Coronicles: Island Hopping in Coron

'I Love Coron' pose at Kayangan Lake

Aside from climbing the famous 724-step Mt. Tapyas, island hopping would have to be the highlight attraction of Coron. There are already some pre-arranged packages available but we wanted to visit all of the Coron highlights. So we booked a private boat tour at Coron Galeri originally priced at 1300 per pax for 3 persons inclusive of the following:

- entrance fees (all destinations are priced 100 pesos per pax except for Kayangan Lake which charges 200 pesos per pax)

- private boat

- 2 boat guides

- PFD/life vests

- buffet lunch

- environmental fees

But then, we met a couple while we were booking who were willing to come along with us, so the price went down to 750 per pax (for 5 persons) plus the additional 300 pesos entrance fees for the additional destinations we'd like to cover. So our island hopping fee was only 1050 per pax. We rented 150 pesos worth of snorkeling gear at the shop before we boarded the boat.

The original destinations included in the tour are:

- Kayangan Lake

- CYC island

- Bulongan island

- Coral garden/calachuchi
- Giant Clams Sanctuary

- Hidden Lagoon

We added Barracuda Lake, Siete Pecados and the Twin Lagoons, and removed CYC island in our itinerary.

There are lots of stores around town offering different packages. So you can just canvass and look around first before you choose the package that suits you. We opted for this package because after comparing the prices between having a tour package versus hiring a private boat at the pier, we found that the latter was cheaper by only 200 pesos or so but entails much more effort on our part:

i.e. the boat alone is priced at around 1500 depending on your haggling skills, which if divided by 3 would be 500 pesos, and then we have to pay for the entrance fees per destination, which was 900 (since we wanted to go to 9 destinations), and then we still have to buy all of the ingredients for our lunch (which the boatmen should have already agreed that they will cook the food for lunch). The total is 1300 per pax with much more effort and time consumption.

I recommend such plan to be much more suitable for bigger groups (4 or more persons) so as to save money when you divide the price of the rental fee for the boat. But again, consider the effort and time to be consumed as well.

Our group met at Coron Galeri at around 8 in the morning, and luckily the sun was high above the sky. We walked for around 10 minutes to the pier where our boat was docked. Whenever on board, you'd be advised to always wear your PFD.

Tour Hugot

Since our group is a special tour package, we can choose the order of visiting the destinations, as well as the amount of time we wanted to spend per site.

We first headed to Siete Pecados.

Spot the Siete Pecados sign

This site became famous because this was where, allegedly, one tourist 'stepped' on some sea urchin causing him to have an anaphylactic shock resulting to his death. The site has a legend in which there were seven sisters who disappeared while crossing this body of water after disobeying their parents and secretly attending a dance in town. After their supposed disappearance, 7 limestone formations began to grow on the site representing the fallen sisters.

4 of 7 in Siete Pecados

Coral reefs and marine life surround each limestone formation, and thus this site is good for snorkeling. Recommended length of stay: 30 minutes

Next stop was the Hidden Lagoon.

Groupie at Hidden Lagoon

We had the lagoon all to ourselves. The water was about 7-8 ft deep, and its color is powder blue with some hints of being green. The water was a mixture of salt and fresh water with some parts being cold and other parts being warm; it is a good place for swimming. You won't be needing your snorkeling gear here because you won't be seeing anything here. Recommended length of stay: 30 minutes.

Cyan-colored water of Hidden Lagoon

We then headed to the Twin Lagoons. 

Here we had to pay for our entrance fee because this was one of the sites we added on top of the original 6 tour destinations.

Line up and go under

You'll leave the boat at Lagoon 1, and then during low tide, your group can form a line and float in a lying down position to pass underneath the small opening to enter Lagoon 2. During high tide, you would have to climb a ladder to go over some rocks connecting the two lagoons. Here the water is deep and is dark green, and is also a mixture of cold and warm water making it a good place for swimming. Recommended length of stay: 30 minutes.

It started to drizzle but we weren't hungry yet, so we decided to head to Barracuda Lake. 

Entrance to Barracuda Lake

We payed the entrance fee, and then proceeded to climb the steep wooden steps to the lake.

Steep stairs to Barracuda Lake

Here, supposedly, you can spot some barracudas at the bottom if you have a diving gear. The water here is fresh water and is dark blue. You can try to use your snorkeling gear to view the limestone formations on the side of the planks, but other than that, there's nothing much to see. Nonetheless, it's a good place to swim. Recommended length of stay: 30 minutes.

It was already past noon, so we went to have our buffet lunch at Bulongan Island.

Bulongan Island

The island has a short strip of beach with 3 nipa huts where you can dine. We chose the one on the far right of the island and had a hearty and serene lunch. The meal was delicious and simply cooked, and consisted of 2 large grilled fish, seaweeds in vinegar sauce, rice, banana, and liempo. They also provided bottled water. Aside from having lunch in the island, you can snorkel or just wade along the waves by the beach. Recommended length of stay: 1 hour.

Simple Lunch

We then had a short stop at Calachuchi.

Calachuchi/Coral Garden

It's just a few meters from Bulongan Island. It's a small limestone formation with a calachuchi tree. But has some coral reef and various kinds of fishes. But the current here is strong. Nonetheless, it's good place for snorkeling. Recommended length of stay: <30 minutes.="" p="">

Save the best for last: Kayangan Lake.

The most photographed view in Coron

Kayangan Lake is considered as the cleanest lake in Asia. The water is crystal clear and is cyan-colored. There are some rafts which you can use to explore the lake.

Kayangan Lake Cave Entrance

It also has a cave on its left side, and you can explore it for a good 10 to 15 minutes. But there's nothing much to see there. 

 

Because the water is crystal clear, you can actually see the bottom of the lake.

Kayangan view deck

Steps to Kayangan Lake

You have to climb approximately 150 steps to get to the lake. But the funny part is that the most photographed scenery in Coron isn't actually the lake itself but the limestone formations on the lake where you will dock. And you will see this spectacular view after climbing some steps towards the real Kayangan lake.

Real Kayangan Lake

This place is good for swimming. Recommended length of stay: 1 hour or +.

The group at a bamboo raft in Kayangan Lake