El Nido Tour A: Stops, Prices and Fees (Checked Nov 2026)

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

Stops, order and timings change with weather, tides, lagoon slots and the operator. Figures marked "reported" come from blogs or secondary guides; confirm the price and what it includes with your operator before you pay.

At a glance

Question	What the sources say	Source, checked Nov 2026
Core stops	Big Lagoon, Secret Lagoon, Shimizu Island, Seven Commando Beach	All seven sellers below
Extra stop	Payong-Payong Beach	Sea Quest, GoWaves, Discover El Nido, Tarawis
Shared price	PHP 1,500 per person at four sellers; PHP 1,700 at Velaya and PHP 2,100 at Sea Quest, with fees	Operator pages
Typical shared price	PHP 1,200 to 1,400 with lunch, reported	El Nido Map (Jul 30, 2026)
Eco fee (ETDF)	PHP 400 from outside Palawan, PHP 200 from within, valid 5 days	El Nido Map (Oct 17, 2026); ETDF Management Board
Big Lagoon fee	PHP 200 per person	El Nido Paradise; GoWaves; Tarawis; Velaya
Kayak	PHP 150 to 500 depending on the seller	See the fees table
Total first Tour A	PHP 2,100 to 2,500 with fees and kayak, reported	El Nido Map (Jul 30, 2026)
Hours	Most meet about 8:30 to 8:45 am; back about 3:30 to 5:00 pm	GoWaves; Velaya; Discover El Nido; Sea Quest
Booking ahead	A day ahead in peak season, reported	El Nido Map (Jul 30, 2026)

Partner link El Nido Tour A on Klook

Tour A stops

Every seller we checked lists the same four core stops. Four of them add Payong-Payong Beach, a small beach on Miniloc Island, and Velaya adds a snorkeling stop chosen by the crew on the day.

Stop	What it is	Notes from the sources
Big Lagoon	Lagoon inside limestone cliffs on Miniloc Island	Boats stop at the entrance and you paddle in (Tripiwi, 2025; Rappler, 2018); PHP 200 fee
Secret Lagoon	Small enclosed lagoon reached through a gap in the rock	Access depends on the tide (Velaya); sharp rocks, water shoes advised (Tripiwi)
Shimizu Island	White sand beach and snorkeling	The usual lunch stop (Sea Quest; GoWaves; El Nido Paradise)
Seven Commando Beach	Palm-lined mainland beach with a bar	Often the last stop (Sea Quest); the full guide is on Seven Commando Beach
Payong-Payong Beach	Small beach on Miniloc Island (Tripiwi)	Listed by Sea Quest, GoWaves, Discover El Nido, Tarawis; skipped on Tripiwi's 2025 trip

The order changes from boat to boat. GoWaves lists Big Lagoon in the morning, lunch at Shimizu and Seven Commando Beach in the afternoon, Discover El Nido says there is "no strict order", and Sea Quest says captains may switch the order to reach a stop when it is less crowded. Be My Travel Muse (Nov 2022) started at Seven Commando Beach and ended at Secret Lagoon; Tripiwi (2025) ended at Seven Commando Beach.

Is Small Lagoon on Tour A?

Usually not any more. 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 Big Lagoon on its shared Tour A, and El Nido Map reports that, as of Jul 30, 2026, Small Lagoon is on Tour D. The exceptions are wording: El Nido Paradise's Tour A guide still names Small Lagoon and says the tour visits "either Small Lagoon or Big Lagoon", while its booking page lists only Big Lagoon, and Klook's Tour A page mentions a separate "Small Lagoon Tour" option. If Small Lagoon matters to you, ask which tour carries a Small Lagoon slot that week.

