A Unique Experience At Secret Lagoon El Nido, Palawan

Secret Lagoon is a small pool of water hidden within the intensely tall limestone cliffs at Secret Beach in El Nido, Palawan. 

Visiting Secret Lagoon El Nido is such a unique travel experience; you have to quite literally squeeze through a small hole in a limestone wall to get inside and discover it’s beauty.

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Where is Secret Lagoon El Nido?

The no-longer-secret, Secret Lagoon is located on the southern corner of Miniloc Island, next to a small beach.

It isn’t too far from El Nido Town but you will need to be on a boat tour to be able to visit. Secret Lagoon is part of Tour A, island hopping tours in El Nido. This is the tour I went on and it was absolutely incredible – the best one out of the choice of 4 tours and certainly one to add to your El Nido itinerary.

Enclosed by towering limestone cliffs, next to Secret Beach, you need to crawl through a small hole to access the lagoon.

My experience at Secret Lagoon

As the tour boat pulled into the cove at Secret Beach, I was blown away by the striking scale of the towering limestone cliffs along the beach. 

The dramatic slate grey backdrop is broken up by flashes of green; trees dotted around amongst the cliffs and it is truly a sight to behold. 

The sheer scale of this incredible natural rock formation is hard to describe – you just have to see it for yourself.

There are people on kayaks selling drinks including fresh coconut water as you climb out of the boat, into the sea – no jumping off a boat here, as the sea is pretty shallow, with sharp rocks scattered around. This was quite the experience in itself.

The rocks are incredibly sharp and slippery in parts, with sudden drops too, so in order to access Secret Lagoon, the best thing to do is use a combination of treading through the water and swimming through parts of it. 

Be warned, you will end up with a few minor cuts and bruises from bashing into the rocks, but it is totally worth it for the experience. I promise.

We made the mistake of not purchasing good quality aqua shoes in advance for this trip. I thought a cheap pair from eBay would suffice – I mean, how often does one need aqua shoes in living in England anyway? This was certainly my first time.

We were on a boat tour with lots of Filipinos who came prepared with all the appropriate gear – they didn’t struggle as much. Lesson learned.

You cannot see the Secret Lagoon from where the boat docks, but you will see all the neon life vests of others from various boats queuing to get inside – this is a very popular spot with a long line to get inside. 

You can witness my highly entertaining entrance though the small hole at Secret Lagoon El Nido in my island hopping vlog below.

The hole opens up into a shallow pool of murky green water with the cliffs sweeping dramatically around them entirely. Patches of sound are dwarfed by the cliffs, and looking up, you see the blue sky peeking though and it is truly stunning.

You’ll notice that temperature inside is much cooler because the lagoon is in the shadows of the limestone cliffs enclosing it – it makes for a welcome brief escape from the sun.

Now there really isn’t much to do inside Secret Lagoon El Nido, aside from standing around in knee-deep water looking at a big group of strangers, but it’s such a unique travel experience to simply be in the moment and enjoy it for a few minutes.

Entering and exiting Secret Lagoon

I would say the experience of entering and exiting the lagoon is half the fun of the experience. Bear in mind that this might not be an easy task if the ocean is a little rough – the entrance is rather tight, the rocks and walls are sharp and the waves can throw you around like a rag doll on a bad day. 

You can remove your life jacket and use it as a float or to cushion between yourself and the rocks as you climb through.

There are always tour guides on hand, everywhere, to help you out though which is very reassuring and much needed.

I’ll be honest, Secret Lagoon El Nido isn’t the ideal place to visit for those who are claustrophobic. I am a little claustrophobic, however this was an opportunity I wasn’t going to pass up on – being a huge fan of any water activity and all that – and I don’t regret it for a second.

As I’ve said before, this is an experience unlike any other.

Where is Secret Beach, El Nido?

Secret Beach is right next to Secret Lagoon. A very picturesque, tranquil white sand beach where one can swim and laze until it’s time to be called back onto the boat to sail to your next stop.

During peak season, there are often long queues of people accessing Secret Lagoon – and this is exactly what we experienced. 

On Tour A, you’ll have at least an hour to spend at this spot, so you can divide your time between the lagoon and beach. I would suggest spending around 10 minutes inside the lagoon, as like I said, there isn’t much to do when you are inside.

Head to the beach and spend longer there; explore the strip of sand, lined with coconut trees while relaxing to the sound of gentle waves crashing on the beach.

Sure, Secret Beach is incredibly tranquil and Secret Lagoon is an experience like no other, but the formation of the limestone cliffs all around is ultimately what’s astounding.

Secret Lagoon in El Nido Palawan: is it worth seeing?

Absolutely. 

While there is certainly nothing secret about this lagoon or beach, the Secret Lagoon is something that needs to be on everyone’s Philippines itinerary, regardless of how long you are spending in El Nido.

I am not denying that this spot was crowded – it certainly when we visited.

The juxtaposition of the neon life vests in the sea against a limestone cliff backdrop are certainly offensive to the aesthetic eye, but the natural beauty of this entire area is unparalleled and absolutely worth visiting for. 

El Nido Island Hopping Tours

There are four island hopping tours to choose from in El Nido; Tour A, B, C and D.

While Tour A is the most popular, followed by Tour D, I genuinely don’t think you can go wrong with any of them. El Nido is incredibly stunning and each lagoon or beach will blow your mind with it’s natural beauty, regardless of where you visit.

For a less crowded experience, I would suggest booking either Tours B or C – though it really isn’t a big deal when you’re out on the boat tour itself. The boats are generally small and we had a lovely group of 18 on ours.

Booking Island Hopping Tours

My top Philippines travel tip would be to not book any of these tours through your hotel as the price difference is ridiculous.  Our hotel were charging us 3000 pesos per person (around £43 per person) in comparison to the exact same tour we booked for £13 per person.

Island Hopping Tour A  – you can book this here for only £18 per person. It includes stops at Seven Commandos Beach to snorkel with turtles, Twin Rocks, lunch at Shimizu Island, Secret Lagoon, Secret Beach and the Big Lagoon.

Island Hopping Tour B  – you can book this here for only £20 per person. It includes Snake Island, Popolkan Island, Cudognong Cave, Cathedral Cave and Entalula Island.

Island Hopping Tour C  – you can book this here for only £23 per person. It includes Hidden Beach, Secret Beach, Helicopter Island, Talisay Beach and Matinloc Island.

Island Hopping Tour D  – you can book this here for only £19 per person. It includes Cadlao Island, Small Lagoon, Nat Nat Beach, Paradise Beach and Bukal Island.

Where to stay in El Nido

• Boutique hotel – Sanse Boutique Hotel. Centrally located in the heart of El Nido Town, just 800 metres away from the beach and in close proximity to all the best restaurants in El Nido. Insta-worthy rooms and amenities include concierge services, allergy-free rooms, a garden and a terrace.
• Mid-range resort – Panorama Resort. A boutique 3 star resort located in Corong-Corong Beach, featuring a panoramic view of the mountains in El Nido from the rooms. Amenities including an indoor and outdoor swimming pool as well as access to a private beach.
• Luxury resort – Seda Lio. Located a 15 minute tricycle ride away from El Nido Town, this secluded area is on Lio beach and is home to Lio Airport 5 minutes away and a number of boutiques and restaurants. The resort offers a free shuttle bus to and fro Lio Airport and amenities include beachfront access, outdoor pool and pool bar. This is where we stayed, and you can read my full review on the sustainable 5 star resort here.

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