El Nido Island Hopping TourWhich El Nido Tour Is the Best? A, B, C and D Compared
Last reviewed September 2026
Tour A if you have one day and want the Big Lagoon; Tour B if you would rather have the bay to yourself; Tour C for the beaches, on a calm day; Tour D for the quietest lagoons. That is the short version of which El Nido tour is the best, and the longer version depends on how many days you have and what the Tapiutan Strait is doing. The four routes share the same boats, the same 9:00 am departure and the same ₱400 eco fee, and visit different islands. This page lists every stop on each route, explains why the Small Lagoon is no longer on Tour A, and ends with a two- and three-day plan. The fares sit in the four Bacuit Bay routes compared.
Quick answer One route per day, four days of choices, and which to book if you only have one
One day: book Tour A, about $25 online plus ₱775 in cash, for the Big Lagoon and the Secret Lagoon. Two days: add Tour B or Tour D, which carry the fewest boats. The one reviewer who did all four ranked Tour B first and Tour D second. Tour C has the best beaches and is the first route cancelled in a swell.
Key takeaways
- Tour A holds the two most photographed stops, the Big Lagoon and the Secret Lagoon, and the most boats
- Tour B is the route the one reviewer who tried all four ranked first: a sandbar, two caves, no lagoon fee
- The Small Lagoon has been on Tour D since Ordinance No. 101 of 2018, so the two big lagoons cannot be done on one shared boat
- Tour C crosses the open Tapiutan Strait and gets cancelled first; do it on the first calm day you have
- Only a private boat mixes routes; the A+C highlights day does both in 7 hours
- What each route costs once the fees are added is on the cost breakdown
The Four Routes at a Glance
Bacuit Bay is carved into four fixed circuits by municipal ordinance. Every shared boat runs one of them, in an order the captain chooses on the morning, and the stops below are the ones the listings and the town operators print.
Every stop on every route
The four routes are lettered by tradition rather than by quality. A and C are the famous pair, B and D the quiet pair, and the table shows why: A and D hold the lagoons with the ₱200 users fee and the kayak leg, B holds the caves and the sandbar, C holds the beaches and the long crossing. Stops marked as appearing on some boats are the ones operators add or swap; the core of each route is fixed by the municipality and every listing here runs it.
Fares are the shared-boat prices on this site; Tour C is sold here only as a private boat, so its column shows that figure. The last column is what the route asks of you on the day, in cash and in effort, which is usually the deciding factor once the photographs have been looked at.
| Route | Stops as the listings print them | Shared fare here | Cash and effort on the day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tour A | Big Lagoon (kayak, ₱200 fee), Secret Lagoon, Shimizu Island (lunch, snorkel), Seven Commandos Beach; some boats add Payong-Payong Beach | $22 to $25 | ₱400 eco + ₱200 lagoon + a kayak; a swim through a hole in the rock; the most boats |
| Tour B | Snake Island sandbar, Pinagbuyutan or Popolkan Island snorkel, Cudugnon Cave, Cathedral Cave, Entalula Beach | $28 | ₱400 eco only; a crawl through a small hole into Cudugnon; the fewest boats |
| Tour C | Helicopter Island, Hidden Beach, Talisay Beach (lunch; some boats still list Star Beach), Secret Beach, Matinloc Shrine (₱200 optional) | private only here, $126 | ₱400 eco + optional ₱200 shrine; two swim entries over reef; the open Tapiutan Strait crossing |
| Tour D | Small Lagoon (kayak, ₱200 fee), Cadlao Lagoon, Pasandigan Cove, Paradise Beach, Nat Nat Beach snorkel, Bukal or Serenity Beach; Ipil Beach on some boats | $26, or $41 with fees inside | ₱400 eco + ₱200 lagoon + two kayak legs; closest to town; reviewers alone at both lagoons |
Tour A: The Lagoons
The route everyone books first, and the one that produces the photographs that sold you on El Nido. It is also the route with the most boats, the most cash on the day and the one hard entry cap.
What the day holds
The Big Lagoon on Miniloc Island is the anchor stop. Motorised boats stop at the mouth, you pay the ₱200 users fee and paddle in on a two- or three-seat kayak, and entry is capped by the municipality each day; the Corazon Tour A listing states that if entry is no longer available you visit a different spot. The Secret Lagoon is a pool inside the rock reached by swimming or wading through a hole at the waterline.
