Helicopter Island

Helicopter Island, locally known as Dilumacad Island, is a small uninhabited island in Bacuit Bay, El Nido, Palawan, Philippines. Named for its distinctive helicopter-like shape when viewed from a distance, it features a long white sand beach, limestone cliffs, and clear turquoise waters. Part of the El Nido-Taytay Managed Resource Protected Area, it is a regular stop on El Nido island-hopping tours for swimming, snorkeling, and photography.

Visitors arrive by outrigger boat as part of El Nido island-hopping tours (typically Tour B and Tour D). The island offers a narrow white sand beach backed by limestone cliffs and scrub vegetation, with clear shallow waters on one side and a deeper reef drop-off on the other. Visitors can swim, snorkel over coral reef, sunbathe, walk along the beach, and photograph the island's helicopter-like profile from the boat. There are no permanent structures, shops, or accommodations; the island is uninhabited and visited only during daytime tours.