The Subic Expat # 6: Geology, Palawan, and El Nido

My favorite budget vacation thus far was to the enchanting El Nido town in the municipality of El Nido, at the north end of the island of Palawan. El Nido town is on the northwest coast of the island and has 45 beautiful islands which can be visited by banca boat tours. El Nido was mentioned in Chinese records as far back as 1225 BC and was called the Land of Beautiful Harbors
The islands of the Philippine plate were mostly formed by molten rock upwelling from the deep ocean crust and mantle creating countless volcanos which added new crust to the islands. Many of the gold and copper ores of the islands were formed n this way. Ancient Chinese records indicate the Philippines were called “the islands of gold” thousands of years ago. Other parts of the islands have been formed by two crustal plates colliding. These collisions thrust deep sea floor crust up against the volcanic islands and formed new island crust containing nickel, chromium, platinum, and palladium.



Palawan is the most southwest island in the Republic of the Philippines. It is also the most physically different. Geologically, Pawawan is part of the Asian crustal plate, whereas the other islands are part of the Philippine Plate. Three hundred fifty million years ago, what is now Palawan was part of the contintental shelf of Asia. Shallow water limestones and great patches of coral reef were being formed. Millions of years later, Plate Tectonic movements thrust these old sedimentary rocks upward and formed the island of Palawan.
Today the island of Palawan is known for its karst topography. This is the kind of landscape that results from having limestone exposed to the elements. The rainwater, carrying carbon dioxide from the carbon of the plant cover, contains carbonic acid which dissolves the limestone over thousands and millions of year. The result is a land with towering seacliffs standing alone, multitudes of caverns, and many springs. This sort of landscape is also found in southern China, southern Thailand, and parts of Vietnam. North of the capital, Puerto Princessa, is the Subterranean River National Park. An underground river winds its way through a cavern under St. Paul Mountain before entering the South China Sea. There are boat tours of this cavern and river system leaving from Sabang daily.
Human occupation of this island dates back a minimum of 20,000 plus years. The Tabon caves in southern Palawan have human fossils dating from 22,000 to 24,000 years ago. During the last Ice Age, sea level was at least 300 feet lower, and much of the continental shelf of southeast Asia was dry land. People could have walked from Malaysia to Palawan. Many caves in Palawan have been found to contain evidence of early human occupation. In addition the outrigger banca has been used for many thousands of years for island exploration and fishing. No doubt the island was visited for thousands of years before written history.
El Nido, named for the nests of the swiftlets which inhabit the cliffs, is situated on beautiful Bacuit Bay and affords a vista of the breathtaking Bacuit Archipelago. There are 45 islands rising out of the sea, most fringed by coral reefs.
To get there you can fly SeaAir (Southeastern Asian airlines) from Manila with an intermediate stop in Busuanga Island. They have 2-3 flights each week. You fly in a Dornier 19 passenger airplane well suited to rough field landings.
The roundtrip price in 2005 was 10,000 pesos ($200). I flew there the first time during the rainy season and the clouds and rain made the air very bumpy. I am a private pilot and I thought as we came in to land on Buswanga “Where is the runway? All I can see is a clearing with rocks and red mud”. Then we landed on the rocky, muddy ground and finished on a paved runway. There is a 30 minute layover at the Fransisco Reyes Airport.


Many people leave there for Coron town to stay there while enjoying the excellent scuba diving on wrecked ships. On the west side of Buswanga Island there are many World War II Japanese ships lying on the bottom, some in very shallow water. On September 24th, 1944, 118 Grumman Hellcats and Curtis Helldivers sank at anchor about 24 cargo and warships. Twelve of these are at shallow enough depth to be popular dive locations.
The trip from Buswanga to El Nido is only about thirty minutes. The El Nido field is mostly paved but still a rough field landing. There is a nice terminal at the airport. Soon after the flight has unloaded, tricycles arrive to take the passengers to El Nido. It is a 20 minute ride and costs about 150 pesos.
There are two exclusive and expensive resorts ($200 per day) on Miniloc and Lagen Islands but these are not for the budget traveler. El Nido town lies along a crecsent beach flanked by towering limestone cliffs. Several of the beautiful islands can be viewed from the shoreline. El Nido has an excellent tourist office to help you find accommodations. Actually there is a whole row of beachside budget accommodations right along Hamas Road, which parallels the beach. Those I am familiar with are Tandikan Cottages, Dara Fernandez Cottages, Gloria’s Cottages, and Rico’s Cottages. These are owned by the very interesting and friendly Fernandez family.