Shimizu Island is the usual lunch and snorkel stop, and Seven Commandos is a long beach with a small bar for the last hour. The Alexzus boat prints its timings: 60 minutes at Seven Commandos, 105 at the Big Lagoon, 105 at Shimizu, 45 in the Secret Lagoon. The Beacfront joiner and the private Poseidon boat add Payong-Payong Beach as a fifth stop.
Reviewers rate the lagoons highly and the crowding at them consistently; one Tour A reviewer said she liked it better than Tour C, and one A+C reviewer called Tour A not very interesting except for the kayak. Both are right about different halves of the day.
Tour B: Caves and the Sandbar
The route the fleet mostly ignores, which is the whole case for it. No lagoon, no lagoon fee, no kayak, and the only Tour B on this site is a six-hour shared boat.
What the day holds
Snake Island, marked Vigan Island on the charts, is a tidal sandbar that curls between two islands and disappears as the water rises, so the captain times it. Pinagbuyutan or Popolkan Island is the snorkel stop, depending on the operator. Cudugnon Cave is an archaeological site where Sung-dynasty pottery was found and where locals hid during the war; you crawl through a small hole to get in, and the guides ask you not to touch the walls.
Cathedral Cave is entered by swimming or kayak. Entalula Beach is the white-sand finish. The Corazon Tour B at $28 is the highest shared fare here and the cheapest day once the cash is counted, because the only peso line is the ₱400 eco fee.
One reviewer on it had done all four routes. One wrote that Tour B was by far the most enjoyable, with the most beautiful scenery; another preferred it to Tour A for better beaches and snorkelling. Its stops sit on the sheltered side of the bay and are rarely the first cancelled.
The eco fee's rate and ten-day validity are set out on the municipality's fee explainer.
Tour C: The Beaches, and the Open Strait
The best beaches in the bay and the longest crossing to reach them. Tour C is priced higher in town, sold here only as a private boat, and is the first route the Coast Guard closes when the swell gets up.
What the day holds
Helicopter Island is the snorkel stop. Hidden Beach is reached by wading about 200 metres over shallow reef, which is why water shoes matter here and why the entry gets crowded at low tide. Talisay Beach has replaced Star Beach as most operators' lunch stop, though the Poseidon boat still lists Star Beach.
Secret Beach is a swim through a rock opening into an enclosed cove. Matinloc Shrine is a privatised stop with an abandoned shrine and a viewpoint for an optional ₱200. All of it lies across the Tapiutan Strait, open water that the sheltered A, B and D stops never touch, so when the southwest monsoon blows from June to October, C is the route that gets cancelled first and the reason walk-in seats cost ₱1,400 to 1,800 against ₱1,200 to 1,500 for Tour A: Matinloc is farther and the fuel bill is higher.
The only Tour C here is the private Poseidon boat at $126 per person, whose crew reorders the stops around conditions; one reviewer booked it, was cancelled by the Coast Guard, and ran Tour D instead. The head-to-head with Tour A, including the swims, is on Tour A versus Tour C.
Tour D: The Quiet Lagoons
The closest route to town and the one that inherited the Small Lagoon. It has the lagoon scenery of Tour A with a fraction of the boats, and two kayak legs instead of one.
What the day holds
The Small Lagoon on Miniloc Island is entered through a gap in the rock by kayak, ₱200 users fee, and it is the stop that used to belong to Tour A. Cadlao Lagoon is a wide, shallow lagoon under Cadlao Island's cliffs with no separate fee stated on the listings, also entered by kayak. Pasandigan Cove, which some operators call Wonderland, Paradise Beach, the Nat Nat snorkel stop and Bukal or Serenity Beach fill the afternoon, and Ipil Beach appears on some boats. The Corazon Tour D at $26 is the most-reviewed Tour D; a reviewer on it counted three groups and 17 people on the boat and was alone at both lagoons.
The Cliffside Tour D at $41 folds the ₱400 eco fee and the lagoon fees into the fare and dispatches from the town beach between 9:00 and 9:30 am. The reviewer who ranked all four routes put Tour D second after Tour B, less crowded and more relaxing. Because its stops sit in the lee of Cadlao, it is the usual fallback when Tour C is closed.
The cash is the highest of the shared routes, about ₱950 with two kayak legs; the arithmetic is on the cost breakdown.
