Coron, Palawan - "Relaxation and Adventure with an African Twist in One Place" by Ernest Berico

Coron, Palawan

The Philippines is known for its world-class beaches and marine wildlife. One of the best examples of this is Boracay. But nowadays, Boracay is over commercialized and wouldn’t fit a person who finds adventure and relaxation in the same time. 

An excellent alternative to Boracay is Coron, Palawan. With its small town, it will feel like a travel to the past.

Coron Island and Coron Town are two different places. Coron Island is where most of the attractions can be seen. But you can’t stay in the Coron Island because it was awarded to the Tagbanwa people in June 5, 1998. Meanwhile, Coron Town is located on the island of Busuanga. This is where tourist can stay.

Destinations:

1) Maquinit Hot Springs

     Maquinit Hot Spring is located about 30 minutes from Coron Town. You can access this by joining a tour which uses a van or you can just rent a tricycle for a couple of hours.

2) Mt. Tapyas

If you want to see the overall view of Coron Town, you must climb Mt. Tapyas but it wouldn’t be easy. Mt. Tapyas has well-built staircase but there is 721 step in it. I suggest taking a rest every time a resting spot is available and also bring a lot of water.

Note: The back side of the peak is accessible but doesn’t have any railings. So watch your step.

3) Lakes

Overall there are 11 lakes in Coron Island but only 2 are allowed to the public. These are Barracuda and Kayangan. But if you look at the map this two lakes are nothing compared Cabugao Lake. Cabugao Lake is still considered dangerous for tourist because it is hardly explore and it is protected by the Tagbanwa people.

a) Barracuda Lake

     Barracuda Lake is one of the two accessible lakes in the island. Barracuda Lake is often the better lake for divers. Before you reach the lake, you need to climb up and down a slippery staircase so watch yourself. It is called Barracuda Lake because there have sightings of a barracuda in the area but it was later on accounted as myths.

b) Kayangan Lake

     While Barracuda Lake is preferred by most divers, Kayangan Lake is preferred by most tourists. If you’re on a tour you better preserve you energy because this is mostly the last part of the tour. Like the Barracuda Lake, you also have to climb a staircase but this staircase has more steps therefore more exhausting. It is also where the famous Coron picture is taken.

4) Twin Lagoon

The Twin Lagoon is my favorite between all of the attraction. It is separated by a limestone wall. To across the limestone you have to go underneath or over. It is easy to go underneath it if the tide is low. When you’re through you’ll be astonished by the amazing limestone formation. To people who brings their camera, you better hold on that tightly because in the middle of the Twin Lagoon is one of the deepest points in all of the destinations. When you accidentally release your camera in that spot, you’ll have to hire a scuba diver to retrieve it and it still wouldn’t be if he/she will get retrieve it.

5) Coral Garden

The Coral Garden is one of the most alive coral systems I’ve seen. There are a lot of fish of different varieties due to the large area covered by the corals. On lucky days, you might encounter rare animals like the turtles.

6) Calauit Safari Park

Calauit Safari Park offers an African experience without leaving the Philippines. This was part of the Philippine government’s response to former Pres. Jomo Kenyatta of Kenya’s request to preserve the wildlife due to growing threat of war and droughts. Calauit was picked to be the ideal place to place the animals because of its Africa-like climate. There were originally 104 feral African animals from eight species: 12 bushbucks, 11 elands, 11 gazelles, 15 giraffes, 18 impalas, 12 waterbucks, 10 topis, and 15 zebras. But the population of this animals increased over time.

How to Get There?

a) Via Air

     It is the fastest way to get to Coron. Upon arrival, vans are usually already included in the hotels. There are a multiple airline companies to choose from like Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific, and Skyjet Airlines.

b) Via Water

     This is the cheaper way to get to Coron but it often takes a day. The known ferry company that goes to Coron is 2GO, they offer different types of rooms/bed.

Where to eat?

a) Expensive

Altrove Coron

It is the highest rated restaurant in Coron. They offer a quiet dining area with dim light for a relaxing feel for the exhausted travelers. They serve delicious Italian food; the main attraction here is the traditionally made pizza. Just be aware of the prices.

b) Moderate

Lolo Nonoy’s Food Station

If you don’t want to spend that much, I suggest you go to Lolo Nonoy’s Food Station. At first glance, it looks so simple but looks can be deceiving. They offer a much wider variety of food at much affordable prices. But it often takes a long time to be served due to the high number of customers. If you don’t want to wait, there is always cooked food at the counter but there is often a few to choose from.

c) I’m on a budget don’t judge me!

There is always Plan C. We stayed in Coron for almost a week so we had to budget our money real good. We ate at Altrove once and in Lolo Nonoy’s multiple times but on some night especially when we are extremely tired we tend to just eat some cup noodles, it is the fastest and cheapest way to overcome hunger.

Note: All you really need to worry about is your dinner because the breakfast is normally included in the hotel and the lunch is normally included in the tours.

Where to stay?

a) Economical

This hotels are normally located the town area, easy means of transportation but occasionally noisy.

Diamond Lodge

This is the one suggested to us by the lovely retired couple we met in the tour. They said it is perfect for people who are in a budget but still wants comfort.

Darayonan Lodge

Now this is the where we stayed in. It is a bit more expensive than some because it includes a swimming pool, it’ll be perfect for people like my sister who needs a swimming pool in every trip.

b) Expensive

These hotels are often outside of town. Transportation can be expensive.

Coron Westown Resort

Asia Grand View Hotel

c) Honeymoon Class

Two Seasons Coron Resort and Spa

If you truly want you experience to be memorable and you’re not afraid to burn a lot of money, then Two Season Resort is the one for you. This hotel is in a whole new level it is not even located in the same island! If you want to travel to town, you’ll have to travel by boat which is not always available and is extremely expensive. But on the other hand, you’ll be treated like royalty and feel like one.

Tip: I suggest you pick the cheapest one because you’ll always be out because the tours often take a whole day. Your hotel is basically just your sleeping area and where you can put your stuff while you’re gone.

By: Ernest Berico