How to get to El Nido by Plane and from Puerto Princesa

Last updated on December 17th, 2022 at 07:24 pm

We will tell you how to get to El Nido by plane, by van from Puerto Princesa schedule and prices that you can book online.

Palawan is indeed one of the Philippines natural gems and for us El Nido is one of the best place in the Philippines. There are many things to do in El Nido Palawan which you will surely enjoy. In this blog post

There are a few options to get to El Nido from Manila, Cebu, Coron, Boracay and Puerto Princesa are the most popular ones! Also take a look to our 3 Days El Nido Itinerary!

Read here 10 Days Palawan Itinerary, best El Nido tourist spots, how to get to Coron and how to get to El Nido!

Read here how to get to Puerto Princesa Underground River and best beaches in El Nido!

Best Time to visit El Nido

The best time to visit El Nido is during summer. Summer in the Philippines starts from March to mid-May. Just expect the prices to be high because it is peak season. Also expect the number of tourists to be high during this time.

You can also visit El Nido from December to February as the skies are clear and rain is minimal. From June to October expect rainy season, less crowded and prices will go down.

Click here to know more updates about the weather in El Nido!

How to get to El Nido

How to get to El Nido by Plane

If you want to get to El Nido by plane will be the most comfortable and also the most expensive way. There are daily flights with SkyJet to get to El Nido from Manila, Cebu, Boracay, Coron, Bohol, Clark and Puerto Princesa. Prices are expensive since seats are limited. Make sure you book in advance!

There are daily flights with AIr Swift from Manila and Cebu. It will take an hour. The plane is so small and there aren’t so many seats available so better you book in advance and prices are around $100 USD for one way.

The most affordable option is flying to Puerto Princesa from Cebu and Manila. Once you are in Puerto Princesa you can take a van or a bus going to El Nido that will take around 5-6 hours. There are van and bus available anytime during the day.

How to get to El Nido town from the airport

El Nido airport is also known Lio Airport is located 5 kilometers far from the proper town of El Nido. There are tricycles available and they will charge 200-300 PHP to get to El Nido town.

How to get to El Nido from Manila

If you are coming from abroad your first stop probably will be Manila. To get to El Nido from Manila the fastest way is a direct flight to El Nido. It will take 1 hour and 15 minutes. There are limited flights to El Nido so make sure to plan in advance. The flight company is SkyJet and prices are around 6000-9000 PHP one way.

Alternatively, you can also take a plane going to Coron or Puerto Princesa from Manila as we did on one of our Palawan travel guide. Make sure to click here to get the best flight deals! There are affordable prices from Manila to Puerto Princesa. Flights are so cheap from 1500-2500 PHP one way. Keep reading below how to get to El Nido from Puerto Princesa and Coron.

How to get to El Nido from Puerto Princesa

Puerto Princesa is the capital city in Palawan. It’s the most common landing spot when visiting Palawan. There is only 1 daily flight from Puerto Princesa to El Nido so land vehicles are really the best way to go there.

Read here how to get from El Nido to Puerto Princesa.

How to get to El Nido from Puerto Princesa by van

You can either ride a public van from the airport as we did in one of our previous trips. It will cost you 500-700 PHP or around 10-14 USD per head and will take 5-6 hours.

There are many turns and hillsides on the way to El Nido and the state of the road is not so good. The landscape on the way to El Nido is so beautiful and you will enjoy plenty of palm trees on your way to El Nido. In our opinion is worth it to take the van even is little bit more expensive you will save time.

Click here to get your discount booking online your transfer to El Nido from Puerto Princesa!

How to get to El Nido by bus

Aside from riding a van, you can also ride a bus. It will take 6-9 hours and will cost you 380-480 PHP or around 8-10 USD per head. Prices depending on the bus company but all of them have similar prices.

Buses are running every hour until the evening from early morning. Cherry Bus and Ro Ro are one of those bus companies going from Puerto Princesa to El Nido. There are also night buses going from Puerto Princesa to El Nido in this way you will save accommodation and you will be ready to do island hopping next morning.

