Hey, travellers! More holidays and long weekends are approaching. Have you chosen your next destination yet? Why not consider Coron in the beautiful province of Palawan. Do you know that Coron Island is a gem to the crown of Philippine holiday destinations? This island paradise is waiting for you to explore. And to save more time on your planning, here’s a suggested 3-day Coron itinerary for starters.
Also read: 12 Things to Do in Coron, Palawan on Your Very First Getaway
How to get there
There are direct daily flights from Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila to Francisco B. Reyes Airport in Busuanga, Coron. Airline operators include Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific, CebGo, Skyjet, and Air Juan Aviations. Flying time is approximately 40 minutes to an hour depending on the airline. CebGo is the earliest airline to leave Manila to Busuanga at 6.05am followed by Philippine Airlines at 6.15am. The latest afternoon flight from Manila to Busuanga is at 2.45pm. There are also other available flight schedules between these times. Just check with the airlines’ respective websites.
Where to stay
Sunrise Villa | Image credit: Club Paradise PalawanThere are many accommodations in Coron that range from budget-friendly to high-end, but we recommend Club Paradise Palawan to maximise your 3-day Coron getaway. Aside from being located in Coron’s most strategic location, it also offers a lot of thrilling activities and unique amenities for you and your travel buddies.
The island’s tactical setting makes it the best jump-off point to all other destinations included in this itinerary. Trust me, you'll never regret making Club Paradise Palawan your home away from home in Coron. The first day of your itinerary should be spent here. With all of the club’s trick up its sleeve, I’m sure you will have the adventure of your life here.
Learn more about Club Paradise Palawan on TripZillaSTAYS.
Day 1: Nature-tripping and relaxing
Image credit: Club Paradise PalawanKick-start your day with an underwater expedition at the House Reef of Club Paradise. Protected for the last 15 years, it boasts colourful underwater flora and fauna. The seagrass field along the shallows of the beach is the favourite grazing ground of exotic, gentle sea creatures, such as dugongs and sea turtles. You have to see them for yourselves.
Image credit: Club Paradise PalawanAnd if you prefer diving in some of the world’s famous dive sites around Coron, Club Paradise Palawan will also gladly arrange it for you.
Hearty lunch picnic at the Hidden Beach
Hidden Beach is one of Club Paradise Palawan’s three beaches. As the name suggests, the beach is hidden beyond a rocky cliff on one end of the island. It provides a perfect spot for lunch picnics as there are only a handful of people found in this area at any given time. It is an ultimate place to relax after a hearty meal.
Open-water kayaking
Image credit: Club Paradise PalawanExperience the freedom courtesy of the vast, clean waters surrounding the resort through paddling your way around in a kayak. This is one of the many unique adventures offered by Club Paradise Palawan that you don’t want to miss.
Sunset cocktails at Dugong Bar
Image credit: Club Paradise PalawanAfter exploring the island’s water, another way to make your stay at Club Paradise Palawan worthwhile is to sit down, relax and grab your favourite coolers at Dugong Bar. It has a wide selection of wines, cocktails, spirits, and even non-alcoholic beverages for those who are not in the mood for booze. On top of this, you may also enjoy indoor entertainment, such as billiards, darts, foosball, and table tennis.
Stargazing at Malpagalen Island
Image credit: Club Paradise PalawanA nice way to cap off the day of fun and adventure is a night of stargazing. Fortunately, there is a place in Coron where you can do just like that – Malpagalen Island. With no trees to obstruct your view of the skies, it is a perfect place to marvel at the stars and other visible wonders of the outer space lighting up the night sky.
Day 2: Island hopping
Image credit: Club Paradise PalawanAre you ready to embark on your second day of adventure? Hop on a boat and explore these must-visit islands around Coron with gorgeous beaches to beat. By the way, you may ask Club Paradise Palawan to assist in your island hopping escapade.
Diatoy Island
Image credit: Club Paradise PalawanOffering one of the best snorkelling spots in Coron, Diatoy Island is a small islet near Club Paradise Palawan. Aside from snorkelling, you can also kayak in the open, ride a banana boat, ride the wind via paraw sailing and have a boodle fight lunch in this secluded strip of heaven on earth. Feel free to ask Club Paradise for this exclusive island experience.
Image credit: Club Paradise PalawanBulog Dos
Located approximately an hour and a half motorised boat ride from Coron town is Bulog Island. It has a viewing deck suitable for having the most panoramic view of the island’s gem – the sandbar. The water around the island is crystal-clear making its underwater treasure visible as your boat approaches the beach. This place, too, is an ideal snorkelling spot. Make sure to bring your own snorkelling gears and charge your cam’s battery to the fullest as the island provides hard-to-resist scenic angles for you to aim your lenses on.
Malcapuya Island
Malcapuya Island is the perfect picture of a tropical island: powdery, white sand beaches, coconut palms lining the beach, and yes, crystal-clear waters! These are the things that await you here. The island is relatively still in its pristine condition, and the hill on the edge of the island’s southernmost part will give you an amazing view of the island. It is also on this part of the island that the waters have different hues: turquoise, aquamarine, emerald.
Banana Island
Image credit: Niraj RajmohanThis is another picture-perfect tropical island destination you should never miss. Do you know why this island is called Banana Island? It was named as such because the island resembles a banana when viewed from the top. The island’s official name though is Dicalabuan Island.
