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Coron Private Island Hopping: How to Ditch the Crowds

05/21/2022 by Kristin Addis 15 Comments

If youโ€™ve been seeing dreamy photos of Coron Island over the years โ€“ Instagram just sneaking them right into your feed โ€“ then like me, this place has probably nestled itself in your mind. Thatโ€™s why when I went back to the Philippines for a third time, I knew that I would be island hopping around Coron.

This was actually not my first time in the area. Back in 2014, I jumped on a liveaboard dive boat and went scuba diving all around the area. But weirdly enough, I have almost no memory of the islands, and I had to fix that!

I spent three days island hopping around Coron and got some juicy insider tips to help you have a more enjoyable experience with smaller crowds. Without further ado:

Table of Contents

Toggle
  • Where to island hop in Coron
  • Hold on!
  • Group vs Private Island Hopping Tours
  • What You Will Need on Your Island Hopping Tour
  • Where to Stay in Coron + Planning and Logistics
  • The Perfect Philippines Itinerary
  • Coron Budget Guide
  • Best Places to Stay in Coron
  • Best Group Tours in Coron

Where to island hop in Coron

The following itineraries are broken down into what is the most logical for each day of your trip. Depending on where youโ€™re leaving from, some places are going to be quite far and therefore more expensive. I have some ways of helping with that too. Letโ€™s start with whatโ€™s closest to Coron town: Coron Island.

Hold on!

Don’t feel like doing all of the legwork yourself? My team member, Ashley, joined the infamous Big Dream Boat Man Coron Island Life Expeditions and LOVED every moment of it. Read the full review here and see if you’re up for this unique, off-the-beaten-path adventure.

Twin Lagoon – 200 pesos

coron twin lagoon
Gorgeous

This is one of the most popular destinations for island hopping in Coron and every tour boat in the vicinity will go there. The entrance fee is 200 pesos and trust me when I say that it will be very popular. That said, if you can manage to arrive before 8am, you can more or less get it all to yourself. Just make sure that you organize the tickets the day before for both this one and the next one on the list.

coron twin lagoon
Quite the view!

Be sure to give yourself plenty of time to explore the area since itโ€™s large and thereโ€™s much swimming to do! You can read my full review of the Twin Lagoon here.

Kayangan Lake – 300 pesos

kayangan lake
Freedive heaven

The other most popular place on this list, this brackish lake is magical in the morning hours, but by 10am itโ€™s packed with people. Iโ€™ve seen it in both scenarios, scuba diving in it back in 2014 and this time after it became instafamous.

coron island hopping
Coron from the air near Kayangan Lake

These days, youโ€™re required to wear a life jacket, just like in Twin Lagoon. However at the lake unlike at the lagoon, there will be someone to enforce it. Unless, that is, you get there right when it opens at 7:30am. Were I to do it over again, I would get there early but for some reason on this trip I just really valued sleeping in! What can a girl do?

Barracuda Lake – 200 pesos

coron island hopping
LOVED this one

I actually liked Barracuda Lake more than Kayangan Lake because I had it to myself for a while by going in the afternoon after the tour boats had mostly moved on. Itโ€™s less popular, so to me it was more beautiful and pretty darn similar.

barracuda lake
Pretty similar to the other one, no?

I enjoyed freediving at both of them, and loved the little needlefish that hug the top of the water!

Banul Beach – 150 pesos

coron island hopping banul beach
The beach from above (bottom right) – just makes me ache to explore these hidden lagoons!

I headed to Banul Beach In the afternoon, after the tours that stop there for lunch had already left. Itโ€™s a small cove with white sand beaches and though grassy and not perfect for snorkeling, it is absolutely perfect for chilling.

Banul Beach coron island hopping
Chill

Most tours will also go to Beach 91 instead, which I donโ€™t feel is any better than Banul, but it certainly is more crowded!

Skeleton Wreck – 150 pesos

skeleton wreck coron island hopping
About 12 meters down

This old WWII wreck is one of few in Coron that you can actually swim to rather than needing dive gear. As an avid diver who has done most of the wrecks in the area, itโ€™s not nearly as impressive as what you can find if you dive, but as snorkeling goes, itโ€™s alright. There are plenty of striped fish around the surface as well.

