3 Ways How To Get From Manila To El Nido (Palawan, Philippines) – 2023

Are you looking for ways to get from Manila to El Nido in Palawan, Philippines? I would love to share with you the various ways you can reach El Nido, Palawan. I have been to El Nido, Palawan with my family and friends. We even have our first property in this beautiful corner of Palawan.

If there is one place that is almost always recommended by Filipinos to visitors, it would have to be El Nido. This serene and beautiful tropical destination is ready to impress even the most discerning traveler.

You can reach El Nido from Manila by flight, flight and van, and ferry. The road distance between Manila and El Nido is 600.5 kilometres or 373.13 miles while the direct distance is 252 miles or 405 kilometers or 219 nautical miles. It takes about 1 hour and 20 minutes to travel this distance by flight. 

Ready to pack your bathing suits for El Nido, Palawan? First, let us see all the available options so that you can conveniently get there from Manila.

How to get from Manila to El Nido

OPTION 1: How to get from Manila to El Nido by Flight

• Travel Duration: about 1 hour and 20 minutes
• Travel Fare: from USD 122.45 or PHP 6,667.17

Did you know that you can fly directly from Manila to El Nido? While this can be a pretty expensive option, if you factor in the total time saved then you will surely consider booking a direct flight.

Air-Swift Airlines Philippines has regular flights that travel directly from Manila to El Nido. They have four types of seats: Promo, Basic, Value and Premium. The difference is mainly on baggage allowance, rebooking, rerouting and refunding policies, and rewards points earned.

Below is a sample of a Premium flight with Air-Swift:

Flight from Manila to El Nido

You can book a ticket straight from the Air-Swift website or you can also book via Bookaway. There, you’ll see all available flights that are up for grabs, including ones that are on sale. 

The flight leaves Terminal 4 of the Manila Airport (MNL) and arrives at the El Nido Airport in Villa Libertad. Common amenities such as air conditioning and a toilet onboard are in place.

COMPARING TICKET PRICES?

If you love getting a good travel deal, you can head to BOOKAWAY to compare the best rates and schedules for buses, ferries, and trains that suit your schedule and route.

OPTION 2: How to get from Manila to El Nido by Flight and Van

• Travel Duration: about 6 hours and 15 minutes
• Travel Fare: from USD 55.48 or PHP 3,017.78

A more common route taken by both locals and tourists is El Nido by Flight and then by Van. This option starts with a flight from Manila to Puerto Princesa. This is what this leg looks like:

Flight from Manila to Puerto Princesa

Cebu Pacific, Air Asia and Philippine Airlines (thru PAL Express) are the three airline companies that fly this route regularly. They leave from Manila Ninoy Aquino Airport (MNL) and arrive at Puerto Princesa Palawan Airport (PPS.) You can book flights online via Skyscanner.

This flight option is considered by many not only for the lower fare but also for the numerous daily flight schedules to choose from. However, after arriving in Puerto Princesa, be ready to brave a relatively long land trip.

You can book a van transfer from Puerto Princesa to El Nido with Get Your Guide. This part of the journey costs USD 17.03 or 926.37 and lasts for about 5 hours. What’s good about booking the transfer with Get Your Guide is that the vehicle is air conditioned and the offer includes possible door-to-door service.

If you add in everything, the duration of your journey via this option will be about 6 hours and 15 minutes. This still does not factor in the time you need to do all boarding protocols, so add an hour or two on top of that.

I would suggest that once you arrive in Puerto Princesa, spend a day or two exploring the city. 

BEST FLIGHT DEALS!

I love good flight deals! If you are looking for the best airline fares for your vacation, I recommend searching for the latest deals on Skyscanner. They will show the best comparison flight deals between airlines that will suit your budget and schedule.

OPTION 3: How to get from Manila to El Nido by Ferry

• Travel Duration: about 22 hours
• Travel Fare: from USD 111.82 or PHP 6,086.76

You can go from Manila to El Nido by sea, but this would require you to ride two ferries. The first leg will have you coming from Manila to Coron. Coron is an island north of Palawan.

There are many ferry companies that travel between Manila and Coron, and 2Go Travel is one of them. 2Go Travel only travels from Manila to Coron Monday, Friday, and Sunday. Detailed information can be found at Bookaway.

The ferry leaves Manila at 6:00 AM and arrives in Coron by 11:00 PM. That is a total of 17 hours of travel time. The cost for a one-way ferry ride from Manila to Coron is USD 51.27 or PHP  2,790.86.

From Coron, you have to ride another ferry that goes to El Nido, Palawan. Judy Ferry Travel has tourist ferries that will take you from the Coron Port all the way to the El Nido Port Terminal. If you leave at 6:00 AM, you will arrive in El Nido by 11:00 AM. The journey duration of this leg is 5 hours, and a ticket costs USD 60.55 or PHP 3,295.90.

COMPARING TICKET PRICES?

If you love getting a good travel deal, you can head to BOOKAWAY to compare the best rates and schedules for buses, ferries, and trains that suit your schedule and route.

More About El Nido

• If you are a first-time visitor to El Nido, Palawan, I have all the best island hopping tours that you can check out. These different packages are designed to give you the most cost-efficient and enjoyable way to explore El Nido’s famous islands.
• Island hopping is not the only thing that you can do in El Nido. You can also do various water activities such as kayaking and stand-up paddling. There are good food establishments in the area, too, so a gastronomic adventure is totally possible.
• Have you tried Bird’s Nest Soup before? I was able to try this exotic delicacy during my trip to El Nido, Palawan.
• I recently bought a property in El Nido, Palawan. If you are thinking of doing the same, you can check out my detailed guide on how you can successfully and legally acquire a property in the Philippines.
• Nacpan Beach in El Nido, Palawan made it to my list of the best beaches to visit in the Philippines! Also included in the article is Pagudpud Beach in Ilocos and Boracay in Aklan.
• El Nido is definitely one of the best places to visit in the Philippines. Its pristine environment is a sure hit to anyone visiting the country, be it for the first time or not. Island hopping IS El Nido, Palawan!
• Are you curious about the impacts of ecotourism development in El Nido, Palawan? You can read about the complete study here.
• Excited to see the beauty of El Nido? Get Your Guide has all the highly suggested tours and packages that you can conveniently book online. How about going on a two-day private cruise in El Nido on a 43-foot sailing yacht? Sounds fancy, right?

FAQs on How to Get from Manila to El Nido

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Everything Zany

Travel Blog

Everything Zany Travel Blog exploring the UK and beyond. Sharing travel guides, tips, history, and culture. Our travel media brand is founded by travel and hotel industry expert – Ryazan Tristram, a Dual Citizen (British – Filipina) based in Birmingham, UK. Everything Zany is a reputable and award-winning travel blog. Our work and contributions have been featured in Huffington Post, CNBC, Discovery Channel, GMA, Readers Digest, and Lonely Planet. Our missions are to build a great travel community and resource of travel tips, visas, and travel guides for travelers. Join us as we travel around the UK and beyond with a mission to share the best of the world.