The remote Philippine island of Coron may not be as popular as its cousin El Nido, but the scenery here is just as amazing, and itβs great for island hopping tours.
There are a bunch of different boat tours to do in the Coron area, and all of them are worthwhile, but the best 1-day tour is the Ultimate Coron Palawan Tour (aka Coron Tour A) that hits most of the highlights near Coron.
This page covers the Coron island tour and the main things you can expect to see on it: Kayangan Lake, Coron Twin Lagoon, Skeleton Wreck, CYC Beach, Malwawey Coral Garden, and more.
Weβll have more general Palawan info and a map of all the Calamian islands soon!
Best Coron Day Tour Packages
First of all, if youβre looking for a good tour provider, Klook has high rated Palawan boat tours for very competitive prices.
Their Coron Ultimate Tour package (aka Tour A) costs 1,600 peso ($30 USD) and includes all of the usual stops like Kayangan Lake and Twin Lagoon, plus some good beaches and snorkeling locations. You also get free lunch and hotel pickup. This is a better price than many of the tour companies youβll find on the street in Coron town!
The other advantage of booking an online tour like this is that you can pay by credit card or Paypal, so you wonβt have to run to the ATM constantly (and the ATMs in Coron are not known for being very reliable in the first place).
Book Now: Coron Palawan Tour A
Coron Ultimate Tour (A) β What To Expect
The Coron island tour A includes 6-7 scenic stops, and you can expect to spend about 45-60 minutes at each major stop (with the exception of the short one at Skeleton Wreck).
Itβs worth noting that your tour guide will probably tell you 30-45 minutes at each stop, but it usually ends up being closer to an hour at each stop because of stragglers (and thatβs okay!).
The full tour runs from 8 AM to 5 PM (or later) since you also have to spend an hour or two on the boat riding between islands. No worries though, because even the transit bits are scenic and filled with good photo ops!
Lunch On The Tour
Free lunch on the boat is included in every tour, with a typical lineup of grilled fish, pork, chicken, veggies, rice, and plenty of fresh fruit like pineapple and watermelon. Most tours give out snacks near the evening too.
All of the food was great. Some people worry about the hygiene / food prep safety on these boat tours, but in more than two dozen tours our stomachs never had any issues at all (and we ate like pigs)!
Best Things To See
β’ Kayangan Lake & Viewpoint
This is the most famous viewpoint at Coron island, and thereβs usually a long line to take pictures of it. You can see why! Even when the lagoon is clogged with tour boats, it still looks amazingly scenic.
After you hit up the viewpoint, you can walk down to Kayangan Lake for a quick swim. The lake is nice too, but it gets a little crowded and youβre forced to wear a life jacket. I prefer the viewpoint.
β’ Coron Twin Lagoon
This is an incredible pair of turquoise lagoons, and for me it was probably the highlight of Coron because of the jaw dropping drone photo ops. You can take amazing aerial pictures at the twin lagoon.
Donβt get me wrong, this is a great spot for swimming and kayaking, and even pics with your phone will look nice, but just check out some of these barely edited photos from above!
β’ Malwawey Island
This is a small island sticking out of Malwawey reef. We took our lunch here, chilled in the hammock, and then did some swimming with the fish.
Depending on where you book your Coron Palawan tour, some companies may skip this island and go to one of the other beaches instead, like Smith Point Beach, Banul Beach, or Atwayan Beach, but all of these are in the same area and look pretty similar.
β’ Skeleton Wreck
This is a cool World War II shipwreck that went down near the Malwawey reef.
You can reach Skeleton Wreck by freediving (no special gear needed), but since it lies about 10 meters deep itβs not the easiest feat and may not be for everyone.
In any case, you can see better things if you do a bit of scuba diving around Coron.
β’ Malwawey Coral Garden
The Malwawey reef was one of the places we stopped for snorkeling. We didnβt see a ton of fish here, but we did see beautiful coral in good condition, and the depth was shallow enough to see all of it up close.
Depending on where you book your tour, some companies may skip this spot and go to one of the other snorkeling spots instead, like Siete Pecados, Twin Peaks, or Smith Coral Garden. All of these are pretty amazing!
β’ CYC Beach
This is a tiny circular island just off the coast of Uson island. It has a nice white sand beach, and coconut/drink sellers paddling around in canoes selling their wares.
The water at CYC Beach is shallow and we saw some great fish and coral here, but watch out for incoming boats because the island does get a bit crowded throughout the day.
List Of Tour Locations
Here is a complete list of locations you might see on the Coron ultimate island hopping tour.
Keep in mind, not all Coron tours manage to visit every single one of these places in a day tour:
- Atwayan Beach
- Banol Beach
- Barracuda Lake
- Beach 91
- CYC Beach
- Green Lagoon
- Hidden Lagoon
- Kayangan Lake
- Kayangan Viewpoint
- Malwawey Coral Garden
- Siete Pecados
- Skeleton Wreck
- Smith Coral Garden
- Sunset Beach
- Sunset Cove
- Twin Lagoons
- Twin Peaks Coral Garden
As you can see, there are a ton of locations here!
Again, not all Coron tours manage to visit every single one of these places in a day tour, so if one of the spots is especially important to you then Iβd recommend double checking the itinerary with your tour guide before you go.
More Palawan Travel Tips
I hope you enjoyed this guide for the Coron ultimate island tour.
Are you looking for more information on Coron island in the Philippines? Check out my full Coron Travel Guide with free tips, photos, and more.
Palawan Island Hopping β El Nido Tour A | B | C | D | Coron
You can click the links above for more info on the other Palawan island hopping tours!
Coron Multi-Day Trips
If youβre looking for something bigger and better than the Coron day tours, you can also join multi-day sailing trips in Coron and the surrounding area, with some expeditions lasting up to 4 days and 3 nights, taking you all the way from Coron to El Nido, or vice versa.
This can be a great way to go island hopping in paradise without the crowds and time constraints of a simple day tour, and you get to see a lot of nice new islands that are off the beaten path and not included on the main day tours. Itβs also a fun way to meet other travelers.
There are several companies offering multi-day trips in Palawan, but one of the highest rated is Big Dream Boat Man. Theyβre based in Coron, and they also have sailing expeditions that go all the way to El Nido, stopping at some amazing places along the way!
Book Now: Coron Palawan Sailing Expeditions
Coron Hotels
Where We Stayed
We stayed at Coron Visitors Hotel in town for 1,400 pesos ($27 USD) per night. This price got us a clean double bed with cold A/C and a private bathroom.
Keep in mind this is a relatively remote island in the Philippines, and the hotel scene is still struggling to develop and catch up with rapid demand, so donβt expect luxury.
Even so, this is one of the best budget friendly hotel options we could find in Coron. The location was perfect -β just a 5 minute walk from great restaurants -- and the staff were very helpful in arranging airport transfers, tours, and other things for us!
Prices may fluctuate from time to time, so just keep an eye out for a good deal.
We stayed at Coron Visitors Hotel for $27 USD
See Also
- El Nido Palawan Island Hopping Guide
- Coron Palawan Island Hopping Guide
- Coron vs El Nido - Which Is Better?
- My Philippines Travel Guide β Tips, Info & Photos