Nacpan Beach

Located to the north of El Nido, Nacpan Beach is a popular four kilometers-long curve-shaped beach with light brown sand, many palm trees, and a few large rocks in Palawan Island.  This beach is a part of a larger beach area named Twin Beaches – another nearby beach that is a part of Twin Beaches is Calitang Beach.  Thrillist listed Nacpan Beach in the Philippines as one of the “25 most beautiful beaches in the world” in June 2024.  In addition, TripAdvisor also listed this beach as one of the best beaches in Asia as part of its annual Travelers’ Choice awards in 2016, and it is also a favorite of Randall Kaplan, the world’s foremost beach expert who is known as Mr. Beach.

Nacpan Beach El Nido has lifeguards on the right side of the beach.  In addition, the beach has a few other public amenities including restrooms, volleyball nets, and rental facilities for watersports equipment, beach chairs, and beach umbrellas.  In addition, there are campgrounds and hotels near the beach that offer shower facilities to their guests. 

Nacpan Beach offers many fun activities including sunbathing, beachcombing, fishing, swimming, surfing, boogie boarding, paddleboarding, volleyball, beach soccer, snorkeling, scuba diving, wakeboarding, jet-skiing, surf-skiing, water-skiing, parasailing, kayaking, canoeing, and wildlife watching. 

The water here is ideal for beginner swimmers because it mostly offers gentle waves.  While it is not a popular surf site, this beach also offers fun surfing waves for beginner surfers – the Philippine Wet Season (between June and October) is a particularly great time to surf here.  In addition, snorkelers also visit here to explore the vibrant marine biodiversity here.  

If you plan to swim, kayak, or canoe here, we recommend being careful because the water here can have unpredictable rip currents and dangerous waves.  In addition, please note that sometimes swimmers are restricted to the water near the volleyball nets here for safety purposes.

If you want to explore another nearby beach, you can also visit Las Cabanas Beach that offers many fun activities including sunbathing, swimming, beachcombing, fishing, and kayaking.

Nacpan Beach does not offer wheelchair access to visitors with disabilities.

Getting to Nacpan Beach can be slightly difficult because the access road to the beach is rugged – from El Nido town, you need to drive north along the Taytay-El Nido National Highway and then you need to drive on a road named El Nido-JCT New Ibahay Road.  From El Nido-JCT New Ibahay Road, you need to turn towards another road that will eventually lead you to the beach.  There are street signs near Nacpan Beach that offer you the driving directions for it.  The drive to the beach takes around 45 minutes from El Nido. 

There is a paid parking lot near the beach that charges a fee of 20 Philippine Pesos.

As an alternate transport option, you can also take a motorized auto rickshaw (locally called tricycles) to the beach from El Nido – these tricycles can cost anywhere between 500 to 1500 Philippine pesos.  In addition, you can also take a shuttle van to this beach from El Nido – it costs between 400 and 700 Philippine pesos to book a shuttle van.  Some of the local shuttle van companies that offer transport services include Discover El Nido and Nacpan Beach Shuttle Service. 

The best time to visit this beach is during the Philippine Dry Season (between November and May) because the area around the beach can be waterlogged due to rains during rains.  We recommend visiting Nacpan Beach earlier during this time because it can get slightly crowded quickly. 

We recommend visiting this beach wearing insect repellent because there are many sandflies here and these animals often bite visitors.

If you like taking Nacpan Beach photos with beautiful views, Nacpan Beach offers amazing Instagram-worthy views of the Nido Bay and the northern Palawan shoreline, particularly during evenings – in addition, there is also a hill near the beach’s left side that also offers amazing views.

There are many attractions near Nacpan Beach within a 25-minute-drive.  You can check the Nacpan Beach map to see the Makinit Hot Springs – these springs were naturally formed due to underground geothermal activity.  Although these springs have a rugged access trail and are too hot for taking a dip, you can take beautiful photos of these hot springs.  In addition, the area around these springs is also a great bird watching site.   Nagkalit-Kalit Waterfalls is a series of waterfalls that offers some amazing photos – in addition, there is a rock pool here where you can wade.  Mount Mansilawit is a mountain that offers a fun hiking experience and it also offers a unique way to experience the vibrant local biodiversity and forested landscape – the mountain’s summit also offers amazing Instagram-worthy views of the Palawan shoreline and the El Nido Bay.  Bulalacao Waterfalls is another beautiful multi-level waterfall that is also a popular photography site – please note that the access trail to this waterfall is rugged and you need to hire a local guide to reach here.  If you are looking for another attraction near the beach, Lio Beach is a beautiful curve-shaped beach that offers many fun activities including swimming, sunbathing, beachcombing, wildlife watching, fishing, surfing, and boating – this beach also has a jetty and it offers amazing Instagram-worthy views of the Palawan Island shoreline.

If you get hungry, there are many great food and drink options near Nacpan Beach.  Sunmai Beach Bar and Restaurant has a tropical-inspired decor and it serves a variety of delicious dishes including pizzas, sandwiches, seafood, and croquettes, along with a variety of Filipino dishes – it also offers refreshing cocktails.  Combine Restaurant offers many delicious local Filipino dishes including pork sisig, grilled seafood, banana pancakes, adobo, and sinigang.  Beach Banquet Bar & Restaurant offers many delicious dishes including pasta, pancakes, breakfast dishes, chicken dishes, seafood, pork dishes, sandwiches, and pizza.  Kape Ni Manang offers excellent Filipino dishes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner including sisig, Filipino-style seafood, and chicken inasal.  If you are looking for another good and affordable restaurant nearby, Fisherman’s Restaurant is another oceanfront restaurant with a tropical ambiance that offers outstanding seafood and it also offers a variety of other dishes including pasta, burgers, local Filipino dishes, pork, and chicken dishes.

If you are looking for a hotel near Nacpan Beach, there are many great nearby options.  The Angkla Beach Club & Boutique Hotel offers many amenities including a beach club, a restaurant, a pool, a garden, and a terrace.  The 5-Star Seda Lio is another upscale hotel that offers many amenities including a two-level infinity pool, a poolside bar, a gym, a spa, a private beach area, and a restaurant.  The Karuna El Nido Villas is another great hotel that offers many amenities including an infinity pool, a restaurant, car rental facilities, and massage services.  A more affordable hotel is Charlie’s El Nido that offers many amenities including a gym, a spa, a gift shop, a pool, multiple restaurants, a lounge, and a bar.  If you are looking for another good and affordable nearby hotel, the Cabanas de Nacpan Camping Resort offers accommodation in tents and cabins and has a rustic ambiance – it offers many amenities including a restaurant, outdoor sitting areas, and scooter loaner facilities.  Other great accommodation options near the beach include Nacpan Beach Glamping, Nacpan Beach Resort, and Mad Monkey Nacpan Beach Hostel.