Palawan is known as the last frontier of the Philippines, and this is saying a lot in a country with 7,100 islands, many of them unexplored. Pencil thin and wedged between the Sulu and South China Sea, Palawan boasts lush forests, rushing waterfalls and untouched beaches, some of the best of which can be found around El Nido, Spanish for 'The Nest.'
This tiny seafront town in the northern half of Palawan is the jumping off point for the breathtaking Bacuit Archipelago. If Halong Bay and a Tahitian island ever got it on, Bacuit Bay would be the resulting love child: towering limestone Karst islands are fringed with palm-dotted white sand beaches, and protect calm turquoise lagoons. Jungle vegetation tumbles down jagged rocky walls straight out of a science fiction movie, right into the warm sea.
Listen carefully and you might hear macaque monkeys, what you won't hear is reggae music, cries for Full Moon parties, or even other travelers: once your Bangka (as outriggers are known in Tagalog) has dropped you off with your snorkeling gear, you will probably have the place all to yourself. Don't miss the Large and Small Lagoon, and Helicopter Island's dazzling beach, where local fishermen often take their siesta.
From Manila, El Nido is served by SE Air's twice weekly, 19 seater plane that touches down at the dirt airstrip with an airport 'terminal' equipped with lazy rattan hammocks reserved for departing passengers; check-in early and you can swing to your heart's content right up until your flight is boarded.
When booking your flight in town, don't be surprised to see the same agent not only checking you in (weighing you along with your luggage) but refueling and securing the plane's propellers during the transit stop. They will wave at you like a long lost friend, asking how your Bangka trip was the previous day, and how much you enjoyed their small town. They won't ask you how many Jello shots you managed to down at the rowdy backpacker bar, because there isn't one.
El Nido is just that kind of place.
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El Nido can be reached by frequent Bangka boats from Coron or Sabang, which can be rough going during the rainy season. (May to November) If you're looking for a James Bond arrival, nothing beats the flight: weaving through the Karst formations like a champion skier, the puff of dust released on landing confirm your arrival in one of Asia's best kept secrets.