El Nido, which has a world-class tourist destination that was awarded the title of the best beaches and islands in the world for several consecutive years, is located north of Palawan, about 230 km from Puerto Princesa. In this article I will explain how to travel from Puerto Princesa in Palawan to El Nido by land,
I will discuss the following points:
What is the fastest way? What is the cheapest means of transportation? How do you find a car or bus to El Nido? You will know how long it takes to travel from Puerto Princesa to El Nido, what is the cost and how to book your trip.
I will only talk be about how to travel by land from Puerto Princesa to El Nido, as there are no flights connecting Puerto Princesa and El Nido, although there are airports in both cities. To travel by sea is not a good option , trips are long and uncomfortable.
How long does it take from Puerto Princesa to El Nido?
The time it takes to travel from Puerto Princesa to Nido, in Palawan, depends on which mode of transportation you will use. To give you an overview, see the image below that includes an estimate of the travel time by different means of transportation, as well as the cost of travel for each.
As shown in the table above, travel times vary between 5 and 9 hours. Although the road from Puerto Princesa to El Nido is about 230 km, it takes a long time due to sharp curves and many hills. You can only drive less than 50 kilometers per hour on this road.
Traveling from Puerto Princesa to El Nido by van
For most tourists, a van is the most popular way to travel between El Nido and Puerto Princesa. There are many van companies that carry passengers between the two citieswith several trips per day so there is no difficulty in traveling with van. Once you exit the arrival hall at Puerto Princesa Airport you will be approached by many van drivers asking you if you need a trip to El Nido, you will not be looking for them but they will come to you.
People who used to ride the van between Puerto Princesa and El Nido (locals and expats) will generally get a fare of 600 pesos (or maybe a little less), but the prices offered to tourists can be a little higher, usually ranging from 600 to 700 pesos.
Don’t expect that the van will move once you get your ticket as you have to wait for it to be fully booked with passengers to start traveling. Sometimes, you may have to wait an hour or more and this can be a little disappointing.
After 5 to 6 hours, the van will reach to the station outside El Nido, which is few minutes away from El Nido town. Walking is not a suitable option because the distance from the terminal to El Nido is far and walking on the road is annoying for drivers and exposes you to accidents. yYou can take Tricycle from there to the town , cost is about 150 pesos.
Bottom line
I did not talk here about other ways to travel to El Nido (plane and ferry) , I focused only on how to come from Puerto Princesa to El Nido by land. Also I did not talk about all the available options , I discussed only traveling by van, but there is also traveling by bus that costs a little less than the van. There are Other options such as rent a car or motorcycle.
In my opinion, the best and most suitable option is to take a van from Puerto Princesa Airport to El Nido.