Partying & Chilling on a Boat: El Nido, Philippines

Island hopping through the idyllic scenery of Palawan (recently voted best island in the world), on a local bangka boat with great company and amazing Philippine food and drink onboard! Could hardly imagine a more ideal setting for a tropical boat cruise and party. It's certainly more fun in the Philippines!

On the first day it was El Nido Tour A. Highlights included snorkeling in stunning lagoons (including a "Secret" one), an exquisite seafood lunch on a practically deserted island, and watching the sun cast long shadows on 7 Commando Beach, where seven World War II soldiers apparently met their end.

The second day (El Nido Tour C) saw more snorkeling, only this time with a swarm of territorial fish amongst the coral. The guides had warned us about this, and at first we thought they were exaggerating - but no, the fish really did lash out and bite on a regular basis! One particularly tough yellow fish, despite being surrounded by a large group of us, still continued lashing out and biting if anyone got too close to its lair. Right at the end of this video you can see it dart out and bite the hand of the bravest of our group! There was also a particularly beautiful sunset snorkel at Helicopter Island, a visit to lonely Matinloc island shrine, and another ridiculously delicious lunch by the beach.

On both days, in between the various island and lagoon stops we also of course had a great deal of fun on board the bangka, both crazy partying and chilling. Hard to believe that each tour was such a bargain, considering each of them was for a full day's boat trip including lunch, with such marvellous experiences to offer. Island hopping on a bangka boat in El Nido, on the beautiful (and still comparatively untouched) main island of Palawan in the Philippines, is an activity we can wholeheartedly recommend!