As one of the world’s top tourist destinations in the
country, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) announced that they're implementing stricter policies to help minimize the negative impact of tourism
pressure in El Nido, Palawan after recognizing the gravity of problems that
have cropped up in it.
After the dry runs, series of meetings, and
consultations, the implementation of the carrying capacity for Big and Small
lagoon is finally effective starting December
01, 2018. Both lagoons will become premium tours and can no longer be
visited on the same day.
So as a responsible tourist, here are some of the
guidelines that you MUST KNOW and MUST ADHERE towards a sustainable
tourism for El Nido:
Small Lagoon
1. The entry to the small lagoon is limited only to 40
persons on 20 kayaks for every 30 minutes while entry to the big lagoon is
limited only to 80 tourists on a total of 40 kayaks for every one hour and 30
minutes.
Big Lagoon
2. Due to the limited availabilities, advance booking
will be essential and tourists must secure first a permit from DENR’s Protected
Area Management Office (PAMO). From there, they will be given small flags that
indicate their batch or travel time.
3. An environmental user fee of Php 200.00 will be collected from each tourist for either Big
Lagoon or Small Lagoon. Make sure to also bring a valid identification card as
you’ll need it for registration.
4. Other guidelines include the following:
All guests entering the
above lagoons must wear life jackets
No cooking/ grilling, washing
of utensils, or throwing food scraps/ leftover foods in the water
No smoking or alcoholic
liquors
No stepping on Corals
No loud sound or music
inside the lagoons
No cliff diving or other
activities except those allowed by PAMB
All El Nido tours are
still plastic-free and plastic bottles are prohibited so guests must bring
their own tumbler.
TIME SLOTS AND FLAG CODE
COLOR AND FLAG NUMBER
|
PERIOD
|
BIG LAGOON
|
|
GREEN #1
|
7:00 – 8:30 AM
|
GREEN #2
|
8:30 – 10:00 AM
|
GREEN #3
|
10:00 – 11:30 AM
|
GREEN #4
|
11:30 – 1:00 PM
|
GREEN #5
|
1:00 – 2:30 PM
|
GREEN #6
|
2:30 – 4:00 pm
|
SMALL LAGOON
|
|
YELLOW #1
|
7:00 – 8:00 AM
|
YELLOW #2
|
8:00 – 9:00 AM
|
YELLOW #3
|
9:00 – 10:00 AM
|
YELLOW #4
|
10:00 – 11:00 AM
|
YELLOW #5
|
11:00 AM – 12:00 NN
|
YELLOW #6
|
12:00 NN – 1:00PM
|
YELLOW #7
|
1:00 – 2:00 PM
|
YELLOW #8
|
2:00 – 3:00 PM
|
YELLOW #9
|
3:00 – 4:00 PM
|
Each lagoon is manned by DENR park rangers and coast
guard personnel who ensure that the policies are strictly followed. Though it
might cause some inconvenience at first, this new policy is expected to lower
the risk of environmental deterioration and also part of the rehabilitation
process of El Nido.
***
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