Part two of our Island Hopping Tour in El Nido, Palawan, features the stops Shimizu Beach, and Big Lagoon. In the part one of this experience our itinerary included Seven Commandos Beach, Secret Lagoon, and Payong Payong Beach. Part two shows the elegant coral of Shimizu Beach, where large rocks and coral gardens provide shelter for a variety of see life. Some of the sea life seen is a few triggerfish, that put up a good show, as well as a few clownfish, and many other species of fish. Dad explores these coral gardens while the rest of us stay on the beach. As we explore a large Komodo Dragon looking lizard, who gave us a good show as it climbed the jagged rock wall. The kids had a lot of fun splashing in the waves, and taking pictures.
After our time at Shimizu we made our way to the last stop, Big Lagoon. At this lagoon, there are kayaks available for rent, that are necessary to get the full experience. We get three kayaks for our group of nine, and make our way into the lagoon. Outside the water is very choppy because of the wind, but the further we venture into the lagoon the calmer and more peaceful it gets. The water is a stunning turquoise vibrantly shining underneath towering black cliffs with specks of green as trees poke out. Inside as we kayak around we are able to see several sea urchins and small fish swimming near the cliff walls. The lagoon has several amazing rock formations, that we explore as much as possible.
As we make it to the end of the Lagoon we see a large bird near us, and our guide finds a stingless jellyfish for us to see. Grace and JoeJoe are able to touch the jellyfish and watch it swim around in the kayak. It is time to go, so we make our way back to the boat as we admire the beauty. Once on the boat we are able to see a majestic rainbow overhead as we make our way back to El Nido. When we get home we go shopping along the lively streets of El Nido and eat at Tuk Tuk Thai, right on the water. Our food is delicious, we enjoy mango fish, red and green curry, and much more. It was an amazing experience!
El Nido Island Hopping day 1 is full of adventure as we voyage through tour A, which includes Seven Commandos Beach, Big Lagoon, Secret Lagoon, Shimizu Island, and Payong Payong Beach. Our first stop is Seven Commando Beach, where we do some snorkeling and see some amazing reefs and fish. There are clownfish, triggerfish, and jellyfish that can be seen. After a while, at Seven Commandos the next stop is Secret Lagoon. This is an all-snorkeling spot, as the beach is privately owned. This lagoon offers crystal clear waters and amazing varieties of fish. Our guide shows us a beautiful blue starfish and an adorable pufferfish.
After admiring the beauty of the lagoon we make our way to Payong Payong Beach. There are amazing rock formations on and around this beach. We take some time to explore these towering rocks as we explore the beach. Dad heads off snorkeling while our lunch is being prepared. When our lunch comes out we are all pleasantly surprised by all the amazing food. Our lunch includes crabs, tuna fish, noodles, rice, soy sauce, pineapple, watermelon, vegetables, chicken, pork, Coca-Cola, and more! As we dine on our meal, some tourists came up and asked if they could have some of our food, which we thought was funny as we turned them away. After eating as much as we could our guide took us to this secret area. We had to trek through the water to get to the entrance, which was a small opening in a wall of jagged rock. The waves shook us up a little, as we made our way through the opening. Inside was a brackish water lagoon completely surrounded by cliffs. The water was cooler in there than the outside ocean. After this experience, we headed back to the boat, and the rest of the tour will be in part 2 of this video.
