When in Manila and eager to get out of the air-conditioned office cubicle and into the sun, sand, and sea, one mention of Coron in Palawan is enough to send anybody packing and ready to go.
Coron is so staggeringly beautiful from any point—underwater, on top of a hill, in the middle of its savannah-like landscape—that it is difficult to find the right words to give it justice. One thing becomes obvious though to anyone who visits: Coron’s raw beauty is worth going back to over and over again.
The town of Coron is part of the Calamian Group of Islands in northern Palawan. It is one hour away from Manila by air. You can opt to fly to Busuanga via PAL Express, ZestAir, Cebu Pacific, or Skyjet.
When we arrived in Coron, the nearest to an itinerary we had was a text message from our hotel confirming we had a place to crash for the night. Apart from that, the trip had been a big, blank slate we were excited to write on!
C O R O N ‘ S Â E N C H A N T I N G Â L A G O O N S
We wouldn’t for the life of us miss Coron’s main draw—its waters and marine life challenging what is commonly acceptable as crystal-clear and vibrant. By the end of that day, we knew that future snorkeling trips would have to top this one we just had!
T H E Â O U T S K I R T S Â O F Â C O R O N
Although Coron had tricycles to ferry tourists around, we wanted to have a bit more freedom with our route so we decided to rent a scooter. We neither own nor regularly drive one back home, but whenever we are someplace else, we always try to rent for three reasons: it’s convenient, it’s cheaper than chartering, and it lets us come and go as we please.
Most day tours around Coron’s town proper cost above P500 each person, but with our rented scooter at P500 for a whole day, we were able to save half the usual amount. The better part of the bargain? We could go anywhere we wanted, anytime we wanted!
The road from the airport to the town proper looked straight out of an African landscape. The small concrete road snaked along fields and grassy mountains on both sides.
Coron’s long, winding, traffic-free roads are perfect for leisurely road trips!
You just have to watch for crossing cows though!
No cars also meant we could take several jump shots without worrying about being run over 😛
