Many travelers who decide to travel around the Philippines visit both the star of the country’s south (Siargao) and Palawan’s (El Nido). Since it’s an island nation where journeys are long, the trickiest part when planning a route around the Philippines is figuring out how to connect the different places you want to see. So, to save you the headache, we’ve decided to explain in detail how to get from Siargao to El Nido and vice versa.
There are several ways to go from Siargao to El Nido. As we tell you in Budget for the Philippines, the fastest options are usually more expensive, while the slower ones will save you money. Thus, to get from Siargao to El Nido, you can choose to take a couple of flights or combine a flight, ferry, and van or bus.
Keep reading as we explain how to reach El Nido from Siargao. If what you want is to get to these destinations from other places, then you’ll find your options in How to get to Siargao and How to get to El Nido.
Quick option to get from Siargao to El Nido
Since both Siargao and El Nido have airports, the quickest way is to fly. Even so, keep in mind that there are no direct flights from Siargao to El Nido and vice versa. In other words, when you search for your Siargao to El Nido flight it will connect via Manila or Cebu,
The flights from Siargao to Cebu and Manila are operated by several Philippine airlines: Cebu Pacific Air (CEBGO), Sunlight Air, and Philippine Airlines. Depending on the season and day of the week, you’ll find more or fewer frequencies. In addition, prices vary a lot and depend on how far in advance you buy them. Typically, a flight from Siargao (IATA code IAO—don’t confuse it with Surigao) to Cebu is around €50, while a flight from Siargao to Manila usually doesn’t go below €100 even with several weeks’ notice.
However, the only airline flying from Manila and Cebu to El Nido is AirSWIFT (now owned by Cebu Pacific Air). Prices vary widely but tend to be about 5,000–6,000 pesos (€85–€100), and they cost even more if booked late. You can check schedules and book here, but note that, as of today, there’s only one flight from/to Cebu and they aren’t daily.
The key to getting from Siargao to El Nido in the same day is to find a good combination of flights from Siargao to Cebu and from Cebu to El Nido. This will depend on the schedules for that day, which change over time.
If you can’t find flights that line up well (as of today, the only ones with a direct connection are those of Cebu Pacific Air), another alternative—though longer and probably more expensive—is to look for flights from Siargao to Manila and then on to El Nido. From Manila to El Nido there are between 4 and 6 daily flights, operated by a single airline (AirSWIFT/Cebu Pacific).
Another possibility, though less useful, is to look for flights from Siargao to Clark and from Clark to El Nido. The latter are also with Air Swift.
Keep in mind that if you buy flights with different airlines, delays in the Philippines are common. Our advice is to leave at least a 3‑hour layover between the two flights so you don’t miss the second one.
Also, Air Swift’s planes are quite small. If you’re interested in this way of getting to El Nido from Siargao, try to book well in advance.
One option is to overnight in Cebu or Manila and fly to El Nido the following day. Take a look at our recommendations for hotels near Cebu Airport and hotels near Manila Airport.
Mid‑range option to get from Siargao to El Nido
Another way to reach El Nido from Siargao (or vice versa) is to combine a flight from Siargao to Manila or Siargao to Cebu and then another from Manila to Puerto Princesa or Cebu to Puerto Princesa, respectively.
Since there are more airlines operating the Cebu/Manila–Puerto Princesa leg and this airport is far better equipped, flights can land later at night. The price of flights to Puerto Princesa is usually around €40, as long as they’re bought in advance, because in recent months it’s rare to see them below €100 if purchased only a few weeks ahead.
If both flights are on different airlines or you didn’t buy them together—in other words, you didn’t make a single search from Siargao to Puerto Princesa—try to leave at least a 3‑hour layover between flights.
Puerto Princesa is Palawan’s capital and lies about 5 hours by van or bus from El Nido. So, as soon as you arrive, you’ll need to take one of the many vans or buses that cover this route. Prices are around 600–700 pesos per person and, if you’re prone to motion sickness, don’t hesitate to take a dimenhydrinate tablet because driving here is rarely smooth.
Buses and vans from Puerto Princesa to El Nido here
If none of the schedules work for you or you arrive very late, hiring a taxi is also feasible, but don’t expect it to be less than 4,000–5,000 pesos.
If you’ve arrived late and you’re tired, you can also spend the night here. Take a look at Where to stay in Puerto Princesa, but our straight recommendation is to stay at this hotel, run by a lovely couple who will pick you up from and drop you off at the airport for free.
Cheaper option to get from Siargao to El Nido
If you want to save a bit, there’s also a cheaper way to get from Siargao to El Nido. To do so, follow these steps:
- Take a tricycle to Dapa Port: shared ones leave from a small terminal at the entrance to General Luna and cost 40 pesos per person. You can also negotiate a private one for about 200 pesos. We can give you a contact if you leave us a comment.
- Take a boat from Dapa to Surigao: there are several departures from 4:30–5:00 and they take between 2.5 and 4 hours, depending on the type of ferry. You can check schedules and book here.
- Take a ferry from Surigao to Cebu: three companies do this route. Cockalion Shipping Lines departs every day except Sundays at 19:00, and Starlite Ferries every day except Sundays at 9:00. These ships have bunks. Prices are around 1,200 pesos for the most basic bunk; then you have air‑conditioned rooms and even “suites.” There’s also a daily fast boat by Oceanjet, which leaves at 13:00 and arrives in Cebu at 18:30. Prices are around 2,000 pesos. Only Starlite and Oceanjet can be booked online here.
- Go from the port to the airport: it’s easiest to take a taxi or Grab, which will cost you about 300–350 pesos and take around 45 minutes, depending on traffic.
- Take a flight to Puerto Princesa: you can check schedules and book here. These are direct flights.
- Take a van or bus to El Nido: as we mentioned above, they’re frequent and prices are around 600 pesos. It’ll take about 4.5 hours. You can check schedules or book here.
- Take a tricycle or walk to your hotel: you’ll arrive at El Nido Terminal, which is halfway between Corong Corong and El Nido Town. Here you can take a tricycle to any accommodation in El Nido for less than 50 pesos.
Of course, if you want to do it the other way around—that is, to go from El Nido to Siargao—you just need to reverse these directions. Note that the ferries from Cebu to Surigao by Cockalion depart every day except Saturdays at 19:00, and Starlite’s every day except Saturdays at 21:00. Oceanjet’s Cebu–Surigao departs at 7:00 in the morning and arrives at 12:30 p.m., so you’ll have plenty of time to connect with another boat from Surigao to Siargao. You can book the latter via this link.
If you don’t feel like enduring the bus or van ride, you can replace step 4 by taking the Air Swift flight between Cebu and El Nido. In that case, you can take a white taxi from the port to the airport. It will cost around 300 pesos, depending on traffic.
And that’s everything about how to get from Siargao to El Nido and vice versa! If you have any questions or suggestions, we’ll be happy to answer you in the comments.
