Secret Lagoon in El Nido, Palawan - is it worth seeing?
Secret Lagoon is a hidden tourist spot in El Nido, Palawan accessible via an inconspicuous hole that you need to cramp your way into. It is part of the Tour A package, one of the four tours which you can cross-off from your bucket list when you visit El Nido, Palawan. In this blog post, I'd be sharing a few photos of the area, and maybe drop a few rants about how possibly overrated this place is.
Prior to reaching the place, I was actually filled with lots of excitement when our tour guide mentioned that we were about to visit Secret Lagoon. The thought of knowing or being part of a secret is simply thrilling for me. Remember the feeling of having someone confide a secret to you? There's just this immense pride you feel afterwards, knowing that this person just trusted you with something huge.
Now let's explore that thought a little further. Imagine that you are about to hear your friend's secret, and just as you are slightly trembling with the gush of suspense, he/she simply told you "I have a dog, that's my secret." Your face drops. In just a snap, all the excitement turns into disappointment. For you it does not feel like a secret at all. Familiar? Well, this is somehow what happened when we got to see this Secret Lagoon.
I did realize shortly after, that perhaps the attraction and beauty of the place do not lie on the waters, but rather on the towering rock formation surrounding it. Indeed, when we started to look up that's the time we get to somehow appreciate the lagoon. You may refer to the right photo below to have an inkling.
Other than that, there is nothing much to behold in the Secret Lagoon. That's why I was sharing with you how the excitement quickly faded in a tremendously steep manner. It just so happened that we were just so energized that despite the lackluster scenery we sort of just enjoyed it anyway. Some of my friends who I was with may disagree with my statement because for them the majestic view of the rock formation from the inside was enough to compensate for the murky waters. In some degree I may agree, but let's keep it as is.
Okay, maybe I am exaggerating a bit. However, what I found to be a huge downer was the color of the water. It was just uninviting. I tweaked the photo a bit, so it does not look too obvious, but it was stale and murky -- similar to the color of the water when you are rinsing your clothes.
The tour guide was explaining that the water tends to get stale since there's no outflow stream unless it's high-tide season (might be close to October or November). Across all the places we visited throughout the 3 tours we availed, this was the only murky one.
I did realize shortly after, that perhaps the attraction and beauty of the place do not lie on the waters, but rather on the towering rock formation surrounding it. Indeed, when we started to look up that's the time we get to somehow appreciate the lagoon. You may refer to the right photo below to have an inkling.
Other than that, there is nothing much to behold in the Secret Lagoon. That's why I was sharing with you how the excitement quickly faded in a tremendously steep manner. It just so happened that we were just so energized that despite the lackluster scenery we sort of just enjoyed it anyway. Some of my friends who I was with may disagree with my statement because for them the majestic view of the rock formation from the inside was enough to compensate for the murky waters. In some degree I may agree, but let's keep it as is.
Anyway, after taking a few photos and appreciating the surroundings, we needed to cramp our way once again to the portal. Just for you to have a better idea of the possible challenge, here's a photo of us about to crawl out of the lagoon.
That's about it. Let me know your thoughts as well if murky waters is an issue for you or not. Thanks for reading!
Secret Lagoon Quick Guide
Things to see/do: Take a photo as you squeeze your way into the hole leading to the lagoon, appreciate the towering rock formation from the inside
Budget needed: Access and related fees are inclusive of the Tour A Package.
Is it wander-worthy? Not-so-much. There was novelty in trying to squeeze in through the hole to access the Secret Lagoon, but the murky waters might be a turn-off. However, I'd say that the view of the rock formation from the inside is a great sight to appreciate. Overall, it is still great to drop by just for the sake of experiencing it. Also, I heard that depending on the tide situation, the Secret Lagoon may not be murky at all.
Things to see/do: Take a photo as you squeeze your way into the hole leading to the lagoon, appreciate the towering rock formation from the inside
Budget needed: Access and related fees are inclusive of the Tour A Package.
Is it wander-worthy? Not-so-much. There was novelty in trying to squeeze in through the hole to access the Secret Lagoon, but the murky waters might be a turn-off. However, I'd say that the view of the rock formation from the inside is a great sight to appreciate. Overall, it is still great to drop by just for the sake of experiencing it. Also, I heard that depending on the tide situation, the Secret Lagoon may not be murky at all.
