Umi Travel and Tours — Local services in El Nido

We did two tours with UMI travels recommended by our accomodation Chislyk Inn. I was absolutely thrilled with the service we received. All priced for shared tours are the same. I believe it is the private tours that you can negotiate the prices. We were travelling with 2 young kids and the service these guys offered was amazing. The first tour we did was Tour C, we had a tour guide JJ who was just sooo freaking awesome. He had everyone going, happy, engaged. No one was bored and his photography skills were off the chain. On our tour c the entire trip was Filipinos except us and everyone got along so well. It was beautiful. Tour A was more of an international crowd so there was not that closeness the way we had on the tour c but the scenery more than made up for it. The organiser collected us at the hotel around 8.30am. We went to the office and they gave you a sticker of a particular colour to indicate your tour. You usually board between 9 to 9.30. You need to walk in the water to access the boat. The guys on the boat help you alot though. Do not forget to walk with money to purchase coconuts, ice cream, rent kayaks and tip the guys at the end. Lunch is plentiful and varied, on both days there was rice,vegetables, noodles, watermelon, pineapple, bananas, Adobo pork two types, chicken, shrimp, calamari and grilled fish. It was delicious and filling. There was water on the boat but I would advise you walk with some of your preferred drinks as well as the water is room temperature and with the sun you want it to be cold! Coconuts and ice cream are sold via men on canoes and they start at 100 pesos, the have cold beer which is 100 pesos, ice cream funnily is the most expensive item at 150 pesos. JJ and team were always on hand to help you out and safety was always priority. Even those who could not swim were able to visit all the locations as everyone was provided with life jackets and a human centipede was formed which the guides then supported to the sites. I highly reccomend this company for a local and authentic experience. Thanks to JJ and the team. My son still asks for JJ such was the memories this team helped create for my family and myself. God...

Had the shared tour B with about 10 other people. I am a private person but for the price (less than $40 CAD) I would gladly do another shared tour. The crew, consisting of a chef, a captain, and a tour guide (among a few other helpers), worked like a well oiled machine, and kept their sense of humor (in true Filipino fashion lol) even when the boat overheated and had to be manually restarted. I saw a few horror stories about other tour companies about the staff, but at Umi's, the staff were enthusiastic, hospitable, and very knowledgeable about El Nido - you could tell they took great pride in their work which was greatly appreciated. Our chefs made an amazing and authentic buffet spread, and that was better than any Filipino food I ever had in Canada. Our tour guide Raymond went above and beyond in helping everybody take pictures. I also appreciated his advice on eating the seafood properly to avoid sickness. My only advice is to keep cash on you because there was an unexpected fee to access the beach (50php a head) where we ate. I don't really like keeping cash on hand but I'm relieved my partner insisted on doing so. Also, get the water shoes and snorkel equipment if you are doing tour B!!! It's a no brainer because you'll be crawling in sharp caves and snorkeling half the time. Overall, I'm very happy with Umi Travel and Tours. Authentic food, good vibes, and that genuine Filipino hospitality are what you will find...

This rating is for the tour content not the staff. The staff was great, enthusiastic. We took tour A. Our first stop had to be postponed (big lagoon) because it was so packed. The secret lagoon is not secret, you crawl through a hole in the rock to a rather uninteresting small lagoon with a couple hundred people getting pumped in and out of it. Next the snorkeling spot...what a joke. A handful of uninteresting fish and no coral. I had read how fabulous snorkeling was here...why did you take us to this spot? Then the lunch beach...too busy to try and land on the small beach so we had lunch on the boat (food was great btw). After lunch back to Big Lagoon..there seems to be no organization here on how to get kayaks efficiently. We were given one paddle and told that's all you get, we insisted on another and waited until they located one. The paddles seem to be crafted out of a 2x4...really heavy and awkward. Again, the big lagoon heavy touristed but if you paddled to the end you could find a quieter spot. Next 7 Commando Beach. By the time we got there the heavens opened up (no fault of the tour company) and it was pouring and cold but they tried to insist we get off the boat, some of us refused. Then back to El Nido. I was so looking forward to this tour and frankly it turned out disappointing. We thought we would try another tour but after this one we opted not to. Maybe El Nido is just over touristed now and a...