What is The Philippine Experience?

The Philippine Experience is an immersive cultural day tour in El Nido, Palawan, offering activities like traditional cooking classes, coconut tree climbing, and learning local crafts.

What activities are included in the tour?

Activities include a mini flora/fauna trek, Arnis (traditional Filipino stick fighting), cooking the national dish, coconut milk/oil making demonstration, coconut tree climbing, coconut leaf weaving, traditional dance (tinikling), and traditional Filipino games.

How long does the tour last?

The tour runs from 9:00 AM to approximately 2:30 or 3:00 PM.

The Philippine Experience

What’s The Philippine Experience All About?

The Philippine Experience is a fun cultural day in El Nido with AMAZING reviews, that guests call a must do and a trip highlight, yet still an authentic ‘hidden gem’ with great food and friendly vibes!

Join us for an unforgettable insight into Filipino culture and traditions, the perfect addition to your El Nido itinerary!

You will experience:

A mini flora / fauna trek
Arnis (traditional Filipino stick fighting)
A mini cooking class using traditional methods to make the national dish of The Philippines
A coconut milk / oil making demonstration
Coconut tree climbing (with a safety harness, rope and helmet)
A coconut leaf weaving class
A chance to learn and try our national dance, tinikling
A fun traditional street game
A traditional Filipino desert

Tourists safely climbing a coconut tree during The Philippine Experience cultural day tour in El Nido

The day runs from 9am-2:30 / 3pm. Advance booking is required as only certain dates are available/scheduled.

Pro Tip: Guests planning their day can extend their experience beyond our tour, as we are close to Vanilla Beach and the El Nido zipline — perfect for swimming, ziplining, or catching the sunset after our activity ends at 2:30.

Reviews

After almost 10 years, we have over 560 guest reviews! All Five Stars, except for just two Four Stars!

Are we an El Nido Must Do?
Are we a Philippines Trip Highlight?
Should we be on your El Nido Itinerary?

See what our previous guests thought!

Great experience! - Highly recommend this! We ended up booking last minute because of a storm but it was one of our favourites things we did. Great to learn about the culture and... read more

Clamy4
December 2, 2025
Must Do - Loved this tour! A perfect mix of learning and fun. We discovered so much about the local Philippine culture and history — it really added something special to our trip.... read more

Yurisha M
June 26, 2025
Fabulous - A very unique experience and a fun way to learn more about Filipino history! It was really cool and we are very glad we did it. Would definitely recommend!!

Jenna C
June 1, 2025
A must try experience for anyone coming to the Philippines! - Great experience! This was the highlight of my trip to the Philippines! A must try experience for anyone coming to the Philippines. You get a whole day full of activities... read more

Karishma t
May 27, 2025
Great experience - Great experience and lots of fun! People were encouraged to get involved with the activities and made to feel safe. Very educational whilst also fun.

Martin H
May 25, 2025
Excellent cultural day - Excellent day from start to finish. Shen, Mark and all the team were so welcoming. Such a a great day learning about the Filipino culture and traditions while making it... read more

Global02205170781
May 18, 2025
HIGHLY RECOMMEND - A wholesome day!!! - From the very moment we decided to go Philippines, this was one of the activities we were excited for..my husband got in touch with Mark early on and the communication... read more

Ruby451
May 11, 2025
Worth doing - I had such an awesome time !!!
I really felt that I learned a lot about the Philippines and their culture, in fun way.
We did drawings, climbing, cooking, dancing... read more

sofie16V17
May 1, 2025
Great day - All of the activities and facts about the environment were very interesting and cool. The food was delicious! Shenny was so lovely and friendly. Would recommend this if you want... read more

Sally J
April 28, 2025
10/10 experience - The Philippine experience was one of my favorite days on my trip here. I had so much fun with the stick fighting, climbing a coconut tree and learning about Filipino... read more

S C
April 28, 2025

How Much Is It To Join The Philippine Experience?

