The Puerto Princesa Underground River is a marvel of nature, but your visit to Palawan will not be complete without dropping anchor in El Nido, an equally magnificent work of time and elements that rise out of turquoise waters in karstic pillars and framed with white beaches that are too blinding to be true.
To get to this slice of heaven, however, a beach pilgrim would have to endure penance in the form of hours-long travel time, depending on where he or she is at the start of the trip. If he or she travels from Puerto Princesa, here are the details of the transport options.
How to Get to El Nido From Puerto Princesa
1) By Bus:
Go to the San Jose New Market and Terminal in Puerto Princesa. The El Nido bus parking lot is in the exit area of the multi-cab route.
There are several bus companies that service this route (departure time for El Nido and back to Puerto Princesa are 5AM, 7AM and 9AM; fare is P350), but the most predictable in schedule with more trips per day, and the most comfortable relative to price, is the RORO bus.
Compared to other bus franchises, RORO is more in keeping with its published departure times, leaving whether the bus is full or otherwise (public conveyances usually wait for the bus or jeepney to be filled to capacity, sometimes beyond capacity, before leaving for their destinations).
Open-air and air-conditioned buses leave in alternate, two-hour intervals. So if the 4AM bus is non-AC, the 6AM is AC, the 8AM is non-AC and so forth. Their complete schedule as of the time of writing is as follows.
– Departure Schedule (both from Puerto Princesa and from El Nido):
- 4AM
- 6AM – AC
- 8AM
- 10AM – AC
- 12NN
- 2PM – AC
- 4PM
- 6PM – AC
- 10PM – AC
– Travel Time: 6:30 hours (including two 15-minute stops at Roxas and Taytay)
– Fare: P250 for non-AC bus and P483 for AC bus.
For recent updates in their fare rates and departure schedule, contact 09997879469; 09089202568; 09228901044; 09175971189 (numbers are active and working as of the time of writing). If calling internationally, dial 63, skip the zero and punch in the rest of the numbers (like 63-999-787-9469).
2) By Public Van (Information below apply for Lexus Shuttle)
– Departure Schedule from Puerto Princesa to El Nido:
- 5:30AM
- 8AM
- 9:30AM
- 11AM
- 1PM
- 2:30PM
- 5PM
For Lexus Shuttle, Puerto Princesa contact number is 0917-585-9602 and 0912-100-2651 (active and working at the time of writing).
– Departure Schedule from El Nido to Puerto Princesa:
- 5:30AM
- 8AM
- 9:30AM
- 11AM
- 1PM
- 2:30PM
- 4PM
– Fare: P500
– Travel Time: 6 hours (including stopovers at Taytay and/or Roxas)
El Nido contact number is 0917-585-9612 and 0912-100-2653 (active and working at the time of writing).
3) By Rented Van or Motorbike:
You can also rent a van (upwards of P11,000 one way or P14,000 round-trip) which, on average, seats up to 14 passengers. Travel time is 5 hours without stopovers. Or, if you want wind-in-my-face travel to El Nido, you can rent a motorbike that can cost anywhere P800-P1000 (or higher for newer models) for 24 hours. Travel time is anywhere between 7-8 hours on moderate speed. Motorbikes seat two.
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Photos by Cherry Vic Patalita
