EL NIDO
It is about 420 kilometres (260 mi) southwest of Manila] and about 238 kilometres (148 mi) northeast of Puerto Princesa, Palawan’s capital. According to CNNGo, it is the Best Beach and Island destination in the Philippines for its "extraordinary natural splendor and ecosystem.
Situated in Bacuit Bay, El Nido, covering a land area of 465.1 square kilometres (179.6 sq mi) in the northernmost tip of mainland Palawan, is bordered by the Linapacan Strait in the north, the Sulu Sea in the east, and the South China Sea in the west. It is composed of 45 islands and islets, each has its own unique geological formations.
El Nido, being one of the most diverse ecosystem in the country, is protected for its unique flora and fauna, and pristine geologic formations. These include:
- limestone cliffs, the home of the swiftlets
- 50 white sand beaches
- 5 types of forest (the lowland evergreen rainforests found in the mainland and islands such as Miniloc, Lagen and Pangulasian; semi-deciduous forests; forests over limestone; beach forests; and, the mangrove forests found mostly around major rivers and creeks in the mainland)
- 3 major marine habitats
- 16 endemic and 10 threatened species of birds (including the Palawan Hornbill, the Palawan Shama, the Palawan tit, Palawan Scops Owl, and the Palawan Peacock Pheasant)
- 6 species of marine mammals endemic to Palawan (including dolphins and its native dugong)
- the Palawan Tree Shrew, the Palawan Stink Badger, the Palawan Spiny Rat, the Palawan Anteater, and the Northern Palawan Tree Squirrel
- 4 species of endagered marine turtles (hawksbill, olive ridley, leatherback and green sea turtles)
- 100 species of corals, 45 of which belongs to the genera of hard corals
- 813 species of fish