Palawan is the best island in the world—that is according to
Travel + Leisure magazine in their latest reader poll, ranking 10 of the best
islands in the world. Well I haven’t been to any other islands on the list
aside from Boracay, but I have to agree that Palawan is indeed a thing of
exquisite beauty. I couldn't be any prouder of the serenity and splendor of my country when it comes to nature—particularly bodies of water.
Last week, me and two
of my friends went on a weekend getaway to a slightly rainy Coron, Palawan for
some beach basking and much to our surprise, non-stop snorkelling!
Coron is a
municipality in Busuangga Island, Palawan—this is where you will find a good
variety of accommodation for your stay. The town, home to less than
50,000 people, have guest houses, hostels, and 2-3 star hotels that are only
minutes away from the market, port and food places.
On day one, we were supposed to climb the Mt. Tapyas peak to
get a panoramic view of Coron. Unfortunately, our luggage were delayed for
eight hours and it was raining so we really couldn't brave 700 steps
going on top of the mountain.
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| photo from budgetsetter.wordpress.com |
A good thing we were able to go to Maquinit Hotspring which is 25 minutes from the town via tricycle. It was already 7:30 PM and pitch black on the way to the hot spring! Super scary but the bumpy trip was worth it! The 40-degree hot water from underground provided some much-needed relaxation for our tired muscles.
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| Photo courtesy of misteryongpalawan.blogspot.com |
Tip: bring some beer and go here during daylight--the view is prettier.
Day 2 and 3 thankfully did not disappoint! It was time to get some more water actions. Our tour was arranged by Calamian travel and tours, with Che and Anthony as our tour guides, proving to us that people from Coron are adorably friendly.
The first stop was Kayangan Lake; the cleanest lake in Asia!
Coron has 13 lakes in total, but only two of them are open to the public and tourists for safety reasons. The Tagbanwa tribe are the only people who can access some of them. And according to our tour guide, some of the lakes are even more majestic than Kayangan and have mysteries and legends attached to them.
Me, and my friends Sarah and Cielo before we got wet for two days straight.
Tip: Don't say no to snorkelling here! Honestly, it's one of the best places on earth to peak underwater.
TIP: Don't bring heavy bags and ideally use a back pack.
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| This is the iconic Coron view before reaching the Kayangan lake. It's a 10-15 minute hike. |
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| And this mountain range behind me is your very first view before reaching Kayangan lake and the rest of Coron Islands. |
Our first taste of white beach was during lunch at Atwayan beach, a short stretch of white sand with nipa huts for lunches and more picture-taking.
Third day's lunch venue was a prettier version of Atwayan beach, and thanks to my memory problems, I forgot to get the name from the tour guide. =/ Boo! We stayed there for two hours and obviously grabbed the opportunity to take too many photos. We were the only group having our lunch there, so why not?
Aside form pristine bodies of waters, Coron is also known for its breath-taking rock formations that will awe you multiple times. Imagine being surrounded by a view like this when you sail from island to island! And these rock formations can also be found underwater!
Tip: Bring an underwater camera to capture the beauty and all the actions underwater!
We also went snorkelling to see the coral reefs at the Sietepicados islets, Barracuda lake (which was magnificent), and a Japanese ship-wreck site.
Unfortunately, we couldn't go to Malcapuya, Coron Bay and Banana Beach because of the unsafe waters that day. But, that's another reason to go back to Coron! Maybe next time I can scuba dive!
If you feel like you need to go to a beautiful place where you can just relax, bask in the sun, eat delicious food, and get carried away by the magical taste and sights of waves and nature, go to Coron, Palawan! Travel is your next best (and positive) distraction.
Until my next destination, xo!
