“Fishermen know that the sea is dangerous and the storm terrible, but they have never found these dangers a sufficient reason to stay on shore.”
V. Van Gogh
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Itinerary in pills
- Day 1: Arrival in Coron
- Day 2: Super Ultimate tour
- Day 3: Island hopping
- Conclusions
Introduction
For the past few years, the Philippines has become a popular destination for travelers from around the world. The reason for such interest lies in the beauty of the more than 7,000 islands that make up the country’s territory, in which one can find attractions among the most diverse. From rice paddies to postcard-perfect beaches, via volcanoes and lagoons of infinite hues, nature greatly embarrasses those who have to select the most unmissable places to visit. Therefore, the idea of constructing a perfect itinerary that allows one to concentrate the country’s sights in reasonable time is an exercise I leave to those who live by utopias.
As I tried to jot down my itinerary based on what I was most interested in, my job was made decidedly more complex by the information I got from the competition, reading conflicting opinions about almost every island. I found only one destination that managed to get everyone to agree: Coron. Although I am not generally a fan of mainstream opinion, I thought that some reason for this cross-party sentiment, which went beyond the beautiful pictures available on the web, must be there, and after seeing Coron with my own eyes, I can say that for once I am glad to join the mainstream. In this article I will try to explain why.
Itinerary in pills
Accompanied by my wife, I visited the Philippines in the second half of April 2024. We arrived in Coron by a direct flight from Cebu, after a stop in Malapascua, the first island on our itinerary. You can also easily get to Coron from El Nido via a direct ferry, or by participating in the so-called Expedition, which is a multi-day tour between the islands located between the two destinations. For more information on this second option, I suggest you visit the website of the local agencies that organize the excursion, including Tao Experience, Buhay Isla, Big Dream Boatman and Keelooma.
Major attractions strictly concerning Coron can be visited through daily boat tours, which can usually be booked directly through the accommodations where you are staying, as in our case. Tours can be conducted in groups or privately. The advantage of private tours is the ability to choose the departure time and destinations, with the real possibility of anticipating crowds. Regarding costs, for group tours you pay a fixed fee per person (usually around PHP 1500 per excursion, or about €25, including taxes and meals), while in private tours you divide the cost of the boat (varying between PHP 3000 and PHP 5000 depending on the excursions, or between about €50 and €85) by the number of participants and you pay separately, per person, food and taxes for each destination (usually around PHP 150-200 each, corresponding to about €2-3). There are essentially two excursions that can be taken, so if you are lucky, you will only need two days to see what you are interested in. Below is a summary of our itinerary, which I will detail in the next paragraphs.
| Day | Itinerary | Main attractions | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Transfer to Cebu/Coron | Coron town | Flight CEB-USU in the afternoon. Night in Coron town |
| 2 | Coron | Super ultimate tour | Night in Coron Town |
| 3 | Coron | Island hopping | Night in Coron town |
| 4 | Transfer to El Nido | – | Flight USU-ENI in the morning |
Day 1: Arrival in Coron
We arrive at Cebu Airport (CEB) around noon, after an adventure of a few hours that began in Malapascua. Our flight departs on time, the view from the air is remarkable and gives us a foretaste of what we will see once we reach our destination.
After about an hour and a half, we landed at Busuanga (USU), the airport of choice for those traveling to Coron, and took a van that in an additional half hour took us to Coron town, where we had taken lodging to be comfortable for the excursions. Because of limited time, we devote the afternoon to visiting Coron town and arranging, through the hotel, excursions for the following days. If we had had more time, we would have liked to go to the Maquinit hot springs, some hot springs with a panoramic view, or make the ascent to Mount Tapyas, from which you can appreciate the view of Coron Bay.
Day 2: Super Ultimate tour
The first excursion, which we share with a couple of Canadians we met on the Facebook group “Philippines travel tips” (generally very useful if you have doubts of any kind), is the Super Ultimate tour, which in our case includes a visit to the Twin lagoon, Siete Pecados, Banol beach, CYC beach, Kayangan lake, Barracuda lake, Coral gardens and Skeleton wreck. The excursion, which we do privately to try to get ahead of the masses of tourists crowding the group tours, costs a total of PHP 3500 (just under 60€), to be divided among the 4 participants, plus the fee provided for each spot, which varies between PHP 100 and 200 (between 1.50€ and 3€) per person. In total, then, about 35€ per person, which is about 10€ more than we would have paid for a group tour. We are picked up by tuk tuk to take us first to the market, to choose food for lunch (not included in the cost of the excursion) that they would prepare for us on the spot, and then to the port to officially begin the tour. The first destination, which we arrive at quickly, is the Siete Pecados snorkeling spot, with a good coral reef, but definitely not comparable to others that can be seen around the world. The snorkeling lasts just under an hour, and there is no one there besides us. As we swim we have to be careful not to touch the corals, the bottom is really shallow.
After the snorkeling, we head to Kayangan lake, one of the spots we enjoyed most during the excursion. Upon our arrival there are already a few tourists, but fortunately nothing major, unlike what will occur when we depart. We immediately climb the steps leading up to the view of the lake, which leaves us spellbound, and subsequently go for a dip. The water is crystal clear and quite warm.
