El Nido

A channel between cliffs opens into a wide sheet of water. Boats stop at the mouth and you change to a kayak, and since the number of kayaks is capped the morning slots go first. It runs shallow enough that the paddle scrapes bottom in places.

The way in is a gap the width of one person and it closes over at high tide. Inside is a bowl walled by cliffs where sound carries and voices come back loud, and many people leave the kayak and swim from there.

Seven soldiers are said to have landed here during the war, which named it. Coconut palms reach down to the sand so shade is easy, and a stall on the beach sells buko shakes. It is the last stop on Tour A, which crowds it in the afternoon.

No snakes live there; the name is for the sandbar that curves out like one when the tide drops. That bar only shows at low water, so tour boats reorder their stops around the tide. Ten minutes up the hill puts the whole curve in view.

Four kilometres of sand forty-five minutes north of town, and among the few reached without a boat. The swell suits walking over swimming, and the hill at the south end shows the twin beaches meeting. Most people rent a motorbike.

Thirty minutes on foot from town and facing straight into the sunset. A zipline runs from the hill above down over the water, one way only, so the return is by boat. At sunset every seat on the sand is taken.

A beach you reach by swimming through a cleft in the rocks of Matinloc. The gap is too narrow for boats, so you cross in a life jacket and leave your things on board. The strip of sand inside is short and people end up sitting close.

A Marian shrine put up in 1982, now an empty building with the window frames left. Scrambling up the rock behind it leads to a cliff-top view with nothing to hold onto, so shoes matter, and Tour C charges separately for this stop.

The largest and highest island off the town, fifteen minutes out by boat. It has a small lagoon of its own that no tour bundle covers, so it takes a private boat and stays quiet. The coral sits shallow and a snorkel does for it.

The limestone peak right behind town, about an hour to the top. The rock is knife-sharp, so gloves and a helmet are issued and a guide is compulsory, and rain closes it. People climb at dawn to watch the town and the islands light up together.

Crawl one at a time through a slim opening in the rock wall of Miniloc Island and a small lagoon ringed by cliffs opens up. It is on the Tour A route. At high tide the opening floods, and at midday, with boats bunched up, a queue forms at it.

Tour boats pull up on the narrow beach of this rock island to lay out lunch. It is said to be named after a Japanese diver who died offshore. The shallows right off the sand are full of coral and reef fish, so snorkelling follows the meal.

Seen from afar it resembles a helicopter, hence the nickname; its real name is Dilumacad. A long white beach runs along one side with a rocky peak rising behind it. Being close to town, it features on Tour C.

A limestone peak rising sheer from the sea with a white beach tucked at its foot. Tour B boats call here, and it ranks among the most photographed islands around El Nido. Nothing on the beach blocks the sun, so pack a hat.

Squeeze between two rock faces and a high-ceilinged chamber opens inside this coastal cave, where prehistoric artefacts were found. A tight hole further in leads to a second chamber. Tour B groups rest on the beach in front afterwards.

A long beach in El Nido's north, beyond Nacpan, where surfers turn up when the swell is running. With only a handful of places to stay it is quiet. Much of the way is unpaved, so people hire a motorbike or tricycle.

A beach right beside El Nido airport, backed by a planned estate of shops, restaurants and hotels. Tidier and quieter than town, it draws many families. Tricycles shuttle people to and from town.

A beach just south of El Nido town on Bacuit Bay, with a clear view of the sun going down over the water. Bars and restaurants line it and some tour boats leave from here. Less crowded than the town beach, it draws people over in the evening.

A seaside fort in Taytay, well south of El Nido, built of stone by the Spanish in the 17th century to fend off pirates. The ramparts look over Taytay Bay. It is small and quick to see, so travellers drop in while driving to or from El Nido.