Apetours travel and tours (El Nido and Coron tours) — Local services in El Nido

We were disappointed with how our trip was handled.

We booked two private tours, roundtrip airport transfer, and hotel with Apetours for our trip back in February 2024. The conversation started in May 2023 and the deposit was paid in July 2023.

When we arrived at Lio airport in El Nido, we waited for almost an hour before we were picked up because, somehow, they thought we were in Puerto Princesa. I only found out when someone called me from Puerto Princesa asking where we were. All the details were clear in our email conversation on which airport we will be picked up from. There was also an email the day before we arrived in El Nido to confirm arrival time and I replied specifically with the time and that we will be landing at Lio airport. We also did not receive an apology nor explanation from Apetours regarding this matter.

Good thing there were no issues about the hotel and everything went smoothly when we checked in. They did a good job arranging the hotel for us.

I was also a bit disappointed when it felt like I was rushed in giving my preference on what I would like for lunch on our first tour. We were in Maremegmeg Beach and there was minimal to no signal and so I only got their message around 6:30PM. They gave me a deadline of 7:00PM to send them the list. However, travel time from the beach to our hotel is close to 30min. It would have been better if they informed us that we are supposed to pick from their list ahead of time - even before we arrived in El Nido. Sending it late in the afternoon the day before the tour is risky because there can be instances like mine where we were in a place with poor signal.

The first private tour was also a bit disappointing because they said pick up time is at 8:00AM so we ate breakfast very quickly and were ready by 8:00AM. But we were only picked up around 8:30AM because they said the boat that was assigned to us (with a roof deck) had issues (won't start), that's why they're still looking for a replacement. We would have appreciated it if they told us about the issue earlier so we could have taken our time eating our breakfast. Instead, they only messaged me about the issue when I messaged them because nobody was there at 8:00AM. In the end, we started the tour around 9:00AM. This time, they apologized about the boat.

The second tour was better, they gave us a boat with a roof deck (just like what they said they would assign to us), picked us up on time, we started the tour on time, and they gave us buttered shrimps like requested. Our tour guide and boat crew were also amazing.

Lastly, we were disappointed because they were late in picking us up from the hotel going to the airport. They told me pick up time was 9:00AM so we were ready by 9:00AM. When nobody arrived by then, I messaged them and they asked me what time our flight is when this detail was already in the email thread. We were picked up around 9:30AM and then they told me that the pick up time is between 9:00AM-9:30AM. They should've said that earlier or made it clear to us.

Our disappointment stems from disorganization and...

The best decision myself and our group of friends did in El Nido was to book our island hopping experience in El Nido with Ape Tours! The day we spent island hopping in El Nido with them was the highlight of our entire time in the Philippines!

From the beginning our booking process at the Ape office with the lovely Arianne and Avi was seamless, they were so helpful and answered all our questions helping us pick the right tour for us and what we wanted to experience. They explained in detail what our day would look like, and gave us some very useful tips on what to bring with us for the day, and showed us the true meaning of outstanding customer service as they simply could not stop smiling or do enough to help us, they were both gwapitas and just so lovely to interact with!

For the actual island hopping day we were lucky enough to have both Vergi and Bigboy as our tour guides, who picked us up from our accommodation, along with the rest of the boat crew. We have never seen anyone work as hard and effortlessly as the entire boat crew did that day looking after us and catering to our every need, always smiling, dancing and spreading the best vibes! The boat itself was also just amazing, so spacious and it even had 2 floors, it was incredible! As well as being tour guides showing us the best spots in El Nido and teaching us so much about the Philippines, the two gwapitos Vergi and Bigboy also spent the day taking amazing photos and videos of us with their GoPro which was a really nice touch, as we ended up with some amazing souvenirs from the day with them! We were lucky enough to have amazing weather for our island hopping day with them, but also know that we would have had the best time regardless of the weather thanks to their expertise and experience at picking the right spots to visit, incredibly high energy and passion levels and nailing the timing every time! We were one of the first boats to leave El Nido in the morning, which meant we got everywhere to ourselves, including kayaking in Small Lagoon without a single other boat there, and they made sure we always had enough time to soak up and enjoy every single stop we did, nothing was ever rushed. The included lunch was our favourite meal in the Philippines, and there was sooo much of it that we only had a light dinner that evening as they kept feeding us snacks until we got off the boat in the afternoon!

We would 120% recommend anyone interested in island hopping in El Nido to book their experience with Ape Tours, you won’t regret it and you will have the best day ever! There are no hidden fees, everything is included and just incredible value for the best customer service we have ever experienced and one of the best days if my life!

Salamat Arianne, Avi, Vergi and Bigboy and the rest of the Ape crew,...

Went on private Tour A with Jayson, private Tour B with BigBoy, and shared Tour C with Jayson and Virgil. I feel like we had the perfect guides for each tour. Jayson has such a bright and easygoing personality and really set the tone for our first tour, helped boost our confidence in taking photos and was always cracking jokes. Super chill tour (even though the kayaking and volleyball really wore us down at the end lol). I wasn’t as excited for Tour B because it didn’t seem as popular, but BigBoy’s knowledge and passion for the history of the islands really challenged my assumptions. He is also AMAZING at capturing all the right photo angles, and went out of his way to swim in rough waters to capture a video inside one of the caves for us since it was too dangerous to go inside ourselves. I would have to say Tour B ended up being my favourite! I would have loved for Tour C to be private as well, but it’s the most popular tour for a reason! The views are simply stunning. And having two tour guides helped ensure that everyone on board was well taken care of.

I also just wanted to give a shoutout to the boat crews and office staff. Amazing, kind people. I always admire the work they put into making these tours happen. We had the same chef for all three days (unfortunately I forgot his name but my dad was always in awe of how his hair managed to stay up and spiky all day LOL) and loved the food. The other crew members were also very helpful and attentive when helping us on and off the boat. When I got stung by a jellyfish, everyone (both office and boat personnel) was willing to help out - I now have a container of Tawas powder from BigBoy as a memento :)

My family was able to chat with Ivan while we waited for our ride - super cool guy whom I would have loved to chat with more. You can tell everyone at Ape Tours genuinely wants you to have an amazing experience in El Nido.

Super lengthy review but had to give credit where it’s due :) Hope to come back...