Coron is paradise on earth and a must do when visiting the Philippines. Coron is surrounded by jaw-dropping limestone formations. It’s home to pristine white sandy beaches and to lakes so clear that you won’t believe your eyes.
Coron is part of Palawan Island and can be accessed from Manila by plane, just a short hour and a half flight. The town of Coron itself is small and not super exciting but you don’t visit Coron for Coron Town, you use it as a base to explore the beautiful islands around it.
Most people stay in Coron Town and book day trips to the islands from there. However, there is a much better way of doing it, if you don’t mind spending a little more money. Keep reading to find out!
There is a lot to do in Coron so we suggest spending more than a couple of days if you can. We stayed 5 days and, even then, I was not ready to leave paradise just yet!
Here are the top things to do in Coron:
1- Kayangan Lake
Kayangan Lake is probably the most popular attraction on Coron Island and for good reasons. The area where the boats park is an immaculate reef with crystal clear water surrounded by limestone cliffs. There are a few stairs to climb (it’s good exercise!) before you reach a viewpoint halfway up. There, you can enjoy beautiful views and catch your breath before you clamber down the other side and reach the breathtaking Kayangan Lake.
Kayangan Lake is a crystal-clear freshwater lake with the most unbelievable underwater rock formations. Its water clarity is out of this world. It was truly remarkable. Because this is the most popular attraction in Coron, you really need to visit as early in the day as possible. We heard that it can be quite overcrowded later on which wouldn’t be enjoyable. When we arrived at 7am, there were already a few people swimming but it was still very peaceful.
2- Twin Lagoon
The Twin Lagoon is a large lagoon hiding amongst breathtaking cliffs. Why is it called the Twin Lagoon? Because these are two lagoons alongside one another. They are separated by a thin limestone wall that you can either climb over (via some wooden stairs) or swim under (during low tide).
You can snorkel along the cliff and see the incredible underwater life, or you can kayak around and enjoy the scenery and the incredibly clear water.
3- Barracuda Lake
Similar to Kayangan Lake, the Barracuda Lake is a crater of clear blue water, about 40 meters deep and enclosed by dark, spiky limestone cliffs. Again, the water is so clear that you can follow the limestone cliffs all the way down to the bottom, even when standing above on the wooden platform! The underwater cliffs will blow your mind as you snorkel or free dive in this fresh-water lake.
4- Sunset at Smith Beach
Smith Beach is a stunning white sandy beach. It’s perfect for swimming and is the best stop to watch the sunset. We had a big storm on the way back from this beach which gave us a sunset to remember!
5-Vivian Beach
Vivian Beach is another beautiful beach that is great for swimming, sunbathing or grabbing lunch. There are some tables for eating on in the little huts at the side of the beach.
6- Snorkeling
There are many great coral gardens to snorkel in Coron. Of these, Lusong, Twin Peak, Siete Picados, Atwayan, Smith and Malwaway Coral Gardens are the most popular ones. There was some nice, colourful coral and quite a lot of colourful fish.
Unfortunately, we weren’t lucky enough to spot any turtles, but some people are luckier than we were.
Full disclosure: having snorkelled extensively in the Southern Great Barrier Reef of Australia, we weren’t super blown away by the snorkelling in Coron.
We are so spoilt living in Queensland, having easy access to some of the best snorkelling in the world. To me, there are no better places than Lady Elliot and Heron islands.
But, if good snorkelling is not something you have access to back home, you will love Coron.
7- Bulog Dos Island
One of the best things to do in Coron is to take an Island-Hopping tour. We organised ours directly through our accommodation at the Paolyn Houseboat (I’ll get to this later).
We had a private tour which took us to four islands in total. The first island was Bulog Dos which was about 45 minutes from our accommodation.
This little island has a beautiful sandy beach with lovely sandstone rock formations that perfectly frame the iconic ocean scenery. We arrived around 7.30 am and were the only ones there. Absolutely perfect! You can snorkel off the beach where there is some nice coral and interesting fish. However, the main attraction is the scenery.
Bulog island is connected to the Two Seasons Coron Island Resort by a sandbar. However, the resort is private and off-limits to wandering visitors from Bulog!
8- Banana Island
Banana Island is a 5-minute boat ride away from Bulog Dos Island. It was the second stop on our island tour and once again, we had the whole place to ourselves.
This beach was amazing to relax on and the water was incredible. We spent more time in the water than out to be honest, and we could have easily spent the whole day there.
We had lunch on one of the tables available for use by tour operators. At around 11.30, quite a few boats arrived, and the peace was over. So, get there as early as you can!
9- Ditaytayan sand bar
Ditaytayan Island was our third stop. It is known for its striking sandbar that extends out into the sparkling blue waters.
If you visit at low tide, the sandbar is even more impressive. Unfortunately, the tide wasn’t that low when we arrived but it was still an amazing place to stop and chill out.
10- Malcapuya Island
Malcapuya Island was the last stop on our private island-hopping tour, and it didn’t disappoint. It was another picture perfect white sandy beach, palm trees and amazing looking blue water.
