Big Lagoon, El Nido: Tour A, Kayak Slots and Fees (Checked Nov 2026)

How this page is built: we compile operator booking pages, municipal notices and dated news reports. Each figure names its source and the date we checked it. Nothing here is first-hand, and we do not rank tour operators.

The published visitor limits are from 2017 and 2018. Figures marked "reported" come from news or secondary guides; confirm the stop list, fees and what is included with your operator before you pay.

At a glance

Question	What the sources say	Source, checked Nov 2026
Where is it	Miniloc Island (northeast side in The Backpacking Family's 2024 guide)	Operator Tour A pages; The Backpacking Family
How you get in	Boats stop at the entrance; you kayak or swim the last stretch; motorized boats may not enter	Rappler (Dec 2018); Tripiwi; The World Travel Guy
Which tour	Tour A at all seven sellers we compared	Operator pages; El Nido Map (Jul 30, 2026)
Big Lagoon fee	PHP 200 per person	El Nido Paradise; GoWaves; Tarawis; Velaya; Discover El Nido; El Nido Map
Eco fee (ETDF)	PHP 400 from outside Palawan, PHP 200 from within, valid 5 days	El Nido Map (Oct 17, 2026); ETDF Management Board
Kayak	PHP 150 to 500 depending on the seller; regulated rate was PHP 250 for 90 minutes in Dec 2018	See the fees table; Rappler (Dec 2018)
Slots	60 people and 30 kayaks every 90 minutes, as enforced from Dec 1, 2018	Rappler (Dec 7, 2018)
Hours	7 am to 4 pm, as enforced from Dec 1, 2018	Rappler (Dec 7, 2018)
Booking ahead	Operators book lagoon slots in advance; Tour A is the busiest route	Rappler (Dec 2018); El Nido Map (Jul 30, 2026)

Partner link El Nido Tour A on Klook

Which tours list Big Lagoon

Every Tour A listing we read names Big Lagoon. The shared route also carries Secret Lagoon, Shimizu Island and Seven Commando Beach, with Payong-Payong Beach added by four of the seven sellers.

Listing (checked Nov 6, 2026)	Big Lagoon on the route	Notes
El Nido Paradise, shared Tour A	Yes	PHP 1,500; four core stops, no Payong-Payong on the booking list
Sea Quest, Tour A	Yes	Listed with Secret Lagoon; route order may change with sea state
GoWaves Travel, Tour A	Yes, morning stop	Five stops including Payong-Payong; Big Lagoon first in their published order
Discover El Nido, Tour A	Yes, timetabled 9:30 am	Payong Payong, Simizu lunch, Secret Lagoon, 7 Commando; "no strict order"
Tarawis, Tour A (Lagoon Tour)	Yes	Page notes an additional entrance fee at Big Lagoon
Velaya, shared Tour A	Yes	Optional kayak at the lagoon; up to 26 guests
El Nido Map (secondary)	Yes	Calls Tour A the busiest of the four because of Big Lagoon

Rappler reported in Dec 2018 that Big Lagoon and Small Lagoon were taken out of the regular Tour A as "premium tours" that "can no longer be visited on the same day". Today every seller we checked has put Big Lagoon back on shared Tour A, while Small Lagoon is on Tour D at most sellers (El Nido Map, Jul 30, 2026). The Tour D sellers that list Small Lagoon, with their fees and kayak rates, are compared on Small Lagoon El Nido: which tour includes it. The full stop-by-stop Tour A seller table is on El Nido Tour A.

Fees on top of the tour price

Charge	Amount	Source, checked Nov 2026
Big Lagoon environmental user fee	PHP 200 per person	El Nido Paradise (DENR-PAO); GoWaves; Tarawis; Velaya; Discover El Nido; El Nido Map
Eco-Tourism Development Fee (ETDF), from outside Palawan	PHP 400, once per 5 days	El Nido Map (Oct 17, 2026); Velaya; ETDF Management Board (Dec 2025)
ETDF, from within Palawan	PHP 200	El Nido Map; ETDF Management Board
Kayak, two-seater	PHP 350 (El Nido Paradise); PHP 300 (Velaya); PHP 150 (Sea Quest); PHP 300 to 500 (El Nido Map)	Operator pages and secondary
Mask and snorkel, if not included	PHP 100 (Discover El Nido; Sea Quest)	Operator pages

Rappler reported the lagoon fee as PHP 200 when the policy began in Dec 2018, collected for the Integrated Protected Area Fund, and said it is non-refundable except in force majeure such as weather that keeps boats in port. Sellers still quote PHP 200. Whether a seat price includes it varies: Velaya's PHP 1,700 and Sea Quest's PHP 2,100 do, and the PHP 1,500 seats at El Nido Paradise, GoWaves, Discover El Nido and Tarawis do not.

