El Nido Island Hopping TourEl Nido: Private A+C Highlights + Entalula Escape
El Nido Tour A and C in a single day is sold only as a private boat, and this listing is the one in the full list of El Nido boat listings that does it: Seven Commandos Beach, the Big Lagoon with a kayak already in the price, the Secret Lagoon, Hidden Beach, Secret Beach and Entalula Island in 7 hours, with Helicopter Island optional. You choose a traditional bangka or a speedboat at booking. Alexzus Travel and Tours prints it from $290 per person, rated 4.7 from 49 reviews, the highest rating on this site. Cash on the day is the ₱400 eco fee, the ₱200 Big Lagoon fee and, if you go, the ₱200 Matinloc Shrine.
About This Private A and C Tour
7 hours; 45 minutes to an hour at each stop, finishing at the town dockyard
From $290 per person as the listing prints it; kayak, mask, lunch and water inside
4.7 from 49 verified reviews, product 866838, the highest on this site
Private: your party, your crew, your guide
Mabuhay Sports Bar, Calle Hama, on the town beachfront
Seven Commandos, Big Lagoon, Secret Lagoon, Hidden Beach, Secret Beach, Entalula; Helicopter Island optional
Check Dates and Availability
Live dates and prices for the private A and C boat. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start, and you can reserve now and pay later.
Quick answer Six stops from two routes in 7 hours, what is in the price, and what is cash
From $290 per person as the listing prints it, this private boat runs the Big Lagoon, Secret Lagoon and Seven Commandos from Tour A and Hidden Beach, Secret Beach and Entalula from Tour C in 7 hours. One kayak at the Big Lagoon, mask and snorkel, picnic lunch and water are included. Cash on the day: ₱400 ETDF, ₱200 Big Lagoon fee, ₱200 Matinloc Shrine if you go.
Key takeaways
- Shared boats run one fixed route each; a private boat is the only way to combine two
- Reviewers who left at 7:00 am were first at every stop: ask for the early start when you book
- Speedboat or traditional bangka, chosen at booking; the listing prints no price difference between them
- Not suitable for people with heart problems or mobility impairments
- Helicopter Island is marked optional; Entalula is in the title and the description but not in the printed stop list
- Tour A alone or Tour C alone cost less, if one route is enough
Two Routes in Seven Hours, and What Gets Cut
The A and C combination is a highlights reel, and a highlights reel leaves things on the floor. Here is what made it in.
Why this needs a private boat
Every shared boat in El Nido sails one lettered route, fixed stop for stop, and no shared listing on this site or in town sells Tour A and Tour C together. The routes were drawn by municipal ordinance, the history of which is on the route-comparison page, and the shared fleet keeps to them. A private boat is not bound to a letter. The crew can take your party to the Big Lagoon in the morning and cross to the Tour C side after lunch, which is what this listing prints as its itinerary.
That is the whole reason to pay private rates for a day that could otherwise be two $25 tickets. If you have three days in El Nido, two shared boats give you more stops for far less money, and the A versus C page settles which to do first. If you have one day and want the Big Lagoon and the Tour C beaches both, this is the listing built for it. Carlos German, a May 2026 reviewer, put it plainly: a great way to see A and C in one day if you are short of time.
What is in from Tour A, what is in from Tour C, what is out
The table reads the listing's printed itinerary against the full stop lists of Tour A and Tour C, with the time the listing allots to each and where the missing names went. The last column is what to do about each gap.
| Stop | Usual route | On this listing | Time | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seven Commandos Beach | Tour A | Yes, first stop | 45 minutes | The long beach with the bar; short but in |
| Big Lagoon | Tour A | Yes, with one kayak included | 1 hour | The Tour A anchor, kept |
| Secret Lagoon | Tour A | Yes | 45 minutes | Swim or wade through the rock hole |
| Shimizu Island | Tour A | Not listed | None | The usual Tour A lunch stop is out; lunch is served elsewhere |
| Hidden Beach | Tour C | Yes | 45 minutes | Wade over shallow reef; wear water shoes |
| Secret Beach | Tour C | Yes | 45 minutes | Swim through the rock opening |
| Helicopter Island | Tour C | Optional | 1 hour | Ask for it at the meetup if snorkelling matters |
| Matinloc Shrine | Tour C | Not in the stop list; ₱200 fee printed as optional | None | Raise it with the guide; the listing does not place it |
| Talisay Beach | Tour C | Not listed; one March 2026 reviewer visited it | None | Possible on the day, not promised |
| Entalula Island | Tour B | In the title and description, not in the stop list | None printed | Confirm it at booking if it is why you chose this listing |
The seven hours, added up
The printed stops total 4 hours: 45 minutes at Seven Commandos, an hour at the Big Lagoon, and 45 minutes each at the Secret Lagoon, Hidden Beach and Secret Beach. Helicopter Island adds an hour when you take it. That leaves 2 to 3 hours of the 7 for crossings, the picnic lunch and Entalula, whose place in the day the listing does not print. Reviewers say the pace never felt rushed and that the crew added a stop when the day ran ahead of schedule.
