El Nido by Bus

How to Get to El Nido from Puerto Princesa?

We took the RORO Bus at San Jose Terminal in Puerto Princesa at 6AM. It's a 6-hour journey to El Nido with two stop overs (toilet break) in Roxas and Taytay. A big chunk of the national road (PPNR) between Taytay and El Nido were still under construction during our visit. The section between Roxas and Puerto Princesa are fully functional and paved. We bought tickets (travel voucher) and reserved our seats the day before our departure at San Jose Terminal.

Bus Time Table (Marked Stars are Air-Conditioned Bus Trips)

PP to El Nido Bus Fare:
  • Air-Conditioned Bus  Php 483 per person / one-way
  • Ordinary  Php 330 per person / one-way
*Be there 30 minutes before the departure time.


For bookings and reservations, contact:
Mobile: +63 915 3077133
             +63 908 9202568
             +63 922 8897013
             +63 999 7879469

* Taking the last bus trip  10 PM would save you a lot of time.
** There are special discounts for Senior Citizens and a valid Senior Citizen I.D needs to be presented before purchasing tickets.
*** You might consider bringing some food with you. We didn't find anything interesting to eat during these two stop overs (Roxas and Taytay).

San Jose Bus Terminal in Puerto Princesa
How to get to San Jose Bus Terminal?

It would be easier to take a public transportation either a tricycle or a jeepney along Rizal Ave. (headed north along the National Highway) that eventually turns left towards the public market. We rented a motorbike for a day. We drove to the bus terminal to purchase bus tickets in advance. 

It was fun searching for it after several attempts and a lot of U-turns, based on wrong directions given to us. Finally, A kind security guard at Robinsons Mall helped us with the right directions. It's right behind the public market.



Fare from town center to Bus Terminal
  • A tricycle fare from the Airport Road to the Terminal (one-way) is roughly Php 50-100
  • A moped rental for a day is about Php 500-1000 (depending on the motorbike model and where you rent them from)
*It's about 7 km away from the airport and it roughly takes 20 minutes to get to the terminal from the city proper. 

We booked a tricycle to pick us up at our hotel at 5AM, so we could be at the bus station not later than 5:30AM. (Bus Departure at 6AM). 

Since it's a special pick-up and drop off, my husband tried to bargain with a driver who charged us Php 150 after negotiating with the best Filipino language he could muster. In the end paid the original price to tip the driver as we found him sleeping in his vehicle outside of our hotel.

The Air- Conditioned bus we took to El Nido. First stopover in Roxas
It's a wise decision to go for an Air-Conditioned Bus to avoid heavy dust during summer (dry) season. Otherwise, if you're up for it, the ordinary bus looks like this. 


Public Vans to El Nido
There are also public and private vans offered by hotels and travel agencies leaving daily to El Nido. We personally think the bus offers more leg room. 

Public Van Fare:  Php 700 per person / one-way to El Nido 

Van for Hire to El Nido
When traveling in a big group, sharing a van could be a good idea. 
Private Van Rental  roughly costs  Php 11,000 with a maximum capacity of 14 persons.

Motorbike Rental
There are also adventurous ones who might prefer traveling this long distance with a motorbike. Motorbike rentals are available in Puerto Princesa and they roughly cost between Php 500- 1000 (depending on the motorbike model) per day.

Have a great weekend!
XOXO,
Arni

**All prices mentioned above were valid during and around the time of the published date and they may change and increase.

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1 comments

  1. These are great tips. Can't wait to hear more about your travels :)

    ReplyDelete