The same Rappler report says the Protected Area Office fixed the kayak rental at PHP 250 for up to 90 minutes in Big Lagoon in 2018. Seller quotes today sit around that band or higher and are per kayak, so two people sharing a PHP 300 two-seater pay PHP 150 each. We found no newer regulated rate.

At the common PHP 1,500 seat price, adding the PHP 200 lagoon fee and the PHP 400 ETDF gives PHP 2,100 per person before a kayak, and about PHP 2,250 with a PHP 300 two-seater shared by two (our arithmetic from the sourced figures). El Nido Map's own estimate for a first Tour A with a kayak is PHP 2,100 to 2,500 (Jul 30, 2026). El Nido Map says one ETDF payment covers El Nido's tourism sites for 5 days and that older guides quoting 10 days are out of date; Velaya also says 5 days; we found no official text on the validity period. Every El Nido and Coron fee is on the Palawan fees page.

Prices by seller

Seller (checked Nov 6, 2026)	Shared price per person	Included, and extra on the day
El Nido Paradise	PHP 1,500	Includes a bento box lunch, drinking water, mask and snorkel. Extra: ETDF PHP 400, lagoon fee PHP 200, kayak PHP 350 for a two-seater
Sea Quest	PHP 2,100	Includes lunch, drinking water, the lagoon fee and an environmental fee. Extra: kayak PHP 150, mask PHP 100, fins PHP 100, aqua shoes PHP 100
GoWaves Travel	PHP 1,500	Includes hotel pick-up and drop-off in town, lunch, drinking water. Extra: ETDF PHP 400, Big Lagoon PHP 200, kayak
Discover El Nido	PHP 1,500	Includes guide, life vests, drinking water, soda, buffet lunch. Extra: ETDF PHP 400, Big Lagoon about PHP 200, kayak, mask and snorkel PHP 100, towel PHP 100
Tarawis El Nido Island Tours	PHP 1,500	Includes a beach lunch, mask and snorkel, towel, guide. Extra: ETDF PHP 400, Big Lagoon PHP 200
Velaya	PHP 1,700 (PHP 1,500 plus the PHP 200 lagoon entrance)	Includes lunch and a local guide. Extra: ETDF PHP 400, kayak PHP 300 for a two-person kayak

El Nido Map reports a typical shared tour at PHP 1,200 to 1,400 with lunch and says the rates are regulated (Jul 30, 2026); we did not find the regulated rate in an official notice. Sea Quest's page does not say whether its "environmental fee" is the ETDF, so ask before paying the ETDF twice.

Direct link El Nido Tour A (Lagoons and Beaches) on GetYourGuide

How you get in

Tour boats stay outside. Under the Dec 2018 rules Rappler reported, motorized boats may not enter Big Lagoon, except boats with a special permit carrying persons with disabilities, senior citizens and pregnant women. Tripiwi (2025) and The World Travel Guy describe boats stopping at the entrance so everyone paddles or swims in. El Nido Map calls the kayak "required to enter the lagoon itself" (Jul 30, 2026). Velaya calls the kayak optional.

Life jackets must be worn inside. The 2018 rules also prohibit loud sound or music, cliff jumping, grilling, washing utensils, throwing food scraps, stepping on corals, smoking and alcohol, and say a boat or guide that deliberately breaks them can be denied dispatch by the Coast Guard.

Slots, hours and visitor limits

Rule	Detail	Source
People inside	60 every 90 minutes, 480 per 8 hours	Rappler (Dec 7, 2018), enforced from Dec 1, 2018
Kayaks inside	30 every 90 minutes, 240 per 8 hours	Rappler (Dec 7, 2018)
Hours	7 am to 4 pm	Rappler (Dec 7, 2018)
Slot booking	Operators book ahead, at most 15 guests a day; more slots after 3 pm on the eve of the tour	Rappler (Dec 7, 2018)
Regulated kayak rate (2018)	PHP 250 for up to 90 minutes	Rappler (Dec 7, 2018)
Earlier board resolution	720 guests a day, 60 at a time, 30 kayaks at a time, 45 minutes inside, 6 am to 6 pm	Rappler (Sep 27, 2017); GMA News (Jan 28, 2018)
Also in the 2017 resolution	One guide for every 6 guests; five boats of 12 guests at the anchorage, one hour at most	Rappler (Sep 27, 2017)

The 2017 resolution was reported as awaiting DENR regional approval and the 2018 policy is the one Rappler reported being enforced, so the two sets of numbers do not agree on the daily total or the hours. We found no newer official schedule, so treat these as the published baseline and not as today's count. Small Lagoon has its own limits, which are on Small Lagoon El Nido.

