..Coron: Bulog Dos, Banana and Malcapuya Island..

Day 3 in Coron is much exciting because this time we'll be going out to open sea.  Before leaving Coron town my mother called me to inform that a storm signal is raised to Palawan but the weather of Coron permits us to go. Due to our excitement we left our snorkels to the tric :( glad people there help us chase the tric and brought our snorkel back and because of that we are 1 hr behind our schedule. We requested Kuya Oliver to be our tour guide for this trip.

A two hour boat ride took us to our first destination, Bulog Dos Island it a small island with fine sand and clear water. There is a sandbar connected to the island nearby during low tide however its just before noon when arrive so the sandbar is covered with ankle deep water. We just stayed there for about half an hour walking on the shore and took some pictures because there are no shed to stay on the island.

..Welcome to Bulog Dos Island..

..Sandbar covered with ankle deep water..

Next stop is the Banana Island, located in Bulalacao Coron. We stayed there for our lunch, sieta and of course snorkeling. Island is very beautiful and very relaxing. I fell in love with the island right after I took my first step there. I can say this is my favorite island among the three though they have their own beauty.

Our delicious lunch is prepared by our boatman, Kuya Dennis. Right after the lunch Kuya Oliver showed us the best spot for snorkeling, though its noon time it will not stop us to see the beauty underneath Banana Island that not all tourist saw. After snorkeling, the hammocks are very encouraging for an afternoon siesta. We stayed there, relax and enjoy the beauty of the island has to offer.

Our last stop is Malcapuya Island, it has a long stretch virgin beach with powdery white sand and clear water. The temperature is very hot when we arrive at the island so we've decided to relax and explore the not so developed island. 

There are hammocks on island for relaxing below the coconut trees. We want to buy some coconut but there were no available that time.

We just relax there and watch the water flowing on the shore and after some time we just can't watch the water. Though its hot because its already afternoon, we just can't resists the beach encouraging us to try. So we dip, imagine us swimming at around 2 pm in the afternoon.  

During island exploration we found a cliff, its overlooking the other islands of Coron. A breathtaking view of the sea, islands and the sky.

As much as we wanted to stay longer on the island, we cannot because people from the Coron town are informing our boatman to return due storm sensed coming. So its better for us to return than to be trapped on the island.

Our travel to Coron is one of a kind and I together with my travel buddy will surely come back to this paradise someday ^__^. See you on our next trip... But don't forget to have some souvenir shirt.

My Travel Buddy and My Partner

Tour Package Contact:
Coron Wonders
Email: coronwonders@gmail.com
Cell #: +63-9095432824/+63-9178136159


Date: December 16, 2012

..Coron Islands in its own unique Beauty..

This is my most awaited trip in Coron, the Island Hopping simply because it's my first time to do an island hopping and my first snorkeling trip ^_^. Coron Palawan trips is typically an island hoping trip because Coron is a home to some world's gorgeous beaches and corals. Coron's beauty are found beneath the water's surface. Coron is a treat to traveler who are into snorkeling, diving and nature tripping.

Our tour started at 8:30 AM in the morning, they picked up at the hotel lobby and brought us to Coron pier where a pump boat is waiting for us. Our tour guide for the day is Kuya Oliver and Kuya Dennis. We bought some biscuits for fish feeding and don't forget to bring snorkels or rent one because you'll gonna miss a lot in this tour if don't have one.

Ready for the Island Hopping

Our first island to meet is the Siete Picados, it is a group of seven peaks and home to coral and coral fishes. Our boat dock at center of seven rock peaks, allowing us to do snorkel and explore the fishes and corals underneath. We don't stay long on that place due to fast current. 

Siete Picados

Coron View during Island Hoping

Next is the Kayangan Lake and Cave, it is said to be the cleanest lake in Asia and one of the several hidden lakes you'll find within the islands of Coron. A 10 minute hike via carved path on tropical trees will bring you to the cleanest lake in the Philippines. The water is very clear and calm, a perfect combination of warm seawater and cold mountain springs which reduces its salinity. But before going to the lake we go first to the cave and see the great view at the top of mountain. This view is the most photographed place in Coron Palawan.

