how to get to el nido from puerto princesa

el nido is roughly 6 to 7 hours away from the capital of palawan - puerto princesa by land. while there are flights direct to el nido, the flights there are rather few and not to mention expensive. another option to get to this remote island paradise is by boat from coron. however, traveling by boat takes 8 hours. the third option, which is what i will discuss in this post is by land travel via puerto princesa.
if you didn't book a packaged tour, and will be traveling to el nido by public transportation, then read on for a quick how-to guide.

in getting to el nido, you have 3 options:

• bus
• roro bus
• shuttle van

upon your arrival at the puerto princesa airport, you can actually check around if there are shuttle vans outside. that is, some passengers may have booked a van to take them to el nido. you can try your luck by asking the van's driver if there's still room in his van. if there is, you can just negotiate until you agree on a price (PhP500-700). if there aren't any available, then simply hop on a trike and ask to be dropped off at the san jose bus/van terminal. please note though that hopping on a trike right at the airport will cost you 100-140 pesos depending on your haggling skills. a cheaper alternative is to get outside the airport. once out of the airport, take the blue tricycle and ask to be dropped off at the corner where multicabs pass by. fare is only 8 pesos. once at the junction, take a multicab bound for san jose. the last stop of the multicab is the san jose terminal, where you will find the 3 ride options to el nido.

shuttle vans

A. Lexus Shuttle. E-mail: lexus.shuttle@yahoo.com
Shuttle Reservation Numbers: puerto (0912-100-2651) / sabang (0912-100-2652)
Van Rental: 0912-100-2600
Schedule: 5 a.m. / 8 a.m. / 9 a.m. / 11 a.m. / 2.30 p.m.

B. Fort Wally. E-mail: fortwallytransport@yahoo.com
Reservation Numbers: 0917-276-2875 / 0920-981-5702 / 0921-311-8755
Schedule: 5 a.m. / 7 a.m. / 9 a.m. / 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

C. Eulen Joy Express. E-mail: eulenjoyexpress@yahoo.com
Booking Office: 0949-449-8858 / Operator: 0927-520-9197
Schedule: 5 a.m. / 7 a.m. / 9 a.m. / 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
You can actually have the shuttle pick you up at the airport. Just text the numbers and negotiate. Fare from puerto princesa to el nido is 500 pesos(terminal), and additional 100 pesos for pick-up (airport, hotel, or anywhere in puerto princesa). for your return trip, just text in advance to reserve seat and discuss pick up point in el nido

regular bus

Bus Schedule (Eulen Joy/Non-Aircon): Puerto to El Nido & Vice Versa
1st Trip - 05:00 am / 2nd Trip - 07:00 am / 3rd Trip - 09:00 am
Bus Regular Fare: Puerto to El Nido & Vice Versa
Local Tourist Php 300.00 / Foreigner Php 350.00

roro bus

Bus Schedule
Puerto to El Nido
Non-Air (PhP 250): A.M. (4-5-7-9-11)/ P.M.(1-3-5-7-9)
Aircon (PhP 483): every 2 hours 6 A.M. to 10 P.M.
Contact Numbers: 0917-597-1189 / 0922-890-1044 / 0908-920-2568
El Nido to Puerto
Non-Air: 4 A.M - 8 A.M. - 4 P.M.
Aircon: 6/10 A.M. - 12 NN - 2/6/10 P.M.
Contact Numbers: 0916-492-6977 / 0921-255-2765

The Roro Buses were only introduced last year. Thus, the buses are relatively newer than other two ride options. They also afford more space than the cramped vans. Depending on the transportation company, there are either 1 or 2 stops; usually in Taytay and Roxas (snacks/lunch). Unlike the regular buses, the RoRo buses operate like the Ceres buses in the Visayas, which leaves on time even if not full.

Disclaimer: Information here were gathered by my siblings' own travel experience last February 2012. Other details such as schedules were based on info gathered here, here, and here. Thank you.

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