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6 Days in Palawan: El Nido Tours A and C, the 3-Day Boat Expedition and Coron (with Tour Prices Compared)
Palawan's two big island-hopping towns are El Nido and Coron, and the most talked-about way to get between them is a 3-day, 2-night boat expedition with island camps instead of the ferry. This plan does two shared day tours in El Nido, takes the expedition north to Coron, and finishes with Coron's Ultimate Tour. It assumes you reach El Nido the evening before day 1 and fly out of Coron after day 6 (check flights and transfers for your dates; unverified). Every paid stop is a tour we compared across booking sites, and the gaps are free time.
Day 1: El Nido Tour A, the lagoons
- Morning to afternoon: Tour A. Corazon Travel & Tours' shared boat to the Big Lagoon, Secret Lagoon, Shimizu Island and beaches, with lunch, was cheapest on GetYourGuide, from $24 (4.4 from 2,006), against $28.00 for the same company's Tour A on Viator (4.2 from 94). Klook sells a similar Tour A. Viator's listing doesn't include the El Nido eco-tourism fee, the Big Lagoon fee, kayak rental or snorkel gear, so bring pesos. It's on day 1 on purpose: if weather cancels it, you have day 2 to move it to.
- Evening: free. Dinner and a sunset walk along the beach in El Nido town (free).
Day 2: El Nido Tour C, hidden beaches
- Morning to afternoon: Tour C. Corazon's shared boat to Hidden Beach, Secret Beach, Matinloc Shrine and Helicopter Island, with lunch, was cheapest on GetYourGuide, from $29 (4.4 from 802), against $32.00 for the same tour on Viator (4.4 from 14). Klook has a similar Tour C. Snorkel sets are rented on site.
- Evening: free. Pack light for the boat: the expedition leaves the next morning (check your operator's luggage rules and meeting time; unverified).
Days 3 to 5: El Nido to Coron by boat
- Three days, two nights: the expedition. We Are Juan's 3-day, 2-night El Nido to Coron island-hopping expedition with island camps and meals was cheapest on GetYourGuide, from $311 (4.8 from 602), against $352.42 for a similar all-inclusive expedition by El Nido Adventure Tours on Viator (5.0 from 8). Viator's listing includes all meals, drinks, snorkel gear and beach huts; government fees and tips are extra, and it needs at least 6 days' notice to cancel for a full refund. Klook sells a similar 3-day, 2-night expedition. The exact islands and camps vary by operator and weather (unverified).
- Evening of day 5: Coron town. You arrive in Coron at the end of the trip (arrival time varies; unverified). Keep the evening free.
Day 6: Coron's Ultimate Tour
- Day: the Ultimate Tour. Psalms Travel Services' tour to Kayangan Lake, Twin Lagoon, the Skeleton Wreck and beaches, with lunch and transfers, was cheapest on GetYourGuide, from $42 (4.8 from 1,507), against $50.00 for the same company's tour on Viator (4.9 from 102). Viator lists lunch, entrance fees and a life vest as included; government fees and kayak or snorkel rental are extra. Klook sells a similar private Coron Ultimate day.
- Evening: free, or keep it as a spare in case weather pushed a boat day back.
Rough cost per person
| Item | Cheapest site | From |
|---|---|---|
| El Nido Tour A (Corazon) | GetYourGuide | $24 |
| El Nido Tour C (Corazon) | GetYourGuide | $29 |
| El Nido to Coron 3-day, 2-night expedition (We Are Juan) | GetYourGuide | $311 |
| Coron Ultimate Tour (Psalms) | GetYourGuide | $42 |
| Total, paid tours | about $406 |
That's $24 + $29 + $311 + $42 = $406 in "from" prices, before taxes, environmental and government fees, gear rental, tips, meals outside the tours, hotels in El Nido and Coron, and flights. The expedition's two nights and its meals are part of its price. Booking every item on Viator instead came to $462.42 ($28.00 + $32.00 + $352.42 + $50.00), with more inclusions spelled out on the expedition.
Skip if…
- Skip the expedition if you want a real bed every night or get seasick; it's three days on a boat with island camps. You'd need another way between El Nido and Coron (ferry or flight; unverified), and could spend the extra days on more day tours.
- Skip Tour C if you only want the famous lagoons; Tour A has the Big Lagoon and Secret Lagoon, and a free beach day in El Nido saves $29.
- Skip the Viator expedition if your plans might change; it needs 6 days' notice for a full refund, and it had 8 reviews against 602 for the GetYourGuide one.
- Skip doing it in this direction if flights work better the other way: We Are Juan's Coron to El Nido expedition was also from $311 on GetYourGuide (4.8 from 168), and El Nido Adventure Tours' version on Viator from $353.95. Just flip the plan: Coron first, El Nido last.
- Skip the Underground River on this trip. The Underground River day on GetYourGuide (from $45) leaves from Puerto Princesa, which is a long way south of El Nido (unverified). Add it only if you fly into Puerto Princesa and have a spare day.
A note on the season
Every paid day here is on a boat, and boat tours in El Nido and Coron can be called off in bad weather, so book the day tours early in each stay and keep an evening spare, as this plan does. Late fall can still bring storms in the Philippines, and the drier months are generally said to run from about December to May (general guide, unverified). Before you book the expedition, check what happens if weather cancels your departure, and prefer listings with free cancellation for the day tours.
See every price, rating and site side by side in the full Philippines tours comparison.