The most beautiful small island in the world

“IF PARADISE IS HALF AS NICE”

Great things can come from small – little-known places.
Pretty much everyone knows the line above and can sing it by heart.
The song, after all, is a timeless masterpiece.
Unlike the song though, very few have heard of the band who sang it. Amen Corner from Cardiff, Wales – if you must know.  They recorded the song in 1969 and then disbanded.
Personally, I always thought it was The Beach Boys – go figure.

Have you ever heard of Minoloc Island?
I guess you didn’t. Neither did I. Never the less, once you’ve been there you’ll never forget it.
That’s a promise.

Minoloc is a tiny speck of rock, about 2 square Kilometers in total, jutting 300 meters straight up (500 acres and 1,000 feet) from the El Nido Lagoon in the Palawan Archipelago.

On the edge of the Big Lagoon

I Took this particular picture from a small Pacific dingy at the entrance to the “Big Lagoon” – a narrow corridor of water surrounded by sheer cliffs that later opens up to a beautiful, crystal-clear large pond. I took it during my 2nd visit there for which I dragged my wife along with me. It was a perfect January afternoon with a pleasant 27 degrees (80 F) and a slight breeze to make things just that more refreshing. My wife turned to me, smacked a wet kiss on my chick and told me this was the “closest thing to heaven.” Yes, I blushed. ☺
The whole scenery was framed with lush tropical forest and rife with the cries of birds, monkeys and the occasional awestricken traveler.

More surprises

But that’s not where things end for this tiny gem of a place.
As the name “Big Lagoon” suggests, there’s also another “Small Lagoon” just nearby with beautiful small reef and a truly amazing Hidden Lagoon tucked behind one of the rock walls (it requires getting wet, hence no pictures). When Tiffany’s coined the immortal sentence “Good things come in small packages” they surely meant Minoloc’s Hidden Lagoon. Or perhaps not… you get the idea.
If that wasn’t enough the other side of the island is home to the region’s best dive site complete with tons of schools including juvenile Tuna, Barracuda & mammoth Jack Fish. In the middle lies the eco lodge of Minoloc, which may not be to everyone’s budget but is certainly worth every of the many Dollars one has to pay to stay there (more on this in a different post).

Is it really the most beautiful island in the entire world?
I guess one has to visit every single island out there to know for sure. Given the estimated number of 200,000 islands in the world and an unrealistic average of an island visit a day – every day, it would take a person about 550 years to find out. Hmmm.

Here’s my take: Minoloc is the most beautiful one I’ve been to, and I’ve been to many. The other contenders for the title happen to be the other island in the El Nido Lagoon. That means that if you decide to take the long journey over there – you can go no wrong.

Have you been to the El Nido Lagoon?
What was your experience?