A sunlit limestone island rising from blue water in Bacuit Bay, El Nido, Palawan

StartBooker
Itineraries
Philippines
White Beach to Big Lagoon in ten days

White Beach to Big Lagoon in ten days

Four nights on Boracay, five in El Nido. Sail a paraw, paddle beneath Miniloc’s cliffs and spend a full day at Nacpan.

Trip length: 10 days / 9 nights
Nights per base: 4 Boracay, 5 El Nido
Between bases: Direct Cebgo flight
Finish on day ten: Lio flight to Clark

Finding rooms in El Nido

White Beach first, Bacuit Bay second

Choose this route for two different kinds of beach holiday: Boracay puts a long sandy shore beside the hotel, while El Nido sends you offshore into Bacuit Bay. On White Beach, the stations divide one continuous western shoreline. You can stop for a swim, return to the room and walk out again for dinner. Around Miniloc and the outer islands of Palawan, the boat carries you between separate beaches and limestone coves. The kayak at Big Lagoon gets you closer to the cliffs than the larger tour boat can go.

The split gives Boracay three days without a flight and El Nido four. Four nights on the first island leave room for a beach walk, a shared snorkelling trip and Puka with a paraw sail. Five nights in El Nido give the two group boat excursions separate days, with Nacpan between them and Marimegmeg afterward. Keep the same room for each stay.

Use Caticlan airport for the Boracay arrival. It sits on Panay, so you still cross the strait and continue by road to the hotel. Kalibo adds a long mainland drive and gives up more of day one. At the other end, Lio airport is close to El Nido town. The direct Caticlan–Lio service avoids returning through Manila or Cebu between the beach stays; afternoon flights leave time to travel from the hotel to Caticlan after breakfast.

The El Nido outings here depart from town. An island-resort booking would add separate boat transfers and resort dining to days designed around public tour departures.

The three motorboat outings include lunch, but the beach days leave the food choice to you. Boracay has restaurants along the shore and around D’Mall; El Nido’s town waterfront is the easy dinner area after a return from Bacuit Bay. The plan uses surface snorkelling, beach stops and a two-seat kayak. Choose it if you enjoy time in or beside the water and can manage boat boarding; a route through Manila and Bohol would offer more inland sightseeing.

Day ten ends after the domestic departure from Lio, with Clark as the selected onward airport. It is separate from Manila’s NAIA. If your long-haul ticket leaves from NAIA, allow an additional overnight after this ten-day plan for the road transfer and international departure. Arrival in the Philippines before the first Boracay night is also outside these nine hotel nights.

White Beach’s three stations

Follow the western shoreline from the broad sand near Willy’s Rock towards the smaller places around Angol.

Crocodile Island snorkelling

Take a shared bangka, the local motorised outrigger, to reef stops off Boracay with a Filipino lunch ashore.

A sail on a paraw

Sit on the outrigger net of a wind-powered boat for the short sunset sail off White Beach.

Miniloc’s Big Lagoon

Leave the tour boat for a two-seat kayak and paddle between the limestone walls inside the lagoon.

Nacpan and Calitang

Walk the long northern beach towards the point where it meets neighbouring Calitang, using a return shuttle from town.

Helicopter and Hidden Beach

Tour C adds offshore beaches beyond the Miniloc lagoon circuit, with a separate swimming stop at Secret Beach.

Best for

A first Philippine beach trip with two hotel bases and a direct island flight
Couples who want independent beach days alongside guided snorkelling and lagoon kayaking

StartBooker answer

Can I visit Boracay and El Nido in ten days?

Yes: spend four nights on Boracay and five in El Nido, linked by the direct Cebgo flight from Caticlan to Lio. This gives you three full Boracay days and four full Palawan days, with two hotels throughout. Stay near southern Station 1 for the first part and in El Nido town for the group boat tours. The route ends with your domestic flight from Lio on day ten; an overnight before a separate international departure adds another night.

Two stays: Four Boracay nights, then five El Nido nights
Island flight: About seventy minutes, Caticlan to Lio
Full excursion days: One Boracay boat outing and El Nido Tours A and C

Things to do in Boracay, El Nido, Philippines

Explore tours, attractions and local experiences in Boracay, El Nido along this route through Philippines.

Loading activities…

Activities provided by GetYourGuide. We may earn a commission on bookings.

Two beaches, one flight apart

Southern Station 1 and El Nido town keep this plan’s dinners and tour departures within reach.

