CORON

WHY GO NOW?

FEBRUARY AND MARCH is the best time of the year to be in Coron. It’s the end of the Southwest monsoon and the start of the Northwest monsoon, heralding sunny days and clear waters. It is also a good time for kayaking, snorkelling, and diving because of the water’s excellent visibility. February and March are the best months of the year to be in Coron.

TOUCHDOWN

For the ultimate luxury and no-fuss check in, book a seat on www.airtrav.ph, which operates regular flights from Manila direct to partner resorts. Once in Palawan, charter your private seaplane on www.seaplanes.ph to tour the islands.

AirSWIFT (www.air-swift.com) and Philippine Airlines (www.philippineairlines.com)all operate direct flights from Manila to Busuanga. From Busuanga airport it’s about an hour to Coron Town, the tourism hub of the region.

Get Your Bearings

From Busuanga airport, the next stop for most travellers is Coron town, in Busuanga Island. It’s the jump off point to the Calamian Islands, including Coron Island, Culion, Calauit, and Malcapuya. Coron Island located on the northern tip of Palawan, is all about gigantic limestone walls and cliffs amidst pristine waters. No wonder it’s been a popular playground for rock climbers and divers. The waters here are crystal clear waters. Kayaking, diving, and island hopping are major activities.

Book a great light show: flashing fireflies and glowing waters

There are only a handful of places on the planet that have rare synchronous fireflies and these can be found in the jungles and mangrove forests of the Philippines. These fireflies flash on and off in sync with each other, creating the most wondrous light show. One of the best places to see them is in Coron. Avoid the rainy months from June to August. A typical Coron firefly watching tour begins with buffet dinner onboard a floating restaurant, after which you hop on to a three-person kayak to get to Coron’s Mangrove Forest Park for the main event, fireflies lighting up mangroves like Christmas trees. On the way, something unexpected greets you as it’s entirely unannounced in brochures — bioluminescent planktons lighting up the water. Dip your fingers in the water and the water glows. A gentle tap on the sides of the kayak will see the light spreading out across the water. Bioluminescent planktons emit light caused by a chemical reaction in their bodies, a magical sight, and a main event in itself. Fireflies complete the show as hundreds of these creatures light up the night, an experience you’d forever remember.

Book the firefly watching tour on www.coron-travel.com

Island hopping in the Calamianes

From Coron Town you can hire a private boat or book to join island hopping tours and water sports. Most resorts can help arrange tours and activities. A typical Coron island hopping tour takes you to the lagoons, inland lakes, and beaches of the karst-laden Coron Island or Isla Higantes. Some of the most popular destinations are sandy Banul Beach, Barracuda Lake, Kayangan Lake, considered one of the cleanest lakes in the Philippines, Twin Lagoon, and CYC Beach. Barracuda Lake is popular with divers as it has layers of fresh and brackish water with varying temperature. Most of these stops are available on Tours A and B.

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Other islands worth exploring are Malcapuya, Banana Island, Bulog Dos, Waling-Waling, and Ditaytayan Islands. And if you still have more time to spare, there are farther islands to explore like Dibatok, Calumbayan, Pass, Tara, and the North and South Cay Islands.

Tours are usually on traditional outrigger boats, but speedboats and yachts are also available.

If you have to go on a shared tour, choose one that leaves early in the morning to avoid the Instagram and selfie crowds.

Private tours are available on www.royalislandwatersports. com or the Calamianes Tourist Boat Association on Facebook, tel +63 936 039 0478

Go on a safari

Located in secluded Calauit Island, the 3,700-hectare Calauit Safari Park, a game reserve and wildlife sanctuary, is home to Grevy’s zebras, reticulated giraffes, and indigenous species like the Calamian deer, Palawan bearded pig, Philippine crocodile, Philippine porcupine, binturong, and the Philippine mouse-deer roaming freely across a natural and picturesque landscape. The exotic nonindigenous animals, including waterbucks, elands,

3 impalas, topis, bushbucks, and the gazelles which have sadly died, were shipped from Kenya by the late deposed Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos during the seventies.

Some safari tours include stops at Black Island, Buluang Floating Restaurant, and spots for snorkelling and swimming.

Book a Calauit Safari Tour with Coron Travel & Tours, go to www.coron-travel.com/calauit-safari-tour

Dive in, the snorkelling is great Coron has one of the healthiest and richest coral beds and marine life in the country. Most island hopping tours include snorkelling stops, so don’t miss getting in the water. Explore Siete Pecados bordered by seven islets, the Malwawey Coral Garden replete with massive table corals, and the reef near the Skeleton Wreck which has a very shallow depth, and the reef fronting Banana Island . Kayangan Lake is interesting for its underwater rock formations. Most tours provide life vests and snorkelling gear, but it’s sometimes best to pack your own gear.

