Day 4: El Nido

After being a full day on a boat, discovering small islands and lagoons I decided to stay the day on El Nido and discover what else this island has to offer.

I read online about a walk you can do to see one of the best views that the island has to offer. However, the staff from the hostel told me the hike starts only very early in the morning, at around 5am, to see the sunrise. But I didn’t believe him and just decided to go by myself to have a look. I took a tricycle to El Nido town, walked to a small tree house, where you could buy the tickets for the different walking tours. Then, I understood what the staff members meant with “the hiking tours are only at 5am in the morning”. There were different types of walks you could choose from. The most challenging one, being the cliff walk, only takes place early in the morning, when it’s not already too hot. However, there were still some other options I could choose from. Finally, I decided to do the Canopy Walk.

It was quite surprising when the guide gave me a climbing equipment and a protection hat. I thought that you could just walk by yourself up. But no! We went together as a group with one guide leading us. We walked across a very cool bridge before we reached the top. The nature around us was already amazing.

After a couple of minutes, we reached the top. It was so so quick. I could have definitely walked a little more. But here I was! The view was definitely amazing. We could see the ocean, El Nido town and its beach, all the boats and the forest. The entire landscape was just stunning. We spend some time just enjoying the view and taking pictures. I was super glad that I came here. The tour guide was super nice as well and felt how much I liked it. He invited me to join the morning cliff walk tomorrow. But unfortunately, I didn’t have enough time on the island to come back again.

When I came back from the Canopy Walk, I walked into town to eat some breakfast. I really was craving a smoothie bowl. And I ended up, not only having one, but two! I just had to try two different places. And it was just too good. A perfect island breakfast. Afterwards, I just walked around town to see all the small shops and restaurants. I also booked another Boat Tour for the next day.

Then, I decided to take a tricycle to “Las Cabanas Beach”. I had no expectations. I just didn’t really know what else I could do on the island, without having to rent a scooter. That’s how I just randomly got here. And I loved it. The beach was absolutely beautiful. There were quite a lot of people, but that didn’t really bother me. I went for a swim and just enjoyed the sun on the beach.

Later, I headed to the very cute looking beach restaurant to drink a fresh coconut. There, I met Berta. We talked and talked for a long time. She actually lives in Zurich, which is why we could speak in German. It was nice having a conversation with someone living close to my home. She also recommended me to walk further along the beach. And that’s what I did.

It was amazing! Suddenly there weren’t any people anymore. I felt like I just had discovered a new island. It was just beautiful nature and me. That’s how I imagined the Philippines to be. Just magical!

Then it was time to head back to the hostel. I took a shower, got ready, drank a mango juice and headed back to El Nido Town. I really wanted to try a local beach restaurant. I ended up at the restaurant “Jarace”.  They specialised in grilled fish and seafood. It was so cool, and nothing I have ever seen before. You had to go down to the beach and choose the fish and seafood you would like to have grilled. The variety was big! I wished I would have come with more people to try more different dishes. My final dinner was grilled squid with rice, some sautéed spinach with tofu and a fresh coconut. I couldn’t complain! The rest of the evening, I walked through the town to buy some souvenirs. Then I went back to the hostel to get everything ready for tomorrow. The next boat tour was already waiting for me!