Taraw Cliff Canopy Walk

Taraw is the limestone cliff rising directly behind El Nido town, and for years people climbed it informally on the sharp karst - a genuinely dangerous scramble that produced injuries and at least one death, and which the local government eventually shut down. What replaced it is the canopy walk: a via ferrata route with fixed cables, steel steps, ladders and bridges built onto the rock, climbed with a harness clipped to the line and a guide, ending at viewing platforms partway up the cliff. From them the whole of Bacuit Bay opens out - the town below, the boats, and the karst islands scattered across the water - which is a view no boat tour gives you. It takes two to three hours including the briefing and the walk in, and it is the one land-based activity in El Nido worth building a morning around. Numbers are limited and booking ahead is sensible in peak season.

What you actually see

• The via ferrata - cables, steps and bridges on the cliff face.
• The bay panorama - Bacuit Bay and its islands from above.
• The town below - El Nido's roofs and beach at the base.
• The karst up close - the limestone the whole bay is made of.

When to go

November to May; early morning for cooler climbing and better light over the bay. Book ahead - the operator caps numbers per session.

Honest expectations

Harness, helmet and a guide are compulsory and included. It involves exposure and heights - not for anyone uneasy with either. The informal free scramble up the cliff is prohibited and dangerous; do not attempt it.

Nearby

El Nido town is at the foot of the cliff; the Bacuit Bay boat tours leave from the beach below.