Big Lagoon or Small Lagoon

Point	Big Lagoon	Small Lagoon
Shared tour that lists it	Tour A	Tour D
People per batch (Dec 2018)	60 every 90 minutes	30 every 60 minutes
Kayaks per batch (Dec 2018)	30	15
Regulated kayak rate (Dec 2018)	PHP 250 for up to 90 minutes	PHP 200 for up to 60 minutes
Lagoon fee	PHP 200	PHP 200

Source for the rows with a date: Rappler, Dec 7, 2018. Motorized boats are barred from entering Big Lagoon and from anchoring at Small Lagoon's entrance. We found no seller in this check that lists both lagoons on one shared tour.

Times and booking

Seller	Start	Where Big Lagoon falls, and the return
El Nido Paradise	Office near El Nido beach front; departs from there or Corong Corong	Around 4:00 pm
GoWaves Travel	Pick-up from 8:30 am, boat 9:00 am	Morning stop; back 4:00 to 5:00 pm, about 7 hours
Discover El Nido	Briefing 8:30 am	Big Lagoon at 9:30 am; back 4:30 pm
Sea Quest, group	Start 9:30 to 10:30 am	Return 3:30 to 4:30 pm; group boat of 18 to 22 guests
Velaya	Meet 8:45 am, depart about 9:30 am	Tour lasts 7 to 8 hours, up to 26 guests
Be My Travel Muse (Nov 2022 trip)	Reported	Big Lagoon as the third stop, about 1 hour
Tripiwi (2025 trip)	Left about 9:00 am	Back around 5:00 pm

All times are each seller's own, checked Nov 6, 2026, and every seller says the order can change. Deposits differ: El Nido Paradise takes a PHP 375 deposit per person online; Discover El Nido takes 40% at checkout and 60% in cash on the day; Tarawis offers a 50% deposit; Velaya asks for PHP 400 per full-fare guest 7 days ahead; GoWaves charges the full amount by card, with 100% back more than 7 days out, 50% at 2 to 7 days and nothing after that. GoWaves moves a weather or Coast Guard cancellation to the next available day and refunds in full if you cannot take it. Rain and wind by month are on Best time to visit El Nido.

Private options

Private option (checked Nov 6, 2026)	Price	Includes
El Nido Paradise private Tour A	From PHP 12,700 (as listed on the shared Tour A page's private link)	Private boat for your group; confirm inclusions on the private booking page
Sea Quest private traditional boat	PHP 12,000 for 2, plus PHP 1,500 per extra guest	Town pick-up, lunch, guide, lagoon and environmental fees, mask, kayaks in the lagoon

What to bring

Sellers agree on a short list: cash for the ETDF, lagoon fee and kayak (GoWaves; Velaya; El Nido Paradise), water shoes for the rocks at Secret Lagoon (Tripiwi; Velaya; GoWaves), sunscreen, a hat, a waterproof bag for your phone, and a towel. Tripiwi notes there is often no dock when boarding, so expect to get wet.

Partner link Seven Commandos Beach and El Nido Tour A listings on Viator

Last checked Nov 2026. Sources are listed at the end of this page. Prices, inclusions and times are as each seller's page showed them on Nov 6, 2026; rules are as the dated news reports named next to them. If you run Tour A and your published details differ, send us the link and we will update the tables.

FAQs

Where is Big Lagoon in El Nido?

On Miniloc Island in Bacuit Bay. The Backpacking Family's 2024 guide places it on the northeast side. You need a boat from El Nido town; it is a stop on shared Tour A.

Which tour goes to Big Lagoon?

Tour A at all seven sellers we checked on Nov 6, 2026. El Nido Map also puts Big Lagoon on Tour A and calls that route the busiest of the four.

How much does Big Lagoon cost?

The lagoon fee is PHP 200 per person at the sellers that list it, on top of the PHP 400 eco fee if you have not paid it in the last 5 days. With a PHP 1,500 seat that is PHP 2,100 per person before a kayak; Velaya and Sea Quest fold the lagoon fee into their seat price.

Do you need a kayak at Big Lagoon?

Motorized boats may not enter, so the last stretch is by kayak or swimming. El Nido Map says a kayak is needed to enter the lagoon; Velaya calls it optional. Two-seaters are quoted at PHP 150 to 350 by the sellers we checked, and PHP 300 to 500 by El Nido Map, paid on site.

Can you visit Big Lagoon and Small Lagoon on the same day?

Rappler reported in Dec 2018 that the two lagoons are "premium tours" that "can no longer be visited on the same day". Big Lagoon is on Tour A and Small Lagoon on Tour D, and we found no shared tour that lists both. Ask your operator if you want to try a custom or private plan.

How many people are allowed in Big Lagoon?

The policy Rappler reported as enforced from Dec 1, 2018 allows 60 people and 30 kayaks every 90 minutes, from 7 am to 4 pm. An earlier 2017 board resolution had 720 guests a day and 6 am to 6 pm. We found no newer official schedule.

Is Big Lagoon the same as Secret Lagoon?

No. Secret Lagoon is a separate stop on Tour A, reached through a gap in the rock, and sellers list it beside Big Lagoon, Shimizu Island and Seven Commando Beach.