How Many Days in El Nido? Our 3-Day El Nido Itinerary
Updated: Oct 4
Planning 3 days in El Nido? This easy El Nido itinerary covers the best of El Nido. I’d recommend 3–4 full days for a first visit — enough time for an island-hopping tour, beautiful beaches and exploring El Nido town, all at a relaxed pace.
Day 1: Arrive in El Nido & Explore
Keep your first day easy. Check into your accommodation, explore the area you're staying in and spend the afternoon relaxing after your journey to El Nido.
We stayed in Corong Corong, so after dropping off our bags, we wandered down the beach, found a beachside restaurant for lunch and spent the afternoon checking out the area.
There’s no need to plan too much for your first day. Relax by the beach or your hotel pool, grab a drink somewhere overlooking the water and finish the day with dinner and an incredible El Nido sunset.
If you're staying in Corong Corong, there are plenty of beachfront restaurants where you can eat with the sunset right in front of you — a pretty perfect start to El Nido.
Some of the links in this guide are affiliate links. If you book through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It helps support Wanderers at Heart and allows me to keep creating these travel guides.
Thank you so much for your support.
Day 2: El Nido Island Hopping Tour
The real highlight of El Nido is the incredible islands just offshore — turquoise water, hidden lagoons, white-sand beaches and towering limestone cliffs. The best way to experience them is on a full-day island-hopping tour through Bacuit Bay.
There are four main tours to choose from — Tours A, B, C and D — each visiting a different mix of lagoons, beaches and snorkelling spots.
We chose Tour A and absolutely loved it. The highlight was kayaking through the incredible Big Lagoon, surrounded by huge limestone cliffs and crystal-clear water.
If you only have three days in El Nido, I’d definitely dedicate one full day to exploring the islands.
👉 Not sure which tour to choose? Read our full comparison of El Nido Tours A, B, C & D, including what each tour visits and which one I’d choose.
Day 3: Las Cabanas Beach & El Nido Town
Start your final day with a tuk-tuk ride to Las Cabanas Beach, also known as Marimegmeg Beach. We headed there early in the morning, when it was still quiet, for a walk along the beach and an early morning swim.
There are handful of beachfront cafés and restaurants, so take your time and stop for a late breakfast or brunch overlooking the water. If you're after something a little more adventurous, there's also a zipline across the water to a nearby island.
We highly recommend walking around to Happy Birthday Beach too. It’s absolutely beautiful and was one of our favourite little spots in the area.
After a relaxed morning at the beach, grab a tuk-tuk into El Nido town for the afternoon.
Spend a few hours wandering the little streets, checking out the shops and roadside stalls, and walking along the beachfront. We stopped for a late lunch overlooking the beach and stayed into the evening to see El Nido after dark.
When you're ready to call it a night, tuk-tuks are an easy way to get back to your accommodation.
It's a really relaxed final day — beaches, good food, a bit of shopping and plenty of time to just wander around El Nido.
Have 4 Days in El Nido?
If you have an extra day, I'd add a second island-hopping tour.
After doing Tour A, I'd choose Tour C or Tour D — Tour C for more snorkelling and hidden beaches, or Tour D for a quieter day exploring beautiful lagoons and beaches.
Have 5 Days in El Nido?
With 5 days, I'd use the extra time for a trip to Nacpan Beach, one of the most beautiful beaches around El Nido.
Make a day of it — spend a few hours swimming and relaxing on the long stretch of sand, grab lunch by the beach and enjoy a slower day after a couple of days exploring.
It’s a great way to see another beautiful part of El Nido while enjoying a slower, more relaxed day.
Where to Stay in El Nido
We loved staying in Corong Corong Beach. It had everything we needed — beachfront restaurants, little shops and easy access to island-hopping tours — but still had a really laid-back beach vibe that felt lovely and relaxing after a day exploring.
Not sure which area to choose? Read our full guide to Where to Stay
Booking El Nido Island Hopping Tours
Island-hopping tours are easy to book once you're in El Nido, but if you're travelling during busy periods or only have a few days, I'd book ahead so you can get the tour you want.
Not sure which tour to book? Read our El Nido Tour A, B, C or D comparison here.
Before You Go to El Nido
Travel insurance: With island-hopping, boat trips and plenty of time on the water, I wouldn't travel to the Philippines without travel insurance. We use World Nomads for our family travels.
We receive a fee when you get a quote from World Nomads using this link. We do not represent World Nomads. This is not a recommendation to buy travel insurance.
Money: We also travel with our Wise card, which makes paying in local currency and accessing money overseas much easier. I'd still carry some Philippine pesos in El Nido for tuk-tuks, small shops and places that don't accept cards.
Travelling From El Nido to Coron?
After our 3 days in El Nido, we continued on to Coron — but instead of taking the fast ferry, we joined a 3-day, 2-night island-hopping expedition.
We spent 3 days travelling through remote islands, snorkelling, visiting tiny villages and sleeping in simple beach huts along the way. It was easily one of the biggest highlights of our Philippines trip.
Planning Your Own Philippines Trip?
These guides might help:
🌴 Siargao with Kids — Our family guide to exploring one of our favourite islands in the Philippines.
🐟 Moalboal Sardine Run: What It’s Really Like — Everything you need to know about swimming with millions of sardines just metres from shore.
💦 Best Day Trips from Moalboal — Waterfalls, beaches and some of our favourite places to explore around Moalboal.
🏝️ Sugba Lagoon with Kids — What to expect, how to visit and our experience exploring Sugba Lagoon as a family.
Let's Connect
Come say hello on Instagram @wanderers_at_heart, where we share our latest adventures, honest travel tips & plenty of travel inspiration.
Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you book or buy through them, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you so much for supporting Wanderers at Heart — it helps us keep creating free family travel guides and inspiration.
Comments