Crystal clear water… Solid rock formation… Unforgettable destination….. CORON!
The iconic scenery in Kayangan Lake, Coron, Palawan, Philippines
In this time of pandemic, we are all stuck in our places. Nowhere to go but, home. This time, let me take you to a trip…. a beach trip! Feel the cool breeze of a turquoise clear water and enjoy reading this article with tips that you might want to use for your next tour!
Coron is one of the top tourist spots in the Philippines. It is a 1st class municipality in the province of Palawan which was hailed as 2020 Best Island in the World by the renowned travel publication, Travel + Leisure. Coron is also known for World-Class World War II – era Wreck Diving. Not just beautiful beaches, coral reefs and rock formation, it can also offer you a relaxing hot spring experience and a magical firefly watching activity at mangroves! Exciting right? Let me start my pre-pandemic trip in this stunning place!
From NAIA, Manila, Philippines, me and my friends booked our flight going to Busuanga (USU) with the local airline Cebu Pacific. You can also book yours with Philippine Airlines and Skyjet with an hour travel time.
My superb window seat view
A week before our flight to Coron, we already arranged our tour, services and accommodation.
Here’s the sample Coron tour package for 4 days & 3 nights:
Rate: Php 6,200 or $124 per person
Inclusions:
- Roundtrip airport pick-up & drop-off
- 4 days & 3 nights accommodation
- Breakfast
- Firefly watching tour
- Coron Island Ultimate Tour
- Coron Island Tour C
- Roundtrip hotel pick-up & drop-off (all tours)
- Tourist boat
- Licensed tour guide
- Picnic lunch with fruits & drink for island tours
- Island entrance fees
- Life vest
- Cottage rental
Sites to visit:
- Siete Pecados
- Kayangan Lake
- Twin Lagoon
- Skeleton Wreck
- Las Islas De Coral
- CYC Beach
- Bulog Dos
- Banana Island
- Malcapuya Island
- Barracuda Lake
Crystal clear water at Malcapuya Island
On our first day in Coron, we arrived at our hotel at around 2 in the afternoon. We strolled a bit to find a resto for late lunch. In the town proper, there are lots of restaurants, grocery stores, souvenir shops, and bars too! While exploring, we saw lots of locals offering tours and diving packages, this is great if you haven’t arranged your tours yet. You can also ride a public transportation if you’re tired walking since walkways are not on the same levels.
At around 4 in the afternoon, we decided to climb Mt. Tapyas coz it’s our free time. It is near the hotels around the town proper so you can just walk or ride a tricycle. It is also one of the main attractions in Coron! There’s no entrance fee for this activity.
To reach the top, you have to climb the concrete stairs with 700 steps for 15-25 minutes, but it depends on how many stops you’ll do. The view from the top is really worth the hike! You can see the town, coast and lots of boat! I think we chose the right time of hiking since we’ve reached the top when it is already sunset, indeed, one of the best views in Coron. A must try!
A beautiful sunset while we’re on top of the mountain
After hiking, we went out for dinner and to our scheduled firefly watching. A glittering night it is! This evening tour is 20-30 minutes only. We rode a kayak with one tour guide each to reach the mangrove forest. While cruising the river, the tour guide will tell you infos about fireflies. We were instructed to turn off the cam flash and not to make too much noise since fireflies are sensitive. We were amazed by the lights created by the fireflies themselves. A great welcome for us!
On our first day of island tour, we went to the famous Kayangan Lake, Twin Lagoon and beaches nearby. We are a group of 10 in a boat with one tour guide and 3 boatmen. The entrance fees are included in the tour package that we got. In Kayangan lake, there’s a concrete stair that you need to climb up for 5 to 10 minutes to reach the view deck for picture taking, then you can go down to swim at the lake. Everyone is required to wear a life vest while swimming since it is very deep. We were given an hour to stay at Kayangan Lake.
At Kayangan Lake
We also went to other beaches with the same crystal clear water scenery. We were also given time for snorkeling. We did the same activities on our second day. We didn’t felt tired in all the activities that we did since the place is really stunning! Sharing you some superb beach snaps I took:
Coron travel tips and recommendations:
- Coordinate with local tourism office for COVID-19 updated requirements.
- Check the weather of your chosen trip schedule (you don’t wanna go there raining, right?)
- Book your tour and accommodation in advance to avoid hassle.
- Pick an accommodation at the town proper for easy access.
- Keep the contacts of the locals you interacted with for future reference.
- Bring extra tote / eco bags. Avoid using plastics. Bring reusable things.
- Capture great moments. Make friends with the locals and other tourists.
- Support their local businesses (especially the underrated Cashew stores)
- Always be in time for the tour.
- Lastly, ENJOY YOUR TRIP!