On our first day in Coron, we went straight to our island hopping activity. The first destination was the famous tourist attraction in Coron which is the Kayangan Lake. It has a crystal clear freshwater which is surrounded by some beautiful rock formations. The underwater rock formation is one of its main attractions here but freediving has been banned recently so we were not able to take some shots underwater.
To get there, we had to take a short hike up the stairs to the view deck. Then, we had to climb down to get a beautiful glimpse of this lake. The stairs are kind of steep but very bearable. We had a senior citizen with our tour group and she was able to climbed the stairs back and forth.
After hiking from the jump-off point or the parking spot for boats, we got to see the famous viewpoint of Kayangan Lake. It is actually not a view to the lake but this is where most tourists take their shots to see the beautiful cliffs with the parked boats.
The line was really long so we had to wait for a few minutes before we could get our shot. Unfortunately, the spot is against the light and we were not able to get a good picture with it. I just took some pictures of the view which is really mesmerizing.
The Twin Lagoon is another fascinating tourist spot here in Coron. One side is where the boats park and on the other side is where the people can swim and do some kayaking. I was able to take some pictures but we were not allowed to swim as it was under maintenance during that time.
Our tour guide told us that the hole that connects the two lagoons submerges underwater during high tide so that is why there are ladders that people can use to cross.
Skeleton Wreck Dive Site is one of the snorkelling spots found Coron Bay. It is next to Malwawey Coral Garden so the ship kind of become part of the coral garden itself. Fishes and other sea creatures are also found in this area.
This is a small 25-meter long shipwreck where most people are visiting in Coron for a quick scuba diving activity. My friend Yla and I tried to freedive it to touch and see it closer. Our tour guide helped us to swim going to the shipwreck.
On our second day, we visited three beaches namely Malcapuya Island, Banana Island and Bulog Dos Island.
Malcapuya Island is first on our list. It is a two-hour boat ride from Coron Town and is one of the most beautiful beaches in Coron. It has a very powdery white sand and it is relatively a long stretch beach.
We only stayed there for an hour to an hour and a half but this is definitely the best beach among the three. It is a bit laid back but it has a very clear water and has an amazing coral garden that we explored.
We paid 100php each ($2) and a boatman brought us to the coral garder area where we frd some fishes and saw Nemo. After the snorkeling activity, we swam and took a few pictures around.
Banana Island is the popular lunch spot among the three beaches visited during this type of island hopping. We arrived here at around 11am and stayed for two and a half hours for lunch and some sight-seeing and swimming.
This is a very good island to just relax and have some peace and quiet. There are swings where tourists can stay in and read a book. There is a volleyball net where tourist can use for free for some volleyball league.
After our buffet lunch, we took a few minutes in the water and walked around the island.
Mount Tapyas is one of the most popular tourist spots in Coron Town. It has 721 steps to get to the top of the mountain. When we got there, we got a good view of the whole Coron Town Proper.
Others say that it has a beautiful sunset view however, we didn’t get to see it as we went there in the morning to get our morning exercise and also to see Coron Town from a different point of view.
On the top, it has a big white cross and a few benches where people get to rest after a long hike. When we explored a bit, we saw that on the other side of the mountain is a beautiful mountain view.
Aramintas Arts & Crafts is one of the souvenirs shops in Coron Town Proper where you can get artistic masks and other small items mostly made by indigenous groups around Palawan. They are open from Monday to Saturday, 8am to 10pm.