Coron Palawan Travel Guide For The Philippines
Coron Palawan is one of the greatest attractions to wildlife with big limestone formations, numerous coloured lagoons, and great snorkelling or scuba diving. Just like other islands in the island paradise of Philippines, Coron Island is a really cheap place where one can marvel at white sand beaches and probably some of the best coral atolls in South East Asia.
Even while Coron isn’t quite as famous as its adjacent cousin El Nido, it’s more reasonable and less busy, and you might argue that the island hopping landscape is just as excellent. This Coron travel guide will provide you some details on getting there, what to do, where to stay, and how you may enjoy this gem of the Philippines firsthand!
Where Is Coron Island?
Coron is a very small island situated at 100km, 60mi north of Palawan which is a big island of the Philippines.
There are hundreds of little islands around Coron Bay, white sand beaches and the wrecks of WWII shipwrecks…all perfect for scuba diving and Tropical Island hopping!
How To Get To Coron Palawan
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Coron town may be accessible via flight or ferry.
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Coron has an airport called the Busuanga airport or USU but this is not internation connecting so you will have to fly to one of the major cities in the Philippines – Manila or Cebu – before proceeding to Coron. You can have flights to the Philippines at Skyscanner.
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If you want to see el nido and coron at quick ways, you can ride the boat which is only 1,800 Peso spend a few hours on the boat.
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You may also join a 4-day Palawan sailing adventure from El Nido to Coron and explore some of the lovely isolated islands along the route (I’ll elaborate more on that later).
How To Get Around
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Coron town is relatively small and only has a population of roughly 3,000.
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It’s small enough to be reachable by foot for restaurants and most other activities, but if you want to do any exploration outside of town you’ll need transport.
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Scooter rentals are around 500 peso ($10 USD) per day. You can wave down a tricycle cab for 100-200 peso each journey, but the scooter is more cheap for lengthy excursions or several stops.
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Shared or private airport transfers by van may be booked on Klook for as low as 180 peso per person.
Coron Island Hopping
Coron has become a renowned scuba diving destination, but the reason most people come here is for the wonderful island hopping boat cruises. You can’t miss them!
• Coron Ultimate Island Tour
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This is the primary tour on Coron island and it incorporates a bunch of the top features in the area for a very comprehensive day trip.
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You’ll get to land on some white sand beaches, visit stunning lakes and twin lagoons, and snorkel with fish at the amazing coral gardens, along with at least one World War II shipwreck.
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If you only do one trip in Coron, make sure it’s this one! It’s every bit as magnificent as anything you can see in El Nido Palawan.
• Coron Island Escapade Tour
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This trip doesn’t seem to garner as much exposure as the others, but it’s the greatest if you’re hoping to relax out on beaches.
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You’ll get to go across the ocean on a sandbar and visit three magnificent white sand beaches, replete with hammocks, fresh coconuts, and everything else you need to unwind!
• Coron Multi-Day Trips
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Aside from the popular 1-day excursions, you can also join multi-day sailing cruises in Coron and the surrounding region, with some expeditions lasting up to 4 days and 3 nights, bringing you all the way from Coron to El Nido, or vice versa.
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This may be a terrific way to go island hopping in paradise without the crowds and time limits of a typical day trip, and you get to explore a number of lovely new islands that are off the beaten road and not included on the regular day excursions. It’s also a wonderful way to meet other tourists.
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There are various businesses offering multi-day cruises in Palawan, but one of the most rated is Big Dream Boat Man. They’re situated in Coron, and they also provide sailing adventures that travel all the way to El Nido, stopping at some great sites along the way!
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What To Bring
Most of the goods listed can be bought in Coron town in a hurry, although the quality of stuff you buy on the street won’t be assured (personally, I’m not going to use a junky knockoff bag from a street vendor to safeguard my costly photographic gear).
It’s preferable to buy verified things online!
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Waterproof Bag: Essential for keeping your gadgets secure on the boat trips. I took a 30 liter backpack and was able to put my drone, tablet, camera, phone, and a bunch of other items inside. Everything was maintained dry, even when I carried the bag swimming a couple times to find secret beaches!
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Waterproof Phone Pouch: Same as before, however they are for your phone alone. Great if you don’t have other electronics and simply need something compact to protect your phone.
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Snorkeling Gear: Some of the greater islands have tremendous reefs and fishes and you don’t want to let go of the opportunity to explore it. Snorkels and masks may be rented on the boat as well, however, if one plans several trips it is cheaper to purchase the equipment themselves.
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Water Shoes: Save your feet a lot of heartache and wear water shoes! We received so many cuts when walking to land from the boats.
Is Coron Palawan Safe?
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Yes! We’ve spent weeks here and I’d say it’s a pretty safe area.
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The Philippines may have some problems with drugs and violent crime, but this hasn’t damaged the little, rural town of Coron and it’s been a popular tourist location for many years now.
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You’ll be surrounded by international tourists at all times. Just keep your wits about you and follow usual procedures, and you shouldn’t have any troubles.
Best Time To Visit Coron
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Coron island is a tropical location, so it’s warm all year round.
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It’s also drier than El Nido. However, the ideal months to visit are still November to May, when it’s less wet and not nearly as hot.
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We visited once in January and once in February, and both times had excellent weather for the entire week.