El Nido Island HoppingBig Lagoon, Small Lagoon & Shimizu Island

The Bacuit Archipelago around El Nido has around forty-five limestone islands and islets, each with its own beaches, coves and hidden lagoons. The standard route, known as Tour A, takes in the most famous of them: the Big Lagoon, the Small Lagoon and Shimizu Island, with time for snorkelling and lunch on a beach. This private version leaves early, ahead of most of the tour boats, so you reach the lagoons at their quietest.

The boat leaves El Nido's town beach at 7:00 AM, heading across the bay toward Miniloc Island. Motorboats stop at the mouth of the Big Lagoon, so you go in by kayak instead, paddling into a basin ringed by sheer limestone cliffs where the water shifts from turquoise to emerald the further in you go. Little breaks the silence but birds and the dip of paddles, which is exactly what makes the early start worth it.

Nearby, the Small Lagoon is entered through a narrow gap in the rock, swum or paddled through at low tide, opening into a small, cliff-enclosed pool with a cave to explore at one end. Access to both lagoons is limited to protect them, with a cap on visitor numbers, timed entry slots and a required reservation, plus an environmental fee for the protected area. Book the earliest slots well ahead, since they're also the quietest.

Shimizu Island, named for a Japanese diver who died nearby, has a small beach and a reef where you can snorkel among parrotfish, clownfish and schools of reef fish. The crew prepares lunch on the beach, usually grilled fish, chicken, rice and fresh fruit, and depending on conditions the route may add a stop at Seven Commando Beach or Secret Lagoon.

December to May brings calm seas and clear skies. From June to October, the southwest monsoon can rough things up and occasionally cancels trips outright; when the weather turns uncertain, the crew simply adjusts the route to more sheltered spots.

Wear reef-safe sunscreen and bring a hat, a towel, water shoes for the rocky entrances and a dry bag for your phone. Please don't touch or stand on the coral, and take all rubbish back to the boat.

The trip runs around seven hours. A private boat, a guide, kayak hire for the lagoon entry, snorkelling equipment and lunch on a beach are included; the environmental fee and hotel transfers from outside El Nido town are not.