El Nido Island Hopping ToursHow to Get to El Nido: Four Routes Compared
How to get to El Nido depends on what you are trading. Flying into Lio Airport puts you fifteen minutes from the town beach and costs the most. A van from Puerto Princesa is five to six hours over 240 kilometres and costs about ₱700. The ferry from Coron takes three and a half to four hours. There is no road that skips the boat or the plane: El Nido sits at the top of Palawan and everything arrives from the south or across the water.
Quick answer
The simplest way to get to El Nido is a direct AirSwift flight from Manila or Cebu into Lio Airport, four kilometres north of town, from around $80 one way. The cheapest is a shared van from Puerto Princesa: five to six hours, about ₱700, running all day from the San Jose terminal.
Key takeaways
- Fly: AirSwift into Lio (ENI), roughly 1 hour 15 to 1 hour 50 from Manila, then a 15-minute tricycle into town
- Drive: Puerto Princesa to El Nido is 240 km, five to six hours by shared van at about ₱700, longer by bus
- Sail: the fast ferry from Coron is three and a half to four hours for around $50, or three days on the island-hopping expedition
- Once you are in town nothing else is needed: the island hopping boats leave from the town beach itself
- Budget the ₱400 eco fee separately, collected in El Nido and valid ten days across every tour
- Do not book a boat day for your arrival day; vans and flights both run late often enough to matter
Every Way In, Compared
The Four Routes at a Glance
Fares and times last verified August 2026 at ₱61.06 to the dollar. Every one of them moves with season, operator and how far ahead you book, so treat these as ranges rather than quotes.
| Route | Time | Cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manila or Cebu to Lio Airport (AirSwift) | 1 h 15 to 1 h 50 plus a 15-min tricycle | From about $80 one way | Short trips, anyone whose time costs more than the fare |
| Puerto Princesa to El Nido, shared van | 5 to 6 hours | About ₱600-800 ($10-13) | Most travellers, and anyone flying into the cheaper airport |
| Puerto Princesa to El Nido, bus | 6 to 8 hours | Less than the van | Budget travel and large luggage |
| Coron to El Nido, fast ferry | 3.5 to 4 hours | Around $50 | Anyone already in northern Palawan |
Where You Actually Arrive
Three arrival points serve El Nido and none of them is in the town itself. The airport is four kilometres north, the vans stop at the edge of town or in Corong-Corong, and the ferries dock south of the centre. The island hopping boats leave from the town beach, which is the point everything else feeds into.
By Air: Lio Airport
The Flight
AirSwift is the only airline flying into Lio, El Nido's small airport, with daily services from Manila and Cebu. Manila takes roughly an hour and fifteen minutes to an hour and fifty depending on the aircraft and the routing. Fares start around $80 one way and climb steeply in the dry months, and promo fares do not include checked baggage. Cabin baggage is capped at 7 kg, which catches people out more than the price does.
Lio is a single-runway airport with an open-sided terminal and no jet bridge. It is calm, quick and about as far from Manila's Terminal 3 as an airport can feel.
The alternative is flying into Puerto Princesa, which has far more flights and much lower fares, then covering the 240 kilometres north by road. That trade is five to six hours of your life against a saving that is often more than a hundred dollars for two people.
The Last Four Kilometres
Lio sits four kilometres north of El Nido town. Tricycles wait outside the terminal and the ride into the centre takes about fifteen minutes, with fares in the low hundreds of pesos and some negotiation expected. Hotels in town will arrange a pickup if you ask in advance, and the resorts around Lio Beach itself are a short walk from the terminal.
Arriving with a bag onto the town beach is normal here. The boats board by wading out from the sand, so wherever you sleep, that beach is where your island hopping day begins.
By Road from Puerto Princesa
Shared Van
The standard route. Shared vans leave the San Jose terminal in Puerto Princesa through the day, take five to six hours with a break in Roxas or Taytay, and cost roughly ₱600 to ₱800 a seat. Several companies run them and the vehicles are ten to fifteen seaters, air conditioned, full.
Book the morning departure. The road north is mountainous in stretches, and doing the last hour of it in the dark on a Friday is worse than doing it at eleven in the morning. Companies will collect from your Puerto Princesa hotel if you ask when booking, which saves a tricycle to the terminal.
The seats behind the driver take the corners best. Anyone prone to motion sickness should say so at booking and take something before departure rather than at the first bend.
Bus and Private Van
Buses cover the same road for less money and more time, six to eight hours with more stops, run by the big Palawan operators out of the same San Jose terminal. They take luggage better than a van does, which matters if you are travelling with dive gear or a surfboard.
A private van runs about ₱7,100 for a ten-seater, which is roughly ₱715 a head if you fill it and cheaper than individual van seats for a group of six or more. It also stops where you want, which on a five-hour drive past the Taytay coast is worth something.
Whichever you pick, the road is a single national highway and it does what single highways do: a truck breakdown north of Roxas adds an hour for everybody. Leave a buffer before anything you have already paid for.
By Sea from Coron
The Fast Ferry
Montenegro and Jomalia run the crossing between Coron and El Nido several times a week, typically leaving around midday and taking three and a half to four hours in decent conditions. Fares sit around $50 and rise with class and season. In the June to October monsoon the sea across this stretch can add an hour or cancel the sailing outright.
Ferries use the pier south of the town centre, near Corong-Corong, so budget a tricycle at the El Nido end unless you are staying nearby.