Realistically, if you canโ€™t freedive you wonโ€™t be able to see much since the wreck is a good 10 to 12 meters down. However if youโ€™re still interested, my pro tip is to go in the afternoon. I had it for a while all to myself!

Siete Pecados – 150 pesos

A favorite snorkeling spot, this is a good one to head up in the morning if you donโ€™t want crowds around. I realize that everything on this list would be best to visit it in the morning, but if I were you I would put the Twin Lagoon first if you organize the boat for 7am, followed by Kayangan and then this one, to best assure you get some solitude.

Malcapuya Island – 150 pesos

philippines itinerary

This island and the next three on this list are all a bit farther from Coron and therefore it takes quite a while to get there. You want to head out earlier in the day and instead of combining this with any Coron Island spots, youโ€™ll want to combine it with the next two.

This is a very popular place to visit nonetheless, so make it the first place that you stop. Itโ€™s a breathtaking white sand beach island with palm trees, but to be honest, Iโ€™d seen a lot of those by the time I got to Coron so this is not an island I visited.

Ditaytayan Island – 150 pesos

This is one I wish I had seen because, as Iโ€™ve established previously, I am a big-time sandbar enthusiast. This is where the tours usually stop for lunch, so if you get there before or after, you have a better chance of some solitude.

Banana Island – 150 pesos

Another beautiful white sand beach, Banana Island is all about chilling in the hammocks provided on the far side of the island. If theyโ€™re all taken when you arrive, people come and go so it wonโ€™t take long to get your turn!

Black Island – 150 pesos

coron black island
Everyone else is missing out!

My biggest pro tip, and a spot that I havenโ€™t seen on any of the other blogs about Coron, is Black Island. Perhaps thatโ€™s why itโ€™s so under the radar, itโ€™s far from town but you could easily spend an entire day just on this island, which I did!

To get there from town itโ€™s a minimum of 7600 pesos, which is probably why so few people go. However for me to go from the treehouse I stayed in at the top of the island (more on that later), I only paid 3500 for my boat.

black island coron
A cave! My cave!

Black Island has it all: uncrowded snorkeling, a big white sand beach, and a few other inlets that you can swim to, and a cave that you can swim in! I found this particularly exciting, because I got to go swimming in a beautiful blue lagoon in a cave and there was nobody else around. This was the perfect secluded Coron island hopping experience Iโ€™d been dreaming of.

coron island hopping
Oh yassss

This is why the islands I previously mentioned just before this one were not as appealing to me, because I already felt like I got a secluded and beautiful experience at Black Island. Iโ€™d highly recommend you split up your stay on Busuanga (the island Coron town is on) between the top side of the island where I was, and Coron town so that you get the best of both worlds.

Group vs Private Island Hopping Tours

coron island hopping kayangan lake
Lots of boats…

I did all of my island hopping in Coron, and El Nido too for that matter, on private boats. When possible, I would share them with others, which took the cost down significantly.

The big benefit of taking your own boat is that you can come and go when you want to, customizing your itinerary as you please. You can also organize the boat to leave much earlier in the day so that you get to experience the popular places without the crowds. If you take a group tour, youโ€™ve got a crowd built in with you and youโ€™ll more or less be going to the same places at the same time as everyone else.

That said, the group tours are significantly cheaper, particularly if youโ€™re a solo traveler. The group tours include all of the entrance fees to the islands and a pretty good food spread. The pricing for private boats doesnโ€™t include any of that. Still, if you can afford it, I always prefer the flexibility of a private boat. The costs are as follows:

  • Coron Island: 2700
  • Malcapuya Island (et al.): 4900
  • Black Island: 7600 (which is why you should stay on the other side of the island and take a boat from there!

Alternatively you can book the group tours on Klook, the cheapest option I know of both in El Nido and Coron:

  • Tour A: Kayangan Lake, Coral Garden, and CYC Beach
  • Tour B: Barracuda Lake, Twin Lagoon, Banul Beach, and Skeleton Wreck
  • Tour C: Malcapuya Island, Bulog Dos, and Snorkeling

Click here to read honest reviews of the group tours available in Coron!

