El Nido, Palawan

The Bacuit Archipelago


Island Hopping in a Banca



Super Clear Water



A Juvenile Batfish in Small Lagoon


The Sunset View From My $13/ night Window


To view more of my pictures from El Nido, click here.

The Bacuit Archipelago is a cluster of limestone karsts that were formed 60 million years ago when the Indian subcontinent crashed into Asia. Massive rocks jet vertically out of the water in shades of black, cream and ochre. From their tops, patches of jungle and palm trees sprout out mysteriously like on a Chia Pet. Over the years the wind, sand and water have eroded the edges of the islands to form caves, holes and limestone rock cutouts where secret beaches and lagoons have formed. But my favorite, are the tiny little beaches with fine caramel sand that hide in the nooks and crannies desert island style. The water is painted in varying shades of emerald green, turquoise, and a color that most resembles mint ice cream but when it washes up on the shore it is crystal clear like water. The best part is that you’ll likely find yourself here all alone—on your own private beach—just like Gilligan.

The town of El Nido is a tiny and quaint port town with no beach of its own. But most of the guesthouses are lined up right at the edge of the water so that if you are lucky enough to find a beachside room, at high tide the waves will crash right onto your window. I stayed at the Alternative Pension, a charming backpacker friendly hippie guesthouse run by a family of weed-smoking Seventh Day Adventists. The brothers are named Israel, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Judah, Deuteronomy, Ascension and Rebecca. It is (hands down) the best guesthouse in El Nido if only for their restaurant which has round pods with beanbag chairs that hang in midair over the ocean. It’s the perfect place to watch the sunset although the 1980’s cheesy love songs that play non-stop can very well drive you crazy. Bring your ipod.

Unfortunately, the Islands in the Bacuit Archipelago have little to offer in the snorkeling department since most of the reefs have been killed due to dynamite and cyanide fishing.