Beaches and districts in El Nido, where to stay

What beaches are in El Nido

Although El Nido is best known for boat tours to islands with gorgeous beaches and lagoons, and indeed most travelers come here for these tours, there is actually quite decent beach vacationing here as well. It's true that in the center of El Nido, there are practically no beaches suitable for swimming and relaxing on the shore. But near the town, there are several magnificent and very beautiful beaches that you can head to during the day from the center by taxi or rented motorbike. And on some of these beaches, tourist districts have formed, so if you wish, you can stay at a hotel right there.

In general, for your vacation in El Nido to be successful and meet your expectations, you simply need to choose the right place to stay. Read our overview of the beaches and districts of El Nido, and everything will become clear:

El Nido beaches on map

Overview of all El Nido beaches

• El Nido City Beach (El Nido Beach)

  

  El Nido Beach is located right in the center of the resort, stretching along the central part of the town for almost a kilometer (El Nido Beach on map). Although it is a beach, it's not really a beach. People practically don't swim here; you can maybe lie on the shore to sunbathe or wade in a bit to wet your feet. There are boats on the shore, the coastal strip is also dotted with boats, on the left part of the beach there's a large pier from where hundreds of boats depart for island tours. But in the evening, many cafes and restaurants work here, including seafood places, and generally, all the evening action in El Nido happens right here.

  

  

  

  

  

• Corong Beach

  

  Corong Beach is another city's conditional beach. It's no longer in the center of El Nido but about a kilometer along the main road (Corong Beach on map). There are also hotels and infrastructure here, but much weaker than in the center, and there's no such partying and fun in the evenings. And, by the way, the cheapest guesthouse options in El Nido can be found here. If you stay here, you can even walk to the center along the road.

  But you absolutely cannot swim at Corong Beach. Firstly, the entire shore is lined with boats, and secondly, it's very shallow here; at low tide, the water recedes for hundreds of meters. But in the evening, cafes also work along the shore, and it's pleasant to stroll along the beach by the water's edge, but only at high tide. And the sunsets here are "amazing."

  

  

  

• Las Cabanas Beach

  

  This Las Cabanas Beach is also sometimes called Marimegmeg Beach and Vanilla Beach. In fact, all three beaches are located on the same coast in the same bay, a little over four kilometers from the center of El Nido (Las Cabanas on map). In our opinion, this beach and district is the coolest place if you're coming to El Nido to relax on the beaches and also "hang out" in the center and go on island tours. There is its own tourist zone with infrastructure, and even the only McDonald's in El Nido is located here, and if you want to be in the center of events and fun, it's easy to get from here to the center by tricycle or rented motorbike. And most importantly, you don't need to go anywhere or walk to relax on the beach.

  Las Cabanas Beach is not very big, about 500 meters long. There is clean fine sand everywhere on the shore, the beach is cleaned, there is kayak and SUP board rental, cafes work. The coolest thing here is that there are several hotels along the shore on the first line. It's also fun that you can walk on the sandbar at low water to the neighboring island. Perhaps the only downside is that during low tide, the water recedes, and swimming is impossible.

  

  

  

• Lio Beach

  

  This is another beach and district of El Nido, excellent for beach vacationing. Although, it's already quite far from the center, 7 kilometers away (Lio Beach on map). You can come here for the day from the center, or you can stay right here for your entire vacation. Access to the beach and entry to the district is free, parking is also free. Almost the entire zone along the beach is occupied by hotel territories; you can only get to the shore from the free motorbike parking lot; signs lead to it.

  This district is considered more upscale and expensive than Las Cabanas, and of course, it is much more suitable for beach vacationing than the center of El Nido. But you need to understand that this is a district with its own peculiarities, something like a "tourist reservation." That is, the entire district is divided among several hotels with territory, and besides them, there's almost nothing here. If you stay here at a hotel and want to take a walk or eat inexpensively, you'll have to go to the center by taxi or tricycle, since there's almost nothing here outside the hotels. By the way, El Nido Airport is located in this district.