If you get late evening in Puerto Princesa this will be your best option to go to El Nido since buses are more comfortable than the van.

Once you get to the Bus Terminal in El Nido there are available tricycles to go to El Nido town. It will cost 50 PHP for 15 minutes ride. The bus terminal is also close from Corong Corong Beach and Las Cabanas just in case you are staying in that are which more relaxed and calm with perfect sunsets.

If you go to Puerto Princesa you can visit Palawan Underground River which was a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999. The place is 2 hours van ride from Puerto Princesa and doing the tour will take you another couple of hours. If you are planning to stay in Puerto Princesa is a good thing to do before going to El Nido.

Click here if you want to get your discount booking the Underground River with Klook!

How to get to El Nido from Coron

You can go to El Nido from Coron through slow or fast boats and via an airplane. Yep! There are 1-2 flights (very limited) from Coron to El Nido. Ticket costs around 6000 PHP or 120 USD.

From the port, you have the option to ride the slow boat, taking around 6-7 hours and will cost you around 1300 PHP or 26 USD. You can also ride the fast boat which costs around 1700 PHP or 34 USD. The trip will take 3-4 hours. We usually love to budget but this time we decided to book in advance and getting the fast boat. It was totally worth it since we could make the most of the day in El Nido getting early morning.

We took the boat with Montenegro Shipping Lines. The boats are leaving at 12 pm and there is only one fast boat. Click this link to make sure you book in advance! We totally recommend the fast boat to go to El Nido from Coron.

How to get to El Nido from Cebu

There are a few flights from Cebu to El Nido or Puerto Princesa. For flights destined to Puerto Princesa prices from 1500-2500 PHP or 30-40 USD and takes 1 hour and 15 minutes. For flights going directly to El Nido prices starts from 6000-8000 PHP or 150 USD and takes 1 hour and 40 minutes.

How to get to El Nido from Port Barton

How to get to El Nido from Port Barton by Van

If you want to get to El Nido from Port Barton the best option is by van. There are a few companies like Recaro and Lexxus going from 6 am to 5 pm to El Nido. Prices are around 650-750 PHP for 4 hours van ride.

Read here how to get from Port Barton to El Nido!

How to get to El Nido from Port Barton the cheapest way

If you want to budget to get to El Nido from Port Barton in the cheapest way. There are jeepneys going to Roxas from Port Barton for 150 PHP and it will take 2 hours to reach Roxas. From Roxas you can get a bus to El Nido 3-4 hours ride and it will cost you 170 PHP.

This way will take you around 8 hours. And it will cost  320 PHP in total. So you can save half of the price than the van. We did once this way getting the jeepney from Port Barton early morning. We were waiting for the jeepney from 7 am and it left at 8 am and getting to Roxas ten minutes before 10 am. From Roxas the bus left at 11 am and to get to El Nido at 4 pm.

If you want to budget is a great option. But you will miss the whole day by public transportation. It depends on your budget and your comfort. Personally I recommend this way if you aren’t bringing so much luggage enjoying a day in public transportation.

If you like the adventure and you don’t have so much luggage you can rent a motorbike going from Port Barton to El Nido. Prices of renting a motorbike are around 500 PHP per day.

Read here a full blog post how to get to Port Barton!

Where to Stay in El Nido

We love the choices they have in El Nido town that start from as low as 700 PHP per night in a dorm. You can get a room as ceap as 1200-1500 PHP. Cool, right? For more budget and calm options you can sleep in Corong Corong Beach and Las Cabanas area. Also if you prefer to the amazing Nacpan Beach 40 minutes North by tricycle from El Nido town.

CLICK HERE TO BOOK THE ACCOMMODATION BEFORE YOUR TRIP WITH AGODA!!!

CLICK HERE TO BOOK WITH BOOKING.COM!!!

Let us know if we are missing information how to get to El Nido. If you have questions let us know in the comments below.

Happy Travels!