Nacpan and Calitang Twin Beaches: El Nido's Secret Paradise

Unknown to many tourists, found in the northern part of El Nido in Palawan is one of the best beaches in the country I've seen, the Nacpan and Calitang twin beach in Barangay Bucana. It's one of the many off-the-beaten-path destinations you will find in El Nido that's worth a visit. It's isolated, scenic and breathtaking that it truly defines paradise.

Scenic view from the top of a grassy hill in Calitang, El Nido, Palawan

After my first trip to El Nido last year, I had total beach hangover that I was thinking of booking another flight to Palawan ASAP. That's how I madly fell in love with El Nido. And a few months later, I learned about these unknown twin beaches from the blog of Flipnomad who raves about it being the most beautiful beaches in the Philippines. It made my cravings to come back more intense. I wished I had known this before our trip.

I couldn't be more excited when the opportunity to return to El Nido last June came, thanks to promo fare! We made sure to visit Nacpan beach and see for ourselves this little piece of paradise in Palawan.

How to Get to Nacpan and Calitang Beach

On our fourth and last day in El Nido, we met the tricycle driver who I contacted before the trip. He was recommended by Kura on her blog. Nacpan and Calitang can be reached by motorcycle or tricycle. Some tricycle drivers would ask for P1,000 while I got ours at P800 for a round trip service. I think that's the cheapest they could go.

Alternatively, you can sign up from any tour agencies in El Nido for an inland tour. I was surprised to know that Nacpan beach was being offered as part of an inland tour package or some referred to as the Tour E. Makinit Hotsprings and Nagkalit-Kalit Falls are also included in this tour. As far as I could remember, it's not being offered a year ago...or maybe I just didn't notice it. I was kinda worried because this might become another Boracay thing pretty soon. If I were selfish, I would have chosen not to write about this so it remains a secret to a very few people who know about the place. But thanks to the internet anyway.

Coconut trees dotting the shore of Nacpan Beach

The trip to Nacpan and Calitang took about an hour and 10 minutes. It was a tough and rough ride. The road was unforgiving and we had to get off from the tricycle a few times everytime its wheels got stuck in deep mud. Our driver mentioned that he refuses to take guests to Nacpan when it's raining because it's like a trip to hell. We're lucky the weather was good at that time.

Finally, when we arrived, we couldn't contain our excitement. Upon seeing the beach we were rendered temporarily speechless! It's completely unspoiled and undeveloped with no resort found and no single tourist around. The only prominent structure is a big rest house owned by a foreigner. There were lots of coconut trees lining the shoreline. The sand was so fine it felt so great between my toes. And the water was so refreshing and pristine. It's a beach lovers' perfect haven!

It is called twin beach because the lengthy shoreline is shared by two adjoining sitios, Nacpan and Calitang. I think it's the looooongest beach I've seen in a long time.

After those "aaahhhh" moments, I asked our driver if we can explore more of Calitang and climb the hill where we can take photos of the surrounding views. We passed through a fishing village and was wondering why almost every local we met knows our driver. We learned that our driver grew up here so he definitely was the right person to take us there.

At the far end of Calitang we climbed the grassy hill to get an elevated view of the long beach. There was another shoreline, divided by the sand bar, at the back of the village in Calitang where a few boats dock. Most of these are fishing boats while some are passengers boat used to transfer locals to and from nearby islands. I must say that the view from the top of the hill was truly breathtaking!

After a few minutes of satisfying ourselves with lots of photos and being toasted under the sun, we returned to the spot on the beach where we left the tricycle. We spent a little time swimming while waiting for our driver who stayed at one of his relative's house to take some snacks.

We only stayed for a little over an hour in Nacpan and Calitang. We would have liked to stay longer, most likely for a day if we had the chance, but we had to return to the town of El Nido and get ready for our trip back to Puerto Princesa City on the same day. Even though it's a very short time, it's time well spent in this tropical paradise. I cannot wait to go back!

Click here to get some tips on how to travel cheap in El Nido.

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