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.