Book ahead in the dry months. This is the standard hop for anyone doing both towns and the boats fill days in advance from December to April.
The Three-Day Alternative
The other way to cover the same water is to spend three days on it. The El Nido to Coron expedition is $323.97 per person for three days and two nights, sleeping on beaches through the Linapacan islands with all meals aboard, and it runs in both directions.
It is not transport and nobody should book it as transport. It costs six times the ferry and takes eighteen times as long. What it buys is two nights on islands no day boat reaches, which is a different purchase entirely.
If you are deciding between them, the ferry wins on every practical measure and loses on the only one that made you come to Palawan.
Which Route Fits Your Trip
If You have under a week in the Philippines
Fly into Lio. The van eats a day at each end, which is a fifth of your trip.
If You are travelling on a budget
Fly into Puerto Princesa and take the morning shared van. The saving covers two days of island hopping.
If You are a group of six or more
Private van from Puerto Princesa, about ₱7,100 for the vehicle, which beats individual seats and stops where you want.
If You are coming from Coron
The fast ferry, unless the journey itself is the holiday, in which case the three-day expedition.
If You get motion sick
Fly. The van road is winding and the ferry crossing is open water; the plane is the only calm option here.
Once You Are in Town
Getting Around and Getting on the Water
El Nido town is small enough to walk end to end in twenty minutes. Tricycles cover everything else for a modest fare, including the run out to Corong-Corong, Lio and the beaches north.
Island hopping boats board from the town beach itself, wading out from the sand. There is no jetty, no terminal and no transfer, which means the first tour of your trip needs nothing more than being on that beach by half past eight. All four lettered routes leave from the same stretch.
Pay the ₱400 Eco-Tourism Development Fee at your operator's office before your first tour. It is cash, once, valid ten days across every tour and site in El Nido, and the crew checks the receipt before you board. The full comparison of island hopping tours in El Nido covers what each route costs beyond that.
Getting Around Town, and What It Costs
Last verified August 2026. Tricycle fares in El Nido are negotiated rather than metered, so agree the price before you get in. Nobody takes cards.
| Trip | Mode | Time | Typical fare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lio Airport to El Nido town | Tricycle | About 15 minutes | Low hundreds of pesos, negotiated |
| Town beach to Corong-Corong | Tricycle | 10 minutes | Small fixed fare |
| Anywhere inside town | On foot | Under 20 minutes end to end | Free |
| Town to Nacpan Beach | Tricycle or van | About 45 minutes | Higher, agreed before you leave |
| Town beach to your boat | Wading | 2 minutes | Free, and you will get wet to the knee |
Timing Your Arrival
Do not book a boat tour for the day you arrive. Vans run late, flights get weather-delayed, and the last thing anyone wants after five hours on the Palawan highway is a 08:30 departure.
Do not book a boat tour for the day you leave either. Routes overrun when the sea is slow, and no crew is tracking your flight. Three nights in town gives you two clean days on the water plus a buffer for a cancellation, which the season guide explains is the part of a Palawan trip most likely to need one.
One more thing to sort before you leave a city: cash. El Nido has a handful of ATMs and they run dry over long weekends, while every fee on the water is cash only.
Questions About Getting to El Nido
What airport do you fly to for El Nido?
Lio Airport (ENI), four kilometres north of El Nido town, served by AirSwift from Manila and Cebu. It is the only airport in El Nido itself. The larger alternative is Puerto Princesa (PPS), 240 kilometres south, which has far more flights and lower fares but leaves you a five to six hour van ride from town.
How do you get from Manila to El Nido?
Either a direct AirSwift flight into Lio, roughly an hour and a quarter to an hour and fifty, from around $80 one way, then a fifteen-minute tricycle into town. Or a cheaper flight to Puerto Princesa followed by a shared van north, five to six hours for about ₱700. The second option costs a day of your trip and saves a substantial amount of money, which is the whole trade.
Is it better to fly or take a boat to El Nido?
There is no boat from Manila, so the real question is only live if you are already in Coron. From there the fast ferry takes three and a half to four hours for around $50 and beats flying, because flying means backtracking through Manila or Cebu. From anywhere else in the country, fly to Lio or to Puerto Princesa and drive.
How long is the van from Puerto Princesa to El Nido?
Five to six hours over 240 kilometres, with one break in Roxas or Taytay. Buses cover the same road in six to eight. Vans leave the San Jose terminal through the day and most companies will collect you from a Puerto Princesa hotel if you book ahead. Take a morning departure so the mountain stretches are not in the dark.
Where do the island hopping boats leave from?
The town beach in El Nido itself. Boats anchor a few metres out and you wade to them from the sand, so there is no pier, no terminal and no transfer to arrange. All four lettered routes board from the same stretch between about 08:30 and 09:00.
Do I need to arrange transport for the tours?
No. Operators either meet you at their office in town and walk you down, or meet you on the beach. If you are staying in Corong-Corong or out near Lio, a tricycle into the centre takes ten to fifteen minutes and is the only transport you will need on a tour day.
Is El Nido worth visiting?
For the water, yes. Bacuit Bay holds around 45 islands of limestone karst with lagoons you enter by kayak and beaches you swim into, and the four lettered boat routes are how you see them. What it is not is a quiet place: the town is busy, the road in is long, and the popular stops are shared with the whole fleet. Come for two or three days on the water and the getting there stops mattering.