Author: Matt and Danielle
31 July 2024
Coron is a small seaside town located in Palawan, Philippines. It's known for incredible tours to the stunning nearby islands, lagoons, beaches and crystal clear blue water lakes. The tour packages are split into groups and companies tend to follow the same system. Package A will take you to some places, B to others and so on... or you can take a private tour and hand select the places you really want to see. These breathtaking islands, including Coron, are all part of the Calamian Islands within the Calamian Archipelago.
There is a lot you are going to want to cover, as this part of the Philippines is truly remarkable. here is everything you need to add to your bucket list if you are planning an unforgettable trip to The Philippines.
The benefits are clear to see. A group tour is cheaper, and it's a set tour going to 4 or 5 different places. Private island-hopping tours is more expensive, but you can start earlier to beat all the crowds and you can select the best places you want to see the most. If you have your heart set on visiting multiple places, but some of them fall on different tours then you will have to book multiple tours over separate days to see it all.
We took a private tour and had an incredible time! It was the best way to see all the places we wanted, and our guide worked out the most efficient route to get around them all. He even suggested a few places since we would be in the right area to see them. The cost difference is quite large. You can see here that a day trip on Group Tour A is somewhere around £20, whereas a private boat is around £90. If it's within your budget we would suggest looking at private boat trips as we had an incredible day seeing all the sites we wanted to see the most, and we managed to get to them all when they were a little bit quieter than on group tours.
The Palawan region has some of the most beautiful islands, white sand beaches, lagoons and lakes we have ever seen! It's a truly remarkable part of the world. Whether you're visiting Coron or El Nido you can find all of these. Here are the best things you can expect to find in Coron.
One of the most famous places to visit from Coron is Barracuda Lake. It's a gorgeous lake filled with both saltwater and freshwater which is popular for scuba divers and free divers. It's about 40m deep and completely enclosed by towering limestone cliffs. These cliffs are what make it one of the most popular free-dive spots as people can follow them down towards the depths. As the name suggests you can see barracuda here as well as other marine life. Since we took a private tour we managed to set off from Coron Bay first thing in the morning. Leaving before the group tours meant we had this place quite empty, but not completely to ourselves. If you join on a group tour then you can find it is incredibly busy as it is such a popular attraction.
The 2nd most popular spot to visit on day trips from Coron is definitely Twin Lagoon. Again, we visited here before the group tours so we had it relatively quiet, but it is such an amazing place to visit. You can rent a kayak (if your tour doesn't provide them already) and spend an hour or so kayaking around this picture-perfect wonder. The easiest way to explore this amazing site is to kayak around the first lagoon and then cut through the small passage way that connects them. At high tide, or for some pictures, you can get off your kayak here, or float underneath the natural walkway into the other lagoon during low tide. The bright blue water, limestone cliffs and surrounding little islands are fascinating to float around, swim and enjoy.
One of the best sites and most beautiful beaches we have ever visited. We could have easily stayed at Banol Beach all day if we could, the entire island is amazing. The crystal clear blue waters here and soft white sand lined with palm trees is incredibly inviting. Spend some time snorkelling the nearby coral reefs, enjoying the breathtaking island and eating and drinking at the nearby Warung's. This is where our guide made a delicious lunch of amazing local food for us, and it is a site where some of the group tours stop for food too.
Kayangan Lake is a stunning crystal clear freshwater lake on Busuanga Island. To get here your boat will dock up and then you take a lovely short hike across the island to the lake. There are some nearby viewpoints that look out onto the boats docked up and nearby islands too. This is another popular free-diving spot due it being so clear you can see all the way to the bottom. People are often swimming down the limestone cliffs or even perching on various rocks and large branches on the bottom. It's about 10 meters deep in total, but if you don't fancy trying to touch the bottom then you can still explore some of the nearby caves within the cliffs. We visited at the end of our tour, and there weren't too many people about. You can often find this place gets quite busy due to it being one of the best spots to visit in the area.
This lagoon is lesser known, or visited, than Twin Lagoon but it is no less beautiful. This was one of the sites around Palawan that we visited in the middle of the day, at the height of when tours would have been around and we still had it all to ourselves. The incredible green and blue waters here are perfect for swimming, kayaking and snorkelling. It's a nature lovers dream being in such a stunning lagoon surrounded by the rock formations, islands and clear waters. Jumping off the boat here and swimming around all by ourselves was one of our best moments of the whole island hoping tour.
This is a small island where you can swim, relax, snorkel and kayak. There is a small coral garden there where you can spot sea turtles if you are lucky, and a small mangrove forest to kayak around. It is a very small island and if you didn't have lunch on Banol Beach then this is another great option to grab a bite to eat. It's a beautiful island with a gorgeous beach and crystal clear water, which admittedly is a common theme you'll find all over Palawan.
If it's your first time visiting Coron then you will want to make sure you tick off all the best bits from Coron Town Proper to all the different islands and lagoons on the amazing island hopping tours. Above was the private tour we put together to tick off everything we wanted to see. Below you will find a few extras if you want to see absolutely everything in Coron, Palawan.