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Some of the best wreck diving in the region

If you want a more advanced underwater activity, Coron is just the place for you. With a total of 12 well-preserved World War II shipwrecks lying on its seabed, it’s the perfect place for a unique diving experience. The wrecks are mostly Imperial Japanese wartime ships sunk by the US Task Force 38 aircraft in 1944.

For the uninitiated, the Skeleton Wreck — a 25-meter Japanese supply ship — can be seen even by casual snorkelers and is usually included in island hopping tours. But for the real deal, the most popular of the wrecks are the largely intact Irako, the 118-meter long Akitsushima seaplane carrier, the 140-meter Kogyo freighter, and the largest and most popular wreck in Coron, the massive 170-meter long Okikawa Maru Japanese tanker.

The best way to enjoy wreck diving in Coron is on liveaboard diving safaris. Book a five-day to one-week fully catered liveaboard and have the freedom to plan your diving itinerary. Visit

Go back in time in Culion

Culion Island, was a former leper colony established under the American colonial rule in 1906. A leprosarium was built on the island, which fast became known as the world’s largest leper colony. People afflicted with leprosy, an incurable disease at that time, were sent and isolated in Culion to stop the spread of the disease. It was only in 2006 that the World Health Organisation declared Culion leprosy free. These days Culion is a popular historic stop. Revisit the colony’s dark times at the Culion Museum and Archives, which stores valuable records of the island’s history, including discriminatory legislation imposing compulsory segregation. There are fortifications and a massive stone church, the La Immaculada Concepcion Church, on the island built during the Spanish era.

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Climb Mount Tapyas

Seven minutes from Coron Town, the 210-meter tall Mount Tapyas, is a popular, relatively easy climb. Some 723 concrete steps lead to the peak, where you’ll find an enormous white Catholic cross towering over Busuanga Island and the word CORON spelled out in huge white letters, often compared to Hollywood Hills. There’s a view deck at the summit for panoramic views of Coron Town and nearby islands. It’s also the best spot for catching Coron’s stunning sunset. Depending on your fitness, it’ll take about half an hour to reach the top. Time your climb early in the morning or in time to catch the sunset. There are a few pavilions off the side of the hill, perfect for a brief rest, to take in the view, and buy drinks from vendors.

Foodie trip in Coron Town

Coron, a once sleepy town with a few basic eateries catering to tourists has seen quite a number of upmarket and budget restaurants as well as specialty foodie shops open in the past few years. Try the baby-back ribs at Santino’s Grill (@ santinosgrill on Facebook), brick oven-style pizza

8 at Trattoria Altrov’e Coron (@TrattoriaAltrove on FB), grilled meals at KT’s Sinugba sa Balay (now @ umamikusina on FB), budget Filipino dishes at Tita Esh (call +63 917 814 7965), and don’t leave Coron without buying its local produce, cashew nuts, available in most shops in town. The local public market (TX6V4+R6X, Coron Town Proper) is a great place for buying fresh seafood, including dried fish, from the popular danggit fish to dried squid. Hire a private outrigger boat to take you to the islands for the day, and get your boatman to grill your market-bought seafood.

Popular bars include Sigpin Bar, Coco Bar (@CocoBarPH on Facebook), Pirates Tavern Bar (@PiratesTavernCoron on FB), Tribu Kuridas Bar (@tribukuridascoron on FB), Isla Pool Bar ( www.bacaubayresortcoron .com), and Sunburn Rooftop Lounge (@sunburncoron on FB)

Top: Jetski with Royal Island Watersports; baby back ribs at Santino’s Grill. Right, Maquinit Hot Springs, where you can relax in 39C water

Parasail, jetski, kayak, or ride a banana boat

Most resorts can arrange water sports activities from parasailing, jet skiing, or rides on banana boats, crystal kayaks, bandwagon, and hurricane. Royal Island Watersports (www. royalislandwatersports.com) offers parasailing for about Php3,000 (about US$54)per person. You soar to a height of about 300 to 400 feet and stay up for at least 15 minutes, towed by a powered boat. Other water sports costs from Php1,200. Jetskiing costs about Php2,000.

Royal Island Watersports is located at 1st Deck of Coron Harbor Square, New Reclamation Site, Coron Town Proper, tel +63 939 332 5568

In hot water: Maquinit Hot Springs

Located in Sitio Maguinit in Coron, facing Coron Passage, Maquinit Hot Springs is a great stop after a day’s hike or climb up Mt. Tapyas. The waters with an average temperature of about 39-40 degrees celsius is soothing and healing. It can feel scalding at first, but you’ll get used to the heat. The bottom is gravelly and pebbly, but the view of the sea and mangroves and the satisfying heat enveloping your body washes any and all cares away.