Exploring Paradise at Nacpan Beach

There is one piece of paradise you don’t want to miss in your life and that’s, El Nido, Palawan and its surroundings. The island of Palawan has been named multiple times as the most beautiful island in the world and trust me, they aren’t lying!

El Nido is most known for it’s epic island hopping tours, however, it’s definitely more than this. The surrounding beaches, towns and waterfalls are equally as impressive and shouldn’t be missed. If you make it to El Nido, one thing that should definitely make your list is a trip to the magnificent Nacpan Beach. Said to be the most beautiful beach around El Nido town. With Calitang Beach beside it, they are known as El Nido’s Twin Beaches.

How to get there

To get to Nacpan Beach you’ll need to either rent a scooter/motorbike, hire a tricycle or take an inland tour, otherwise known as El Nido Tour E. Located about 25 km north of El Nido it will take you from 45 minutes to 1 hour to get there. For the first 20 kms, the road is concrete and easy to travel, but the last 5 kms is a dirt road. This last stretch can be more troublesome especially if it’s been raining, so be careful if you are not an experienced driver.

By scooter/motorbike: There’s an abundance of scooters/motorbikes available around El Nido and you can rent them from pretty much any shop in El Nido. Pricing is very similar so you can’t go too wrong with your choice. We picked ours up from a place beside the Art Cafe and it only cost us 350 PhP for the day. Better still it only cost 85 PhP to refill the tank after a full day of driving which was about 50 km.
By tricycle: The price for 2 people is around 1,000 PhP. Your driver will wait for you for a few hours to explore, chill and enjoy Nacpan Beach. Worth noting, this will not be a comfortable journey since the last part of the road is a dirt road and can be quite bumpy.
By inland tour (aka El Nido Tour E): If you take Tour E you will get to visit beaches and waterfalls including Nacpan Beach. Prices are around 750 PhP.

What to do there

Once you arrive at Nacpan beach you are charged 50 PhP each as an environmental fee to help preserve the beach. It’s worth it though, because the beach itself is amazing. It has the purest white sand and the clearest water. The best thing about this beach though is the fact that it’s empty.

The first thing you’ll probably want to do when you arrive is to chill out, relax and enjoy this slice of paradise. Pick a spot on this 4 km long beach and take it all in.

On the beach you can rent sun beds with umbrellas, cabana like huts or just take some shade under the many palm trees. Also on the beach is two small restaurants serving food and drinks.

If you are in any way adventurous or love a good view there is a hill at the end of the beach that you can climb. It offers great views of the twin beaches Calitang Beach & Nacpan Beach and into the distance. It’s tough walking/hiking/climbing up in the heat, but trust me it’s worth it.

Once you’ve descended back down you’ll definitely feel like cooling off with a dip in the crystal clear water, so make sure not to forget your swimsuit too.

To finish off the day, chill at the restaurants, have a cold drink, some food and take in the last of your paradise.