El Nido Tour A, Three Ways

Tour A is the day people fly across the world for: kayaking into Big Lagoon between karst walls, the hidden pool of Secret Lagoon through a crack in the rock, snorkelling off Shimizu Island, a quieter swim at Payong-Payong Beach, and a long sandy finish at Seven Commandos Beach with its beach bar and volleyball net. It is the classic El Nido tour and the one to book for the front of your stay, so a weather cancellation still leaves you a second chance at the lagoons.

Joining Boat

The shared Tour A, from around ₱1,600 per person, departs at 9:00 AM after check-in at the operator's beachfront and is back at the dock around 5:00 PM. The fare covers the boat and crew, the lunch the crew grills on the beach, life vests, hotel pickup within the pickup area and the Big Lagoon entrance. It is the best-value way to see the lagoons, and it travels with the fleet.

Private Outrigger

The private boat, from around ₱15,500 for two guests and around ₱1,800 for each additional person, runs the same stops on your own clock, with departures at 8:00, 8:30 or 9:00 AM. The early slot is the point: leaving before the shared fleet is how you get into Big Lagoon while the water is still glass, and where local rules allow it the crew can run the stops in reverse.

Speed Boat

The speed boat, from around ₱25,500 for two, is private to your group with a maximum of eight guests and cuts the crossings between stops, so more of the day is swimming and less of it is sitting on a bench. It also finishes earlier, back at the dock around 3:00 PM. If one boat day has to do everything, the A + C combo from around ₱29,500 for two guests adds Hidden Beach, Secret Beach and Helicopter Island to the Tour A highlights.

How to Choose

Solo travellers and couples on a budget take the joining boat. Groups of four or more often find the private outrigger costs little more per head and buys the early departure. Take the speed boat if you want the afternoon back or the outer islands in the same day. Whichever you pick, the ₱400 eco-tourism fee and kayak hire are cash at the stops, and the speed boats add a ₱200 lagoon entrance fee. Compare the letters in our Tours A, B, C and D guide, or browse all joining boat tours and private boat tours.