  Now about the beach itself. It's cool, sandy, and very long. Its main part is two kilometers, but you can go even further past the cape, and there will be more beach. There is a lot of greenery on the shore, shade, beautiful palm trees. Sun loungers and umbrellas are only available at the hotels; at the beach entrance from the parking lot, there is a cafe. There's nothing else at Lio Beach.

  But there is one huge minus that we encountered here – sand flies, or in our terms – midges. These are very biting bloodsuckers; after them, a rash and blisters remain, everything itches. Repellents hardly work on them. Of all the El Nido beaches we visited, we met these creatures only here. Perhaps the reason is that the area was not treated on time and because there are many streams and stagnant water in the forest along the beach, so it's not necessarily that you will encounter them in such large numbers as we did, but keep it in mind...

  

  

  

• Nacpan Beach

  

  Nacpan Beach is another beautiful, uncrowded beach and a small, calm district where you can not only come for the day but also stay for several days in one of the hotels and guesthouses on the first line. It's located 20 kilometers from the center of El Nido (Nacpan on map). You can get here by tricycle or rented transport. Blogs write that it's a paid beach. Indeed, they ask for 50 pesos for parking at the main exit to the beach. But honestly, we parked in the village a bit further from the shore and walked to the beach for free. Actually, there are several exits/entrances to the beach, and you can get in at other places besides the main exit, where homemade signs lead. Although many places have fences blocking the road, you'll have to search for a place to get through.

  The Nacpan district or village is a very quiet place. Compared to the center of El Nido, it's a village in the true sense; there's absolutely nothing to do here besides relaxing on the beach. During the day, all vacationers in Nacpan lounge on the beaches, and in the evening, everyone gathers at cafes to drink beer and cocktails. There are several cafes on the beach and in the village, and there is motorbike rental.

  The beach itself here is gorgeous. Its width is about 50 meters even at high tide, and even wider at low tide, and you can swim even at low tide. And all this on three kilometers of sandy shore. We didn't find any entertainment here. Sun loungers are rented for a crazy 500 pesos (approx. 8.09 USD)!!!, but some cafes give them for free if you order something from them.

  

• Duli Beach

  

  Duli or Dali Beach is one of the most distant beaches in the El Nido area, located far away, almost at the very north of Palawan Island (Duli Beach on map). You can only get here by rented transport or taxi/tricycle. It's 25 kilometers from the center of El Nido, the last 4 of them on a dirt road, and at the very end before the beach, you'll have to overcome a steep climb. Basically, in good weather, you can easily get here by motorbike or any car. There is free parking near the beach next to a cafe on the approach.

  The Duli Beach itself is magnificent. There are very few people here, the water is clean, the sand is fine. In the nearby palm grove, you can gather fresh coconuts for free. If you don't know how to open them yourself, ask the local guys at the cafe; they'll help.

  The length of Duli is more than one and a half kilometers, so you can easily find a secluded spot. However, there's very little shade here; you can hardly hide in the middle of the day. Only near the main entrance to the beach next to the cafe is there some trees and umbrellas made of palm leaves. In terms of infrastructure, there's a small cafe with drinks and local fast food, and they also offer surfboard rental and lessons there.

  

  

  

• Mariposa Beach

  

  Mariposa Beach is a completely wild and very remote beach, almost 30 kilometers from El Nido (Mariposa on map), with the last 6 kilometers being a very dusty and difficult-to-pass dirt road for ordinary cars. It's not that easy to get here even by motorbike; if you have little experience, we wouldn't recommend going.

  Mariposa Beach is so wild that there isn't even a road to the shore, and the rare passages through the bushes and forest are closed with wire fences. But if you really want to, you can get to it. You'll have to leave your transport on the road and squeeze through holes in the fence, and then it's just a couple of minutes along a path to the shore. In the end, you'll end up on 1 kilometer of the most beautiful sandy beach, where there will be absolutely no one else besides you. And by the way, there are also many free coconuts here.