I had the best experience out of all of my Palawan boat experiences by just going straight to the dock (tell the tricycle driver you want to go to Calamian dock and he’ll know what you mean), and getting a 2700 peso boat and asking him to take us anywhere where there werenโ€™t tourists. This is how I enjoyed Barracuda Lake and snorkeled the wreck without other people around. I love the flexibility and itโ€™s worth it to me to pay for that.

If you do book a private boat and you want to go early, youโ€™ll need to organize it the day before. Make sure to do so before 5pm so that you can secure tickets to Kayangan Lake! It may require some coaxing in the morning on your end to get things going, just stay patient and friendly and I’d even preemptively offer a tip to make it happen as early as possible.

What You Will Need on Your Island Hopping Tour

coron island hopping
A heart!

Be sure to bring snacks and water along with you, unless youโ€™re doing a group tour that involves lunch. Near the dock there are little shops that have cashews and dried mango and that was perfect for me! Youโ€™ll also find coconuts and snacks for sale on the islands but theyโ€™re meager and itโ€™s best to bring along food from town with you.

Youโ€™ll also want to bring along snorkeling gear, which you can rent for 150 pesos for a mask and snorkel and 150 for a set of fins. I brought my own mask from home and would suggest you do the same. You can be more sure of the quality and wonโ€™t have to pay the equivalent of 3 US dollars every single day that you go island hopping.

It can also be a good idea to bring along a dry bag (I use this one) if you want to be able to take photos, especially if kayaking in the lagoons. All of these photos were shot with a GoPro HERO7 Black, and my DJI Mavic 2 Pro. You can read more about my camera gear here.

Also be sure to bring along sunscreen, as youโ€™ll have your back to the sun often on this trip. Itโ€™s also helpful to bring along your own beach towel. If you’re there in April or May, a rash guard is a great idea due to the small jellyfish. I got annihilated in the Twin Lagoon!

Where to Stay in Coron + Planning and Logistics

sanctuaria coron
Swimming in the mangroves at Sanctuaria (I’m pointing at the egrets that kept flying by in formation)

As mentioned previously in this article, itโ€™s a great idea to split your stay between two places on different sides of the island. I stayed at Sanctuaria Treehouses for my first two days, organizing the boat to Black Island from there, and then moved to town for my second two days, which brought me closer to Coron Island and the Twin Lagoon. Here’s a full guide to the magical treehouse:

At Sanctuaria you can also kayak through the mangroves or just enjoy the peace and quiet. Itโ€™s so nice and secluded, it was just what I needed after hectic El Nido.

sanctuaria coron
Despite my cat allergy, I cannot resist. I never learn

From there, you can either take a jeepney or ask Sanctuaria to organize a van to bring you to town. It costs 2000 pesos but I was able to split it with three others going my way so it worked out well (and we split a boat later too!)

After that I stayed at Sophiaโ€™s Garden in Coron town for 2 nights, which is a nice resort but Iโ€™m not sure itโ€™s worth the money. If youโ€™d like something more mid range, check out The Funny Lion. Thatโ€™s where the girls I split the boat with stayed and it seemed they liked it.

Update 2023: Unfortunately, Sophia’s Garden Resort closed down due to the pandemic. Hereโ€™s a list of tried and tested hotel recommendations by my team member, who visited Coron in 2023!

I hope this post gives you the insider info you need to have an amazing Coron island hopping experience. The shape of the islands and that beautiful blue water were a sight I wonโ€™t forget anytime soon.

Want to know more about the Philippines? I’ve been all over! Click below to find more adventures:

Coron, Palawan in the Philippines is increasingly popular. However, with these insider tips on where exactly to go on your island hopping trip, guide to accommodation and a review on private and group tours, you might just be able to island hop in Coron without the crowds! Click to read the post now. #Coron
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The Perfect Philippines Itinerary

Coron Budget Guide

Best Places to Stay in Coron

Best Group Tours in Coron

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About Kristin Addis

Kristin Addis is the founder and CEO of Be My Travel Muse, a resource for female travelers all around the world since 2012. She's traveled solo to over 65 countries and has brought over 150 women on her all-female adventure tours from Botswana to the Alaskan tundra.

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I'm Kristin, and my vision of a better world is one where more women are empowered and living out their dreams. Solo traveling is the best method I've found to become the best, bravest version of me. This site is all about how YOU can have the adventure of a lifetime in an easy, fun, approachable way, so that you can feel empowered, too. Want to learn more about me?