Why the Small Lagoon Is Not on Tour A
Older guides and plenty of blog posts still put the Big Lagoon and the Small Lagoon on the same day. They have been on different routes since 2018, and the reason is a carrying-capacity rule that also explains the entry cap and the kayaks.
Ordinance No. 101 and what it changed
Municipal Ordinance No. 101, series of 2018, approved on 27 November 2018, moved the Small Lagoon from Tour A to Tour D. The council's reasoning was carrying capacity: with both lagoons on the same route, every boat in the fleet arrived at Miniloc Island together and both lagoons took the full day's load at once. Splitting them across two routes halved the pressure on each, and the same rule set brought the daily entry cap at the Big Lagoon and the ban on motorised boats inside either lagoon, which is why you now pay a ₱200 users fee and paddle in. The practical consequence for a visitor is simple.
The two lagoons cannot be done on one shared-boat day; Tour A gives you the Big Lagoon, Tour D gives you the Small Lagoon, and seeing both means two days or a private charter. In 2020 the municipality tried a different cut, half-day "7 Wonders" circuits that regrouped the stops, and those were later reverted. A, B, C and D are what sells and what every listing on this site runs.
What the move means for choosing
If your image of El Nido is a kayak gliding through a slot in the rock into a still green pool, that is the Small Lagoon, and it is on Tour D, the route with the fewest boats at it. If your image is a wide lagoon ringed by karst towers with kayaks scattered across it, that is the Big Lagoon, and it is on Tour A with the crowds. The two stops photograph differently and feel different on the water.
A reviewer on the Corazon Tour D boat singled out Cadlao Lagoon and the Small Lagoon as the places where they were alone each time, which no Tour A reviewer says of the Big Lagoon. Anyone with two days who wants the lagoon experience without the queue should put Tour D first and decide on Tour A after seeing how the first day felt. Anyone with one day and a fixed picture of the Big Lagoon books Tour A and accepts the company.
The private A+C day includes the Big Lagoon with a kayak in the fare; no private listing here pairs it with the Small Lagoon.
Which Tour for Which Traveller
The verdict changes with the traveller. These are the specific matches the stops, the fees and the reviews support.
The match, case by case
Each line names the route, the reason, and the listing on this site that fits it.
- One day, first visit, want the famous lagoons: Tour A. Book the Alexzus Tour A for the longest Big Lagoon stop and an included mask, or the cheapest Beacfront joiner for five stops with a buffet
- Crowds bother you more than a missed photograph: Tour B. Two caves, a sandbar, the fewest boats and the least cash, on the Corazon Tour B
- Best snorkelling: Tour B for the reef at Popolkan and the beaches reviewers preferred, or Tour C for Helicopter Island if the strait is calm; Tour A's snorkelling is a lunch-stop swim at Shimizu
- Beaches over lagoons, and a calm forecast: Tour C, on the private Poseidon boat, booked for the first good-weather morning
- Lagoons without the queue, or travelling with children who will kayak: Tour D. The Cliffside listing removes the fee queues from the morning
- Group of four or more, two routes in one day: the private A+C highlights boat, 7 hours, kayak included, leave at 7:00 am and be first everywhere
- Monsoon months, June to October: book A, B or D on the sheltered side and treat C as a bonus if a calm day appears
If You Have Two or Three Days
Most visitors stay long enough for two boats, and the order matters more than the choice. Pay the ₱400 eco fee on the first morning and it covers every later day.
The plan, day by day
With two days, run Tour A and Tour B. A gives you the Big Lagoon and the Secret Lagoon; B gives you the caves, the sandbar and the bay without the fleet, and its beaches are the ones reviewers who compared the two preferred. If the forecast for day one is calm and you care about beaches more than caves, swap B for C and do C first, because C is the route that loses its day to weather. With three days, add Tour D, and put it on whichever day the strait looks roughest, since its stops sit in the lee of Cadlao and are the usual fallback.
