El Nido History, Philippines

Palawan is home to a good number of marine reserve parks and island that has helped shape the province. One of the more popular towns is the El Nido municipality. This one town has tourists flocking every year because of incredible limestone formation, powdery sand beaches and breathtaking islands reaching up to 45 in number. It is a getaway for the beach lovers because most, if not all beach activities, can be done here.

As evidence by the burial sites found in the caves of the town, settlement in the area has been in existence for as far as the late Neolithic Age. These caves have been utilized as burial sites of ancient people thereby making way for history to be traced.

Another mention of the town was in the chronicles of Chinese traders. They have been frequenting the area for its bird’s nest that proved to be edible and delicious. In fact, Caho Ju-Kua of the Chinese Royal Family and a trader himself wrote about the island and its famous product. He named it Land of Beautiful Harbors in his book.

In the past, it has been a small Tagbanua village by the name of Talindak. In the 16th century, townsfolk from nearby Cuyo islands decided to settle in the area. They have built houses and an improvised community. However when the Spaniards came, they were forced to move to the center of the present town. In 1890, the whole areas where the foreign Spaniards have settled were renamed as Bacuit with the town’s center in Inventario.

Later on, several Chinese families settled in the island. Upon the independence of the whole country from the Spaniards as well as the Japanese and Americans the town had progressed. Finally, in 1954 the new and more popular name El Nido was coined after the nests of birds found in cracks along the limestone formations that has become one of its major products.

Tourism was initiated around the year 1983 when a Filipino-Japanese Company called Ten Knots development Corporation decided to open a resort for foreign divers in the nearby island of Miniloc. In efforts to support the business an airstrip known as Lio Airport was also built in the Villa Libertad - a barangay in the mainland.

The history of the municipality has been based on its uncanny ability to attract tourists and merchants. Likewise, the attraction in all its forty-five islands is an adventure of a lifetime. Should you head to Palawan never forget to visit El Nido.