10 WHAT TO BRING | WEAR IN EL NIDO, PALAWAN

What to Bring | Wear In El Nido, Palawan

10 WHAT BRING | WEAR WHEN VISITING EL NIDO, PALAWAN

Some vacations are ruined by being unprepared. Just like a group of foreigners who arrived at the lodge where we were staying at El Nido, Palawan. They were young and looked very excited. They had not made any reservations, because they were asking for the rates and they checked the room before deciding to take it. Then I heard the leader of the group telling the front office staff, “ What card do you accept?” Then the front office staff replied, “ I’m sorry, ma’am we only accept cash. Then she said,” Ok, we’ll go just for an ATM first.” And she was surprised when told that there was no ATM on the Island.

I don’t know what happened next, because we were being fetched for our Island Hopping Tour.

Traveling to any place needs a little research. That is why we have travel bloggers who are doing reviews and telling about their personal experiences when going— use these blogs as references. www.thehappytriptrip.com

Now, if you are planning to visit El Nido, Palawan let me share with you the 10 must bring things.

What to Bring | Wear at El Nido, Palawan

List of Things To Bring and Wear at El Nido, Palawan

1. Bring enough cash

Credit cards are not accessible at El Nito; there’s no ATM too! I wrote about my travel Itinerary to El Nido along with my budget. Please click here. My budget would somehow give you an idea of how much to prepare.

2. Sunblock

Island Hopping is the number activity at El Nido. So sunblock is a must. Of course, you should remind yourself of our airport policy regarding the bringing of liquid items. At Puerto Princesa, you can have a quick stop to buy sunblock. But just in case, bring ahead with your sunblock in sachets, this would surely ensure your protection just in case you cannot get sunblock in the place. I always made to bring along with me sachet sunblock, in cases where I got tickets with no check-in baggage. On my last visit to Ilocos for example, I thought I can’t just buy anywhere some sunblock, but I was surprised that it’s not available that easy as I thought.

3. Camera [ What to Bring | Wear at El Nido, Palawan ]

If you have an underwater camera bring it! I really envy people with an underwater camera during my last visit to El Nido. Sealife was fantastic, various colored fishes are habituating the places.

4. Rashguard or swimwear

For those who wanted to have the beach and tan color, by all means, wear your bikini or go topless (for men- of course). But rash guard, in general, is very useful to those who don’t like to get a sunburn.

5. Medicines

I have not seen big drug stores at El Nido. So make sure to bring your own medicines, especially if you are having some maintenance. My personal medical kit contains the following: loperamide (being new to the place, sometimes my stomach cannot tolerate the way others prepare the food); pain reliever (for headaches, etc.); Antibiotic ointment for some cuts and bruises; band-aids; white flower (for me this is so versatile, and it served me in many ways). Of course, if you suffer from motion sickness, take with you some bonamine. You might want to bring along with you Hydrite granules or tablets too, just in case….

6. Aqua sock or rubber sandals [ What to Bring | Wear at El Nido, Palawan ]

Enjoying El Nido’s beaches would be best if you are wearing an aqua sock or rubber sandals. Some stones and broken corals are sharp to better to protect yourself. Of course, you should not step on the corals, that’s why you need to swim. Don’t worry if you are not a good swimmer, you can use the life vest provided by the tour operators during the Island Hopping trip. Snorkel, but these are available for rent in the Island at Php 100

7. Multipurpose scarf or shawl

As a backpacker, I found a light fabric scarf to be very useful and handy. You can use it to cover your gadgets, cover-ups for ladies and can even be used as a towel. Some tour operators provide their guests with towels but some were not. My scarves are usually made of light fabric which would dry up easily when washed.

8. Plastic casing for your phone (so that your gadget is protected during the Island hopping)

The plastic casing is always useful to me. In fact, I did bring 2 waterproof plastic casing each time I travel, one for my cell phone and another for my wallet. If you don’t have a plastic casing, just buy a durable ziplock from the grocery store. And since we don’t have a waterproof camera. Each time we got out of our pump boat, we would leave of course our camera and just bring our cell phone with us to take some photos.

9. Sunglasses, better bring a plastic one with 100% UVA/UVB protection [ What to Bring | Wear at El Nido, Palawan ]

Several years ago, I was wearing my plastic sunglasses while enjoying the beach. I thought it was safe because of its plastic. I forgot to wash it with fresh water afterward, so days after the frame templates or the arms just fall off—the hinges got rusted and were ruined by the seawater. So if you will be wearing sunglasses that are not designed for the beach, better to soak it afterward in freshwater, then wash thoroughly with fresh water to make sure that salt will not ruin the hinges of your loved gadget. Of course, you need to check the UV protection of your glasses.

10. Choose jersey materials for your clothing [ What to Bring | Wear at El Nido, Palawan ]

Others may not like to wear jersey materials because it smells differently compared to cotton shirts. But for backpackers, I guess this material is very practical especially if you are traveling light. Of course, when visiting places like El Nido, you don’t want to bring your whole closet with you, so you just bring a couple of your wardrobe and whenever necessary, you can wash your clothing and hang it in the shower area. Jersey material dried up easily.

Moreover, when having an inland tour, we also sweat a lot. Jersey materials don’t absorb water so your sweat evaporates easily.