The Philippines is world-renowned for its sun kissed beaches, most prominent of which is Boracay. However, the Palawan beaches are no lightweights either – with the golden trifecta of Puerto Prinsesa, El Nido, and Coron easily holding their weight against ALL Southeast Asian beaches (take that Phuket and Bali!). I’ve been to Puerto Prinsesa and El Nido before, and was pretty impressed – but I had heard AMAZING things about Coron. Essentially, folks say El Nido has the most beautiful rock formations, but Coron’s lagoons and dive sites are second to none. So when my friends planned a trip to Coron, I jumped at the chance!

Sadly, there was a typhoon for the majority of the time we were at Coron, so we couldn’t fully maximize the island hopping tours. On the bright side, this blog will then focus on not just the typical island hopping recommendations, but also what else you can do if you’re spending more than two days on the island. Plus, this gives me an excuse to come back in the very near future

Where to go

• Mt Tapyas
• Maquinit Hot Springs
• Cabo Beach
• Island hopping
• VKGV Spa

 

Mt. Tapyas

• Entrance fee: None
• Transport fee: ~PHP 350 (tricycle for 2) to ~PHP 1,500 (van for 14) – potential to combine with Maquinit Hot Springs
• Time: Depends how fast you climb, but Mt. Tapyas is ~10 mins from the city center. Then it took us ~1.5 hours round trip going up and down (note that we spent A LOT of time taking photos)

Ready yourself to climb up ~767 steps – it’s not difficult per se, but it’s also not a walk up the park. The steps are quite steep, but there are multiple landings along the way which you can use to rest in between. Also keep in mind that there’s practically no cover all throughout, so feel free to bring an umbrella to protect you from the sun or the rain. Don’t forget water as well, lest you become dehydrated midway

Once you’re at the top, you’ll see the classic Coron sign and the huge white cross that can pretty much be seen across the entire island. Oh, and let’s not forget the panoramic view of Coron! From our vantage view, we saw the storm blow in from the sea and into the city center in a matter of minutes – really cool and utterly terrifying at the same time

 

Once at the top, there’s a mini trail across the grass that’ll lead you to a hut in the middle of the mountain. Trail’s really easy, but the pictures you can take in this area is absolutely breathtaking. Highly recommend if you’re already there!

Maquinit Hot Springs

• Entrance fee: PHP 200
• Transport cost: Combine with Mt. Tapyas (as mentioned above)
• Time: Takes ~30mins to get here from the city center. Once there, highly dependent on how long you want to soak – think we stayed there for around ~1.5 hours (including picture taking)

Maquinit Hot Springs is one of three saltwater hot springs in the world. How cool is that? The water is around ~40 deg Celsius, which is damn hot – can’t imagine going here during the summer time?! But it was just perfect given the cool rainy weather!

Trust me, the hot springs would totally ease any lingering aches you might feel from your Mt. Tapyas hike! Locals say the water gets heated by a volcano and springs up into the two-tiered circular pool – pretty cool overall. Go do it if you’ve got the time!

Cabo beach

• Cost: PHP 50 per person, free use of the huts and no corkage
• Time: ~45 mins from the city center (~10-15 mins from Maquinit Hot Springs)

Ok, this beach is NOTHING compared to the ones you’ll see island hopping. But if you’re land-bound due to weather constraints, then I suggest you check this beach out so that at least you see some sand and sea?

The beach is pretty decent – sand is a bit pebbly but bearable, huts are clean and well-maintained, water is a nice temperature, and the view is pretty nice too. The trail coming here is CRAZY though – at one point, we were worried the van would tip over the edge of the mountain!

Island hopping

• Boat hire cost: PHP 3,500 (half-day boat tour for 12 pax)
• Entrance fees: PHP 800 per person
• Timing: Half day (which is SUPER compressed), better to do this over a full day

Full disclosure: We did this tour in a half day because the Coast Guard only allowed boats to go out on our last day in Coron! Super sad, but at least we managed to see something before we left?

Essentially the half day tour (8AM to 12NN) was a compressed version of the Coron Island Tour (Siete Pecados – Kayangan Lake – Twin Lagoon – Skeleton Wreck)

Quick notes and reflection

 

Siete Pecados

You might’ve noticed we’d switched this out with Barracuda Lake. We were told that Barracuda’s quite similar to Kayangan, and that Siete Pecados would give us a better opportunity for snorkeling

All in all, I wasn’t particularly impressed – as the water was really murky and you could barely see any fishes. Apparently, this was because of the typhoon recently leaving, therefore tide was quite strong resulting in murky waters.

Oh well, I heard Banana Island is even better for fish feeding though, while Coral Garden has the most beautiful corals (as the name implies!) – so check those out instead if you’ve got the time

 

Kayangan Lake

This is the most expensive entrance fee, but it’s ICONIC, so don’t miss it. As you enter the area, you’ll notice the rock formations that have made Coron world-famous. To get to the lake, you’ll need to go up and down ~350+ steps, so don’t forget your slippers. At the mid-way point, you can also veer off and check out the viewing point to take beautiful group shots!

 

The lake itself is supremely clear and calm, and great to swim in. There are a couple of places where you jump into the lake, which was great fun! Just remember to keep your lifejacket on (part of the rules). Beware, some folks drowned there previously (they were drunk)

 

Twin Lagoon

If you go here during the high tide, you need to swim under the cave (for ~15 seconds) to get inside the lagoon. That experience would’ve been SO COOL. If you can’t swim, you can opt to climb up the ladder, instead of swimming underneath the cave. We went during low tide though, so we just lazily floated into the lagoon!

The other fun fact about the Twin Lagoon is that you’ll be able to experience the unique thermocline temperatures. Essentially, the lagoon temperature alternates between hot and cold due to the mixing of saltwater and freshwater!

 

Skeleton Wreck

I’m a huge huge huge history nut, so I was crazy excited to see the skeleton wreck (you should be even more excited if you’re a diver!!!) Even if you’re not a diver though, you can clearly see the wreck from above, plus some very beautiful fishes

All in all, I’d heard Coron has ~13 shipwrecks (one of the most concentrated in the world), and I’m itching to go back next time – take the chance to dive if I can too! Oh btw, don’t forget to buy bread at the bakery to feed the fishes 😉

VKGV Spa

• Cost: PHP 500 per person (for an hour)

If you’re tired of lazing around and doing nothing, why not head over to the massage place for a good old-fashioned hilot? They accept up to 14 people at a time, and the massage is pretty good (as attested by my friends who checked it out)! Just make sure to inform them at least 30 mins in advance

 

And that’s it! To better prepare for your Coron trip – do check out my other Coron blog posts as well:

• Guide to Coron for first-time DIY tourists
• Eating my way through Coron – top picks!

 

If you’re keen to explore the other beaches of the Philippines, do check out my other beach blog posts as well – hope you find them helpful!

• Honda Bay Island Hopping: A guide to enjoying the touristy and not-so-touristy beaches of Puerto Prinsesa
• Nagtabon Beach: A guide to enjoying the touristy and not-so-touristy beaches of Puerto Prinsesa
• BORACAY: Your all-in-one guide to a memorable Boracay vacation
• BOHOL: Your all-in-one guide to a fantastic Bohol vacation