EL NIDO TOUR C ISLAND HOPPING

EL NIDO TOUR C

The next day, Oct. 10, we woke up early for our Island Hopping tour C with Kuya Joseph Ednalino.

But first things first, we had breakfast c/o CASA CECILIA at their rooftop. Breakfast is a simple longsilog meal which made better by the great view of the limestone cliffs surrounding El Nido town.

simple but filling

breakfast done!

limestone cliffs surrounding the town proper

Then around 8:30am, Kuya Joseph fetched us from the lobby of CASA CECILIA and went to the beachfront for the tour.

our itinerary:
Helicopter Island
Hidden Beach
Tapiutan / Tailsay Beach (where lunch is served)
Secret Beach
Matinloc Shrine & viewing Deck

excited!

our group with Kuya Joseph (sya yung naka-black na rashguard)

and off we go...

thankful for the nice weather

maganda na sana, kaya lang.. nagphotobomb yun camera hehehe

first stop: HELICOPTER ISLAND

Not much to do here but swim and snorkle. Very laid back island with nothing much. Spent around 20-30 mins here then onward to the next stop.

snorkling

2nd: HIDDEN BEACH

nasan.. nasan ang hidden beach?

the entrance to the beach hidden by the limestone

Hidden Beach entrance is covered by limestone rocks so it is not easily seen from afar. Back when I first visited El Nido, boats can dock inside the hidden beach but not anymore. As per our guide, Boatmen have decided that boats should dock near the entrance so that the tourists may be able to enjoy the Hidden beach without the boats hindering the view. This I Agree On.

eto siya o!

see that? yan yun isang entrance to hidden beach

Then for our lunch, the boat sailed us to TALISAY BEACH

While they were preparing our lunch, we contented ourselves with lounging around and taking pictures of the island

clear waters

finally, lunch is served!

grilled chicken

alimasag

grilled fish

vegetable salad

lato

DIG IN!

after a filling meal, we then went to SECRET BEACH.

To enter the Secret Beach, tourists need to swim towards a small hole. Ihahatid ka lang ng bangka near the entrance and you'd need to swim the rest of the way. During Low tide, this is safe enough but during high tide, this is discouraged dahil baka madala ka ng waves and masugatan coz of the sharp rocks and limestones. Suggest to have Aqua shoes here because talagang matatalas ang mga bato na aapakan and hindi sapat ang slippers lang.

To tell the truth, I wasn't THAT awed with the secret beach. I think what people are after is what you have to go through just to see the place. The adrenaline rush. Its just a simple beach that is surrounded by limestones cliffs on all side. You can't even swim inside because of the shallow water and sharp rocks. Just enough for picture-taking.

see that small hole at the right side? yan ang papasukan to enter the secret beach

success! got inside the beach fine

Our last stop: MATINLOC SHRINE AND VIEWING DECK

This was previously owned by a German and his Filipina wife and was later abandoned for unknown reasons. It was houses a shrine and a viewing deck with a mesmerizing view of the Matinloc Islands.

crystal clear waters near the dock

where our boat docked

viewing deck

By 4:30pm, we were done with TOUR C and proceeded to go back to town. We then bought some breads at the nearby Bakery and proceeded to have merienda with our cup of Instant Noodles. Busog!

After having a shower, stayed at the lobby area to use their wifi. Updated our FB with some pics taken during the day. By 8pm, wala pa ring nagtatawag for dinner because pagod and tulog na half of the group. Only 5 of us came out for dinner and we had it at KAPTAIN'S DINER near CASA CECILIA.

Food is so-so, I had tapsilog which for 80 pesos is expensive considering the taste. Their carbonara with chicken is ok for 150 pesos. Spaghetti is very basic. Also ordered their burger with fries, sakto lang ang lasa. Rating is 6 out of 10. 

Should've gone to ALTROVE for dinner kaya lang di namin mahanap. More expensive but better food.

Anyway, after an uneventful dinner, got back to the hotel and slept. It'll be an early day again tomorrow.