2 stops · swipe

1

Boracay
4 nights

Willy’s Rock, White Beach walks and paraw sailing

Choose southern Station 1 for a room near the broad White Beach sand and the central restaurant lanes. Station 2 puts the evening venues closer; Angol in Station 3 adds a longer walk north. The four-night stay includes three full days, so keep one hotel instead of shifting between stations.
Read the Boracay guide →
2

El Nido
5 nights

Bacuit Bay departures, Big Lagoon and the road to Nacpan

Stay in El Nido town for this five-night visit. Group boat departures and dinner places are close together, and both beach trips start from the same base. Corong-Corong has western sunset views but adds a ride to some tour meetings. Lio’s airport-side shore suits a longer resort stay more than this sequence of town-based outings.
Read the El Nido guide →

Ten days from White Beach to Bacuit Bay

Three full days on Boracay, an afternoon flight, then four full El Nido days before the departure.

1 Day 1 Arrive through Caticlan, settle on White Beach Transfer

Book Southwest’s premium shared Caticlan Airport–Hotel transfer for about ₱1,060 per foreign adult, with the terminal, environmental and convenience charges selected. Allow around an hour from the airport to your Boracay hotel: the journey combines a mainland van, speedboat and island shuttle. Have the confirmation for your DOT-accredited accommodation ready at entry. Once you reach southern Station 1, walk out to see the beach and the lane connecting your hotel to the main road. Use that entrance for future pickups with bags. Eat chicken inasal, charcoal-grilled chicken with rice, around D’Mall if you arrive before dinner. Keep the first walk near the hotel; tomorrow covers more of the shoreline.

The crossing from Panay
White Beach hotel lanes
D’Mall for dinner

Base: Boracay

2 Day 2 Willy’s Rock and a walk through the stations On foot

Spend the morning on White Beach, walking north to Willy’s Rock and then south through Station 2 towards Angol. The full beach runs about four kilometres; allow one or two hours of walking, with longer stops wherever you want to swim. The public sand costs nothing and needs no tour reservation. At midday, cross to Bulabog for QTCHN at Aqua Boracay. A chori burger is about ₱750, with local tax and service added to the menu price. Return to White Beach for the afternoon. Keep cigarettes and alcohol at the restaurant, away from the public sand.

Willy’s Rock
Angol’s southern shoreline
QTCHN on Bulabog

Base: Boracay

3 Day 3 Snorkel from a shared Boracay bangka

Take MyBoracayGuide’s Standard island-hopping outing, about ₱1,700 per person for five hours, booked at myboracayguide.com. The package includes a mask, life vest, water and Filipino lunch; hotel pickup on Stations 1–3 is roughly half an hour before the 9am departure. Crocodile Island supplies the reef stop, with other beaches along the circuit. Crystal Cove is an optional paid visit, so the guide should explain that choice before landing there. Wear footwear you can take off for boarding and use the life vest at the snorkelling stop. Hotel return is excluded: after the boat finishes, walk back along the beach or arrange the ride from its landing area. Dinner around Station 2 gives you more choice than staying at the departure point.

Crocodile Island’s reef
A Filipino tour lunch
Optional Crystal Cove visit

Base: Boracay

4 Day 4 Puka’s northern shore and a sunset paraw Bus

Go to Puka Beach in the morning using Boracay Hop-On Hop-Off. Buy the one-day pass through Southwest Tours for about ₱335 per person; buses usually come every fifteen to thirty minutes at the marked stops. The road journey north is roughly twenty minutes from the centre, plus the wait for the bus. Spend two or three hours on Puka’s sand, then return to D’Mall for lunch. For sunset, reserve MyBoracayGuide’s private paraw for two at about ₱4,000 per boat. The sail lasts thirty minutes, with a crew and life jackets. You sit on the outrigger net close to the water, so secure loose glasses before boarding. Pick a beachfront restaurant for grilled fish after the sail.

Puka Beach
A north-coast bus outing
Private paraw sailing

Base: Boracay

5 Day 5 Fly from Caticlan to El Nido Flight

Leave Boracay for the direct afternoon Cebgo flight from Caticlan to Lio, about seventy minutes in the air. Budget roughly ₱4,000–7,000 for a one-way seat and buy it at cebupacificair.com. Southwest’s premium shared hotel-to-Caticlan transfer is about ₱810 per foreign adult with the selected charges. Plan pickup about four hours before departure: roughly an hour for the transfer chain plus Cebu Pacific’s recommended three hours at the airport. Southwest suggests a shorter, three-hour hotel lead. Eat lunch before going to the airport, since the onward ride into El Nido follows an afternoon arrival. Take a tricycle outside Lio’s terminal for about ₱300 per vehicle and fifteen to twenty minutes into town. Give the driver your hotel’s name. After check-in, walk to a waterfront restaurant for grilled pork and rice. Reserve tomorrow’s tour online before travelling.