Visitors practicing Arnis stick fighting during The Philippine Experience cultural tour in El Nido

2000 peso per guest

Incl. transport*, lunch, drinks & souvenirs.
Discounted rate of 1800p for kids 12 and under**.

*_{Transport provided from/to El Nido town/Corong Corong.}
_{**Not generally suitable for children under 5, please ask.}
_{Please note there is a 1000p cancellation fee, whatever the reason, for cancellations made after 7pm the night before the trip. This helps us cover food, staff and transport expenses incurred by arranging your booking.}

Group of tourists enjoying a full-day cultural experience at The Philippine Experience in El Nido, Palawan

How To Book / Contact Us

Check our trip dates below. If there’s availability for your chosen date, please contact us by 7 pm at the very latest the day before you wish to join with:
-the date of interest
-number of guests
-name of your accommodation
-any dietaries/food allergies
The earlier you get in touch, the better, and we’ll try our best to book you on. Thanks!

Upcoming Trips:

the philippine experience souvenir bamboo shot glassMake your own souvenir

ANY DATE - If you are a group of 10 guests or more, get in touch, and we will try and schedule an additional date. Give us as much notice as possible. Thanks!

Please see our scheduled dates below.

_{Numbers are subject to change / updated as more bookings come in. We have a minimum group size of 10 and maximum of around 21-24}

Feb 4th 2026

FULLY BOOKED

Feb 8th 2026

13 slots available (8 confirmed bookings)

Feb 11th 2026

3 slots available (18 confirmed bookings)

Feb 15th 2026

FULLY BOOKED

Feb 18th 2026

5 slots available (16 confirmed bookings)

Feb 22nd 2026

14 slots available (7 confirmed bookings)

March 4th 2026

5 slots available (16 confirmed bookings)

March 8th 2026

11 slots available (10 confirmed bookings)

March 12th 2026

FULLY BOOKED

March 13th 2026

10 slots available (11 confirmed bookings)

March 14th 2026

3 slots available (18 confirmed bookings)

March 18th 2026

6 slots available (15 confirmed bookings)

March 22nd 2026

16 slots available (5 confirmed bookings)

March 25th 2026

11 slots available (10 confirmed bookings)

March 29th 2026

10 slots available (11 confirmed bookings)

April 1st 2026

8 slots available (13 confirmed bookings)

April 5th 2026

Group booking, slots will be known 1 month prior

April 8th 2026

11 slots available (10 confirmed bookings)

April 12th 2026 - to yet be confirmed if to go ahead or not

21 slots available (0 confirmed bookings)

April 15th 2026

5 slots available (16 confirmed bookings)

April 17th 2026

Group booking. Number of available spots will be confirm 1 month prior.

April 19th 2026

FULLY BOOKED

April 22nd 2026

9 slots available (12 confirmed bookings)

April 29th 2026

11 slots available (10 confirmed bookings)

Additional dates to be added for MAY & JUNE...closed JUNE 11th-SEPTEMBER 12th.

The Philippine Experience is also the perfect complimentary activity for travelers on multi-day expeditions between El Nido and Coron such as Tao Philippines, Buhay Isla, Keelooma, Big Dream Boat Man and others. Guests heading from El Nido to Coron can enjoy our immersive day tour before embarking on the sea adventure, while those returning from Coron to El Nido can recharge with fun Filipino cultural activities, cooking, traditional games, and dancing after days at sea.

Guests participating in Tinikling traditional Filipino dance at The Philippine Experience in El Nido

Join The Philippine Experience for a unique cultural day. Filled with adventure, learning, and fun, you will explore the Philippines' rich traditions and natural resources. From coconut tree climbing to a traditional cooking class, this experience is perfect for anyone looking to delve into the heart of Filipino culture.

There's more to El Nido than just island hopping and cocktails!
Include us in your El Nido itinerary for the perfect activity to do before or after an el nido to coron expedition or a coron to el nido expedition !

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