EL NIDO: A DAY AT THE 7 COMMANDOS BEACH

A DAY AT THE 7 COMMANDOS BEACH 

By Henry Libo-on 

In Bacuit Bay, there is one beach that is popular among tourists who go to El Nido.  This is the Seven Commandos Beach.  It is located in the area which is actually the back part of the mainland El Nido town.

The white sand, clear waters, and the swaying palm trees make the Seven  Commandos Beach a nice place to spend the day. Other than swimming, I saw some people snorkel.  But, maybe, that also depends on the weather condition.  There is a restaurant with a bar which is a few meters walk from the wide beach.  They sell cocktails and shakes as well as fresh coconut and cold drinks like soda and beer.
On the side of the beach where we spent the afternoon, the owners placed an enclosure surrounding the nearby area that they were developing, at the time of our visit. However, we were still allowed to enjoy the beach. Probably when that area will be fully developed by the owners, impromptu visits and swimming by tourists who are not visitors to the beach will be limited or prohibited.

This was the last beach that we visited on the first day of our island hopping at El Nido.  There are four or even more tour packages for island hopping.  Seven Commando Beach is package A.
The waves were a bit strong at that time that we decided to swim.  It was about four o'clock in the afternoon. We frolicked in the crystal clear waters forgetting that we are with the company of tourists from other countries.
After swimming, some of us went to the kiosk that sells freshly opened coconut locally known as "buko".  We scraped the meat and ate it and drank the juice too.  A few of us bought a bottle or two of local beer.  The Seven Commando Beach was our last trip en route to the town proper of El Nido.  Before this, we went to the 3 other islands as part of our tour package which included the boat, the guide, and lunch.



How did this beach get its name?  Our guide related this story that happened a long time ago, before El Nido became well-known around the world.  The story goes this way: there was a huge fishing boat that was stranded in the waters of El Nido.  After three days, the crew decided to look for the nearest island and to make it their temporary home while waiting for their rescue.  For three months they lived on this "island" that is actually a part of the mainland El Nido but facing the Bacuit Bay.  Then one day when their boat was finally repaired, they decided to leave.

After this incident, the locals discovered that there were writings on the wall of the wide rock located near the beach.  It says:  "Seven Commando" (without a letter s).  Local residents believed that the Seven Commando was the name of the fishing boat that was stranded many months ago.  Since then that was how the locals call that beach.  The Seven Commando Beach.

How To Get There? 

El Nido is accessible by vans and buses that ply the Puerto Princesa City to El Nido routes.  Upon reaching Puerto Princesa City take the tricycle from the airport or seaport and tell the driver to take you to San Jose Bus Terminal for El Nido.  From the airport, the Trike may take around 15 to 20 minutes. From this bus terminal to El Nido town, it may take around 6 - 7 hours.  

Buses and Vans make a stopover in the towns of Roxas where you can find the Jeepney Terminal of Jeeps going to Port Barton, in the town of San Vicente.  The latter happened to be the home of the longest beach in the Philippines.  The next town where the bus makes a stopover is Taytay where you can find the 1667 Fort of Santa Isabel. It is where you can find authentic cannons and the old chapel.

So make your plans now by searching the internet for more information or call your friendly tour operator.  If you are a backpacker, El Nido has a few budget hotels and inns.  There is no bank at El Nido but credit cards are accepted and most hotels and inns have free wifi although electricity is from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. only.  As of this update, the electricity service must have improved. I hope. Enjoy your trip.

The prices may change by the time you made a trip to the 7 Commandos Beach. 

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Updated November 3, 2017.

Updated June 14, 2020. 

All copyright photos by Henry Libo-on of Touristang Pobre. 

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