El Nido

At the northern tip of Palawan, El Nido crowds into a narrow coastal strip pinched between sheer black limestone cliffs and the clear waters of Bacuit Bay. Walking through the central barangay of Buena Suerte feels wonderfully compact, where motorized tricycles buzz along concrete lanes lined with dive shops and the aroma of garlic rice and charcoal-grilled fish drifts from open-air eateries straight out toward the tide. First settled by indigenous Tagbanwa and Cuyonon fishermen, the municipality was known as Bacuit until 1954, when it was renamed El Nido after the edible swiftlet nests harvested from its cavernous sea walls. Beyond the town edge, traditional outrigger bangkas ferry travelers into the Bacuit Archipelago. Miniloc Island features the Big Lagoon, entered via a shallow emerald channel beneath jagged monoliths. Farther north, Nacpan Beach stretches for four uninterrupted kilometers of golden sand and coconut palms, while neighboring Corong-Corong provides a calmer coastal strip where wooden outriggers rest on tidal mudflats. Local daily rhythm centers on the public market near Corong-Corong, where vendors sell piles of fresh squid and bunches of salty lato, a local sea grape. Every March, residents celebrate the Kulambo Festival, draping themselves in mosquito netting for vibrant street dances honoring community health and native weavers. To explore, hail a tricycle for short hops or rent a scooter for the northern roads. Visit between December and April for calm seas, and charter an outrigger boat around six in the morning to reach the lagoons in quiet stillness before the tour fleets arrive.