The geography sets the risk. The Tour A stops sit in the sheltered water around Miniloc Island; Hidden Beach and Secret Beach are on the far side of Matinloc, across the open Tapiutan Strait, which is the first water the Coast Guard closes when a swell is running. On a rough morning a private crew can run the Tour A half first and decide about the crossing at lunch, an option no shared boat has. The season pattern and cancellation months are on the homepage season chart. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start covers a forecast you do not like.
Speedboat or Bangka, and the Cash Extras
One choice at checkout, one small stack of pesos on the day, and a per-person price that leaves a question open.
Speedboat or traditional boat
The listing offers two hulls. The traditional boat is the wooden outrigger bangka every other listing on this site uses, which the operator sells as the classic El Nido experience. The speedboat is described as faster and more premium, with the time saved on crossings handed back as time at the stops. The listing prints no separate price for the two; the option is chosen at booking and the difference, if any, shows at checkout. Private boats in El Nido typically carry up to 8 to 10 people, a figure the itinerary page covers alongside the shared bangkas.
Which to choose depends on the strait. The Tapiutan crossing to Hidden Beach and Secret Beach is the long open-water leg of this day, and a speedboat shortens it, which matters in June to October when the southwest monsoon lifts the swell, and matters less in the dry months. The listing marks the tour as not suitable for people with heart problems or mobility impairments; it does not say whether that applies to one hull more than the other, so a traveller with either concern should ask the operator before choosing the speedboat.
What the price includes and what stays cash
The listing's included and excluded lines, as printed, with the peso figures converted at ₱62.6 to the dollar. The last column says what each line means for your wallet on the morning.
| Line | Status on the listing | Amount | What to do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Licensed boat, captain and local guide | Included | In the price | Nothing |
| Mask and snorkel | Included | In the price | Fins are not mentioned; bring your own |
| One kayak at the Big Lagoon, 2- or 3-seat | Included | In the price | A party of four needs a second kayak; the listing prints no price for it |
| Life jacket, picnic lunch, drinking water | Included | In the price | Dietary requests must be sent in advance |
| Environmental fee (ETDF) | Not included, mandatory | ₱400 (about $6.40) per person | Paid once; the listing says 5 days validity, the municipality says 10 days |
| Big Lagoon users fee | Not included, mandatory | ₱200 (about $3.20) per person | One-time access; cash at the lagoon |
| Matinloc Shrine entrance | Not included, optional | ₱200 (about $3.20) per person | Only if the guide adds the shrine |
| Hotel pickup and drop-off | Not included | None | Pickup inside town may be arranged, per the listing |
| Meals not mentioned | Not included | None printed | Bring snacks; the listing lists them under what to bring |
Price per person, and what the listing leaves open
The listing prints from $290 per person. It does not print a boat total, a minimum party or a maximum, so how the figure scales for two people against six is settled at checkout rather than on the page. Read it as the listing prints it, then check the number the date picker returns for your party size before comparing it with anything else. The break-even against two shared days is worked through on the private versus shared page.
On this site the comparable private boats are the Poseidon private Tour A at $124 and private Tour C at $126, each an 8-hour day on one route with tuk-tuk pickup near Corong-Corong and neither with a kayak in the price. Two of those days cost about $250 per person and cover ten stops; this listing covers six or seven in one day for from $290, with the kayak inside and the highest rating here at 4.7 from 49 reviews. The ETDF is the same ₱400 whichever you pick, valid for 10 days, as the El Nido Paradise ETDF page sets out, so a two-day plan pays it once. Booking terms: free cancellation up to 24 hours before, and reserve now, pay later.
Seven Commandos to Entalula, With Helicopter Island Optional
Stop order and durations are the listing's own. It prints no clock times, so the departure below is the one reviewers recommend rather than the one the listing states; the standard shared-boat day is on [the itinerary page](/itinerary/).
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Meetup
Mabuhay Sports Bar, Calle Hama
Go inside and ask for Annabelle or anyone in an Alexzus shirt. Pay the ₱400 ETDF here or show your receipt. The bar faces the beach on the town front.
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7:00 am
Leave early if you can
Alexandre, an April 2026 reviewer, left the port at 7:00 am and was first at every spot; the crew added a stop because the day ran ahead. Ask for the early start when you book.