Malcapuya Island - A Picture-perfect island that looks like something straight out of a movie. It's a secluded and beautiful island with soft white sand and the most crystal clear blue water you can find. It's about 1.5 hrs from Coron Town and you can either visit during your one day boat tour, or stay overnight. It's also close to the next spot on the list which make them perfect for pairing together,
Banana Island - Named for the islands shape. This privately owned island is another castaway-type island where you can spend sometime living the tropical life of your dreams. Swim, snorkel, eat, relax and soak up the sun in paradise. There really is no better place for it.
Bulog Dos Island - The final island that completes the trio of stunning small islands, and are usually bundled together by day tours is Bulog Dos Island. Like the others its got soft white sand and crystal clear ocean waters. This is the smallest of the three islands around here, but still worth a stop off if you want to island hop your way through paradise.
Skeleton Wreck - For those of you who don't want to spend all of your time relaxing on the beaches and playing in the shallows then you can include the skeleton wreck on your Coron itinerary. The Skeleton Wreck is a Japanese supply ship that was hit by an airstrike in WWII by the US Airforce. At it's shallowest it sits around 5m deep and goes up to 22m for any daring free-divers. The ship is completely covered in beautiful coral and packed with all kinds of amazing marine life.
Siete Pecados Marine Park - This fascinating marine park is the home of seven small islands and is packed with rich coral gardens full of marvellous marine life. If you like to scuba dive then this is the spot for it. You can also snorkel, swim and enjoy the beautiful beaches and islands if you want want to visit the depths. The coral here is incredible and you can still see plenty from the surface. Not only is it a beautiful site, but culturally significant too. These seven islands are etched in local folklore as orignally being seven beautiful daughters who were lost at sea. Their mother was distraught at her loss and prayed to the ocean to bring back her daughters. the next morning villagers found seven beautiful islands.
That concludes the main beaches, islands, lagoons and lakes you will want to see on your Coron Island Tour. After enjoying the tropical paradise of the nearby island you may also want to spend some time exploring Coron Town and other spots on the mainland.
If you are staying in the town of Coron then there is plenty to do and see in the area too. Obviously, the main attraction here are the incredible tours. If you're planning on sticking around for a few days then you may want to get out and see some of the incredible things around the mainland too. Here are the best things you can see near Coron Town Centre.
Maquinit Hot Spring - The only know saltwater hot springs in all of The Philippines. When they say hot water, they really mean it! These springs range from 38 – 40° Celsius, which may feel a bit too warm to dip your toes in on a warm day. They are around 20-minutes from Coron Town and the entrance fee is PHP200 for adults and PHP100 for children under 10. There are tables and chairs outside which mean you can spend a little while here and bring some food to enjoy.
Hike Mount Tapyas - You are going to want to bring some water for this! Mount Tapyas is the most popular viewpoint on the island of Coron, which incredible 360° views of the beautiful island and those beaches covered in white sands. It's over 700 steps to the summit of Mt. Tapyas where you'll find the giant cross. This and the hot springs are the two most popular things to do on Coron Island, so you can book a travel guide to take you to both. There are a bunch of tour operators in the area but we recommend this tour.
Calauit Safari Park - This will definitely take up an entire day by its self if you decide to visit. Calauit is a wildlife sanctuary that homes various animals from around the world including giraffes, zebras and some local animals such as the Palawan bearded pig. It's over an hour to reach from Coron Town, and you can easily spend 4 or 5 hours at the safari park. You can book your trip to the nature park here.
As you have read above, Coron is a tropical paradise...if you visit at the right time! Like anywhere in the world there are good and bad times to visit. The best time to visit Coron is during The Dry season which is December - May. Since this is The Dry season, it does also mean it is the high season, which is when it will have the highest number of tourists. If you are able to then we recommend visiting outside of holiday season such as April, May or November to avoid the crowds as much as possible.
The rainy season in Coron falls around June to November, but the peak rainfall usually comes in September and October.
With so much to see and do in this popular seaside town, you are going to want to stick around for a few days. Here are some great options of places to stay in Coron.
BAMBAM Hostel - A good price hostel, which is perfectly located in the town centre.
J&J Homestay - Slightly more expensive, but not by much. A hostel still in the Coron Town Proper District and nice clean rooms.
Blue Waters Inn - Private rooms so the most expensive of the options here, but a very reasonable price. Great rooms, great location and great booking rating.
We hope this Coron guide helps you plan the most amazing trip to this special part of the world. While you're visiting Palawan you should also make sure to visit El Nido, and if you want to know the best way to reach El Nido then it is definitely this epic 3-day island hopping tour. This is one of the best trips we have ever been on!
Have we given you the travel bug? Book your flights, accommodation and travel insurance all here.
This blog may contain affiliate links. If you book or buy something through these links, we earn a small commission (at no extra cost to you).
Travel