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| Entrance to the Big Lagoon |
The highlight of our Palawan trip: island-hopping in El Nido!
I was most excited to engage in this activity. After all, the limestone islands of El Nido are world-famous. And we get to snorkel, too. So, what more can I ask? Well, another day of island-hopping, probably.
We sailed on a motorized banca around 9am last Wednesday. According to our guide, our first stop would either be the small or the big lagoon, depending on the tide. And from our resort, it would be a 40 minute or so ride.
I guess, we were blessed that day. The sea was as calm as it could be. We were literally cutting through crystal-clear, glass-like sea. There was not even a small wave or a ripple in sight. The sea was so still that it perfectly mirrored the skies and the islands. It was so serene and beautiful that I had to utter a prayer of thanks to the Lord for letting me witness the marvel of his creation. I was glad to be alive.
The islands of El Nido are scattered quite a distance from one another unlike in Caramoan. No wonder there are 4 types of island-hopping tours, tours a, b, c and d. And each tour takes up a whole day which I think is perfectly fine. It is better to enjoy and savor what the islands have to offer than rush from one point to another.
For Tour A, we went to the Big Lagoon, the Small Lagoon, Shimizu Island, the Seven Commandos Beach and the Secret Lagoon.
The Big Lagoon is located somewhere in Miniloc Island, the famed Ayala resort. The Small Lagoon and the Secret Lagoon are located somewhere there, too. We were quite lucky since there were few tourists. It was a Wednesday, after all, and the peak season for El Nido had ended in March.
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| Limestone formation, Miniloc |
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| Miniloc Resort |
As with all the islands we visited, the Big Lagoon is breathtaking. Achingly beautiful. The waters in and surrounding the island were a myriad of colors: emerald green, turquoise, aquamarine, deep blue and the prettiest and stunningly vivid azure I have ever seen in my life.
Anyway, we had a photo ops at the entrance of the lagoon, between two limestone cliffs, or island or whatever it may have been. We just happily traversed the water on the safety of our boat.
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| View from inside the Big Lagoon |
From the Big Lagoon, we went to the Secret Lagoon, a short distance away. One by one, we entered a small, sort of triangular crevice. To safely reach the Secret Lagoon, one must sit on top of the rock-opening, then slide the lower body towards the other side slowly, making sure that your head does not hit the edge of the opening.
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| The docking site for the Secret Lagoon. There is a small beach as shown in the photo. And yes, the water is crazy clear. |
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| View from inside the Secret Lagoon Can you see the small triangular crevice? That is the entrance. |
Afterwards, we headed to Shimizu Island for a swim while we wait for our lunch to be cooked. The boatmen and our tour guide took care of the cooking.
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| Shimizu Island The beach is small but perfect for a swim. |
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| The view from Shimizu Island |
Bring your goggles or snorkeling gear. There are many fishes of various sort even in shallow waters at the Shimizu Island. Apparently, the island was named after a Japanese scuba diver who died while diving in an underwater tunnel off some sorts per the request of the diver's mother. If I have to die before an island is named after me, I'd gladly pass.
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| Fishes abound at the Shimizu Island. The same is true in every island we visited. |
To reach the Small Lagoon, on the other hand, we had to pass through another small rock opening. For added fun, the tour guides would assist the tour groups in making a sea train. The first person would be hanging onto a life buoy, with the next person holding onto the feet of the first person and so on and so forth. The tour guide would then pull the life buoy and the train into the narrow passageway which is just enough for a one or two persons to fit in at a time. Corny, but it was fun nonetheless.
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| Inside the Small Lagoon |
Our final stop was the Seven Commandos Beach. A resort is currently being constructed but the bar is open and fully operational. They sell drinks at tourist prices. The beach, though, is beautiful, the shoreline is wide, and the water, shallow. Plus, the view is just so picturesque.
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| Seven Commandos |
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| Still at the Seven Commandos |
The skies turned slightly gray and the waves became bigger. The fair weather was turning into a cloudy one. Hence, the dark horizon as pictured above. But the view remained beautiful.
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| I told you...the water on this beach is shallow. Crystal-clear. The sandy shoreline, wide. |
My office mates, who grew tired from island-hopping, wanted to return to the resort even though it was only past 2pm. Oh well. I just vowed to myself that I shall return to El Nido.
Post script: Going to the Seven Commandos beach, I saw a pawikan swimming in the sea. I thought it was a huge piece of plastic bag, colored green. But when we got closer, it was a sea turtle. Like a child, I squealed in delight. To see one means you're lucky. And I was the only one who saw it in our group. Yay!
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