CORON ISLAND TOUR

Twin Lagoon

(Photo courtesy of Ms. Nelsielene)

It was half past five when I arrived in Domestic Airport (Terminal 4) and tons of passengers were at the queue to check-in and even more crowded at the waiting area for boarding. Originally, my flight was supposed to be at midnoon, but Cebu Pacific emailed me, informing that it was moved to late afternoon. Instead of getting pissed and affected toward this unexpected flight change, I took advantage of the situation to alter my flight schedule. So I called the customer support and requested for the first flight. Gladly, there were still seats available. After I received my itinerary, I did the web check-in right away so the airline wouldn’t have the chance to move my flight again.

All passengers bound for Busuanga boarded in ATR 72-600 aircraft, 20 minutes after 6am, 4 minutes earlier than our expected time of departure. It only took an hour to have reached Francisco B. Reyes Airport. My accommodation had no van service to pick me up at the airport, I had no choice but to commute all the way to the town proper and be at the travel agency for my tour that morning. 

Van service to and from the aiport

Somehow, I was a bit anxious because I might not make it on time. It took roughly an hour when I finally reached the town. Then I directly approached the travel agent and asked if I could still join in. And yes, I was the last person on the list. I immediately changed my clothes and put on my swimwear.

The temperature was 32 degrees celsius and mostly sunny and very warm that day. We were a total of 16 guests in Coron Island Ultimate Tour B, as what the agency usually calls it and it includes the following sites:

1. CYC Beach

2. Siete Picados Marine Park

3. Hidden Lagoon

4. Calachuci Coral Eden 

5. Kayangan Lake

6. Baraccuda Lake

7. Twin Lagoon

This tour package ranges from P1200-1400, depending on the agency that organizes it. The tour includes one guide, boat transfer service, a life vest and a snorkeler per guest, and lunch served in one of the islands. Thank God, we were assisted by a very reliable and accommodating guide who is also a licensed scuba diver, named Vincent.

The area where the guide gets the waiver and the registration form

Before getting on the outrigger boat, our guide gave us 2 pieces of paper to sign on, which served as the waiver or agreement stating that the agency is not liable for whatever happens to us during the tour. All just signed and everyone couldn’t wait for the splendor that awaited us. Afterwards, he discussed important reminders and a brief orientation about the sites.

Our guide as he was explaining our itinerary that day

It was quarter to 11 in the morning, when we reached our first destination- CYC (Coron Youth Club) Beach. The water here is crystal clear, a good place to do snorkeling and searching for fish underneath some mangroves commonly situated along the shoreline. Plus the sand is powdery white. Actually, this island used to be a diving or snorkeling site before but due to typhoon that has recently struck Coron, majority of the coral reefs on shallow water were seriously devastated.

CYC Beach

We spent an hour here and were given a chance to learn the proper way of snorkeling, pretty useful for our next site. It was a very favorable skill taught one by one by our amenable guide.

Next stop- Siete Picados. An ideal site for a diverse marine life where you can witness a breathtaking view of coral reefs and school of fish truly captivating to your eyes due to its playful hues and shapes. The place suits all kinds of diver, whether you are a beginner or a professional one. Initially, I was a bit shaky and gasping for breath really hard. In contrast, when you get used to the proper method of breathing and flow of the waves, everything will turn out well. In order to have enough energy for other attractions, the best way you could possibly do is to hold the rope, connected to every part of the 7 islets. Again, we were only given half an hour to enjoy and explore the area, so to make most of your time, you just go on your own.

Siete Picados Marine Park

Not too distant to Siete Picados, you’ll surely have fun on the shallow water of Hidden Lagoon. This big body of water is very clear and tranquil. With or without your life vest, and of course a good skill in swimming, this place is for you. The ground is mostly fine white sand with no seaweeds that may interfere your view underwater. It was almost midnoon, and some of us were starving. The captain told us that the depth of the water would be low tide soon. We had no choice but to go on our journey to this attraction.

Hidden Lagoon

It took us 20 minutes to explore the place, then headed straight for Calachuchi Beach afterwards for a sumptuous lunch. By the way, for your information, Calachuchi is a common flower in the Philippines which has white petals and yellow part in the middle. There are small cottages located few feet from the coastline, surrounded by these blossoming trees of Calachuchi flowers. 

I will never forget these starfish ever!

