Tarawis Elnido Island Tours — Local services in El Nido

Bad Tour (C) except the visited places.

We booked our tour because of the very good recommendations at TripAdvisor board. First of all, yes the places are awesome nice. But that's nature given and nothing which speaks for that company.

Tl;dr - scroll down.

We booked directly at the tawaris office (Tour C), no agency or anyone else in between. The information about the tours and the differences between a,b,c,d was 10 times more helpfull through google (- -).

We got pick up at our hotel on time (+) and where brought to the office where we walked with other guests to the beach. We got on the boat with 25 people, which was the real upper limit off space on the boat. The day before at the booking we were told that 2 people has booked and start is 9am. We got out of the beach at 9:50 (-). It's okay if the time would compensated at the end, but they didn't.

First stop was at helicopter island. In my opinion the best spot, as we were looking for a tour with a focus on snorkeling. Nice spot for snorkling, but like at every stop we got time pressure and had not enough time to enjoy this magic places... mmmh, maybe we were 1 hour late? (- -)

The other places were also nice and worth to see. Our guide, or as he intended our two guides (I have never heard a word from the second) were telling us where we going, where we are and that helicopter island is called so because it looks like a helicopter. WOW, I nearly wanted to ask for a pen to write down so many information about the spots, I never had googled in advance (-).

Second last stop was star island. Lunch time. Lunch was done on the boat. The lunch was okay, but compared to our tour three days before in port barton it was 2 classes worse. But still okay, if it would have been warm. Everything was cold, the fish, rice ... . Maybe you know allready the standard island hooping island menu ;) (-).

I really don't have the highest demands to a boat trip, but compared to many other trips before, my review must be such directly hard.

Overall conclusion: (- -) Nearly no information in advance (-) 1 hour to late, no compensation afterwards (- -) Time pressure on every stop (-) Completely non informative guide(s) (-) Average cold lunch (-) No music and drinks onboard, no guide entertaining, just a overfilled boat to the spots (+) Hotel pick up on time (+ +)...

We had the chance to join the Tour A and B in two days with Tarawis, and it was an absolutely unforgettable experience. From the very beginning, everything was well organized and welcoming, and we immediately appreciated the contagious good mood of our guide, James, who made every moment enjoyable and meaningful.

Throughout the day, we discovered breathtaking sites: turquoise lagoons, pristine beaches, and snorkeling spots filled with rich marine life that amazed us. Each stop had its own special charm, and the pace was perfectly balanced between exploration, relaxation, and cultural insights. The guide, James, took the time to share local stories and made sure everyone enjoyed the experience, creating a warm and friendly atmosphere within the group.

This tour allowed us to see the islands around El Nido at its very best, with flawless organization and stunning landscapes. We are leaving with unforgettable memories and a strong desire to recommend this activity to anyone looking for an exceptional day with James. A big thank you to our James for his professionalism and...

Don't book with Tarawis! We booked tour C with them. They only told us they didn't have any boat to go on that date. For a tour agent organizing so many group and private tours, they couldn't propose any alternative solutions or compensations to us. They only sent a staff to inform us. He knew nothing and said manager wasn't in the office so there was no one we could file our complaint. We only went to El Nido for a couple of days. In the end we rent a last minute private boat which was more expensive than we planed so that we didn't end up doing nothing on that day.

We also joined their Tour A. The tour was standard, like any other boat we saw, nothing particularly outstanding. The boat was packed and not very comfortable. Like most other tour agents, they had no pier and you had to basically swim to the boat from the departure beach. I noticed some boat companies do have piers and guests don't have to swim to the boat. Highly recommend to find a tour company...