Caticlan–Lio direct flight
An afternoon arrival in Palawan
El Nido’s town waterfront

Base: El Nido

6 Day 6 Paddle inside Big Lagoon on Tour A

Book Paradise’s group Tour A for about ₱1,500 per person at elnidoparadise.com and set aside around seven hours. The price includes a bento lunch, drinking water and mask with snorkel. Bring ₱400 for the non-Palawan adult environmental fee, ₱200 each for Big Lagoon entry and about ₱350 for one two-seat kayak. Keep the fee receipt for Tour C on day eight. The boat stops outside the lagoon; use the kayak to move through the narrower limestone passages, with both paddlers wearing life jackets. Shimizu and Seven Commandos add beach stops to the same excursion. Eat the included lunch during the tour, then choose pancit noodles around El Nido’s waterfront for dinner.

Big Lagoon by two-seat kayak
Shimizu Island
Seven Commandos Beach

Base: El Nido

7 Day 7 Walk Nacpan towards Calitang Transfer

Use HTT’s return shuttle for Nacpan, about ₱700 per person at hhospitality.tours. Allow forty-five to sixty minutes each way and choose the return departure when reserving the seat. Give the beach four or five hours so the road trip leaves time for both a walk and a long lunch. Head towards the southern end where Nacpan meets Calitang, then return along the main sandy shore. Beachside restaurants serve fish or squid with rice, and the shade beside them is useful at midday. The return brings you back to El Nido town for the night.

Nacpan’s long sand
Neighbouring Calitang
A return shuttle from town

Base: El Nido

8 Day 8 Helicopter Island, Secret and Hidden Beach

Tour C visits a different set of islands from Tour A: Helicopter Island, Talisay and Hidden Beach are among the stops. Book Paradise’s group outing for about ₱1,700 per person, including a bento lunch, water and snorkelling gear, and allow around seven hours. Present the environmental-fee receipt from day six. Matinloc Shrine adds about ₱200 if you choose that optional landing; the beach stops remain the main reason for this day. At Secret Beach, reaching the enclosed sand involves swimming through a rock opening. Tell the crew if you prefer to remain aboard for that stop. Have the tour lunch between islands and return to town for chicken inasal near the waterfront.

Helicopter Island
Secret Beach’s rock opening
Hidden Beach

Base: El Nido

9 Day 9 A land day on Marimegmeg’s shore Car

Finish the sightseeing at Marimegmeg, reached through Vanilla Beach south of town. Allow about fifteen minutes by tricycle; a private town-to-Vanilla ride is roughly ₱150–200 per vehicle. Ask the hotel to arrange it and agree on the return ride. Spend the morning walking the sand, with the offshore limestone islands ahead and beach bars behind you. Lunch at a shore restaurant keeps you here through the hot part of the day; choose grilled fish with rice or a vegetable dish. Walk back through Vanilla Beach for the pickup, rather than searching for a vehicle farther along the sand.

Marimegmeg Beach
Vanilla Beach’s road access
Bacuit Bay’s islands from shore

Base: El Nido

10 Day 10 Fly from Lio to Clark Flight

Take the domestic flight from Lio to Clark, about one and a half hours, with one-way seats around ₱5,000–8,000. Book through Cebu Pacific and compare the selected baggage allowance with the connecting ticket. For the airport ride, reserve SeaQuest’s private town-to-Lio vehicle at about ₱1,600 through elnido-tours.com. Allow around thirty minutes on the road and leave town about three and a half hours before departure, including Cebu Pacific’s recommended three hours at the airport. Have breakfast in El Nido before the pickup. Clark is the end of this route’s day ten. If you continue to NAIA, ArrivePampanga’s private van starts around ₱6,500 per vehicle for the two-to-three-hour road journey. That connecting-city overnight adds another night to the trip.

Lio airport departure
Clark arrival
Optional road transfer towards NAIA

Base: El Nido

The flight joining the two stays

The ticket uses MPH for Caticlan and ENI for El Nido. Boracay’s hotel is across the strait from the departure airport.

1 transfer

Boracay El Nido

Flight Travel time: About seventy minutes flying; around half a day with transfers

Fly Cebgo from Caticlan to Lio for about ₱4,000–7,000 per seat. Add Southwest’s roughly ₱810 foreign-adult transfer back to Caticlan and a town tricycle for about ₱300 per vehicle on arrival. The airport codes matter: KLO would send you to Kalibo.