Then you can spot a handful of starfish sprawled out along the beach. It was in fact my first time to touch one. And when I was about to take some photos of them, someone in the group, who’s from the UK, freaked out, berated and accused us that we were killing them. You couldn’t just imagine how furious he really was when he saw us touching the starfish. At the back of my mind, I felt guilty somehow and a bit disappointed. But I was sure to myself that I never harmed them nor violated anything. To bring the good mood back to us, we just brushed the situation off and enjoyed the place.

Calachuchi flowers

We couldn’t wait for our meal that noon and for only about 10 minutes, out lunch was ready which was prepared by our guide. Our food were mostly grilled: pork and fish, except for lato (edible seaweeds), steamed rice, and a bunch of bananas as our dessert. I don’t want to be blunt but to be honest, nothing extraordinary about this meal. The pork should have been tender and well seasoned while the fish was supposed to be flavorful to think it was freshly-caught. This is actually something that most tourists, both local and foreign, complain about which our tour operators must improve.

Our lunch: Steamed rice, grilled pork, and lat0

Grilled fish

Primarily, Kayangan Lake was the attraction I was looking forward to visit; however, it was saddening to hear the news that it was closed for several days due to rehabilitation of the site.

The docking area for Barracuda Lake

Frankly speaking, I was torn between the 2 options: Baraccuda Lake and Twin Lagoon. But my concern was my total expense I had that day and I couldn't afford to have them both and go beyond my planned travel budget. Finally, I chose Baraccuda Lake  and it was well worth it. It was exactly 3 in the afternoon when we reached the said lake.Then we needed to swim several meters from the boat due to over congestion of tourists in the area. After that, we had to climbed up on a wooden man-made stairway to the site. It was incredibly dumbfounding to have witnessed such enormous lake right in the middle of the sea, surrounded by high-towering limestones with coarse ridges extending down beneath the lake. And wait until you get to discover what lies beneath this placid emerald water transcending down below. It was even mesmerizing when our guide brought us to the best spot of the lake. I was really in awe to dive and touch the limestone formation beneath the water. It seemed that there was a hidden kingdom or castle to behold or a precious gem that everyone would be astounded and pleased to explore. I will never ever forget that surreal yet stirring experience.

Other guests who I met during the tour

Time flew so fast and one remarkable hour had passed and were down to our last destination.This time, it’s Twin Lagoon. In order to reach the place, one must pass through an opening either by riding on a kayak or floating using a tube. This lagoon is just similar to the one found in El Nido. It is also enclosed by some limestones.

Centipede float all the way to Twin Lagoon

We left the place 5 minutes before 5 pm and reached the docking area or pier after 30 minutes. The tour was pretty exhausting but the experience was incomparably awesome. It just blew my mind. I highly recommend this itinerary to anybody who will visit Coron.

Essential Reminders:

1. Rule of thumb- bring nothing but memories.

2. Based on my experience, any marine species, might it be harmless or poisonous don’t have to be touched nor distracted in their natural habitat. Keep certain proximity to avoid sudden disturbance of some atypical species while snorkeling.

3. Siete Picados is one perfect site for a great selection of corals and fish in different sizes, colors, and shapes.This can be explored in shallow water; thus, stepping or touching, and fishing or catching those admirable creatures are strictly prohibited.

4. Wearing appropriate swimming attire is a must: rashguard and aqua shoes to avoid cuts or lacerations from the sharp edges of some corals.

5. Snorkelers can be rented in some diving office in the town but bringing your own is more desirable and way hygienic.

6. Coron has an immense number of coral reefs and a spectacular marine life, so capturing this once-in-a-lifetime adventure is deploring without the use of any advanced equipment such as GoPro, underwater digital cameras, or even drone. Be sure that they are fully-charged or backed-up with some extra batteries. And don’t forget enough or extra memory cards. 

One of the foreign tourists who had fun navigating his drone

7. Bring fluids and energy bars to replenish you from exhaustion. You never know how tiring the tour will be.

8. Of course, protection for the skin is necessary like sunscreen or sunblock lotion.

 The view of Coron from Mt. Tapyas

Expenses:

P 1400 per person

For inquiry, you may contact these numbers below
+63917-4222-816 (Globe)
+63932-546-2273 (Sun)

Next Topic: Calauit Island Safari Tour

Blogger's Note

Please be informed that details are subject to change at any time, particularly the price, location, and contact numbers. I, therefore advise you to visit their website or email ahead for confirmation when making your itinerary. The blogger cannot be held responsible for the experiences of the readers while travelling.