Above and beyond the bay
Our own buggies, quads and bikes on the dirt — plus a cable across open water and two ways to see Palawan from the air.
Some of it we run. Some of it we do not, and we will tell you which.
El Nido's adrenaline is spread out. The trails start twenty minutes inland. The zipline is a tricycle ride from town. The dropzone is nearly three hours south. We will tell you honestly which of these fits a half day and which needs the whole one.
The off-road side is ours — our vehicles, our guides, our safety briefing. The zipline, the skydive and the helicopter are delivered by specialist operators we have vetted and booked through us, because building a dropzone is not our business and pretending otherwise would not serve you.
Ours, and the heart of this page. Side-by-side buggies with roll cage and harness for two or four, quads for guests who want the dirt without the commitment, and enduro bikes for riders who already ride. Routes run into the hills behind town — dirt track, river crossings, ridgelines with the bay laid out behind you.
Rugged terrain in a proper off-road vehicle, up to viewpoints most visitors never reach. Slower than the buggies and a lot more comfortable, which makes it the version that works for a mixed group or anyone who would rather look at the view than fight the steering.
Seven hundred and fifty metres from Las Cabanas beach across open water to Depeldet Island. Ride seated or face down. At low tide you can walk or swim back rather than taking the return leg. Best late in the afternoon with the sun going down behind the islands.
Tandem jumps from ten thousand feet over Long Beach in San Vicente — fourteen kilometres of sand, and one of very few dropzones anywhere offering a beach landing. Roughly two and a half to three hours south of El Nido by road, so this is a full day or an overnight rather than an afternoon.
Scenic flights over Bacuit Bay from the airfield at Lio, a few minutes from town. Limestone, lagoons and reef look entirely different from above, and the flight can double as a transfer if you are heading on to Coron or Puerto Princesa. Arranged to order rather than scheduled.
Our own off-road runs can usually be arranged the day before. Zipline is much the same. Skydiving needs advance notice — the dropzone takes a small number of jumpers a day and fills up. Helicopter flights are quoted per aircraft rather than per seat and need lead time.
We are expanding what we run ourselves, and the list above will shift toward SOMA over time. Where a partner delivers, they are chosen on safety record rather than commission, they carry their own qualifications and insurance, and you book through one place either way.
Weather governs all of this. Flights and jumps are cancelled rather than pushed through when conditions are marginal.
Tell us your dates, how many of you there are, and what you’d like to see. We’ll put together the days that make sense and come back to you.
hello@soma.tours