Coron is a breathtaking place with its jaw-dropping limestone formations, white beaches and crystal clear sweet water lakes. Coron Island is still part of the province of Palawan and located 4 hours by ferry from Palawan Island. The town itself is small, but the main reason for coming here is the island hopping taking you to the magical natural scenery. Find out about the things to do in Coron in 3 days!
Day 1 – Arrival Day
The first day in Coron will be focused on your arrival. As transportation and travelling in the Philippines can be very time consuming and exhausting, you should take enough time to rest before exploring Coron’s hot spots.
Spend the rest of the day in your accommodation to relax and organize your island hopping tour for one of the next days.
➳ Good to know: You can usually book an island hopping tour with your hostel like we did or head into town and book with one of the operators.
How to get to Coron?
You can get to Coron by boat or direct flight from Manila or El Nido.
El Nido to Coron by ferry
Based on our 4-week Philippines Guide, you head to Coron from El Nido, Palawan. The fast ferry usually leaves at 8 am in the morning and takes 4 hours to arrive in Coron. It costs about 30 USD per person. The port is only 15 minutes away from the town by TukTuk.
➳ Read: Top Places to visit in Palawan.
El Nido to Coron by plane
There also is an airport close to Coron Town in Busuanga, where you can take a plane to if you should come from Manila or a different island (you can also fly from El Nido, it takes around 40 minutes and costs 100 USD). After landing, you have to take a shuttle down to Coron. The drive is about 30 minutes long.
➳ Find flights here.
Manila to Coron by ferry
The only way to get from Manila to Coron is by overnight ferry. The ferry ride takes 11 hours and is only available on Thursdays and Sundays.
Manila to Coron by airplane
From Manila, you can take a flight to Busuanga Airport. The flight takes about 1,5 hours and you have to take a shuttle after landing for another 30 minutes to get to Coron town.
➳ Find your flight here.
You find puppies everywhere in the Philippines- also in Coron. For a dog lover like me, it’s hard not to fall in love…
Day 2 – Coron Island Hopping
The island hopping is the main and most popular thing to do in Coron. The tour will take you on a day trip by boat to explore all the stunning islands and lagoons surrounding Coron.
We preferred the island hopping tour in Coron so much more than the one in El Nido! We found the landscape was even more breathtaking and the reef offered some amazing snorkel spots.
Visit Barracuda Lake, Twin Lagoon, Banol Beach and Kayangan Lake all in one beautiful day trip. Especially Kayangan Lake blew our minds.
Kayangan Lake
This crystal clear lake is also known as the “Cleanest lake in the Philippines.” Before heading inside the refreshing water, you have to climb a short 300-step hike. There is a nice viewpoint on the way as well!
Our island hopping group refreshing in Kayangan Lake. 🙂
Despite the rain, the lakes are still crystal clear in Coron. On the way to Kayangan Lake.
Siete Pecados
“Siete Pecados” is an incredible spot for snorkelling and spotting colourful underwater life. Make sure you check with your tour guide to visit this spot, there really are so many fish and corals, it’s beautiful!
Vivian Beach
Our lunch spot was at Vivian Beach and an absolute dream. The tour guides prepared the food that we chose before our tour on the market including rice, fresh fish, fruits and vegetables.
Our lunch spot- could it get even better?
Twin Lagoon, Hidden Lagoon
The Twin Lagoon is a large, azure lagoon only accessible by swimming through a small gap between the cliffs. This place is truly beautiful and the water so clear! Philippines’ lagoons are one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen.
Private tour or group tour?
If you book a private tour, your experience is more likely to be more relaxed and with fewer tourists. This is especially worth it if you are travelling as a couple or in a group! Compared to a group tour it will be more expensive, but worth it.
The advantage of a private tour is that you can choose and buy your own lunch on the market before leaving, bring music and some drinks on board and leave early to be at the hotspots before all the other tourists. Besides that, it’s a more fun trip with everyone including the tour guides!
We met so many amazing travellers in our hostel that we got along with really well, so we decided to share a private boat together for 4,500 PHP (89 USD). Being a group of 10 people we ended up paying only 10 USD each for the whole trip! It was a fun day. 🙂
Here is short insight in Coron’s beauty! That was before we lost our drone drowning in the water……. *cry* 😀
Day 3 – Exploring town
The best way to explore Coron’s surroundings is by renting a scooter. You can get scooters for a day for less than 10 USD.
Ocamocam Beach
If you’re in the mood for a road trip and want to surround the island with the ocean breeze in your hair, Ocamocam Beach is great for a day trip. The beach is in the northern tip of Coron and you have to plan 2 hours of driving time for getting there. It’s a little far but a nice beach to spend the day, have some coconuts and relax!
➳ Love Tropics? Read: Siargao Island- Your Island Guide to Tropical Paradise.
➳ Tip: Plan enough time for this day trip! It’s better to leave early and come back by afternoon when it’s still light outside. Driving back 2 hours in the dark is what you want to avoid (our time management was really bad and it was a loooong dark and rainy 2-hour way back…)
Cabo Cabo Beach
If Ocamocam Beach is too far for you but you still want to have a beach day, you can visit Cabo Cabo Beach. Its small stretch of sand is nice for chilling out.
➳ Please note: There is an entrance fee of 50 PHP to visit the beaches in Coron.
Mt Tapyas- Coron’s viewpoint
Hiking Mt. Tapyas is a popular thing to do in Coron. There are 750 steps leading up the hill with Hollywood-like letters saying ‘CORON’ and from the top, you have a nice view over the bay.
Unfortunately, we came back from Ocamocam Beach very late in the evening, so that we couldn’t climb Mt. Tapyas anymore. However, I’ve heard its worth it and especially beautiful during the sunset.
Best places to eat
Coron is full of different restaurants and cafes to have delicious brekky, lunch or dinner at.
Lolo Nonoy’s
If you’re looking for delicious local food, this is your go! Lolo Nonoy’s is an amazing place to eat where we went for lunch every day because it’s so delicious and cheap as well. You have different choices and also vegetarian options. Besides that, it’s safe to eat here. The restaurant is always full and none of us got any stomach problems.
Summer Cafe
We haven’t been to Summer Cafe, but it’s known to be one of the town’s most trendy cafes! They offer yum smoothie bowls and WiFi, which makes it a perfect place for a lunch break. Vegetarian and vegan options are available.
Sigbin Bar
Less about food, more about having some drinks in the evening. Sigbin Bar is a nice cozy place for having some beers or fresh cocktails while listening to Live Reggae bands. There’s a small tattoo shop belonging to the bar, so watch out in case you get inspired for a new tattoo after several drinks! 😀
Where to stay
The best place to stay is in Coron town. From here you can easily reach restaurants, cafes and bars by foot. We love to stay in hostels during our travels, as this allows you to meet fellow travellers and enjoy the social vibes while paying less than for a hotel.
Dayon Hostel
Dayon Hostel is the place we stayed at during our 3 day trip in Coron. It’s a really nice, cozy and clean hostel with super friendly staff! Besides that, we booked our island hopping tour with them which we can highly recommend! Moreover, there is an awesome rooftop bar offering free breakfast.
Hop Hostel
An alternative hostel would be Hop Hostel. Our newly made friends that we met in Coron stayed there and really loved this place. There is a restaurant and a rooftop bar from where you can see the sunset. We headed over here in the evenings to enjoy some drinks with our friends, the hostel offers great party vibes too!
➳ Must Read: 4-week Philippines Travel Guide.
Thanks for reading this 3-Day guide on Things To do in Coron! I hope it could help with planning your upcoming trip. Leave your thoughts and questions below in the comments 🙂