Being later in the day, it was a bit busier than the other islands, but it wasn’t overrun with boats. That’s strange because it is so beautiful. The beach is long and perfect for a nice walk if you’re sick of swimming. Although, how could you be sick of swimming in water like this!
11- Skeleton Wreck
The WWII Skeleton Wreck is one of the most popular things to do in Coron for free divers. The WWII ship is surrounded by thousands of fish that swarmed us as we swam up to it. Unfortunately, it was also swarming with tourists from several other boats, hanging around over the wreck chatting loudly but not actually looking at the wreck!
To clearly see the wreck you will need to free dive down about 15ft, but you can still get a reasonable view of it from the surface.
12- Stay at the Paolyn Houseboats
Most people stay in Coron town while in Coron, but there is one place you need to consider if you prefer to avoid the craziness of town and that is the Paolyn Houseboats.
Paolyn Houseboats is the only accommodation on Coron Island and its location will truly blow you away. Set in a sheltered Bay, surrounded by coral reefs and towering cliffs, there is truly no better place to stay in Coron.
To reach the houseboat, you take a short 10-minute boat ride, after which you’ll have your own piece of paradise, away from all the crowds.
The best part of staying there is that not only you can jump into the most amazing, jade-green coloured water straight from your deck, but you are so close to all the main attractions.
Because you sleep just around the corner from the lakes and lagoons, you can enjoy them before the tourists arrive from the mainland, or after they leave. The Houseboats provide free use of kayaks and paddle boards, and the Twin Lagoon is only a short 500 meters paddle away!
So, you can kayak there at sunrise and have them all to yourself! As mentioned above, the houseboat can organise tours for you and because they are private tours, you can choose to set off at sunrise to beat the crowds. You can also take as long as you want at an attraction without feeling rushed.
If you are interested in discovering Coron Island at its most beautiful, we strongly recommend staying at Paolyn’s Houseboat! You won’t regret spending the extra money. If cost is an issue, you can even stay for a single night. However, I am warning you, you will be very sad to leave!
As we returned to Coron Town to head back to the airport, so many boats with hundreds of tourists were heading out of town on day trips and we were very glad we avoided all of that!
We never found Coron packed because we visited most of the main attractions at quieter times. But it turned out Coron is crazy busy, and we avoided all of that by staying in the houseboat. It was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made!
There are a few different types of houseboats to choose from, all with different rates. We stayed in the mini houseboat for 5 nights and although it was rather basic, we loved sitting on the deck enjoying the views, with our meals and cocktails delivered by boat, and just kayaking straight out from our houseboat.
Please click here to find out more about the Paolyn Houseboats and their story.
Where to stay in Coron other than Paolyn Houseboats?
If you prefer to stay in town, with access to more restaurants, bars and nightlife, here are some good accommodation options in Coron Town:
The Funny Lion
The Funny Lion is a boutique hotel with excellent review and one of the best sunset views from Coron Town. It’s modern, it has a spa, pool, and immaculate rooms. The rooftop bar and restaurant are nice places to relax after a long day of island-hopping in Coron. Check their latest prices here.
Two Seasons Coron Bayside Hotel
Located along the Coron-Busanga Road, Two Seasons Coron Bayside Hotel offers accommodation with views of the sea, 5 km from Kayangan Lake. Guests can enjoy meals at the in-house restaurant. Free WiFi is provided throughout the property. Check their latest prices here.
DK’s Inn (Budget)
Fitted with a terrace, the units offer air conditioning and feature a flat-screen TV and a private bathroom with bidet and free toiletries. At the homestay, the units include bed linen and towels. There is a coffee shop on-site. Check their latest prices here.
Tours A, B, C and D from Coron town
If you are staying in Coron Town, there are many tour operators in town where you can book your island-hopping tours.
In town, operators offer 4 different types of tours, named A, B, C and D. All tours cover different areas and sites of Coron Island.
Tour A and B are the most popular and cover the closest sites to town and the most popular sites such as the Kayangan and Barracuda lakes, and the beautiful beaches and coral gardens.
Tour C covers the more remote islands and sandbars, such as Banana, Ditaytayan and Malcapuya, while tour D is all about snorkelling and free diving the WWII shipwrecks.
Entry fees for Coron Island Hopping Tours
All the main attractions in Coron require an entry fee. The fee goes towards supporting sustainable tourism.
The entry fees may or may not be included in the cost of your island-hopping tour. You will need to check when you book your tour.
The entry fees are approximately as follows (per person):
- Kayangan Lake: 300 PHP
- Twin Lagoon: 200 PHP
- Twin Peak Coral garden 150 PHP
- Bulog Dos Beach 200 PHP
- Banana Island: 150 PHP
- Ditaytayan Sand Bar 200PHP
- Malcapuya Island: 250 PHP
- Siete Pecados: 100 PHP
- Smith Beach: 150 PHP
- Skeleton Wreck: 150 PHP
- Luson Coral Garden 100 PHP
An environmental/tourist fee of PHP200 is also collected as you arrive at Coron airport. It will be collected as you exit the airport after luggage collection.
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