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Coron, Philippines
Coron is a tropical paradise of white sand beaches, turquoise blue waters, hidden lagoons and world class scuba diving. Coron is both a town and a larger area that’s part of the Palawan province (which is made up of more than 1,700 tropical islands). The easiest way to get here is to fly to Busuanga island. Here are some fun things to do while you’re there.
When To Go
The best time to go to the Philippines is November-May, which is the dry season. April and May are the hottest (and most humid) months of the year so it’s nice to go in December/January when the heat is more bearable. June-October is rainy season.
Island Hopping Tour
The main thing to do here is island hopping. Theres many tour companies in town but I booked online a few days in advance with JY Travel and Tours Coron. Theres a few different tours to choose from but all the tour companies pretty much offer the same thing. I chose the Coron Ultimate Tour which included a bit of everything- Kayangan Lake, CYC beach, Atwayan beach, Smith beach, Las Islas de Coral, Siete Pecados, Skeleton wreck and Twin Lagoon. Pick up was at 8:30am and we returned around 5 pm, so it’s a full day trip. The price was $30 USD which included snorkel gear, lunch, snacks and all permit and entry fees to private areas. If you have a few people, I’d suggest doing a private tour and the earlier in the day the better. It will go in reverse order so you’ll miss the crowds and have the place to yourself.
Kayangan Lake and twin lagoon were my favorites plus all the beaches looked like they came straight from a calendar.
I liked Kayangan Lake because it was a hidden surprise. We anchored the boat in a cove, did a short hike to a lookout point and on the other side of the rocks reveals the beautiful crystal blue lake. This lake was super clear blue and very clean water with underwater rock formations. It’s named the “cleanest lake in the Philippines.”
I liked Twin Lagoon because be had to swim through an underwater limestone tunnel to get to the lagoon on the other side. If you’re not up for the underwater tunnel, you can climb a ladder to get over the rocks.
Siete Pecados and Coral Gardens
The water around the coral gardens is clear blue like a pool but sadly, a lot of the coral gardens were destroyed by a typhoon a few years back. There was a little bit of life left but compared to how amazing I’ve heard people hype it up I don’t think the coral is what it used to be.
Scuba Diving
I did a scuba dive trip with Busuanga Sea Dive Resort to World War 2 Japanese sunken warships.! It was $70 USD for 3 dives. I’m open water certified so I was limited to which wrecks I could go to as a lot of them are deeper for advanced divers.
1st dive was at CYC Beach. I saw colorful coral, 2 sea turtles, clown fish angel fish, parrot fish, angel fish and lion fish.
The next 2 dives were at the Odyssey Shipwreck and East Tangat Gunboat wreck. They were overgrown with lots of coral. It was a super cool experience see see torpedo bomb holes in the side of the ship and the supplies inside.
Sunset from Mount Tapyas
I hiked to the top of Mount Tapyas for beautiful a sunset view. It’s about 700 steps to the top where it says CORON in big white block letters like the Hollywood sign. The viewpoint from here is amazing to see how many islands are all around. It’s walkable from town but I took a tuk tuk to the start of the trail because I didn’t know where it started and then walked back to town after.
Maquinit Hot Springs
After sunset I took a 10-15 minute tuk tuk to one of the few salt water natural hot springs. It was $6 roundtrip for the tuk tuk and he waited for me. Theres a $4 entrance fee and bathrooms to change into your swimsuit. The forest is lit with fairy lights leading to the hot springs. This is one of the few salt water hot springs and it’s next the the ocean if you need to cool off. There were rock walls built to hold the water and the bottom of the hot springs was sand and natural rocks surrounded by mangroves. What a col experience!
Accommodation
Theres everything from budget to luxury accommodations in the Coron area/ Calamian islands. However, Coron Town does not have a beach, hence the island hopping tours. The cheapest accommodations and hostels are in Coron Town. If you’re wanting to stay on a beach theres plenty of nice hotels outside of town and on the nearby islands.
I stayed in Coron Town at Coron Paradise Bed and Breakfast. It’s a cute garden hotel on the outskirts of town but walkable to the boat docks. They have private rooms with air conditioning and breakfast included ($16/night) or a shared dorm as a cheaper option.
I booked on agoda.com – in Asia they theres a lot more options on this website vs. US booking sites.
Luxury Option- I splurged 2 nights in an over water bungalow at Huma Island Resort … INCREDIBLE!! I’ve stayed in a similar bungalow in Bora Bora and this is definitely comparable and a fraction of the price. It’s a small island off the west coast, around 30 minutes from Busuanga airport and 30 minutes from Coron Town and worth every penny. I loved it so much I’ll write a separate post for it.
Food
Brujita- they have a variety of cuisines including vegetarian and it’s made fresh farm to table- sooo good!
Coffee Kong was my favorite cafe (there aren’t many options).
Street food
Itinerary
I didn’t plan anything in advance but this is what my itinerary ended up being:
Day 1- Huma Island
Day 2- Huma Island
Day 3- Coron town, Mount Tapyas, hot springs
Day 4- snorkel and island hopping tour
Day 5- scuba diving
If I had more time I would have liked to check out Barracuda Lake, Cathedral Cave and some more beaches. I guess I’lll have to go back someday.
Summary of Cost:
Transport:
$77 flight from Manila to Coron
$3 van transport from airport to Corontown plus $3 return (45 min drive)
$6 tuk tuk
Accommodation:
$16/night
Food:
$10/day average
Excursions:
$30 island hoping tour
$70 scuba diving (3 dives)
$4 hot springs
If you’re thinking of going to Coron but don’t have a lot of time, you can certainly fit a lot into just a few days. It’s so beautiful here, I hope to go back one day. If you’re interested in other adventures in Southeast Asia, or other places in the Palawan area like El Nido, check out my other posts for tips. If you have any questions please email me. 🙂
Heres a video of my time in the Philippines. I went to Coron, El Nido, Malapascua, Moalboal and Boracay.