Prices by seller

Seller (source, checked Nov 2, 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, hotel pick-up
Sea Quest	PHP 2,100	Includes lunch, drinking water, the lagoon fee and an environmental fee. Extra: mask PHP 100, fins PHP 100, aqua shoes PHP 100, kayak PHP 150
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 a 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
Klook	Price not shown in the page text we captured	Says "mandatory and optional fees" are paid on site

El Nido Map reports a typical shared price of PHP 1,200 to 1,400 with lunch (Jul 30, 2026) and says agencies sell at broadly the same price because the rates are regulated. We did not find the regulated rate itself in an official notice. Sea Quest's PHP 2,100 already contains the PHP 200 lagoon fee and an environmental fee; its page does not say whether that fee is the ETDF, so ask before paying the ETDF twice.

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

Fees on top of the tour price

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

El Nido Map says one ETDF payment covers El Nido's tourism sites for 5 days, so a second tour inside that window skips it, and that older guides quoting 10 days are out of date; Velaya's page also says 5 days. We found no official text on the validity period. The ETDF Management Board's Dec 2025 bulletin says the ordinance bars carrying tourists by land or water without a valid ETDF receipt, and El Nido Map says crews and hotels may ask to see it, so keep the receipt with you.

Adding the parts at the most common listed price gives PHP 1,500 + PHP 400 + PHP 200 = PHP 2,100 per person before any kayak. El Nido Map's own estimate for a first Tour A, with a kayak, is PHP 2,100 to 2,500 (Jul 30, 2026), and about PHP 1,700 to 2,100 for a second one inside the same 5 days. Every El Nido and Coron fee is on the Palawan fees page.

Do you need a kayak at Big Lagoon?

Motorized boats are barred from entering Big Lagoon under the 2018 carrying-capacity rules, Rappler reported, so the last stretch is by kayak or swimming. El Nido Map calls the kayak "required to enter the lagoon itself" (Jul 30, 2026), and Tripiwi (2025) describes boats stopping at the entrance and everyone paddling in. Most sellers rent the kayak separately; Sea Quest includes kayaks only on its private boats.

Times, boats and booking

Seller	Meet or pick-up	Back in town
El Nido Paradise	Its office near El Nido beach front; departs from there or Corong Corong	Around 4:00 pm
Sea Quest, group	Start 9:30 to 10:30 am; 6 to 8 hours	3:30 to 4:30 pm
GoWaves Travel	Hotel pick-up from 8:30 am, boat at 9:00 am	4:00 to 5:00 pm
Discover El Nido	Briefing 8:30 am	4:30 pm
Velaya	Meet 8:45 am, depart about 9:30 am	Tour lasts 7 to 8 hours
Klook	Not captured	Tour lasts 7.5 to 9 hours

All times are each seller's own, checked Nov 2, 2026. Sea Quest puts 18 to 22 guests on a group boat and Velaya up to 26; the others do not say. Tripiwi (2025) left El Nido at about 9:00 am and was back around 5:00 pm, and notes that there is no dock for boarding at the start, so you wade out to the boat. Be My Travel Muse had 22 people on its boat in Nov 2022.

How you pay differs by seller: El Nido Paradise takes a PHP 375 deposit per person online and the balance in cash in El Nido; 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 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.

Lunch

Most sellers include lunch, served at Shimizu Island on most routes (Sea Quest; GoWaves; El Nido Paradise). El Nido Paradise's booking page packs it in a bento box, and its Tour A guide carries a note that since June 2023 municipal rules no longer allow food to be prepared on boats or during the tour. El Nido Map still describes "lunch cooked on the boat" (Jul 30, 2026), and Sea Quest and Discover El Nido describe a buffet, so ask your operator how lunch is served and whether to bring your own drinks.

