While Palawan island itself has been consistently hailed as one of the best islands and destinations in the world, it’s worth noting that the island itself is one of the largest islands in the Philippines, stretching more than 400 kilometers (250 miles) from north to south and having a mountainous interior. This means that getting around and getting to the most idyllic destinations entail some degree of traveling by land.
El Nido’s town center itself is quite small – typical of most Philippine towns. Most hotels, restaurants, and tour companies can be found in the town itself, which sits right next to the sea. The famous island tours for which El Nido is known for start right on the town’s main beach, which is lined with a multitude of bars, restaurants, and small hotels and resorts.
El Nido’s islands offer many different experiences and settings. Travelers can choose from four main island tours, each one specializing in different natural features such as coves, caves, limestone karst-ringed beaches, and snorkeling. Each tour takes up a whole day and meals are usually included in the package.
But El Nido’s allure isn’t just confined to its picture-perfect islands dotting its western shores.
By comparison to regular places in the Philippines, El Nido is a large municipality. Its land area is as large as the entire Metro Manila, the country’s capital.
A handful of beaches on its western coast also attract a growing number of visitors – Maremegmeg, Lio, Nacpan, and Duli.
Heading up north, visitors can also explore Diapela and Dipnay. Continuing on to the eastern coast of El Nido, intrepid travelers can experience the best of Sibaltan, New Ibajay, and even Mabini.
El Nido also offers a bevy of other attractions further inland such as waterfalls, mangrove forests, and pristine rivers.
Flights to Palawan from Manila
The most popular and inexpensive way to get to to El Nido from Manila is to take one of the many flights to Palawan’s capital, Puerto Princesa City offered by three airlines: Cebu Pacific, Philippine Airlines, and AirAsia.
Depending on the time of year, there are as many as 14 daily flights to Puerto Princesa from Manila.
Flights from Manila to Puerto Princesa take about an hour to an hour-and-a-half. From Puerto Princesa, which is located in central Palawan, travelers can head north to El Nido or south to Balabac, which is fast becoming a popular destination among backpackers and is served by Cherry Bus Palawan via Buliluyan.
Cebu Pacific has the most number of direct flights from Manila to Puerto Princesa, with the earliest departing at 4:00 AM and the latest leaving at 9:40 PM. Their fares are generally the cheapest among the three airlines owing to their larger fleet of Airbus planes.
Philippine Airlines (PAL) offers early morning direct flights to Puerto Princesa from Manila starting at 4:25 AM. It’s last flight from Manila to Puerto Princesa leaves at 6:00 PM. While not generally considered a budget airline, PAL also offers competitive airfare for their Palawan-bound flights.
Air Asia, the last of the three airlines offering direct flights from Manila to Puerto Princesa, offers a couple of flights: one departing at 5:40 AM, and the second at 5:45 PM. Their fares often compete closely with Cebu Pacific and can sometimes even be cheaper, depending on the time of year.
Here’s a quick comparison of the cheapest one-way flights from Manila to Puerto Princesa booked about a week before the travel date (with 1 hand-carry bag and 1 check-in luggage):
| One-way Non-stop Flights (Manila – Puerto Princesa, Palawan) | ||||
| Airline | Fare (in Pesos) | Fare (in USD) | Max Weight of Hand-carry | Max Weight of Check-in Luggage |
| Cebu Pacific | PHP 2,712 | USD 46 | 7 kg | 20 kg |
| Philippine Airlines | PHP 3,638 | USD 62 | 7 kg | 10 kg |
| AirAsia | PHP 3,189 | USD 54 | 7 kg | 20 kg |
El Nido is around 4-5 hours away from Puerto Princesa by land. This route is serviced by licensed bus companies such as Cherry Bus, and unlicensed or unregulated mini-buses or shuttle vans.
Flights to Palawan from Cebu
In recent years, more and more international travelers tend to bypass Manila altogether and fly into the country through other gateways like Cebu. Fortunately, getting to Palawan from Cebu is made a lot easier by the daily direct flights offered by Cebu Pacific, Philippine Airlines, and AirAsia.
Cebu Pacific offers two flights daily, one at 9:00 AM and the other at 2:45 PM. Philippine Airlines operates a single daily flight from Cebu to Puerto Princesa at 2:00 PM. Lastly, the third airline offering direct flights between Cebu and Puerto Princesa, AirAsia, has a single daily flight scheduled at 4:55 PM.
A quick comparison of the three airlines’ airfares for a ticket booked one week before the travel date, inclusive of both hand-carry items and checked-in luggage show competitive rates:
| One-way Non-stop Flights (Cebu – Puerto Princesa, Palawan) | ||||
| Airline | Fare (in Pesos) | Fare (in USD) | Max Weight of Hand-carry | Max Weight of Check-in Luggage |
| Cebu Pacific | PHP 2,857 | USD 49 | 7 kg | 20 kg |
| Philippine Airlines | PHP 2,558 | USD 43 | 7 kg | 10 kg |
| AirAsia | PHP 2,376 | USD 40 | 7 kg | 20 kg |
After arriving in Puerto Princesa, visitors can go on a 4-5 hour trip to El Nido onboard minibuses with limited legroom and luggage space, or opt for similarly-priced bus trips on Cherry Bus Palawan’s buses, complete with generous legroom, ample and secure space for backpacks, and even restrooms.
On the more expensive side, AirSwift, a boutique airline, offers direct flights to El Nido from Manila daily.
Depending on the season, average one-way fares may be more than double of the most expensive tickets available from the three airlines servicing the Manila-Puerto Princesa route. During the peak months from December to May, expect AirSwift ticket prices to spike as they are the only airline operating directly to and from El Nido.
Getting from Puerto Princesa to El Nido
From Puerto Princesa, El Nido is a leisurely four to five-hour trip by Cherry Bus Palawan, the most reliable bus company in Palawan. There are also mini-buses or shuttle vans that ply the Puerto Princesa-El Nido route but these are often cramped and uncomfortable, with drivers filling them up with 11-12 passengers at a time. Keep in mind that these mini-buses were designed for passengers of Asian stature so legroom is definitely not the best for travelers coming from the West. Likewise, trip schedules are almost never followed since most drivers often wait for other passengers to fill up the vacant seats.
Cherry Bus Palawan’s buses offer ample legroom with reclinable, plush chairs. Large backpacks or luggage are also not a problem with the buses’ stowage underneath. The most popular of these buses have La-Z-Boy type seats arranged in a 2×1 configuration as well as onboard restrooms or water closets.
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