Coron, Palawan

The province of Palawan is like paradise on earth. Coron is on the north eastern part of Palawan. It belongs to the Calamian group of Islands whose main islands are Busuanga, Coron and Culion.

I've been so interested in this province because of its pristine natural attractions. This is a town blessed with marine reserves, lush tropical rainforest, and scenic island beaches.

We visited Coron, Palawan last July 2011. As my usual task in the group, I arranged our accommodation, island hop tour and itinerary. It was rainy that morning when we arrived at Francisco Reyes Airport. A bit disappointed with the weather, it does not lessen our excitement of exploring this paradise.

We checked-in at Ell Chicco Lodge referred by our hired Bangkero. It is a small lodge with similar amenities just like home. It offers unlimited coffee and distilled drinking water ( good on budgeted travelers ). The owner itself will personally assist you on your needs. They have clean and well maintained rooms. 

Before we begin our journey, we need to supply our body with energy. After we checked-in our bags, we walked at a nearby eatery to eat our lunch. The town does not have any fast food chain or fine dining restaurant. But they served the freshest fishes. After filling our tummies with delicious meals, we proceed to our lodge and start our first destination.

Day 1

Our starting point was the 700+ steps of Mt. Tapyas. It is more than 2,000 feet above sea level and offers a spectacular view of Coron town. Reaching the peak of the cross is a must-to-do during your first day.  I suggest you hike Mt. Tapyas between 4-5pm to watch the wonderful sunset. 

Catching our breath at the 200 steps, we stop for a while and posed at a nice view of the island. It was very tiring. As I watch the steps it seem it never ends going up.  Whew!

We have reached our ultimate reward! Our tired muscles was relieved by the view we saw at the peak of the mount. The metal cross and  the sunset was worth the hike! 

To energize our bodies after the hike, we immediately proceeded at Maquinit Hot Spring. This hot spring is the only known salt water hot spring in the Philippines. The temperature is actually 40 degrees. You have to dip slowly. The hot water temperature sooth our tired muscles.

We had our dinner at the lodge. Steamed crabs were prepared for us. Looks yummy, right?

Day 2

We woke up early the next day for our island hopping. Our rented boat was waiting for us at the wharf. Four islands were on our itinerary this day. 

Siete Pecados was the first stop of the Coron Island Loop tour. There were many coral reefs and fish breeds in this protected marine park. Snorkel is best here. 

Next is Kayangan Lake sometimes called the Blue Lagoon. It is the cleanest lake in the Philippines. Truly the cleanest I've ever seen. The lake is surrounded by limestone cliffs. The crystal clear water allows you to dip, swim and snorkel. Although you will not see much wildlife here.

Banol Beach is a small beach with picnic cottages. We ate our lunch here cooked by our boatman. Then, we rested for an hour and start our journey again.

Our last stop is the Twin Lagoon. As it name says, the lagoon is composed of two lagoons.The outer lagoon is where boat docked and the inner one has a cave-like passage reach either by swimming or rafting during low tide or by climbing a ladder above on high tide. The water was green in color and quiet. Half of it is fresh water and then the other half is salt water making it blurry in surface. I snorkel to see the rock formation beneath at about 3-4 feet but as soon as I get far the depth of water goes for about 10 feet or so. I got afraid. I checked my life jacket right away if it is properly zipped. I found this lagoon strange. Strange due to its peculiar properties.

Day 3

We spent our third day in buying "pasalubong" for our family. The roasted cashew of Mrs. Escarda (featured in Living Asia Channel), Coron's dried danggit or "rabbitfish", and souvenirs. 

We left Coron islands with a smile. Filled with good memories and experiences we will never forget. Nature has often been molested by people. We never realized how blessed we are with those creations around us. Each one of us has the responsibility to protect and preserve the world we live in. That is the learning I found on this journey!

Like all great travellers, I have seen more than I remember, and remember more than I have seen.  ~Benjamin Disraeli