Kayangan Lake

Barracuda Lake is next, it is surrounded by tall walls of limestone formation. Its the best place to dive and snorkel to see the rock formation below. Kuya Oliver brought us in a small cave and watch him dive and explore the cave underwater. As per Kuya Oliver, Barracuda Lake water is composed of three layer, bottom layer is sea water, middle layer is geothermal heated brackish water and the top layer is freshwater.

Barracuda Lake

We took our lunch at a small private beach, Smith Beach. Its very small and I can say that the shore is approximately 15 to 20 meters long. We swim on the shore and took some rest after eating grilled parrot fish(a fish with a rainbow color on its body). Its my first time to eat that fish but its very delicious ^_^.

Smith Beach

A delicious Parrot fish(below one)

After lunch our next stop is Twin Lagoon, it is a two lagoon separated by a wall of limestone. To be able to see the inner lagoon you must swim or float on a small hole opening during low-tide or one must be a good diver to see it during high-tide. Since its low tide kuya Oliver told us to float on the small opening though I'm a bit scared and not a swimmer but I tried because I want to see the beauty of the inner lagoon :P. The temperature of outter lagoon is cooler than the inner lagoon. Upon entering the inner lagoon I was amazed, the water is calm and blue, its like your on a different world surrounded by limestone and trees. Its a relaxing place though I don't have a camera to capture the beauty of inner lagoon.

Twin Lagoon: A view from the outer lagoon

Final Island is the Skeleton Wreck, is a snorkeling and diving spot where you can see a sunken ship and around it are several corals but kuya Oliver warns us of the sea urchins. Our boat dock right above the sunken ship we stared to do snorkeling and feed the fish. We also took our snack on that area.

Skeleton Wreck

Its a very tiring but worth it to see the beauty of Coron.One thing I regret in this trip is that we don't have an underwater camera to capture the beautiful scenes underwater. But the scene I see and my experience is beyond my expectations ^_^. The next time I visit Coron I promise to bring an underwater camera.


Tour Package Contact:
Coron Wonders
Email: coronwonders@gmail.com
Cell #: +63-9095432824/+63-9178136159


Date: December 15, 2012

..Coron Town Tour..

Coron Island Palawan is a limestone island and known for its cleanest lake in the Philippines, the Kayangan Lake. Its crystal clear water is ideal for swimming, snorkeling and diving. Those are some of the reason why we decided for our next trip is Coron ^_^. This time we get a tour package from Coron Wonders since most of our activities are island hoping. Upon arriving at Coron we headed straight to our hotel, Island View Inn located at middle of the town and just a walk away from the church, plaza, market, banks and other establishments. Also they have a roof deck restaurant overlooking the Coron Bay.

Our tour started with Town Proper Familiarization with Kuya Edward our tricycle driver and tour guide, he showed us the the municipal hall, the church, plaza, market and Coron bay. We had our snack at the Coron Bay and ate some dirty ice cream ^^. There we took a some picture of the place.
  

Coron Municipal Hall

Next stop is Mt. Tapyas, Kuya Edward dropped us there to conquer the popular and the second highest place in Coron. We have to climb 720++ steps to reach the top and don't forget to bring water, lots of water. Way to Mt. Tapyas is well developed its has a concrete steps and rails, it also have several benches to take some rest when going up or down. At the top you will see a huge steel white cross and a panoramic view of whole Coron town. We started our trekking before 5PM and I can say its the best time to go there because we were able to see the breathtaking and stunning view of the sunset at Coron. Its really worth it going up so I suggest to include it to your Coron visit.

Cross at the top of Mt. Tapyas

After the trekking at Mt. Tapyas, it best to close and pamper the day at Maquinit Hot Spring. It is about 30 minutes away from the town proper, the pool is very hot at the first dip and the water is salty. But its very relaxing when you have dip your whole body. The sun is already set when we arrive at the hot spring so we are not able to see the view of Mangroves surrounding the place. We took our dinner prepared by the Coron Wonders and spend an hour of the night dipping our body at the hot spring. Its so very relaxing ^_^ after that we went to our hotel to take some rest and prepare for our Island Hopping tomorrow. 

Maquinit Hot Spring

 

Next post is the different Islands of Coron.

Tour Package Contact:
Coron Wonders
Email: coronwonders@gmail.com
Cell #: +63-9095432824/+63-9178136159

Date: December 14, 2012