Philippines: Travel to Coron Islands in Palawan

Travel from Manila to Coron, Palawan by Boat

Coron in Palawan prides itself with its local beaches, dive sites and other natural tourist spots. Coron is found in the province of Palawan in the Philippines. It occupies the eastern half of Busuanga Island, all of Coron Islands and about 50 other small islands. The main industries of Coron are fishing and tourism.The famous Kayangan Lake in Coron is reportedly the cleanest freshwater lake in the Philippines.

Weekend Itinerary to Coron

We were in a group of twelve and we actually traveled from Manila to Coron for just the weekend with the following itinerary:

Day 1 (Friday)

7pm        Leave Manila for Coron directly via 2GO vessel at Pier 4 in Manila. Travel takes

approximately 10-11 hours.

Day 2 (Saturday)

6am         Arrive in Coron

7am         Check-in at hotel (Hotel check-in time was 2pm but we were allowed to leave

travel bags and things in the Concierge)

8am         Off to the Port of Coron for Island Hopping

4pm         Island hopping completed; Return to Hotel

Day 3 (Sunday)

5:30 am Depart hotel for Calauit Safari Park (3 hours drive)

9:00am   Arrive in Calauit in Busuanga

9-11am   Tour of Calauit Safari Park

11:30am  Lunch in a nearby restaurant

12:30pm  Drive back to Coron

4pm          Arrive in Coron

7pm         Depart Coron for Manila via 2GO vessel

Day 4 (Monday)

6am         Arrive in Port of Manila

Traveling by Boat: Things to remember

1.      Direct flights to Busuanga that will take around an hour, travel by sea will take approximately 10-11 hours.  2GO has vessels that sails twice a week from Manila to Coron. In our case, our group took M/V St. Francis of Xavier (SFX) that departed Manila at 7pm on a Friday and arrived in Coron at 6am the following day (Saturday). 

2.      There are four types of accommodation in SFX: Super Value Class (P1400), Tourist Class (P1900), Cabin for 6 and 4 people (P2800 per person). Supver Value accommodation is non-aircon while Tourist Class is in an airconditioned area. These accommodations do not include blankets and sheets but you can rent them for a token fee (example, blanket rental is P50 a piece). Toilets are in the common area.  Cabin for 4 and 6 people is provided with blankets and sheets but only the Cabin for 4 has its own private toilet and bath.  The Cabin for 6 has only a lavatory. There are also some State Rooms (private room accommodations) that can accommodate 2 or 3 passengers. State Rooms are equipped with sheets and blankets, flat TV, telephone, two comfortable beds and a private toilet and bath.   

3.      SFX has a convenience store (Quick Mart) on board where you can buy coffee (including Nespreso)  and snacks along with other amenities like a beauty salon with massage service, a huge restaurant (Island Fiesta), a private restaurant (Horizon Café) for passengers occupying cabin-type accommodations, a prayer room, medical clinic  and live entertainment from 9am to 12midnight.  In this voyage, dinner is part of your ticket. Note that in this voyage there is no wifi and no electrical outlets onboard so passengers should make sure their gadgets are fully charged or used minimally. However, there are paid charging stations located in the common area of the vessel.

Tips:  Travel light in the boat as there are no space for big luggage except putting them on top of your own bed. Also there may be no porters to bring your heavy luggage up or down the gangplank.

Island Hopping in Coron

The thrill of Coron is doing the island hopping with a local guide. There are a number of daily Coron Island tour packages offered by licensed vendors ranging from a low of P900 per person to a high of P1500 per person depending on the number of islands to be visited.  Usual tour package consists of pick up and drop off to hotel, boat, life vest, tour guide, entrance fees and permits, lunch, drinks and light snack. Tour packages can be purchased either directly from the vendors or through concierge service of your hotels.  Island hopping ventures normally takes the whole day and pick-up time from your hotel is usually 7:30am.

In our case, we pre-booked our island hopping at the rate of P1,500 per per person for three islands namely, Malcapuya, Banana and Bulog islands.  Boat travel with a local guide from Pier to Malcapuya island was 1.5 hours where we stayed for an hour to swim.  From Malcapuya we traveled for another 30 minutes to Banana Island  where we had our buffet lunch (as part of the tour package).  After an hour in this island, we proceeded to Bulog Island where we had a scenic view of the Coron waters.  It was also the place where our group went snorkeling for about an hour.   From this island, we proceeded back to shore. Travel time was another 1.5 hours.  

Tips:

1.      Try to pre-book your island-hopping package so avoid the long queues in Coron;

2.      Be in your wet suit and be prepared to get wet while traveling in the boat to and in between islands;

3.      Snorkeling mask goggles and flipper can be rented at the rate of P150 each for the whole day. Normally, the boat staff will announce this before the boat sails for the islands;

4.      You may need to wear aqua shoes to prevent cuts when walking in wet and rocky environments in the islands.  Aqua or water shoes can be rented at the rate of P150 per day.  The boat staff usually announces this and makes rented shoes available before departing the Pier.

5.      You may also wish to consider buying yourself a small waterproof dry bag which you can widely purchase in store near your hotel.  Depending on size, dry bags ranges from P150 to P300.

6.      Finally, make sure you bring with you your own bottle of drinking water during your island travel.  Usually there are no stores in the islands.

7.      Tipping is not required but you may wish to give a small tip to your boat men and your tour guide.  For our group, we gave P500 (approx.. $10) tip to our local guide and another P500 for the “boys”.

8.      Some travel and tour companies offer various island tour packages:

a.      Ocean Pearl Travel & Tours – Lize: 0995 804 7775; 0928 604 7458

b.      Dream Travel & Tours -Rey & Joan Gilbuena – 0909 747 9368; 0975 378 4632

Hotel in Coron

There are many nice hotels in the whole of Coron.  However, it is best that you reserve your hotel in advance as it may be cheaper that way. Our group was happy with our small hotel three-star hotel where we stayed for two nights:

B2R Bayview Inn, 207 National Highway, Barangay Poblacion 5, Coron; Tel. +63 918 419 5099, (02) 330 6961; look for Elena Paguntalan, Assitant Manger; http://www.r2rbayviewinncoron.com

Other hotels worth considering:

1.      Skylodge Resort – Governor’s Drive Poblacion 5, Coron, Palawan; 3-star hotel with a good view of Coron and the Port; complete hotel facilities --- bar, restaurant, etc., friendly staff; has rooms that can accommodate groups of 5 guests; rates starting from P2900; Look for General Manager, Lawrence

2.      MKB Pension – Nueva Street Barangay 1, Coron, Palawan; Tel +63 939 923 0170; +63 917 655 5305; mkbpension2018@gmail.com

Suggested Local Restaurant in Coron

              Santino's Grill - 37 National Highway, Tagumpay, Coron; Tel 0915 700 3881

• Filipino and international cuisine
• Reasonable prices
• Good service
• advance booking suggested
  

Side trip to Calauit Island (Calauit Safari Park)  on our second day (please see my separate travel write up on this)

Vehicle Rental

Joseph G. Kong, Owner, Tourist Van & Travel Services, Coron; Tel 09175554534; jgkong@yahoo.com; owns a 12-seater airconditioned van; rental per hour or per day; average rental for whole day with travels outside of Coron (example Calauit Island)  is approximately P7,000 all in.