• Dagmay Beach

  

  After Duli Beach and Mariposa, there's another very beautiful and clean beach, Dagmay. It's 30 kilometers from the center of El Nido, with more than 7 kilometers on a dusty dirt road (Dagmay on map). Moreover, the last kilometer will be a real test for both the driver and the equipment. We definitely wouldn't go here by car, and it was very difficult to get here by motorbike due to very steep ascents and descents. In several places, we even had to drop off the passenger. Another problem is that the dust and small stones on the road create a surface as slippery as ice, so it's very easy to lose control on the descent. Be very careful, and don't drive here at night!!!

  So, Dagmay Beach is located in a small, sparsely populated village. Despite this, it is practically wild; tourists get here very rarely (and no wonder with such a road). When we were here, we saw traces of "abandoned civilization": a closed guesthouse Verde Safari, a cafe on the beach, even a couple of abandoned sun loungers and umbrellas. Apparently, someone wanted to develop Dagmay Beach, but it didn't work out and everything was abandoned. But after that, free sun loungers and shade remained. Surprisingly, in the village near the beach, you can even rent accommodation in the houses of local residents, although you can't book it in advance, only come and rent on the spot.

  The Dagmay Beach itself is magnificent, wide, almost a kilometer long. There are a few boats in the water near the shore, but there are almost none here compared to the next, even more distant beach, Diapela Beach. In short, it's awesomely cool, come here and enjoy. And, of course, there are also many free coconuts here.

  

  

  

• Diapela Beach

  

  Diapela Beach is generally the farthest and most northern beach of Palawan that you can drive to (Diapela on map). Beyond it, there are a couple more beaches that are reached by trails, but we didn't get that far. It's 35 kilometers from El Nido to Diapela, with almost 15 kilometers on that same terrible dirt road that you need to take to get to Dagmay Beach, but it's even further here. Basically, if you can get to Dagmay, you can get here too; you just have to go further and there will be a few more descents and ascents. Considering such a bad road, it will take an hour and a half to two hours one way from El Nido.

  Diapela Beach is located in a bay next to a fairly large and populated fishing village. Tourists almost never come here, so you'll be alone on the beach, unless local fishermen or kids appear sometimes. But honestly, in terms of beauty and cleanliness, Diapela seemed less attractive to us than Dagmay, and the whole problem is with the boats. There are a lot of fishing boats here, and with them comes associated trash. To find a more or less clean spot, you need to go to the left edge of the beach away from the village. Here you can also snorkel by the stones, because the water, despite the trash on the shore, is very clear.

Where to Book Hotels in El Nido

El Nido is the most expensive resort in Palawan. If you need to find favorable and inexpensive accommodation, it's better to book it in advance a week or two ahead, especially if you're coming here during the high season from January to May.

As for the question of which district or on which beach is best to stay in El Nido, the correct answer depends on how long you're coming for and why:

• If your goal is simply to come here for a couple of days to take a boat tour around the islands, then it's best to choose accommodation right in the center of the resort, close to the pier and the city beach, El Nido Beach. Then you can walk to the departure point for excursion boats, and in the evening, you can walk around this party district and have fun.
• If you're coming here for a long time and also for beach vacationing, then it makes sense to consider options on one of the remote beaches. For example, a great option is on Las Cabanas Beach, Lio Beach, Nacpan Beach, and others, see the beach review above. If you stay in the center, you'll have to travel to the distant beaches every day, since there's simply no normal beach vacationing in the center.

You can search and book a hotel in El Nido on these websites:

• 🛌 Search hotels in El Nido on Trip.com (👍 Mir cards work)
• 🛌 Search hotels in El Nido on Ostrovok.ru
• 🛌 Search hotels in El Nido on Yandex.Travel