#sicoron

My flight was scheduled to leave Clark International Airport (CRK) at 7:00 AM. I arrived at Busuanga Airport (USU) at 7:40 AM, twenty minutes earlier than my expected time of arrival. I prayed that my flight won’t get delayed or else my itinerary will be ruined. God even gave me a bonus of arriving early. Thank you Lord.

Upon arrival, I immediately called the hotel to book me a tour. Luckily, they were able to make things happen. There were still slots for joiners in a group tour. I was honestly nervous because I already spoke with tour agencies when I was planning this trip. I was told that boats usually leave around 8:00 AM to 9:00 AM, depending on the destination. Good thing I was able to make it just in time.

While other tourists opt to chill in their hotel room on the first day and have the Coron Town tour in the afternoon, I decided not to go with that itinerary to maximize my stay.

For my first day, I booked the Coron Island Tour. Other agencies call it Ultimate Coron Tour. If I were to recommend a tour, I strongly recommend this one. This tour is worth your time and money, especially if you only have a few days to explore the town. 

Coron Island Tour is usually worth around ₱1,600 via Calamian Islands Travel & Tours and other agencies too, but I was able to book it at ₱1,200 via Laughtrip Travel and Tours.

This tour is the best way to see the highlights of Coron in just one day. There are about seven destinations namely: Balinsasayaw Reef, CYC Beach, Banol Beach, Twin Lagoon, Skeleton Wreck, Siete Pecados, and the famous Kayangan Lake.

These may be the different depending on the tour agency that you’ve booked and the people you’re with and the time that you have. But more or less, you’ll be able to witness the prime spots in Coron. It’s really important to listen to the tour guide - when it’s time to be back, be back on time so you can visit more destinations.

Our first stop during the tour was the Balinsasayaw Reef. I had no plans of diving, but our tour guide insisted that I should take a look because according to him, it was one of the best snorkeling sites in Coron. It would be a huge mistake to not see it. 

And he was right. 

Our second stop was the CYC Beach. Since I got so tired from all the swimming, I decided to stay in the boat and take photos instead. I was so exhausted to go down and swim all the way to the shore. From a far, you can see how white the sand is. I admired the beauty from a distance.

I took photos on the boat while waiting for the rest of the group to come back from the CYC beach.

In case you get hungry, there’s a floating 7-Eleven store (haha!) Kuya sells beer, chips, sodas, and iced candy too. I decided to get the mango flavored ice candy for only ten pesos. It was really yummy.

We rode the boat again and headed to the Twin Lagoon. There are two lagoons. The first one is where the boats dock. The second one lies beyond the a huge rock. When it’s low tide, tourists can swim underneath it, but when it’s high tide, you need to use the ladder in order to cross to the other side.

The fourth destination, Banol Beach, was also our lunch spot.

This is our lunch. Yum! I really needed to refuel my energy because I was getting tired from all the swimming already.

Laughtrip Travel and Tours has bad reviews on Facebook because of their food. They lack seafood (like mussels and crabs) compared to other tour agencies. But personally, I don’t mind. Considering that their rate for this tour was cheaper. I would still recommend this agency because of their funny and kind-hearted tour guides. At least, based on my experience. They really looked out for us and they kept on reminding us regarding the do’s and dont’s to prevent accidents from occurring - may it be related to sea urchins and jellyfishes to the use of life vests in dangerous spots. 

Some photos I took after eating lunch - still at Banol Beach.

Up next, we went to the very famous Kayangan Lake. Of course, everyone who visits Coron has this staple, overlooking photo. You need to climb around 300+ steps to get on top of the mountain where a viewing deck is located. Aftewards, you must climb down to the other side to get to Kayangan Lake proper.

Before heading back to the boat 📸

Unfortunately, this is our last stop. This is Siete Pecados. 

We weren’t able to go to the Skeleton Wreck anymore. But it’s alright, maybe next time when I get back, I can finally see and set foot on all the tourist spots in Coron.

Our tour guide shared the myth or history of this place. Long ago, there were seven siblings. They wanted to go to a bayle (ball or dance) across town and they needed to sail the boat. Their parents didn’t allow them. Since they were stubborn, they still pushed through with their plans. They weren’t able to successfully get to the other side. The seven siblings went missing. Years after, these seven rock formation appeared. Siete means seven and Pecados means offense or sin. Hence the name of this tourist spot, Siete Pecados.

The middle part of the rock formations is very rich in marine life. Siete Pecados is also great for snorkeling. 

We headed back to Coron town after visiting Siete Pecados. This caps off my Coron Island Tour. I loved everything about the places that we visited. 

Since I’ve been to all three areas of Palawan, if I will compare, Puerto Princesa is really great for island hopping. It offers tons of white sand beaches (and of course the Underwater River too!.) El Nido has better landscapes than Coron, if I’ll be completely honest. But I must say, Coron has really a diverse and rich marine life. The true beauty of Coron lies underwater.

Stay tuned for the continuation of my day one adventure in Coron. It doesn’t end here.