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45 minutes
Seven Commandos Beach
The long beach on the mainland side of the bay. A photo stop and a swim; the bar behind the sand sells drinks for cash.
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1 hour
Big Lagoon
Pay the ₱200 users fee and paddle in on the kayak that comes with the boat. Entry is capped per day, so an early start protects this stop most.
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45 minutes
Secret Lagoon
A swim or wade through a hole in the rock into a small enclosed pool. Water shoes help on the rock.
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45 minutes
Hidden Beach
Across the Tapiutan Strait on the Tour C side. Wade over shallow reef to the sand; reef shoes and a careful line protect the coral and your feet.
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45 minutes
Secret Beach
Swim through a narrow rock opening to a beach enclosed by cliffs. Snorkelling is listed here.
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1 hour, optional
Helicopter Island
Marked optional on the itinerary. A snorkel stop with a long beach; say at the meetup whether you want it.
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Unplaced
Entalula Island
The white-sand island in the title and description. The listing does not print where it falls in the day; picnic lunch is served at one of the stops, also unnamed.
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Finish
Dockyard, El Nido town
The listing ends the day at the town dockyard after about 7 hours. Hotel drop-off is not included.
Mabuhay Sports Bar, the Meeting Point
The bar, formerly Marber's Resto Bar and still carrying a Marbers sign, faces the beach on Calle Hama and is a walk from most town hotels. The operator's staff wait inside.
Every meeting point used by the listings on this site is marked on the homepage, with the walking times between them.
Private A and C: Questions About This Listing
Can you do Tour A and Tour C in one day in El Nido?
Only on a private boat. Shared boats sail one fixed route each, so no shared ticket covers both. This listing runs the Big Lagoon, Secret Lagoon and Seven Commandos from Tour A and Hidden Beach, Secret Beach and Entalula from Tour C in 7 hours, with Helicopter Island optional. Shimizu Island and Matinloc Shrine are the usual stops it leaves out. The private versus shared page works out when the private price pays off.
Is the kayak included on the private A and C tour?
Yes, one kayak at the Big Lagoon, a 2-seater or a 3-seater, is on the includes list. That is the only listing on this site with a kayak inside the price. A party larger than three needs a second one, and the listing prints no rate for it, so expect to pay the lagoon-mouth rental in cash. The ₱200 Big Lagoon users fee is separate and mandatory.
Speedboat or traditional boat: what is the difference on this tour?
The traditional boat is a wooden outrigger bangka; the speedboat is faster on the crossings, which the listing says leaves more time at each stop. You choose at booking, and the listing prints no separate price, so any difference appears at checkout. The speedboat's advantage is the open Tapiutan Strait leg to Hidden Beach and Secret Beach, largest in the June to October monsoon months.
What fees are extra on the A and C combination?
Three cash items: the ₱400 (about $6.40) environmental fee, paid once and valid for 10 days despite the listing's line about 5 days; the ₱200 (about $3.20) Big Lagoon users fee; and the ₱200 Matinloc Shrine entrance, optional and only if the guide adds the shrine. Hotel pickup is not included, though the listing says pickup inside town may be arranged. The fee table for every route is on the cost page.
Is Helicopter Island included?
It is printed as optional, with an hour allotted, after Secret Beach on the itinerary. Since the boat is private, whether you take it is your call on the day; tell the guide at the meetup if snorkelling there matters, and weigh the extra hour against the 7-hour total. Entalula Island, by contrast, is in the title but has no slot in the printed itinerary, so confirm it when booking.
What Travellers Said About This Combination
A great way to saw the tour a & c in one day if you are short of time. The guide was helpful and attentive.
The food was excellent! Tofu is highly recommended!
A little tip: leave the port at 7:00 a.m. We were the first at every spot!
Janmar adjusted the schedule to ensure we hit the sights at least busy parts of the day.
It was really great. They really listened to our wishes. And it was super cozy.
We were surprised by the large variety and everything tasted very good.
Excerpts from verified reviews of this listing, with the reviewer's travel month. Full reviews sit on the operator's listing.
This is the listing for one day in El Nido and no appetite for choosing between the Big Lagoon and the Tour C beaches: a private boat, a kayak already paid for, and a crew that will leave at 7:00 am if you ask. Carry ₱600 to ₱800 in cash for the fees, decide on the speedboat by the season, and confirm Entalula when you book. Travellers with two or three days will get more stops for less from two shared tickets, and every option is laid out on the El Nido island hopping tour homepage.
Page last reviewed September 2026. Price, rating and review count read from the listing on September 2026. Prices, availability and terms are set by the operator and confirmed at checkout.
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