El Nido: Hidden Beaches and Lagoons Boat Hopping Tour D

Why the lagoon everyone asks about is on Tour D

The Small Lagoon was moved from Tour A to Tour D by a 2018 municipal ordinance on carrying-capacity grounds, a story told in full on the route-comparison page. The practical consequence for a booking is simple. The Big Lagoon is on Tour A and the Small Lagoon is here, so no shared boat visits both in one day. If the Small Lagoon is the one you want, this is the route.

This listing opens with it. After the safety briefing the boat heads straight to the Small Lagoon, where motorised boats stay outside and you paddle in through a gap in the limestone. Reviewers describe kayaking through small archways and finding side pockets of water off the main lagoon. Jenni, who did Tours A, C and D on one trip, called the Small Lagoon her highlight of all three. The listing's own review summary says the same: kayaking in the Small Lagoon is what travellers name most often, followed by the quiet stops and the helpful crew.

The other four stops

Cadlao Lagoon comes second. It sits on Cadlao Island, the large island facing town, and the listing describes it as a swim stop; reviewers paddle in here too, and no separate entrance fee is printed for it. Nat Nat is the snorkel stop, and Paradise Beach the swimming beach: the listing describes both as shallow with calm water, suitable for people who are new to the sea. Bukal Island is the fifth name on the list.

The listing does not say which beach hosts lunch. One March 2026 review counted three boats at the lunch beach and none at either lagoon, which is about the busiest this route gets. Lunch itself is a packed lunch on the includes list; two reviewers describe it as a buffet with water provided, and one notes it worked for a vegetarian in the group. A May 2026 review reports jellyfish at the final beach on that day, so ask the crew before you swim at the last stop, and keep the rash guard on.

What 15 to 17 people on a boat feels like

Two reviews put a number on the boat. Cyrielle counted about fifteen passengers in April 2026 and wrote that everyone had a seat and could talk across the boat. Cerlier counted three groups making 17 people in March 2026 and describes being alone, or nearly alone, at every stop except the lunch beach. Shared bangkas in El Nido usually carry more than that, a point the hour-by-hour itinerary page covers, so Tour D's smaller load is part of what you are buying.

The ratings support it. The overall score is 4.4 from 364 reviews, with the guide at 4.4, transportation at 4.5 and value for money at 4.4. Reviewers who had already done other routes rank this one in the middle: Yiğit placed it second after Tour B, and Jenni found the beaches less striking after two similar days but still worth the boat. If Tour D is your first or only route, that caveat does not apply.

The line that says included and the lines that say excluded

The includes list on this listing prints "Entry fees". Directly beneath it, the excluded items are the El Nido eco-tourism development fee at ₱400 (about $6.40), the entry fee to the Small Lagoon at ₱200 (about $3.20), and kayak rental at the Small Lagoon and Cadlao Lagoon at about ₱350 per person per kayak. Tips and aqua shoes are excluded as well. The listing's own review summary notes that travellers ask for clearer information on kayak and lagoon fees, and the two lines above are why.

Read the excluded list as the truth and the day works out. The eco fee, called the ETDF, is a municipal charge of ₱400 per non-resident adult, paid once and valid for 10 days across every tour and site in El Nido, as the El Nido Paradise ETDF page explains. The listing's know-before-you-go section says payment is required before boarding and that a receipt from an earlier tour is accepted, so keep the slip from your first day. Categories for students, seniors and children are on the cost page.

Cash on the day, line by line

These are the amounts the listing and its reviewers print for a non-resident adult on Tour D, in pesos with a rough dollar figure at ₱62.6 to the dollar. Bring small notes: the collection happens on the beach and in the boat, and change is scarce.

Who the listing turns away, and what to bring

The listing marks Tour D as not suitable for pregnant women, people with mobility impairments and wheelchair users. It states no minimum age, and life vests are included for everyone on board; the child fee and the full who-cannot-go table for every route are on the family page. The physical work is the two kayak legs and getting on and off the boat from the beach, since there is no dock and you wade out.

What to bring, from the listing: sunglasses, a sun hat, swimwear, sunscreen and cash. Not allowed: smoking, luggage or large bags, and plastic bottles, so carry a refillable one. Booking terms are the standard ones on this platform's El Nido listings: free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start for a full refund, and reserve now, pay later. The same listing sells a private-group option at a different meeting point; the shared boat is what the price and this page describe. If you want a private boat on a different mix of stops, the private A and C combination is the one listing here that crosses routes.

Tour D is the route for a first visitor who wants the Small Lagoon without the fleet, and this Corazon listing is the shared boat with the most reviews behind it. Pay the $26 online, carry about ₱950 in cash for the eco fee, the lagoon fee and two shared kayaks, and find your boat on the sand early. If the Big Lagoon matters more to you, Tour A is the route, and the whole set of listings sits on the El Nido island hopping tour homepage with the cash-on-the-day figure beside each price.