A budget for two adults

These totals assume two non-Palawan foreign adults taking the named shared tours, one private paraw and a two-seat kayak. Flights into Caticlan, hotels and most meals sit outside the activity totals.

Two domestic flights Caticlan–Lio plus Lio–Clark. Add the first flight into Caticlan separately; checked baggage depends on the selected fare.: About ₱9,000–15,000 per person
Airport ground transfers Southwest arrival and departure with selected foreign-adult charges; arrival tricycle ₱300 and SeaQuest departure vehicle ₱1,600.: ₱3,740 for two on Boracay, plus ₱1,900 in El Nido
Three group boat tours Boracay Standard, El Nido A and C include lunch and snorkelling gear. Optional island entry charges and El Nido fees are extra.: About ₱9,800 for two
El Nido fees and kayak Two ₱400 environmental receipts, two ₱200 Big Lagoon entries and one ₱350 kayak. Optional Matinloc Shrine adds ₱200 per visitor.: About ₱1,550 for two adults
Sunset sailing The thirty-minute private sail includes crew and life jackets. It is paid per boat, separately from the three group excursions.: About ₱4,000 for one paraw carrying two
Beach-day road trips Two ₱700 Nacpan return seats, two ₱335 HOHO passes and two private Vanilla Beach rides at ₱150–200 each.: About ₱2,370–2,470 for two
Accommodation Compare the same room occupancy and breakfast terms. Southern Station 1 and El Nido town are the bases used in this plan.: Four Boracay nights and five El Nido nights

Booking tips

For two adults, the selected flights, transfers and outings total roughly ₱41,400–53,500. Add the flight into Caticlan, nine hotel nights, meals outside tour lunches and any baggage upgrades. Optional island entries and travel after Clark are also outside this subtotal.
Use the airline’s fare details for the weight of the main bag. This route carries it on two domestic flights, while the excursion boats need only the small day bag. A snorkel mask already comes with each named boat tour.
Arrange boarding assistance with the excursion operator if getting down from the boat or into a kayak is difficult. Describe that particular movement when reserving; a hotel with a lift does not solve transfers on the water.
The lunch inclusions cover days three, six and eight. Budget breakfast and dinner separately, along with the four independent beach-day lunches.

Compare El Nido town, Corong-Corong and Lio addresses for the longer half of the trip.

Compare El Nido rooms →

The two hotel bases

The route centres on Boracay Island and El Nido town, with the intervening flight booked separately.

Questions about pairing Boracay and El Nido

When is a good season for both islands?

February–April is a useful common window: Boracay’s region has a relatively drier spell then, within El Nido’s broader December–May dry season. Rain remains possible and sea conditions can change excursions. The plan leaves land days between boat outings so the operator can move a tour within the stay.

How do we pay the rest of Paradise’s Tour A ticket?

Pay the remaining balance in cash at Paradise’s partner office before the tour starts. The online deposit is 25%: about ₱375 for Tour A’s ₱1,500 ticket, leaving ₱1,125 to pay. Bring pesos for that balance as well as the separate environmental, lagoon and kayak payments.

What does Paradise charge for children’s environmental fees?

For its tours, El Nido Paradise quotes ₱250 for non-Palawan children aged six to thirteen, with under-sixes exempt. Adult non-Palawan visitors pay ₱400. Give each child’s age when booking with Paradise. The separate lagoon admission and kayak are outside the environmental payment.

Can we choose a seafood lunch on the Boracay boat trip?

Yes. MyBoracayGuide’s Premium outing is about ₱1,900 per person and adds a seafood lunch, compared with the ₱1,700 Standard outing used here. For two people, the meal change adds about ₱400 to the boat budget. Both are shared trips, with hotel return excluded.

Can we reach Crystal Cove on foot from Boracay?

No. Crystal Cove is a separate boat-only day-visit island. It opens from 8am to 5pm, with last entry at 4pm. You can choose its landing during the Boracay excursion, paying admission separately; the plan does not use it as an overnight base.

Airline, fee and island records

Editorial team StartBooker Editorial Travel guide editorial team

Checked on 2026-10-06

Updated 2026-10-06

How this route was reviewed: Read the airline routes, selected transfer and excursion fares, environmental payments and beach access. Reviewed the day plans together with the nine-night split and the separate onward international connection.

37 Source records

Transport, fees and beach guides