EL NIDO Guide

Our first and most important recommendation for your trip to the Philippines is to bear in mind that it's a country where traveling can be quite challenging and time-consuming. Despite its increasing popularity as a tourist destination, don't expect it to be like Thailand or Bali, which have a much more developed infrastructure. Therefore, plan your trip with sufficient time to truly enjoy each destination.

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We spent a total of 11 full days between El Nido and Coron; and based on our experience, we would recommend dedicating a minimum of 15 days so that, in addition to visiting these two places if they're on your list, you can explore other islands like Boracay, Siquijor, Siargao, Bohol... With over 7,000 islands, the Philippines offers a wide range of opportunities to customize your itinerary according to your preferences!

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Another aspect to consider when organizing your trip to the Philippines is the climate. Due to the geographical position of this country, each region may experience a different climatic season. Primarily, from December to March, the dry season occurs with relatively moderate temperatures. While rainfall may occur, it is usually brief; this period is considered the best time for diving as the sea offers optimal visibility. Following this, summer spans from April to May, characterized by higher temperatures and minimal precipitation. It's when Filipinos enjoy their vacations and local festivals. Lastly, from June to November is the wet season, with increased heat and more rainfall. However, similar to many Southeast Asian countries, you may experience either intense rainfall under cloudy skies or short-lived storms quickly replaced by sunny weather within moments. Therefore, if this is the only time you can travel there, don't let it discourage you.

You should also consider currency exchange, as almost everything will need to be paid in cash. The official currency of the Philippines is the Philippine peso (PHP). We exchanged most of our money at Manila Airport, surprisingly at a good rate. Some restaurants in El Nido did accept cards, so we were able to pay with our Revolut card for part of it (we're really pleased with the service from this bank and using the card abroad).

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Regarding internet connection, you may encounter difficulties connecting to WiFi in many areas. For instance, in our hotels, the WiFi worked so poorly that most of the time we relied on the mobile data from our eSim. In our case, whenever we travel outside of Europe, we always buy an eSIM. It's much more convenient since you don't have to worry about losing your physical SIM, it's easy to install, and you can choose from plans that best suit your data usage.

You can opt for shared or private tours. Shared tours typically use larger boats and gather a group from 15 to 25 people. Due to the slight price difference, we recommend booking private tours whenever possible. With private tours, you can tailor the itinerary with the guide, add extra stops, better manage the time at each stop and adjust the route to encounter as few people as possible at each destination. If a private tour for just two people, seems too expensive for you, it's quite easy to find others looking to share these tours and go with a group from 6 to 8 people much more comfortably than in a shared tour. In our case, almost every day we went out with different couples or groups of friends who were looking to do the same tour privately on that day.

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If you have a drone and want to take it on your trip to the Philippines, rest assured that you won't encounter any problems. The laws regulating drones in the Philippines are under the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), which states the following: flying is only permitted during the day and as long as the drone remains within your line of sight. It's not allowed to fly within 10km of an airport, over populated areas (such as concerts, markets, etc.), above 120m above sea level, or within 30m of children, elderly or pregnant individuals. Our advice is to always use common sense and exercise caution, especially when flying the drone near karst rocks, as they have magnetic properties that may interfere with satellite detection and precise location control.

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Lastly, tap water in the Philippines is not potable, so avoid consuming ice or unfiltered/unboiled water. Opt for bottled water instead. We also recommend paying special attention to mosquitoes, which are prevalent during the rainy season, by using a reliable repellent and appropriate clothing to prevent the transmission of diseases such as dengue, zika, etc. We use the Goibi Xtreme Forte, which was recommended to us by the travel clinic doctor and can be purchased at pharmacies.