El Nido
El Nido Island Hopping: Tour A, B, C and D Compared
Photo: Vyacheslav Argenberg, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
El Nido’s island-hopping boats run four fixed routes around the Bacuit archipelago, known simply as Tour A, B, C and D. Almost every operator in town sells the same four routes with the same letters, it is one of the few things about booking a tour here that is standardised. Here is what each one actually covers.
Tour A, lagoons and beaches
The most popular route, and usually the first one people book. Stops typically include the Big Lagoon, Small Lagoon, Shimizu Island, Seven Commando Beach and sometimes the Secret Lagoon. The Big and Small Lagoons are the two shots everyone has seen of El Nido, both involve some kayaking or swimming into narrow, cliff-walled inlets.
Tour B, caves and coves
Built around Snake Island (a long, S-shaped sandbar, not an island with snakes) and Cudugnon Cave, along with stops like Entalula Beach and Pinagbuyutan Island. Less lagoon-heavy than A, more about the sandbars and a cave stop.
Tour C, shrines and hidden beaches
The longest route and the furthest out into the archipelago: Matinloc Shrine, Secret Beach (a cove reached by swimming through a gap in the rock), Helicopter Island and Talisay Beach. More boat time than the other three, which also means fewer other tours overlapping with yours out there.
Tour D, lagoons and beaches (south)
The quietest of the four, covering Cadlao Lagoon, Pasandigan Cove, Paradise Beach, Ipil Beach and Nat-Nat Beach. Cadlao Lagoon gets compared to the Big Lagoon on Tour A but with a fraction of the boat traffic. This is the one to pick if the other three sound crowded.
Comparing the four
Scroll across for the rest of the columns.
| Tour | Known for | Typical shared price, lunch included | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| A, Lagoons & Beaches | Big Lagoon, Small Lagoon, Shimizu Island | ≈ ₱1,200–1,500 pp | Full day |
| B, Caves & Coves | Snake Island, Cudugnon Cave | ≈ ₱1,200–1,600 pp | Full day |
| C, Shrines & Hidden Beaches | Matinloc Shrine, Secret Beach, Helicopter Island | ≈ ₱1,300–1,700 pp | Full day, most boat time |
| D, Lagoons & Beaches (south) | Cadlao Lagoon, Paradise Beach | ≈ ₱1,200–1,500 pp | Full day, least crowded |
Sourced against current operator and booking-platform listings on 11 October 2026. Prices vary by a couple hundred pesos between operators for the same letter. Add the one-time Eco-Tourism Development Fee, ₱400 per tourist as sourced on the 3-day itinerary, and any kayak rental, which are charged on top of the boat price. Private boats cost several times the shared per-person rate but let you set your own stops and timing.
Where to base yourself
Which tour you do first barely depends on where you sleep, all four leave from El Nido town, but how easy it is to get to the pier at 7–8am in the morning does. I wrote a full breakdown of the areas in where to stay in El Nido: town for the easiest tour mornings, Corong-Corong or Lio if you would rather trade a short ride for quiet evenings.
Before you book
Book through your accommodation or a tour desk in El Nido town rather than committing to a specific operator from home, availability and the exact stop list can shift with weather, and the letters are standardised but the boats are not. See a 3-day El Nido itinerary for how to split Tour A and Tour C across a short trip, or how to get to El Nido from Manila if you haven’t booked your way in yet. For what to do on a rest day between tours, see things to do in El Nido beyond island hopping, and for what the tours add up to alongside a bed and food, El Nido: best time to visit and what a trip costs. A session with me is the fastest way to ask me how to fit two or three of these into a wider Palawan itinerary.
Questions people ask
Which El Nido tour is best: A, B, C or D?
Tour A is the usual first choice, it covers the Big Lagoon and Small Lagoon, which are the two most photographed stops in El Nido. Tour C has the most boat time and the furthest-out scenery (Matinloc Shrine, Secret Beach), which suits a second day better than a first. There is no single best tour; it depends on whether you want the famous lagoons (A), caves (B), the long scenic route (C) or the quietest beaches (D).
What is included in El Nido island hopping tours?
A shared tour typically includes the outrigger boat, a boatman and guide, and lunch cooked on one of the stops. Snorkelling gear is sometimes included and sometimes a small rental fee. The one-time environmental fee (covering all of El Nido's tours) and kayak rental at Big Lagoon are usually charged separately from the boat price.
Can I combine two El Nido tours in one day?
Not on a shared boat: each tour (A, B, C, D) is sold as its own full day. A private boat lets you set your own stops and timing, at several times the shared per-person rate.
Do I need to book El Nido island hopping tours in advance?
Shared tours can often be booked a day ahead through your accommodation or a tour desk in town, but during peak season (roughly December to April) boats fill up, so booking a couple of days ahead is safer than turning up and hoping. Private tours should be booked further ahead.
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