Nella Lomotan’s Insider Guide to El Nido, The Philippines
Palawan Island, in the western Philippines, has long been a secluded enclave for nomads and nature-seekers. Now, a cohort of Filipinos is striving to preserve its eclectic biodiversity and low-key ambience by combining back-to-nature experiences with community initiatives. In partnership with Corona, our #ThisIsLiving guide takes you into the off-grid wilderness of this Filipino paradise.
20 December, 2021
In partnership with
- Words by
- Lucy Kehoe
El
El
Nido. You might recognise this Edenic Filipino region from
its many appearances on the silver screen: all towering limestone
formations topped with serpent-green fringes and surrounded by
crystalline waters that teem with Skittles-coloured marine life.
Perched in the northernmost point of Palawan Island, the most
eastern landmass of the Filipino archipelago, it’s a mesmeric
setting. Since the 1970s, nomads and nature-seekers have been drawn
to the isolation of the region’s 36,000ha of protected land and
54,000ha of preserved marine beauty. It became a byword for
absolute escapism – paradise found.
We won’t pretend it’s an under-the-radar destination, but the
tide is turning on El Nido’s icing-sugar beaches. Resistant to
development and brazenly focused on protecting its uniqueness, a
group of conscientious El Nidoites has been switching up the town
and its surrounding region, streamlining eco-positive experiences
and community-focused initiatives in an attempt to preserve the
paradisaical character of the place. The result? The destination
remains a little mysterious, a little unexpected – the electricity
might cut at strange hours, and you can’t rely on the WiFi.
Photos: Nella Lomotan
As part of our partnership with Corona, we’ve called upon the
expertise of environmental conservationist and El Nido inhabitant
Nella
Lomotan to guide us around her hometown and the coastlines
beyond it. The founder of sustainable and environmental enterprise
Eco
Explorations and co-founder of NGO
Philippine Parks and Biodiversity, Nella is at the forefront of
local initiatives pairing incredible experiences with strong
environmental principles. She left a corporate job to launch
nature-first community development programmes in the Palawan
region, and now spends her days working to protect the Philippines’
myriad flora and fauna, ensuring future development not only
preserves the biospheres, but also the communities (both animal and
human) that call it home. You won’t find her in a boardroom – she’s
more likely to be spotted paddling in a kayak around the limestone
rock formations of the Bacuit Archipelago, her labrador pup,
Mounty, tucked between her feet.
For Nella, El Nido’s allure is its kaleidoscopic biodiversity,
both that of its wildlife and the back-to-nature experiences on
offer. You might wake up in a bamboo shelter with a soft ocean
breeze on your face at dawn, dive into the riot of underwater life
by lunchtime, and end your day, cold Corona in hand, on a
sun-bleached beach at sunset, kicking back to a lo-fi soundtrack
alongside El Nido’s drifters and dreamers. From sky-tickling
treetop hotels and beachside shacks to low-key surf spots and
challenging hiking trails, we’re diving headfirst into El Nido’s
protected wilderness, seeking secluded moments amid its raw,
unfiltered beauty. This is living.
hotel
The Birdhouse
hotel
Tao Farm
hotel