Here are the best things to do in Coron to make the most of your trip in Palawan, Philippines.
I suggest staying in Coron for at least three or four days. With more time, you can also take a cruise to El Nido, then continue to Port Barton and even Balabac. You can check out my articles on El Nido and Port Barton here.
Coron is a town located in northern Palawan in the Philippines, on the eastern side of Busuanga Island.
Below you’ll find all the top things to do in Coron – from an island-hopping boat day to a road trip around the island, including the best coffee and dinner spots.
The easiest route is to take a flight from Clark International Airport (CKK). Located around 2 hours by bus or car from Manila, this airport has direct flights to Busuanga Airport (USU).
You will most probably hop on a small turboprop aircraft, if you can make sur to seat on the left side as the view are truly stunning:
The flight is one hour only, and once you land, you can either take a van or tuktuk to your hotel. Otherwise ask your hotel directly to arrange for airport pick up.
Best thing to do when arriving is getting a first feel of Coron by renting a scooter (or car if your’re not comfortable with scooters) and driving around the island. You can stop all along the way to really appreciate the landscapes.
From Coron, take the road to San Jose, you will get to enjoy amazing views all throughout. Whether it is rice fields, hills or even viewpoints of the sea, it is really worth the drive:
You can head to Lakdayan beach, it is absolutely worth the drive. It is a preserved and unknown beautiful white beach with a small island in front, Mitpet island, that you can reach by walking in the sea/swimming.
There’s a little hut making grilled fish or meat on the beach, definitely consider eating your lunch here as it is delicious, and you can’t beat this scenery :
Another great stop is Maquinit Hot Springs. The hot water pools with relax anyone after a day on the road. There are three pools at different temperatures: 38-, 40-and 41-degree Celsius. It is especially nice when the sun is setting as it is less hot outside.
Entrance fee : 300php
After exploring the inland on the first day, I can’t recommend enough booking a boat tour for your second day to discover the little islands surrounding Coron.
I strongly advise booking with Karim Coron (@itsmehakimcoron on Instagram). We booked a private tour for a full day and it was the highlight of our trip.
Here is the number of our guide on the boat, who really made our trip enjoyable and unforgettable : +63 916 149 7615.
We got to swim in Barracuda lake (impressive rocks underwater) and Twin Lagoon. At this location, you can do kayaking on the transparent water, for an additional fee, which I would definitely do again and recommend. We had the most impressive landscapes here :
We then stopped at Kayangan lake view deck to see the most breathtaking view ever (see pictures below) and snorkeled in Siete pescados Marine Park as well as Twin Peaks Coral Garden.
We had lunch at Smith Beach, and had another pit stop at Banul beach.
The included lunch was typical Filipino with Pancit canton (noodles), grilled fish, shrimps, vegetables and fresh fruits.
Finally, if you are looking to do a snorkelling tour, you can book with Nice in Paradise in Coron, we had an amazing day, got to snorkel in beautiful spots, surrounded by unreal landscapes.
We opted for a private tour, from 1pm to 5pm and it was perfect.
There are a lot of good places to enjoy good breakfast, lunch or even drinks. I’ll list here my favorite ones among the ones we tried during our stay.
For breakfast, I would recommend Coffee Kong, they have good breakfast bowls, but also a very nice view from the first floor :
Another good breakfast spot was Bitter Bean Cabana.
For lunch or dinner I definitely recommend El Kuvo Playa Bar and Restaurant for great Filipino food in a beautiful setting.
Another option would be Playa Bar and Restaurant. With their nice terrasse overlooking Coron, they serve really good kinilaw (ceviche).
If you are looking for other types of cuisine, I’d suggest Om’s Thai for great thai food and Mediterrania Coron for greek/mediterranean cuisine.
Lastly, for drinks, you can head to Bam Bar. There are often bands playing and live music .
That’s it for my Coron recommendations!
I hope this article gave you a better idea of what to expect from a four-day trip in Coron, Palawan, it’s definitely a place worth discovering and staying for a while.
If you plan on coming to Coron or The Philippines anytime soon you can check out my article regarding what to know before going to The Philippines here.
If you need a custom itinerary, you can fill this form and I’ll make your own personalised itinerary.
