El Nido & Coron, Philippines

El Nido

Judging by the way he was driving, I'm fairly certain our minivan driver thought he was Colin McRae. Still, he managed to get us all the way from Port Barton to El Nido in three hours instead of four (and we didn't die) so I can't complain. 

El Nido is situated at the northernmost tip of Palawan's main island and is known for its picturesque palm beaches and crystal clear waters. 

After checking-in, we spent some time watching the sunset from our hotel's private beachfront terrace. 

The next day, we took a tricycle tuk tuk into the centre of El Nido town. We had a nice lunch in a cafe overlooking Bacuit Bay and had a look around some of the little shops. 

Afterwards, we made our way back to the hotel and rented a kayak. We rowed up the coast until we reached Marimegmeg Beach (love the name). Once we got there, we hopped out the boat to have a little paddle about in the beautifully clear water. About 20 seconds later, I see Siwan abruptly spin around and scurry quickly towards the beach. It turns out she had almost walked straight into the tentacles of a fairly sizeable jellyfish. Luckily, she managed to avoid being stung but didn't quite fancy staying in the water anymore. Instead, she settled down on the beach for some sunbathing while I went out in search of more jellyfriends  

A little while later, we jumped back into the kayak and made our way back to the hotel.

The next day we went island hopping. 

After some research into our options, we decided to go for Tour A which included Shimizu Island, 7 Commandos Beach, Papaya Beach, Big Lagoon and the Hidden Lagoon. 

All in all, it was a lot of fun! There was so much natural beauty to take in you sort of got lost in it.

Next morning, we headed to the airport to catch a flight to Coron, our final destination!

Coron

The flight over to the island took around 30 minutes and offered up some pretty spectacular views of the Bacuit archipelago. 

We spent our first day here exploring the town proper. It was less busy than I had expected which was nice. The main street was an assortment of cafes, souvenir shops and tour agencies.

Every now and then, we came across rows of wooden shacks built out on the water. I can't imagine what it must be like living in one when a storm comes rolling in. 

Before leaving the town, we checked out the San Agustin Parish Church. 

The next day, we spent the entire morning and afternoon by the pool at our hotel. Maximum relaxation was a priority as we only had two days left of our travels! 

In the evening, we trekked up to the top of Mt. Tapyas which overlooks the town. The views from the top were brilliant; it's a beautiful island. 

Before going for some dinner, we headed over to the Maquinit Hot Spring for a quick dip. The evening was the perfect time to enjoy the naturally heated water. 

For our final day in Coron, we decided to go island hopping again! This time our tour took us to CYC Beach, Skeleton Wreck, Coral Garden, Smith Point Beach, Twin Lagoon and Kayangan Lake. 

It was amaaaaaaazing, even better than El Nido! We were so glad because this was to be our big finale: our final mini adventure. 

Our tour guides were fantastic and the locations we visited were northing short of paradise. It was a perfect way to spend our last day in Palawan.

And so our adventure comes to an end. I can't quite express how fortunate I feel to have had this opportunity; it has truly been the most unbelievably incredible experience. We've seen and done so many amazing things and met some wonderful people along the way. 77 destinations within 13 countries across 2 continents in just 7 months... it was absolute magic! The memories we have made we will cherish forever and we look forward to our next adventure.