Other Things To Do In El Nido
The island hopping tours of El Nido are some of the best activities you can do in the Philippines, they’re some of the best activities in all of Southeast Asia in fact. But there are other things to do in El Nido besides island hopping.
This post aims to cover what things to do in El Nido besides island hopping, based upon my own time there exploring around the area.
Things to do in El Nido besides island hopping include: cave exploring, visiting beaches and a nice walk to the summit of Mt. Mansilawit for amazing panoramic views.
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El Nido Video
The video below showcases my time in El Nido, including everything mentioned in this post as well as the island hopping tours.
There are chapter marks in it for you to skip to the parts of the video that are the things to do in El Nido besides island hopping.
The Island Hopping Tours
If you are interested in the island hopping tours of El Nido, I have a separate post that covers all 4 island hopping tours on offer. I discuss which tours were the best, which stops were the best and also some tips and tricks to save money.
Having actually done all 4 of the island hopping tours I feel like the post offers a lot more than those from people who do 2 tours and talk about “what they’ve heard” about the others.
Check it out here (there’s a video as well for those who prefer videos).
List of Things to do in El Nido Besides Island Hopping
So let’s start with a look into other things to do in El Nido besides island hopping.
This list is not in any particular order of favouritism and I have tried to include some variety, but at the end of the day El Nido is known for its coast, with its spectacular limestone karst landscapes so if you don’t like the beach or the karst landscapes your options are limited.
I also refuse to talk about places I haven’t been to in order to pad out the post so all of these places mentioned I have actually been to, all photos are my own.
Taraw Cliff Sunrise Climb
I want to get this out of the way up the top of the list of things to do in El Nido besides island hopping, as it was my favourite activity of the entire trip (that includes the underground river).
However I have made a separate post all about it so head over to this post to read more about climbing Taraw Cliff for sunrise as there are plenty of details to cover.
Shot on the DJI Mini 4 Pro (Amazon)
The Beaches
Nacpan Beach
Nacpan Beach
Shot on the DJI Mini 4 Pro (Amazon)
Nacpan & Twin Beach
Visit the beaches to the north of El Nido town for a day.
Hire a motorbike and you can get there in about 30 minutes, I don’t recommend taking a tricycle as the journey will take closer to 50 minutes and will be very loud and uncomfortable.
The road is not pavement the entire way so having your own motorbike is key here.
Nacpan beach stretches out for about 3km, twin beach is at the southern end (see image below).
Shot on the DJI Mini 4 Pro (Amazon)
When you get there the order of the day is basically to relax. There are lounge chairs for rent, or take a towel like I did. It is a built up area with massage services as well as food and drink services (just don’t ride home drunk).
An umbrella with two loungers will cost ₱500 for the day.
You will be charged to use amenities like public toilets and showers but if you are eating or drinking at a restaurant you will have free access to their toilets.
There are other activities on offer such as renting an ATV but I haven’t personally tried these.
If you want to stay at Mad Monkey hostel this is where you will be, but I recommend staying in town and just visiting here on a day trip.
Duli Beach
Although El Nido is more known for island hopping and scuba diving there is one other water activity to do, surfing. This is the only beach I am aware of in the area that has consistent and beginner friendly waves.
Board rental is available from the beach front vendors at a rough price of ₱400 and lessons for roughly ₱800/hour but note that these can change between seasons or from company to company.
This is a beach that’s really best visited by those hoping to surf, there’s not as much infrastructure for those just wanting to relax however there are lounge chairs, bars, a resort and restaurant.
Shot on the DJI Mini 4 Pro (Amazon)
Duli beach is about 40 minutes scooter ride north from El Nido town or 30 minutes from Nacpan due to the way they road goes south before heading north again out of Nacpan.
Come learn to surf in El Nido!
Las Cabañas Beach
One of the more popular things to do in El Nido besides island hopping is to check out the sunset at Las Cabañas beach to the south of El Nido.
This beach is closer to the town than the previous two mentioned but is south of town. It will only take you 10-15 minutes on a scooter to get here.
Las Cabañas beach has some of the most stunning views in the region thanks to its karst limestone formations around the beach, one of which you can walk to on the sandbar in either high or low tides.
It is heavily built up so you won’t be short of bars, restaurants or massage offerings and this is the place that the zip line ends at (more on that later).
The Climbs
Mt. Mansilawit
Shot on the Sony A1 using the Tamron 17-28mm f/2.8 (Amazon/eBay link)
Mt. Mansilawit
So you want to other things to do in El Nido besides island hopping and you’re sick of the beaches!?
Mt. Mansilawit is a lesser known activity that could be right up your alley!
This is a short hike up to the top of Mt. Mansilawit, it gets a little tough during the ascent due to the heat (depending on the time of year) but overall it is a quite basic hike with no scrambling or technical climbing.