Gloria Fernandez is the matriarch of the family. She is full of information about the area. She is an authority on the archeology of the islands and many anthropologists have consulted with her about human remains and artifacts in the offshore caves. The offshore islands are home to the swiftlet which nests on the cliffs. For centuries the locals have been harvesting their nests “El Nido” to sell to the Chinese for birds nest soup, and exploring the caves.



Rico Hernandez and his brother, Henry Fernandez are very interesting guys. Both have degrees in Geology; Rico in Economic Geology (minerals exploration) and Henry in Engineering Geology. Rico worked a number of places in Asia and spent several years in Africa exploring for gold. It turns out he was associated for several years with my old buddy, Manila geologist Mike Spadafora. Both Rico and Henry returned home during the Asian economic downturn in the late 1980s. They now own farms and cottages. Rico is also a city official. He is passionate about his fighting cocks.
The accommodations are comfortable and inexpensive, about 450 pesos per day. They are very basic however. The room has a bed, canopied by mosquito netting. The CR (comfort room) toilet flushes by dipper, not a tank. The shower is cold water. There is a fan and lights in the room but the electricity in the town is on only 12 hours daily, 1 P.M. to 1 A.M. There is a broad veranda with a table and chair for each room. Each morning there is a thermos of hot water waiting on the table for instant coffee or tea. A small market across the street supplies the necessities. Sitting there in the morning, sipping coffee, watching the day begin on the bay, affords a great sense of contentment.
There are many fine restaurants along Hamas Street. As you walk towards town you encounter Squidos on the left, then Ricsons on the right, followed by Marbers. All serve excellent food. Continuing into the town, a quick turn right, then left, puts you on the street which has the Alternative Café, a health food establishment with beautiful carved wood, then the very popular Artcafe and Boutique










The upstairs Artcafe is very popular with tourists. It serves wonderful homemade bread and yohgurt to go with breakfast and also serves excellent pizzas. The Artcafe is also the local booking office for Seair Airlines. The downtown is small and relaxed; vendors sell fresh fish on the street. There is Internet access at the Alternative and the Dogstar. Several scuba diving shops on the beach give instruction and offer offshore dive trips to the reefs.
As well as swimming, and diving on a nearby reef one can take island hopping tour to see the beautiful offshore islands. These can be arranged at the Alternative or the Artcafe. Rico Hernandez arranged a great trip for our party of seven who were all staying in the cottages.





There are many offshore islands, all rising from the waters with towering cliffs, often covered with bonsai trees, some with white coral sand beaches and coral reefs. Each has its own distinctive beauty. Many island hopping tours will take one to Vigan Island (Snake Island), with its distinctive shallow sand spit; to Miniloc Island with its two hidden lagoons which are great for snorkeling and kayaking; and Pangulasian Island with its long white sand beach and abundant palm trees. There are dozens of others to chose from.


I have never been so relaxed and laid back in my life as I was in the week I spent there. I love the town, the people, and the islands. The only tense moment was on leaving. During the rainy season the winds and rain are strong. When it was time to leave our island paradise, the SeaAir Dornier waited until there was a lull in the wind. As we roared down the short runway at full power, being a private pilot, I could feel there was a strong crosswind pushing us sideways. The very skilled pilot cut the power, reversed thrust on the props, and hit the brakes, before we reached the end of the runway and the water. We then taxied back to the takeoff point and watched the wind sock until the wind abated enough for takeoff. It was quite exciting. These pilots are good!
Try El Nido; you will be very pleased if you like a laid back, comfortable, beautiful, and inexpensive environment.