Your Own Boat in El Nido

Booking the boat rather than a seat on it buys three things: your own departure time, your own pace at each stop, and nobody else's schedule. On Tour A the earliest slot is the one that matters — leaving before the shared fleet is how you reach Big Lagoon while the water is still quiet — and on any private boat the crew can reorder the stops where local rules allow it.

Private Outriggers

The traditional bangka runs the same eight-hour day as the joining tours, with the crew grilling lunch on a beach; Tour A adds 8:00 and 8:30 AM departures ahead of the fleet. Prices are for the boat, based on two guests, with a per-person rate for everyone after that: Tour A from around ₱15,500, Tour B from around ₱16,000, Tour C from around ₱17,000, and Tour D from around ₱15,500.

Speed Boats

A speed boat changes the shape of the day rather than the stops. The crossings shrink, so more of the day is spent swimming and less sitting on a bench, and you are back at the dock around 3:00 PM instead of 5:00. Each boat is private to your group with a maximum of eight guests, operated in collaboration with Alexus Travel and Tours. Speed boat Tour A is from around ₱25,500 for two guests and speed boat Tour C from around ₱27,000.

The A+C Combo

The A + C combo, from around ₱29,500 for two guests, is the answer when you have one boat day and refuse to choose: Big Lagoon, Secret Lagoon, Shimizu and Seven Commandos, then Hidden Beach, Secret Beach and Helicopter Island, with Matinloc Shrine added when time and sea conditions permit. Seven islands in one day is only possible by speed boat, and it is a long day by design.

Before You Book

The private Tour A fare includes the Big Lagoon entrance; on the Tour A and A + C speed boats the ₱200 lagoon entrance fee is paid on the day instead. Everyone pays the ₱400 El Nido Eco-Tourism Development Fee in cash at the stops, plus kayak hire on the itineraries that call at the lagoons. Hotel drop-off is not included on any of them — tricycles wait at the dock. Prefer a per-person fare? See the joining boat tours, or start with our comparison of Tours A, B, C and D and where to stay in El Nido if the pickup area is still an open question.