El Nido · Backpacking
ON A BUDGET
Limestone islands, an eco fee on arrival, and tour boats that eat a budget fast.
El Nido town proper
Dorms sit along Calle Hama and the lanes behind Rizal, walkable to the tour boats. Corong Corong is quieter and catches the sunset.
What a day costs
Dorm ₱500–900, food ₱300–600, tricycles ₱50–150. Around ₱900–1,700, roughly 16–30 USD, before adding ₱1,200–1,600 for an island-hopping tour.
Getting around cheap
Tricycles handle the town and nearby beaches. Shared vans reach Puerto Princesa in five to six hours, and fast ferries cross to Coron in about four.
Free by day
Sunset from Las Cabanas beach, the four-kilometre sweep of Nacpan an hour north, and the town's morning fish market on the seafront.
Las Cabanas Beach
A twenty-minute tricycle from town, with beach bars, a zip line and the crowd that gathers every evening for the sunset. Easiest place to meet people.