What’s The Best 2024 Tour in El Nido – Tour A, Tour B, Tour C or Tour D ?

E Nido has some of the most beautiful beaches in Palawan. But the only way to get to them is by boat. Most boat companies run four tours. So which tour should you do?

Tour A (Lagoons)
Tour B (Caves)
Tour C (Not So Secret Beaches)
Tour D (Kinda Secret Beaches)

The most popular tours (and most crowded) are Tours A and C. Expect crowds and little privacy and lots of asian tourists.

Typical stops for each tour are:
Tour A – Lagoons – P1200
Small Lagoon, Big Lagoon, Shimizu Island, Secret Beach, 7 Commandos Beach
Price: P1200
(approx. $20USD, $29CAD, €20EUR, £16GBP, ¥3,151JPY, ¥147CNY, $31AUD, 18Swiss Franc)

Tour B – Caves – P1300
Entatula Island, Pinagbuyutan Island, Snake Island, Cudugnon Cave, Cathedral Cave
Price: P1300
(approx. $22USD, $31CAD, €21EUR, £18GBP, ¥3,414JPY, ¥160CNY, $34AUD, 20Swiss Franc)

Tour C – Secret Beaches – P1400
Mantiloc Shrine, Secret Beach, Hidden Beach, Talisay Beach, Helicopter Island
Price: P1400
(approx. $20USD, $33CAD, €23EUR, £19GBP, ¥3,676JPY, ¥172CNY, $37AUD, 21Swiss Franc)

Tour D – Beaches – P1200
Bukal Beach, Ipil Beach, Pasandigan Beach, Cadlao Lagoon, Paradise Island
Price: P1200
(approx. $20USD, $29CAD, €20EUR, £16GBP, ¥3,151JPY, ¥147CNY, $31AUD, 18Swiss Franc)

Most tours start at 8:00am and return back to El Nido Harbor at 4:30pm. Expect to spend your entire day out on the sea.

Tour B (Snake Island)

Tour C (Helicopter Island)

Tour A (Big Lagoon)

COMPARISION OF EL NIDO TOURS

	Cost	Features	Popularity	Seclusion	Beaching	Snorkeling
Tour A	P1200	Lagoons & Beaches	1	None – Crowded	★ ★	★
Tour B	P1300	Caves and Beaches	3	Some Less Crowded than A&C	★ ★ ★ ★	★ ★ ★ ★
Tour C	P1400	Beaches (Crowded)	2	None – Crowded	★ ★ ★	★ ★ ★
Tour D	P1200	Beaches (Least Crowded)	4	Yes – Least Crowded	★ ★ ★ ★ ★	★ ★ ★

Note: Tour D doesn’t run often and to do Tour D you may need to charter a private boat.

SO WHICH TOURS SHOULD YOU TAKE?

All the tours are very different. Which tour you should do depends depends on how many days you have in El Nido and what you’re looking for – to Relax on a Beach, Snorkel or deal with Crowds in the Lagoons. Most tours are pretty crowded now that El Nido is no longer a hidden gem.

	Relax on a Beach	I Don’t Mind Crowds	I want to snorkel
1 Day	Tour B or D	Tour A or Combo A+C	Tour B or D
2 Days	Tour B or D, Tour A	Tour A, Tour B	Tour C, Tour B
3 Days	Tour B, Tour D, Tour A	Tour A, Tour B, Tour C	Tour C, Tour B, Tour A
4 Days	Tour B, Tour D, Tour A, Tour C	Tour A, Tour B, Tour C, Tour D	Tour C, Tour B, Tour A, Tour D

HIGHLIGHTS OF TOURS

Tour A

LAGOONS (AND CROWDED BEACHES)

Small Lagoon
Big Lagoon
Shimizu Island
Secret Beach
7 Commandos Beach

Tour A provides a nice mix of Lagoons and beaches but be forewarned – Tour A tends to be crowded. Expect to be on a boat with 10-20 other people. Each location will also be pretty crowded. Expect to encounter lots of tourists from China.

Tour A (Big Lagoon)

---

Tour B

CAVES (AND LESS CROWDED ISLANDS)

Entatula Island
Pinagbuyutan Island
Snake Island
Cudugnon Cave
Cathedral Cave

Tour B provides a nice mix of less crowded beaches and some cool caves. Expect more privacy and some beautiful beaches and sandbars. This was our favorite !

Tour B (Pinagbuyutan Island)

Wanderasm Tip Tour B was one of our favorite tours. Everything feels less crowded than Tours A and C.

---

Tour C

NOT SO SECRET BEACHES

Mantiloc Shrine,
Secret Beach
Hidden Beach
Talisay Beach
Helicopter Island

Tour C is Crowded. C stands for lots of crowds and lots of Chinese tourists. Definitely not as crowded as Tour A, this is the second most crowded Tour. Expect to see some cool less crowded beaches.

Tour C (Helicopter Island)

---

Tour D

KINDA SECRET BEACHES

Bukal Beach
Ipil Beach
Pasandigan Beach
Cadlao Lagoon
Paradise Island

Tour D is hard to go on because most tour groups dont run it. It rarely runs and the beaches are less crowded and beautiful.

Tour D (Beach)

Wanderasm Tip Tour D is the hardest to take and doesn’t run often. You need to take a private boat to do this tour. It’s worth it if you have time. Expect the smallest crowds and you may have an entire beach to yourself.