Be prepared to be enticed by the sparkling clear waters and fine white sands here, and don’t hesitate to jump in your snorkelling gears to see the real beauty of this island, which lies just a few metres beneath its waters. Vibrant corals, giant clams, and other marine creatures will truly make your visit worthwhile.
Day 3: Coron Island tour
The main Coron Island has a lot to offer too, so we suggest you allot the last day to discover its wonderful gems. You may arrange for an exclusive Coron Island Tour to some of these enchanting spots with Club Paradise Palawan.
Mt. Tapyas
Image credit: H.abanilTaking a climb on Coron’s second highest peak is not a bad way to start your day of course, especially early in the morning when you could still catch the rising sun. Unlike any other climbs, the way to the summit of Mt. Tapyas is made easier by around 700 concrete steps with guard rails on both sides and benches along the way. The view of the ragged Coron Island contours from up there is a reward worth coming back again.
Siete Pecados Marine Park
Siete Pecados Marine Park is the most convenient jump-off point to any other major tourist destinations because it is the nearest snorkelling spot from Coron town itself. This 52-hectare protected marine area is teeming with colourful life under its sparkling clear waters. The seven islets – where the place got its name – with their amazing limestone cliff formations add to the mesmerising experience.
Maquinit Hot Spring
Image credit: Matt KiefferFrom a chilling marine park dip, invigorate yourself at the hot waters of Maquinit Hot Spring. Its stimulating waters, ranging from 37° to 40° Celsius, will certainly soothe your weary soul. Just a piece of friendly advice: you might feel uncomfortable the moment you dip into its waters, but wait for your body to adjust to the water temperature and you will feel its soothing effect after.
Kayangan Lake
Image credit: TudernaDo you know that Kayangan Lake is awarded as one of the cleanest lakes in the whole of Asia? The place owes its tidiness to the Tagbanua tribe native to Coron. Now is your chance to see how pristine this place is despite being frequented by many visitors to Coron.
The lake’s water is brackish – a mix of saltwater and freshwater – making it an ideal spot for underwater exploration. Under Kayangan’s clear turquoise waters you will find an inviting rich marine life. And a short climb up Kayangan’s karst formations before reaching the lake provides breathtaking views of the lake’s surroundings. You should never miss this stop!
Barracuda Lake
Image credit: Club Paradise PalawanLonging for a natural swimming pool? Then Barracuda Lake is waiting for you! Dive into its inviting blue-green waters and experience complete invigoration through rising water temperature as you go deeper! Hidden behind towering rock walls, Barracuda Lake has beautiful immaculate sceneries to boast, not to mention a 30-metre cave situated 33 metres underwater on the lake’s north wall.
Twin Lagoon
Image credit: Club Paradise PalawanNext on the list is the Twin Lagoon. The lagoon’s sparkling emerald brackish waters, coral reefs alive with colours, and vibrant tropical marine life are so magical that it tells you to forget other similar places and just enjoy the entrancing moment here. Together with the lagoon’s jaw-dropping limestone cliffs, you might not want to leave this place sooner.
Banol Beach
Image credit: lolayBanol Beach is the perfect stop after an adventure-filled morning. Here, you can rest at the calm environment provided by the steady sea breeze and the powdery white sand. The resort has native huts on stilts along ideal locations around the beach, but the ones offering the most picturesque and ideal locations are those situated adjacent to the towering limestone cliffs.
And if you want to stay a little longer, Banol Beach also boasts a rich marine ecosystem worthy of another underwater exploration before heading to the next itinerary on this list.
Skeleton wrecks
Image credit: Club Paradise PalawanUnder this relatively calm water lies the scattered remains of seven Japanese Imperial Navy ships used during their World War II campaign. The tip of one of these wrecks can be found just five metres down its watery resting place. Though the ships were once used as killing machines, they now serve a better purpose: a diving sight to behold, and home to a countless number of marine species that now made these wrecks their enduring home.
Atwayan Beach
Image credit: Renzelle Mae AbasoloSituated not far from Skeleton Wrecks is the white sandy shores of Atwayan Beach. The transfixing beauty of this place will immediately send your imaginations flying to far-flung getaways, such as Maldives and Fiji. Lush greeneries jutting out of steep limestone cliffs are a sight to behold, and corals teeming with marine wildlife in this area make Atwayan Beach an inviting place. Prepare your snorkelling gears as soon as you step into this place. Thousands among thousands of leisure-seekers have already set foot on this unspoiled beach and there is no reason for you not to.
Calauit Safari Park
Image credit: MikeOcampoExhausted from all the hiking, diving, and watersport activities you have had so far? How about taking a side step exploring Calauit Safari Park? This game reserve and wildlife sanctuary in Calauit Island is one of Philippines’ most diverse and unique tourist destinations. Seeking refuge in a 3,700-hectare island are exotic flora and fauna from Africa and Palawan itself. Among the island’s inhabitants are giraffes, waterbucks, the Calamian deer, elans, freshwater crocodiles, monkeys, bearcats, bushbucks, zebras, and different species of birds roaming freely around the island. Club Paradise Palawan has an exclusive tour package to this exciting destination inclusive of tour guides, boat transfers, tour vehicles, park entrance. You can arrange it during your stay at the resort.
Also read: How I Spent 3 Days in Coron, Palawan for Only PHP 4,950 (All-In)
With all these natural wonders and exciting adventures in Coron, you should definitely consider it for your next long weekend getaway! Do check out TripZillaSTAYS for more getaway ideas in the Philippines.