Having finished our visit to Kayangan lake, we continue to Twin lagoon. Some people have already arrived here, but the lagoon is not too crowded yet, so we are able to appreciate it quite well. Of the lagoons we have seen in Palawan, it is the one we enjoyed the most. We tour the lagoon by kayak and also find a tiny beach that we take advantage of for a refreshing swim. The scenery is a paradise, worth the trip alone. The photos speak for themselves, although they don’t even render that well, as they often do.
Having finished our visit to the Twin lagoon, it is our turn to Banol beach, a lovely beach that we also choose for our lunch stop. There are few boats when we arrive, but the beach is small, so there is not much room for swimming. However, the beauty of the place can still be grasped. The beach is probably the most beautiful I have seen in the Philippines, I would also say among the most beautiful I have seen in general, and fortunately I have seen quite a few.
After Banol beach, CYC beach awaits us. It is also very beautiful, but from our point of view slightly less attractive than the former. It is not possible to get to the beach directly with our boat, which instead leaves us slightly offshore, so we have to cover the short distance from the shoreline by swimming. For this reason, too, I cannot show much in the way of photos.
We then move to Barracuda lake, where we find a lot of crowds, so we have to get to the lake by bridging the boats between ours and the mainland. The lake is deep blue in color, the water is very clear but also very deep, the barracudas cannot be seen. In my opinion, Kayangan lake wins the challenge on the most beautiful lake between the two, but probably the density of tourists also affected the final result.
The last two spots are the snorkeling spots of Coral Gardens and Skeleton wreck, the latter so named because of the presence of a wreck. To be honest, my expectations were higher than what actually turned out to be seen, however the snorkeling is by no means to be dismissed.
After this last stop, we finally make our way to the harbor and enjoy some well-deserved relaxation, not before arranging our excursion for the next day and having dinner at one of the Coron Town restaurants near our accommodation.
Small footnote: usually private tours involve the choice of up to 6 attractions, to be selected from those we visited. In our case it was different only due to a misunderstanding with the agency we relied on, as they had not specified that this was the case for them as well, so we had requested 8 destinations without a peep from anyone until just before we returned. Having to choose what to take away, I would avoid Coral gardens and Skeleton wreck, while Twin Lagoon, Kayangan lake and Banol beach are absolutely unmissable.
Second post: the Super Ultimate tour is the most inclusive excursion of the attractions around Twin Lagoon. There are other similar excursions, but to maximize time I suggest specifying that you want to opt for this one to the agency you decide to go with.
Day 3: Island hopping
Our second full day in Coron is devoted to island hopping. Again we choose to do the tour privately, for PHP 5,000 total (about €85), which also includes all taxes and lunch. This time there are only the two of us. The excursion generally involves stopping at 3 islands, but since we were on our own and with a private tour, we chose to visit 4, of course at no extra cost. All group excursions always include a visit to Bulog Dos and Malcapuya Island, the third is usually one between Banana Island and Ditaytayan Island. I anticipate that, having to choose one, I suggest the second.
As with the previous day, we are picked up at the hotel to take us first to the market to choose what to have cooked for lunch, and then to the port.
Our first stop is at Bulog Dos, a small island that we enjoy in complete solitude. The island is disarmingly beautiful, the water crystal clear and heavenly colored. On the islet there is a small hillock from which there is a top view. We stay here until we catch sight of the first tourist boat approaching.
The second island we visit is Banana Island, so named for its aerial view shape. Again we are practically alone. There is also a resort on the island, but people are nowhere to be seen. We allow ourselves some time for swimming, including some light snorkeling. There is also a small turret on the island, which allows us to appreciate the view from above. Here again we decide to stop until the first boat of unknown people arrives.
The third stop is at Ditaytayan Island, where we also have lunch. The island has a sandbank dividing it into two parts, with different shades of colors. It somewhat resembles Kalanggaman Island, which we had visited on a day trip during our stay in Malapascua. The water is crystal clear and the snorkeling is worthwhile, in fact offering us the opportunity to see, among other things, a manta ray with a long stinger.
The last stop of the day is at Malcapuya Island. There are a few people on the island, but nothing dramatic. The boat docks on one side of the island away from the main beach, which is accessed via a very short path. This island also stands out for the colors of the seabed, as well as the fine sand. We stay on Malcapuya for a good hour, during which my underwater camera abandons me after diving into the water with its case not properly closed.
Finally, after returning to the port (around 4:30 p.m.), we arrange with the hotel for the next day’s airport transfer, which costs us PHP 300 per person (about €5). We will arrive at El Nido without any particular excitement.
Conclusions
After Balabac, which I would put out of category, the two days spent in Coron were the best part of our trip to the Philippines. Both excursions we took were amazing, and fortunately we were able to enjoy the main attractions with the favorable weather and without being surrounded by too many tourists.
Having to choose the points in Coron that I enjoyed the most, I would say:
- Twin Lagoon, after Onuk Island the most beautiful place I have seen in the Philippines, really worth the trip
- Banol beach, really crazy beach, among the most beautiful beaches I have ever been to
- Kayangan Lake, the view from the vantage point is really stunning, plus the colors of the lake are fabulous
I strongly suggest using private tours rather than group tours so that you can get ahead of the crowds. This is also because the cost of private tours is not much higher than that of group tours (unlike in El Nido, for example), in fact it might be the same or even lower if you can leave with a group of 6-8 people. You will find people on site who will have the same interest as you, so in your place I would avoid being shy (as indeed we did).
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