El Nido, Coastal municipality in Palawan, Philippines
El Nido is a coastal municipality on the island of Palawan in the Philippines, spreading across dozens of islands with sand beaches and reefs. The landscape consists of limestone formations rising directly from the water and covered with tropical vegetation.
People lived here more than 4600 years ago, as finds in caves on the main island show. Spanish seafarers arrived in the 16th century and gave the settlement its current name.
The name comes from the Spanish word for swallow nest, which fishermen collected from the cliffs. People still make their living from the sea and preserve handcraft techniques for fishing and boat maintenance.
The small airport sits about 2.5 miles (4 km) outside the main town and connects the municipality with Manila. Boats depart daily to surrounding islands, with departure times depending on weather and tides.
Small birds build edible nests from their saliva in the steep rock faces, harvested for centuries. Collectors climb bamboo ladders into the caves to gather these nests for Asian cuisine.
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