Is Coron Palawan worth visiting?

First, it is important to clarify that Coron is a city located on Busuanga Island. Then the island of Coron is located in front of Coron town but native people are mostly occupying it.  This has been declared as ancestral land a few years ago, so that location is not developed for hotels.

Coron island has been the home of the Tagbanua tribe. It is one of the oldest ethnic groups in the Philippines. It has been said that they were descendants from the Tabon Man: one of the original inhabitants of the Philippines. In 1998, The Tagbanua tribe of Coron islands, were given more than 22 000 hectares of land and sea. They are the ones to manage the area and protect its sea.

Coron, Palawan is one of the top places to visit in the Philippines. It is truly well known for its azure water, lakes, hot spring but last and not the least its breathtaking shipwrecks. Coron, Palawan holds Second World War wrecks as well as shallow water coral reefs.

Why is Coron Palawan famous?

Back in 1944, September the Japanese fleet was hiding among Coron while a squadron of US bombers discovered and hit them. There are 12 sunken ships at the depths of 10 to 30 meters below the sea. Only few places in the world have such a concentration of shipwreck such as in Palawan, Coron. They are well preserved and mostly lie in shallow water, which make it visible for divers as well as for snorkelers.

Aside from the shipwreck, Coron is also blessed by white sand beaches and coral gardens, which make snorkeling a true experience. Nature has been very generous with this group of islands, also providing lagoons and lakes. All that reunion makes the trip to Coron an entire experience.  It is often compared with its little sibling of El Nido, but most seen as more quiet and slightly less busy.

Things to do in Coron

Most of the best activities to do in Coron are all water related. Here is a list of the top things to do:

1. Island hopping there are a couple of spots, which are worth visiting in Coron, Palawan such as: Kayangan Lake, which is often referred as the clearest lake of Asia. This is the top place to visit in Coron, Palawan. If you have a chance, go to explore Coron island. Surrounded by karst island and with vibrant blue water the entire scene doesn’t even look real. Coron is truly breathtaking. Another place that you must visit is the twin lagoons: during low tide you can swim a little path in order to enter the hidden lagoon.
2. Diving: one of the main attractions in Coron, Palawan will be diving on the shipwrecks. There are 12 of them, mostly well preserved. You can choose a discovery dive in Coron or if you have enough time go for a full certification. Some of those shipwrecks can also be explored while snorkeling.

3. Land trip in Coron: Maquinit hot spring is located outside the city. You can drive there or hire a trike. It will be perfect to relax and watch the sunset after a hard day of exploring Coron, Palawan.
4. Island hop on an expedition trip in Coron: Philippines has more than 7100 islands, many of them are remote and less frequented than others. The route to Coron, Palawan includes hundreds of islands, crystal waters, pristine white sand beaches, coves, underwater caves, and sunken shipwrecks, rarely seen by most tourists. Nativ’ Exploration Palawan is running expeditions between El Nido to Coron, Palawan in order to discover remote The trip from El Nido to Coron is from 3 to 5 days all included: boat, guides, food (can be adjusted to any diets) , tent or bamboo hut according to the base camp), snorkel, kayak. If you are a type of traveler who likes to go outside the beaten track: that experience is made for you. The daily activities from El Nido to Coron are based on swimming, snorkeling, relaxing along the beach where we stop, enjoying sunset view, sharing stories and star gazing around the fire at night, falling asleep to nature’s lullaby until sunrise wakes you from the morning sky. Nativ’Exploration itinerary is about both island-style adventure and discovering a simple way of life.

How many days is enough for Coron Palawan?

A 4 to 5 days trip will be the perfect length to discover Coron, Palawan. If you are planning to dive you might add some more days depending on the diving program, you want to register.

The itinerary that sounds good in Coron, Palawan is to keep 2 to 3 days for island hopping in order to discover: Coron island, twin lake, Kayangan islands and some other islands part of the daily boat trip. Then you can save one day for an inland tour and one or more days for diving, since Coron, Palawan is considered to have one of the best diving spots in the entire Philippines.

Coron vs el Nido, which one is better?

El Nido is mostly more famous than Coron, Palawan. The town of El Nido is small and can be very crowded in the high season. But the islands of the Bacuit bay are truly unique and not seen anywhere else. Coron, Palawan is a bigger city so even when it gets busy you won’t feel that there are too many travelers at one place.  The activities of Nido are mostly island hopping. Coron, Palawan has also a great option such as diving on shipwreck and definitely better snorkeling spots. Coron will also have easier access from the main city since several airline companies are operating there. In El Nido there is only one private airline that operates. If you are not lucky enough to find a ticket with them you will have to travel first to Puerto Princesa and then ride a 5 hours van going to El Nido.

So if you have the possibility I would say that you could try to visit the two: Coron and El Nido!