Tour A: The Lagoons
The route almost everyone does first: the two big lagoons on Miniloc Island, plus a sandbar beach on the way home.
What it costs
| What | Published price | Source | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shared boat, per person | ₱1,500 | Discover El Nido2026-08-26 | |
| Shared boat, per person | ₱1,200 | El Nido Tours2026-08-26 | This operator lists a PHP 200 lagoon fee separately, on top. |
| Private outrigger, total for 2 | ₱13,000 | Discover El Nido2026-08-26 | Plus PHP 1,200 per additional person. |
| Private speedboat, total for 2 | ₱19,500 | Discover El Nido2026-08-26 | Plus PHP 2,000 per additional person. |
On top of the tour price
- Eco-Tourism Development Fee (ETDF) — ₱400 El Nido Tours2026-08-26
10 days, covers all island-hopping tours during that period. Paid once, so it only lands on your first tour day. - Big Lagoon entrance fee — ₱200 El Nido Tours2026-08-26
Charged on top of the tour price and on top of the ETDF. - Small Lagoon entrance fee — ₱200 El Nido Tours2026-08-26
Charged on top of the tour price and on top of the ETDF.
Where it goes
Big Lagoon
High walls and still water, and the single most photographed place in the archipelago.
LagoonSmall Lagoon
Reached through a narrow gap in the rock; quiet once the tour groups thin out.
LagoonSecret Lagoon
Listed as a stop on this route. No detail verified yet.
BeachSeven Commandos Beach
Listed as a stop on this route. No detail verified yet.
IslandShimizu Island
Listed as a stop on this route. No detail verified yet.
Stops as published by El Nido Tours2026-08-26. Operators do vary the running order, and skip stops in bad weather.
Practical
- Duration — Roughly 9:00 to 17:00 El Nido Tours2026-08-26
- Best for — First-timers, and the lagoon photographs everyone arrives wanting El Nido Tours2026-08-26
- Departs — El Nido Beach, in town El Nido Tours2026-08-26
- Lunch — grilled seafood and rice on a beach or sandbar, included by all operators indexed El Nido Tours2026-08-26
What we have not verified
- Which specific operators run this route on any given day, and how many boats go out. Only operators that publish a rate card are indexed here.
- Whether stops are skipped in particular sea conditions, and how often that happens in practice.
- Group sizes per boat. No operator indexed publishes a cap.
Known unknowns are listed rather than filled in. If you can confirm one of these first-hand, tell us and it gets added with the date it was checked.
The other three tours
Tour B — Caves and Sandbars
Usually the quietest of the four: a tidal sandbar, a cave with archaeological history, and a beach under a limestone wall.
₱1,200–1,700 · medium to high crowdsTour C — The Outer Islands
The furthest route from town, and the one repeat visitors most often name as their favourite. The best snorkelling of the four.
₱1,200–1,500 · low crowdsTour D — Cadlao and the Quiet Beaches
The closest route to town, around Cadlao Island. Usually the least busy, and a common third or fourth day.
Head-to-head: Tour A vs Tour B · Tour A vs Tour C · Tour A vs Tour D
See every published price side by side in the Price Index → · prices by group size →