Big Lagoon slots and lagoon rules

Rule	Detail	Source
Big Lagoon capacity	60 tourists and 30 kayaks every 90 minutes	Rappler (Dec 2018), reporting the protected area office policy
Lagoon hours	7 am to 4 pm	Rappler (Dec 2018)
Slot booking	Operators book ahead; more slots open after 3 pm on the eve of the tour	Rappler (Dec 2018)
Inside the lagoons	Life jackets on; no loud music, cliff jumping, grilling, smoking, alcohol or stepping on corals	Rappler (Dec 2018)
Permits	Operator collects each guest's name, age and nationality for permits and tickets	El Nido Paradise booking page

The capacity numbers come from the 2018 launch of the policy and we found no newer official text, so treat them as the published baseline rather than a current count. El Nido Map reports that Tour A is the busiest of the four tours and that a day's notice is sensible in peak season (Jul 30, 2026). Tours A to D are compared side by side on the El Nido island hopping tours page.

Weather and cancellations

Boats do not sail when the Philippine Coast Guard suspends sea travel, which El Nido Map reports happens with some regularity from June to October. GoWaves says it moves a Coast Guard cancellation to the next available day, with a full refund if you cannot take the new date, and Sea Quest says stops may change with sea state and government rules. Rain and wind for the El Nido area by month are on Best time to visit El Nido.

Crowds

El Nido Map, Sea Quest and Tripiwi all describe Tour A as the busiest route. Tripiwi (2025) found most stops crowded and Secret Lagoon packed, and suggests a private boat with an earlier start to avoid the rush. Two sellers publish a private Tour A:

Private option (checked Nov 2, 2026)	Price	Includes
El Nido Paradise private Tour A	From PHP 12,700	Boat for your group
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

What to bring

Sellers and reports agree on a short list: cash for the ETDF, lagoon fee and kayak (GoWaves; Velaya), water shoes for the rocks at Secret Lagoon (Tripiwi; Velaya; GoWaves), sunscreen and a hat, a dry bag for your phone, and your own drinks beyond water. Mask and snorkel are included by El Nido Paradise and Tarawis and rented for about PHP 100 elsewhere.

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 2, 2026; traveler details are reported by the dated blogs named next to them. If you run Tour A and your published details differ, send us the link and we will update the table.

FAQs

What is included in El Nido Tour A?

Most sellers include the boat and crew, a guide, lunch and drinking water, and some add a mask and snorkel or hotel pick-up in town. The PHP 400 eco fee, the PHP 200 Big Lagoon fee and kayak rental are usually extra; Sea Quest's PHP 2,100 price includes the lagoon and environmental fees (checked Nov 2, 2026).

How much is El Nido Tour A with all the fees?

At the common PHP 1,500 seat price, adding the PHP 400 ETDF and the PHP 200 Big Lagoon fee gives PHP 2,100 per person before a kayak. El Nido Map estimates PHP 2,100 to 2,500 for a first Tour A with a kayak (Jul 30, 2026).

How long is El Nido Tour A?

A full day. Sellers list 6 to 8 hours, and Klook 7.5 to 9 hours. Most meet around 8:30 to 8:45 am, and returns run from about 3:30 to 5:00 pm (checked Nov 2, 2026).

Do you need to rent a kayak for Big Lagoon?

Tour boats cannot enter Big Lagoon, so you paddle or swim the last part. El Nido Map says a kayak is needed to enter the lagoon, and rates run from PHP 150 to 500 depending on the seller; El Nido Paradise lists PHP 350 for a two-seater.

Is Small Lagoon included in Tour A?

Usually not. The 2018 lagoon rules split the two lagoons, every seller we checked lists Big Lagoon on Tour A, and El Nido Map reports Small Lagoon on Tour D as of Jul 30, 2026. Ask your operator if you want Small Lagoon.

Is the El Nido environmental fee included in Tour A?

Usually not. Five of the seven sellers we checked list the PHP 400 ETDF as extra; El Nido Map says one payment lasts 5 days. Sea Quest lists an environmental fee as included in its PHP 2,100 price.

Can you book El Nido Tour A as a private tour?

Yes. El Nido Paradise lists a private Tour A from PHP 12,700, and Sea Quest a private traditional boat at PHP 12,000 for two with fees and kayaks included, plus PHP 1,500 per extra guest (checked Nov 2, 2026).