Riding a moped around the El Nido Peninsular

Nature
The wow factor for nature - does it show nature at its best? Doesn't need to be the wildebeest migration or diving with hundreds of hammerheads. Rather make you pause as you realise just how awesome the natural world can be
7
Culture
How much does this experience showcase some of the better and finer things that us humans can offer? Sure, it can be ancient ruins and renaissance churches, but it can also be festivals or soaking up some of the great modern cities of the world
6
Fun factor/activity
Very simple - was it fun? This is usually linked in with doing some kind of activity - i mean, walking along some cliffs is nice, but paragliding from them, now that is fun. Its a vastly underrated factor in a truly great experience
9
Avoid the crowds
Big tour groups and being surrounded by loud fellow tourists can sap the life out of even the greatest of travel experiences. This score is to reflect just how much you can avoid this. But. . . The score also takes into account if the crowds actually add to the experience, such as with a party town or a bustling local market
9
World famous
How world famous is the experience?
1
unique
How hard is it to have a similar experience in other places round the world?
5
Overall TE Score
The overall travel experiences score:  fun factor + avoid the crowds + (best of nature or culture) + (best of world famous or unique). Then convert into a score out of 100
75 *What the scores mean and where do they come from
RANKING
How this travel experience ranks compared to all the other experiences on this site, based on the travel experience (te) score
101st/454
Top 30%
continent
Asia
country
Philippines
Length of time
1 day or less
Typical daily price
This gives you a rough idea of the daily price based on 2 people travelling where they can split costs like accommodation. It excludes travel there and back, and factors in inflation the numbers in brackets show the price range for the full time of the experience (so not necessarily daily). It is a range to reflect different budget vs higher end
$40 ($20-$40 in 2022 prices)
Time of year visited
November
Primary Tags
Click on any of the tags to see all travel experiences with the same tag
Beaches Driving Islands
All Tags
Adrenaline rush Adventure Isolation Jungle Local villages Mopeds
Wow Factor
The wow factor reflects just how much you’re likely to say “wow”. As there’s a lot of experiences in the world, and a lot of wows, i’ve gone with a simple ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ to ⭐️ score, and a separate category for the truly "gash"
⭐⭐

Summary

Most people visit El Nido for the stunning Bacuit Archipelago, or for the sensational boat trips through the island chains to Coron – see Island hopping Coron to El Nido with Tao Philippines for one of the most wow experiences in all of SE Asia.

These are for sure amazing, but another option is to rent a moped and ride the loop around the El Nido peninsular for something that is a little simpler, cheaper and quieter.

There’s something so fun and adventurous about leaving the busy touristy town of El Nido and within 20 minutes being in what feels like a completely different world – quiet roads, real Filipino villages with no tourist facilities, near-empty beaches and views that make you wonder why so few people come out here.  Really worth it.

 

In a nutshell:

  • Best done by moped or scooter
  • Easy 2hr circular route around the peninsula
  • Highlights: Nacpan Beach, quiet beaches, local villages
  • Much quieter than island hopping tours
  • Can be done in a day
  • Roads mostly good, but some rough sections

 

5 Tips for the El Nido Peninsular

#1 The route is simple – there is a very clear circular route that follows around the peninsular’s edge and then cuts back across the interior on the TayTay-El Nido National Highway (don’t let the name fool you – it’s a single lane road barely wide enough to drive a truck on).  You’ll only leave this main circuit route for 5-10mins at a time for certain beaches.

 

 

#2 Renting a moped super easy – you can do so just about anywhere in or around El Nido, don’t need a license and won’t pay more than 700 pesos / US$12 for the day’s rental and roughly 500 pesos for petrol in 2024 prices.  For ease, typically you can simply ask your hotel / hostel and they will be happy to arrange.  For refuelling, you fill up on petrol anywhere along the way, typically just via people on the street with coke bottles full of petrol (they will be a green liquid).

 

#3 Driving tips – this is South East Asia with different road rules and dogs / pigs / whatever darting onto the road.  But these obstacles are generally only in the towns and, as long as apply a bit of common sense, the danger is very limited.  Think of it the same as picking up a push bike.  The only thing I would push though is wear a helmet. I know that sounds like being a Dad, but do.

 

#4 Quality of road – the road is absolutely fine except for around 3km of non paved road in the interior crossing and maybe half of the detour routes to the north west beaches.  For these sections you’ll get bumpy non concrete roads, or a bit muddy.

 

#5 Places on the route you must stop at:

  • The beaches in the north west – Nacoan Beach is the famous one (voted world’s best beach) and with great beach clubs along it.  But if looking for the quiet vibe, go for Duli Beach just past it. Just as nice and with only one small beach surfing shack.
  • Views down across the east coast – you’ll see these at various places on the route.  If looking for place on the remote east side for lunch, Ursula Beach Club was nice and not many other options.  You access it by driving along the beach which is also fun.
  • Ille Cave is really worth it – get a guide to enter.

 

Our Highlights from the Trip

Driving along the remote roads of the El Nido Peninsular, Palawan Philippines

#1 Driving through these remote parts of Palawan. Very few other drivers on the road. Stunning views at just about every turn

Filling up with gas along the remote roads of the El Nido Peninsular, Palawan Philippines

#2 Stopping in the remote towns for friendly gas from a bottle!

Stopping at Ursula Beach club on the east coast of the El Nido Peninsular, Palawan Philippines

#3 Driving the bikes along roughly 1km of beautiful "road beach" to have lunch at the Ursula Beach Club

Duli Beach - El Nido Peninsular, Palawan Philippines

#4 Chilling at the super quiet Duli Beach - only a short ride further north than the more famous Nacoan Beach, but with only one small surf shack built there, it feels like a different world

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#5 The views out across the remote East Coast of El Nido. One beautiful beach emerging from the jungle after another, and easily accessed

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#6 Checking out the beach clubs dotted all along Nacoan Beach, often voted the voted world’s best beach (I wouldn't go that far, but it is beautiful)

Ille Caves entrance, El Nido Peninsular, Palawan Philippines

#7 Visiting the Ille Caves - surprisingly big caves. Take a guide at the entrance to be allowed in for an explore

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#8 Taking the 1.5 hour roundtrip walk to the Nagkalit-kalit Waterfalls. The waterfalls themselves are nice, but the walk itself zig zagging across the streams through the jungle is the highlight

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#9 Finishing the day on the west coast and watching the sunset over the Bacuit Archipelago

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The below map shows experiences nearby with a colour that reflect the Overall Score of those experiences

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Score Detail

The scores above are the real point of this site.

Over 20+ years and 100+ countries, I’ve tried to rank the world’s best travel experiences — from genuinely mind-blowing ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ to the properly gash.

Every one of the 500+ places on this site has both a Wow Factor rating and a more analytical Travel Experience (TE) score based on the things that actually make travel memorable.

If you're curious about the thinking behind it, head to the About page.

Otherwise, explore the map above or on the Home page and see which places truly deliver maximum wow.

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