Book the first boat for the morning after you arrive rather than the same afternoon; shared boats leave together after Coast Guard clearance between 9:00 and 9:30 am and a cancelled day is refunded through the listing, so a spare day at the end protects the route you most want. Reviewers report 30 to 45 minutes of waiting on the town beach before boarding and a wade out to the boat, so an early dinner and an early night before day one is the right preparation.
| Days | Calm forecast | Swell or monsoon | Why this order |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tour A | Tour A or Tour D | The lagoons are sheltered; A is the last route cancelled |
| 2 | Tour C first, then Tour A | Tour A, then Tour B | C loses its day to weather; B never needs a lagoon fee |
| 3 | C, then A, then B | A, then B, then D | D is the fallback that still gives you a lagoon by kayak |
| Any, group of 4+ | Private A+C on the calm day | Private A reordered around the fleet | Only a private boat mixes routes or shifts the departure to 7:00 am |
Which Route to Book
If You have one day and it is your first time in El Nido
Tour A. The Alexzus boat gives the Big Lagoon 105 minutes; bring ₱775 in cash and accept the company
If You have one day and would trade the Big Lagoon for an empty beach
Tour B on the Corazon boat: the route the reviewer who did all four ranked first, and only ₱400 in cash
If You have two days
A then B on a normal forecast; C then A if day one is calm and beaches matter more than caves
If You want the Small Lagoon
Tour D, and only Tour D. The fee-inclusive Cliffside listing keeps the morning simple
If You are four or more and want both lagoon days' highlights in one
The private A+C boat at $290, kayak included, leaving at 7:00 am
Questions About Choosing a Route
Which El Nido tour is the best?
For a single day and a first visit, Tour A, because the Big Lagoon and the Secret Lagoon are the stops people come for. For scenery without the fleet, Tour B: the reviewer on this site who had done all four routes ranked it first, and another preferred it to A, and it needs only the ₱400 eco fee in cash. Tour C has the best beaches on a calm day, and Tour D the quietest lagoons; the Corazon Tour D reviewer had both lagoons to themselves.
What is the difference between Tour A, B, C and D in El Nido?
Tour A is the lagoon route: Big Lagoon, Secret Lagoon, Shimizu Island and Seven Commandos, with a ₱200 lagoon fee and a kayak. Tour B is caves and a sandbar: Snake Island, Cudugnon Cave, Cathedral Cave, Entalula, with no lagoon fee. Tour C is the beach route across the Tapiutan Strait: Helicopter Island, Hidden Beach, Talisay, Secret Beach, Matinloc Shrine. Tour D is the Small Lagoon, Cadlao Lagoon and the beaches nearest town.
Which El Nido tour is the least crowded?
Tour B, then Tour D. Tour B has no lagoon on it and carries the fewest boats; Tour D is the closest route to town and its lagoons see a fraction of Tour A's traffic. A reviewer on the Corazon Tour D counted 17 people on the boat and shared the Small Lagoon and Cadlao Lagoon with nobody, with three boats at the lunch beach the only company all day.
Can you do two El Nido tours in one day?
Not on a shared boat, which runs one fixed route. A private boat can mix stops: the Alexzus A+C highlights listing covers Seven Commandos, the Big Lagoon, the Secret Lagoon, Hidden Beach, Secret Beach and Entalula in 7 hours for $290, with a kayak included, and town operators sell a combo A and C seat for about ₱2,000. The Big Lagoon and the Small Lagoon are never combined on a shared day.
Which El Nido tour is best for snorkelling?
Tour B or Tour C. Tour B snorkels the reef off Popolkan or Pinagbuyutan Island, and a reviewer who did both preferred its beaches and snorkelling to Tour A's. Tour C snorkels Helicopter Island and the coral at the Hidden Beach entry, where reef shoes matter. Tour A's snorkelling is the lunch-stop swim at Shimizu Island; the Alexzus Tour A at least includes the mask, which the other Tour A boats rent.
Which tour has the Small Lagoon?
Tour D. Municipal Ordinance No. 101, approved on 27 November 2018, moved the Small Lagoon off Tour A to spread the load between Miniloc Island's two lagoons, and every Tour D listing here enters it by kayak with a ₱200 users fee. Tour A keeps the Big Lagoon. The fee-inclusive Cliffside Tour D has the lagoon fee inside its $41 fare.
The best El Nido tour is the one matched to your days and the forecast: A for the famous lagoons, B for the emptiest bay, C for the beaches when the strait allows it, D for the lagoons without the queue. Pay the eco fee once, book the first boat for the morning after you arrive, and leave the weather-dependent route for a day you can lose.
Every listing on the four routes, with its stops, fare and fee lines side by side, is on the El Nido island hopping comparison; the full peso arithmetic for each day is on what it costs.