(SPOT.ph) El Nido, a tropical paradise in the northern part of Palawan, is known for its pristine beaches, colorful reefs, and beautiful limestone formations. Island-hopping tours, aptly named A, B, C, and D, are always part of everyone's itinerary. After all, you haven't really visited El Nido if you haven't taken that so-called obligatory shot amid limestone cliffs.
El Nido Yachting Club wants to give tourists a different taste of the usual island-hopping adventure through affordable sailing tours aboard luxurious boats. Fees go as low as P3,999 per head for joiners in a group tour. Though their office is located at the Lio Tourism Estate, you don’t have to be checked in at the Ayala-owned resorts to avail of their services.
El Nido Yachting Club has three kinds of tours using three types of boats. There's the Sea Frontier Wooden Boat (P3,999 per head for group tours), which goes to Codognon Cave, Snake Island, and Pinagbuyutan Island. It can accommodate up to 45 people, but most of the time—according to El Nido Yachting Club owner Jennifer Rodriguez—there are less than 20 people on a tour, making it almost look like a private trip. This wooden boat features a view deck with a roof, a kitchen, a spacious cabin with long tables, and on-board restroom.
A smaller vessel is the 30-foot Seaduction Speedboat (P3,999 per head for group tours), which caters to 17 persons. Its itinerary includes Secret Beach, Hidden Beach, Tapiutan Island, Helicopter Island, and Star Beach.
Possibly the most stylish of the three is the 50-foot Seacret Catamaran (P4,999 per head for group tours), which features trampoline nets perfect for lounging around while you go on a cruise to the Small Lagoon, Cadlao Lagoon, Paradise Beach, and Star Beach. Like the Sea Frontier, it has its own restroom and a cabin with a table. It holds up to 25 people.
Group tours are all inclusive of land transfers from your hotel (in El Nido town or Lio Tourism Estate) to the jump-off point (either in Lio Beach or Corong-Corong Beach) and vice-versa, boat transfers by dinghy from the shore to the yacht, welcome drinks, ice-cold drinking water, buffet lunch in a private beach, mask and snorkel, towel, and life jackets. Tour guides are also there to tell you more about the islands. Fees also include the eco-tourism development fee, lagoon entrance fees, and processing and facilitation fees—so all that's left to do is to sit back, relax, and enjoy.
El Nido Yachting Club is at 2/F Shops@Lio, Lio Tourism Estate, Barangay Villa Libertad, El Nido, Palawan. For more information, visit El Nido Yachting Club’s website.