The guides are amazing, full of knowledge and just generally good people which makes the activity feel even better and more rewarding.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Don’t type in “Mt. Mansilawit” on Google Maps, it takes you to the wrong spot and onto private land. Type in “Mt.Mansilawit Eagles Nest Parking Area” and you will be taken to the correct spot. This is roughly 25 minutes ride north of town and is on the main highway.
Shot on the DJI Mini 4 Pro (Amazon)
Climbing Mt. Mansilawit can be done at any time during daylight hours, but to do a sunrise walk will require dropping in the day before to plan it to make sure you have a guide ready to go.
You cannot do this walk without a guide as the land is private land!
The cost is ₱500 for a guide.
The climb goes across flat farmland for 10 minutes before starting the 550 step ascent to the lookout tower. This took me 50 minutes but I think without a backpack full of camera gear you could do this climb in 30 minutes.
I was also very tired from Taraw Cliff and Ille Cave the previous day.
Overall expect to spend 2-3 hours here depending on fitness levels and how long you decide to enjoy the views from the top.
Views of ‘Big Beach’ from Mt. Mansilawit viewpoint.
Shot on the Sony A1 (Amazon/eBay link) using the Tamron 28-200mm f/2.8-5.6 (Amazon/eBay link).
Ille Cave
What’s the best thing to do in El Nido besides island hopping?
Well this was my next favourite activity after Taraw Cliff.
Ille cave is located about 40 minutes east of El Nido and there is about 5km of rough bumpy road which slows you down.
This activity has something for everyone, from those wanting a look back in time to those seeking adventure!
You can simply explore the caves and archeological findings from the area, or you can opt for the adventure tour which climbs up through the caves, then out onto the open of the karst limestone formation all the way to the top!
Shot on the DJI Mini 4 Pro (Amazon)
Now obviously I recommend the adventure tour. This will start with a walk through a small museum with local artefacts found in the caves, then about 20 minutes exploring the cave with a guide who can answer all of your questions.
After this comes the climb. This climb will take about 20-25 minutes up and the same again on the way down. You can spend as long as you want up the top. At the top are some sharp limestone viewpoints you can climb if you are semi-athletic.
Again this is ₱500 to do and I highly recommend this.
This same company also run other tours such as mangrove tours but I have not tried these so can’t comment on them.
Shot on the DJI Mini 4 Pro (Amazon)
Other Stuff
Zipline
Shot on the DJI Mini 4 Pro (Amazon)
Zip line
Ok, so you want to do things in El Nido besides island hopping, visiting beaches or hiking/climbing?
There is a zipline that you can do which starts up above Las Cabañas beach and ends on Depeldet island just off the beach. This island is accessible with a sandbar. At low tide it is dry, at high tide about knee-deep water.
There is an option to have a 2-way zip line which will take you some of the way back to where you start (to collect your bike for example) but most people I saw just walked back across the sandbar and up the hill.
You are able to do this in a seated or superman position if the winds will allow it. Sometimes the winds will close the return zipline and you can only do the main zipline.
This will cost about ₱600 to go one way and another ₱500 for the return if you decide to do it. It’s not an exhilerating ride but it is a scenic ride with great views. Coming at sunset it gets very busy though.
This is one of the more popular things to do in El Nido besides island hopping but is far from the best of them.
El Nido Town
Explore El Nido town itself, the town is small enough to walk around and is extremely charming. There are loads of bars, restaurants, clothes shops etc. to explore and if you want there are a few clubs as well for late night adventures.
Shot on the Sony A1 using the Tamron 17-28mm f/2.8 (Amazon/eBay link)
The town comes alive just before sunset as people line the beach or the beachfront bars to grab a drink or some food as the heat disappears. It is a magical place worth spending at least a week in if you plan to do all of these activities listed here.
The views are great whichever way you look, with Taraw cliff in one direction towering over the town and the bay in the other direction providing an amazing contrast.
There are plenty of things to do in El Nido besides island hopping!
I hope this post has shed some light on the other things to do in El Nido besides island hopping and given you some inspiration for your upcoming travels. This really is one of the best places I have visited.
Have I missed anything obvious?
There is the El Nido via Ferrato walk as well which I discuss briefly in the Taraw Cliff post, but I personally didn’t rate it at all.
Ranking the other things to do in El Nido besides island hopping
Ok, I wasn’t going to do this but if I had to rank all of the activities listed here the order from best to worst would be:
- Taraw cliff.
- Ille cave.
- Mt. Mansilawit.
- El Nido town.
- Duli beach.
- Zipline.
- Las Cabañas beach.
- Nacpan and twin beaches.
The reason for this is that just because this post is about other things to do in El Nido besides island hopping, that does not mean that I don’t recommend the island hopping tours!
So due to this, the beaches are not as good as the inland stuff, because you will see plenty of beaches when you do the island hopping tours and they are better than what is on offer here.
However this doesn’t apply if you want to surf, Duli beach is your only option.
Anyway, thanks for reading and safe travels!
Love,
The Browne Town.