As I previously mentioned, a full day of tour is always part of our Strategic Planning itinerary. My company is a firm believer of the "Work hard, play hard!" lifestyle. We're done with work, now it's time to play as much as we want.
After working for two consecutive days, it's time to set aside work and focus on fostering great working relationship. It doesn't require a genius to figure out the best activity when you're in El Nido. By default, it would always be island hopping.
I contacted El Swift Travel and tours and learned that there were four (4) tour packages to choose from. Below are the breakdown of what these tours include, the destinations and the price/pax. Prices below might've drastically increased after the pandemic. In our case, I chose Tour C.
The private boat picked us up at Lio Beach early in the morning. We were dressed for the beach and island hopping activity that day.
We had to dropped by El Nido's town proper where most of the boats start their tour. We went there to pay environmental fees and rent snorkel gears which we paid separately (paid by my company).
I remember how calm the sea was when we started our tour. Not the smallest ripple can be noticed in its surface. Excitement grew inside me as the boat slowly made its way to our first of many destinations.
First stop: Helicopter island
Our tour guide needed no words to explain why our first destination was named as such. From afar, a dark shadow perfectly resembling a helicopter caught our attention. It's inconceivable how this island came about but one thing's for sure, it's a product of hundreds of years of weathering.
Soon after, we landed in the helicopter-shaped island. We basked in its creamsand shore and the crystal clear water that comes and goes. It was unbelievably beautiful. Even if we only visited this island, I'd be just as happy.
A not-so hidden Hidden Beach
We moved unto the next destination. This one's a bit tricky and required more effort to reach. First, our boat had to park near a small opening in the islets made from ragged limestones.
We disembarked and was told to closely follow the guide; we did as we're told. We waded through the narrow and shallow water behind a long stretch of towering karst limestones. It was like entering a different dimension. A few more meters and we reached what was dubbed as the Hidden Beach in El Nido. I'm not sure how one enters during high tide or if it's even doable, but it would best to visit on low tide just like what we did.
I had retrieved shots in my GoPro. Lol! Look who's so excited! 🤣
If you want to swim and snorkel, you're not getting any of it here in Hidden Beach. But you get incomparable white sand/sandbar and a close encounter with what El Nido is famous for, limestone formations.
Freedive my way to Secret Lagoon
My mind couldn't think of how this next destination was discovered for it's concealed at the back of limestone formations in one of the islands in El Nido. Maybe a helicopter spotted it from above?
Many destinations in El Nido rely mostly on the tide, I'm not sure if it's possible to visit the Secret Lagoon during high tide. In our case, it was low tide.
I've always been adventurous and this time,my freediving skills came in handy. At first I was scared to freedive, the underwater path leading to the lagoon might be too long but the tour guide assured me otherwise. I found myself in a narrow path and in seconds, I was already inside the Secret Lagoon.
Freediving is an option but not mandatory; you can snorkel or better ask help from you guide to drag you inside. It was already crowded when we got inside but this didn't stop my workmates from having the time of their lives. We were just sitting in the huge stones inside the lagoon.
I'm ending this post here for now as it's getting longer than expected. Another post for wil complete this work trip in El Nido. Stay tuned! :)
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