As the month of March ends, I remembered a place in the Philippines where my wife and I took our honeymoon after our wedding. The place is known as Coron. This place belongs to the Calamaines Group of Islands and is located in the Northern part of Palawan, Philippines’ southwestern border. The place is really blessed with beautiful islands and white beaches, limestone cliffs, and wonderful people.
I knew that the adventure in this Island would be exciting because the place was new to me and the place has been widely known as one of the highly recommended tourist attractions in the country.
Straight from Busuanga Airport, we were sent to our hotel through a shuttle service which took about an hour. On the way to the hotel, we had passed by a semi set-up of New Zealand farm setting of cows in the green fields. Our tour guides were very accommodating. The locals are simple and humble. They treated us as if we were part of the community.
Since it was our first day, we did not have scheduled activities yet, so we just hung around the town as we were booked in a hotel that was walking distance away. We explored the community night market and experienced their local cuisine and street foods.
For first timers, the main mode of transportation in this island is the tricycle – a motorbike with an installed sidecar. The drivers are friendly and they can speak well in English.
This adventure always reminds me of island hopping. We experienced Maquinit Hot Spring which is a blissfully warm and salty spring water. The experience was soothing and relaxing, especially at night. This place is usually visited during night time as it intends to relax the body after having a long day in the different islands and underwater exploration.
Mt Tapyas is also a challenging exploration as you are required to encounter 700 steps above sea level to experience the sunset and sunrise viewing at the top of the hill. The set up of this adventure is commendable as the developer ensured the steps were wide and provided resting stations for visitors to rest once in a while.
Coron is always known with the numerous islands such as the Twin Lagoon, Siete Pecados where you can encounter marine life, abundant corals, fishes of varied colours and species, Isla Bulungan was also known as Calachuhci Beach, Kayangan Lake, Malcapuya Island and a lot more.
We also got the chance to explore one of the eleven World War II Japanese shipwrecks which are now a breeding ground of marine fishes in this beautiful island. We had to snorkel in order to view the ship under the clear seawater.
Coron is really an amazing island which I can recommend to visit, especially for family trips. And before I forget, I highly recommend you to buy Coron pearls, either sea water or fresh water pearls, because the prices are relatively cheap compared to buying in the cities or within Manila.
By the way, here are some travelling tips that I encourage you to bear in mind:
Bring light, loose and comfortable clothing because this town has a tropical climate.Make sure to bring your goggles and aqua shoes. Renting here is standardized on a daily basis (PHP 150.00 per day, per outfit and not per set).
Ensure to have a full battery of your camera or phone to capture the beautiful scenery of the islands and other adventures.
Bring some extra money during exploration as some tour guides require you to pay conservation fees being imposed by Marine Park Management, Tagbanua Tribes of Coron Island and other private tourist attractions.
Abide the rules and listen to safety instructions, especially during underwater exploration.
Remember to bring mosquito repellent and other first aid medicine with you.Bring drinking water with you, especially during island hopping. Sunblock with SPF 130 is recommended to avoid sun burn.
Always make sure to wear your life jacket for safety purposes.
For food trips, I recommend you to try the following:
Stingray sisig or locally known as “pagi” sisig. This menu is seasonal and not all restaurants serve this meal.
Papaitan from Lolo Nonoy’s restaurant.
Crocodile Sisig (a bit expensive).
Pork barbecue (a street food which is being served in the night market within the town area).
Puto bumbong (ube flavor). So far this is the best puto bumbong that I have tried. The owner is only opened every afternoon situated nearby a school and at the place where I bought the pork barbecue.
Steam alimango (crab) mixed with sea grapes. This menu was served by our tour guide. You will really like how the food is presented.
Note: This article was published by the writer in another side on March 30, 2016