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Comments

  1. Mike says

    08/08/2019 at 8:31 am

    I wonder how you managed all those fotos with you, travelling all solo? Hwo is the person behind the camera, who takes all these shots?

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      08/08/2019 at 10:36 pm

      Most of the time I take them myself or ask someone to help me. I wasn’t solo for this trip though and didn’t claim to be anywhere in this post. https://www.bemytravelmuse.com/how-to-take-best-travel-selfies/

      Reply
  2. Rachel says

    10/24/2019 at 11:31 pm

    Thank you so much for all the information! Everything I’ve been searching for in one post.

    I am going in a couple weeks with my boyfriend so we will be splitting the cost of a private boat to take us to these destinations (ones closer to Coron). I was wondering how many hours you have the boat rental for when you pay the PHP 2700 – If we were to start our rental at 7am as you suggested?

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      10/25/2019 at 11:22 am

      It’s pretty much all day. You’ll probably be coming back around 4 or so.

      Reply
  3. Irish Ombrosa says

    11/04/2019 at 6:30 am

    Wow love the post Kristin! It’s very informative.

    Thanks for sharing your Coron Island trip in one of your blog!

    I am a filipino. We’ve een there last 2017 with my daughter and my husband. I enjoyed the Island Hopping tour A that they offer. Lucky for you, you got to try it all out (tours A, B and C). Time was not on our side. Need to be back to our hometown because my husband got to work. But I am hoping that someday we can go back to Coron.

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      11/04/2019 at 3:23 pm

      Yes and if you do you can pick and choose the places you want to go if you get your own boat ๐Ÿ™‚

      Reply
  4. Orsolya Porzse says

    12/02/2019 at 10:57 am

    Hi!

    I am Orsi, from Hungary. We will go to Coron and El Nido with my husband after Christmas, in the very beginning of January.
    After reading your blog, we decided trying to get private boats for island hopping. Thanks for the infos.

    Due to it will be high season and we’ll have limited time at both places, it would be better if I could book those private tours in advance. But how can I find them?

    Do you have any contacts (whatsapp) or sites, or other suggestions how could I do it and with whom?
    I just really would like to avoid missing them, or something. #contorollfreaktraveller ๐Ÿ™‚

    Thanks for your tips in advance:)

    Best,
    Orsi

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      12/02/2019 at 2:35 pm

      Hey Orsi, you can book ahead but it usually costs more online. You can also ask your accommodation to set it up for you, if you already know where you’ll be staying. It may cost more during high season than when I went, as well.

      Reply
  5. Ryan says

    12/26/2019 at 9:29 pm

    You’re blog is so helpful. Thank you for all the tips! I’ll be visiting Coron in Feb 2020! Looking forward to see the place!

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      12/28/2019 at 8:36 pm

      yay enjoy!

      Reply
  6. E says

    01/14/2020 at 9:51 pm

    Hi, I’ve been inhaling your blogs, thank you. Am also going to Coron in February, followed by a liveaboard, and am wondering how to do money. I will need several hundred USD in PHP for the dive boat, in addition to probably laying out a fair amount of cash for lodging, meals, and trips in Coron. I hear I should not depend on ATMs there. But hauling around a bunch of cash? Suggestions? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      01/15/2020 at 6:51 pm

      Coron is probably fine in terms of ATMs. I used one there and had no problems. Some of the smaller islands can be really tough because none of the ATMs will take foreign cards but that’s not usually a problem in Coron.

      Reply
  7. A MURTHY says

    10/15/2022 at 3:06 am

    A very precise and very useful guide. I was trying to locate the CALAMIAN DOCKS on Google Maps, but nothing seems to show up. Is this near the Coron Port shown on Maps ?

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      10/15/2022 at 1:29 pm

      it’s the only one, so it’s easy to find. If you get a ride to the port the driver will definitely know where you’re trying to go.

      Reply
      • James Pearson says

        09/09/2024 at 5:20 am

        Great site and write-up, very useful. Thank you ๐Ÿ™‚ I have the same question. I can’t see CALAMIAN DOCKS on Google Maps. If I look at Google Maps where is it please? You can just give me the general location, even if Google Maps gives it another name please – I can look. Reason I ask, is that I might not need to use driver. Many thanks.

        Reply

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