The unpredictability of the weather the past few weeks had got us praying for the rain to take a vacation while we took ours. I brought my tourism class to
Coron, Palawan last weekend which is my way of letting them experience our country first-hand. And yes, the sun was smiling at us as soon as our plane landed in Busuanga.
It was a bit cloudy when I last visited Coron. So the clear sky was a welcome development. I wrote some articles then to help plan a trip to Coron such as
Things to do in Coron, Busuanga and Culion, Palawan and
Coron hotels, transportation and more stuff to help you plan your trip which I will be updating in the next few days with the many new hotels in Coron.
Some of my students visited
Maquinit Hot Springs the evening we arrived. The entrance fee had gone up from Php100 to Php150. But with a student ID, you can get in at a discounted rate of Php120. Tricycles rides still cost the same at Php300 back and forth.
The next day, we climbed up
Mount Tapyas for a really nice view of
Coron Bay. You have to climb about 720 steps to reach the
Mt. Tapyas View Deck. Except for that ugly reclamation project they completed beside the public market, the panorama is stunning, especially at sunset.
Our main activity was a boat tour of attractions around
Coron Island. We had arranged it with Busuanga Seadive Resort who provided the group a boat with a second floor deck. I actually spent most of the time enjoying the cool sea breeze on the deck as we slowly made our way around the island.
Our first stop was
Kayangan Lake. I had actually missed this the last time since we didn't have enough time having been to so many other attractions on Coron. There is a ten to fifteen minute hike up the rock and down to the lake. At the top is a view point where you can take a photo of one of Coron's most popular panoramas.
Guides will require you to wear your life vests when you take a swim in the lake since it can get quite deep. But it's a refreshing swim definitely.
From Kayangan Lake, we proceeded further south to
Dicantuman Beach where we were scheduled to have lunch.
Banol Beach used to be the popular beach. It was better actually. But we were told that because of some disagreements on the revenue, the local Tagbanuas who own the island of Coron, decided to close the beach.
Coron Island actually has many beaches tucked in small coves. But most of them are off limits. Dicantuman Beach was opened quite recently.
Since our boat was too big to dock close to the beach, we decided to have lunch on the boat. Our boat actually had its own kitchen. And our meals were prepared there.
To get to the beach, we had to take a bamboo raft or a smaller boat. We spent an hour or two there. It was such a lazy afternoon, I actually took a power nap on one of the lounge chairs.
From there, we proceeded to
Twin Peaks and
Siete Pecados Marine Park which are both popular snorkeling areas. Not that the current can get really strong so you are advised to wear your life vests at all times.
I moved to the Coron Ecolodge that night to try our their facilities. It's a relatively new hotel. We were scheduled to visit
Malcapuya and Banana Islands the next day. But our luck ran out since it was raining hard and the trip got canceled. So I literally spent the day in bed, getting my much-needed rest.
Hopefully I get to explore more of Coron soon. For the many activities you can do in Coron, check out
Things to do in Coron, Busuanga and Culion, Palawan.
