How to get from
El Nido to Coron

About the ride from El Nido to Coron

Traveling from El Nido to Coron allows you to experience two of Palawan’s most popular destinations. One of the largest provinces in the whole of the Philippines, Palawan is also one of the nation’s most popular tourist hangouts. 

If you want to experience Palawan’s stunning shores, karst cliffs and fantastic diving, traveling between El Nido and Coron allows you to enjoy endless amounts of both. 

If you’re not yet tired of island adventures after enjoying El Nido’s lagoons, cliffs and waterfalls, you can venture to Coron, which offers more of the same but on a smaller scale.

Coron is smaller, quieter and more laid-back than El Nido, so it offers some excellent respite if you’re feeling a little exhausted after all of El Nido’s partying, island hopping and adventure travel. But though Coron is sleepier and more serene, it’s certainly not without its excitement, with a huge number of lakes, diving spots and island getaways.

For the approximately 130km (80 mile) trip from El Nido to Coron, you have two options:

• Ferry from El Nido to Coron - typically around 3.5 hours
• Flight from El Nido to Coron - typically around 40 minutes

What to see when traveling from El Nido to Coron

What you’ll see when traveling to Coron from El Nido depends upon how you travel, but both options are outrageously beautiful.

If you take a ferry from El Nido to Coron, you’ll spend almost (or exactly!) 4 hours gliding through Palawan’s bright blue seas, with views of rocky outcrops, craggy mountains and the area’s many tiny charming islands. You’ll also pass various other boats, including day-tripping ferries and small fishing vessels.

The Philippines offers a huge number of idyllic island trips by ferry, but this is one of the best. It shuttles you between two small but bustling ports, and by many smaller lumps of land which can be visited on spectacular day trips from El Nido and Coron. 

If you travel from El Nido to Coron by air, the views are even better. 

As you leave one island’s airport to arrive at another, the birds-eye delights are some of the most stunning views that Southeast Asia has to offer. Viewing the islands - and the surrounding ocean - from the vantage point of your propeller airplane allows you to fully contextualize the beauty of your adventure.

All journeys - by both ferry and airplane - take you from El Nido’s main island to Coron’s main island, but both municipalities have many smaller islands within their confines.

How to get from El Nido to Coron 

Taking a ferry 

Taking a ferry offers the most affordable option for getting to El Nido from Coron, making it popular with budget backpackers who want to island-hop through Palawan without splashing too much cash.

All ferries from El Nido to Coron have toilets, but some offer the extra perks of AC and English-speaking staff.

Though none of the ferries are particularly luxurious, they’re all relatively comfortable, with good seats, spacious cabins and great views. Some ferries are a little more comfortable and well-equipped than others, so you should check the details for each individual journey to find an option which is best for you.

Taking a flight 

Taking a flight from El Nido to Coron is popular with tourists who like a little luxury and who don’t mind spending more money to get it.

Though it’s a very pricey option compared to the vast majority of other journeys available throughout Southeast Asia, it’s mega convenient and it offers absolutely incredible views of some of the Philippines’ most beautiful islands.

Though this journey is also the fastest way of getting from El Nido to Coron, you should consider that it of course takes time to check your bags, go through security and board your flight, just like catching an airplane to anywhere. And despite the small size of the craft, you of course also still need to arrive in the airport early to make sure you catch your flight on time.

A flight from El Nido to Coron is a good option if you’re an adventurous traveler. A quick hop in a propeller airplane is great fun, and vastly different from taking a flight in the large airplanes which you’ll probably be more accustomed to.