Coron Palawan - Town Tour, Maquinit Hot Spring, Mt Tapyas & The People

Coron Town - Coron, Busuanga Island, Palawan


Ever been to Coron? Coron is the name of the town and the island. Coron Town is part of Busuanga Island and Coron Island is part of Calamian group of islands where Busuanga Island is a part of. Other main islands in the group of Calamian are Linopacan Island, Calauit Island and Culion Island.




Coron Town - Coron, Busuanga Island, Palawan
Coron Town - a view of Coron Town from Mount Tapyas

CORON TOWN AND THE PEOPLE




While the Philippines is known for being one of the most hospitable countries in the world, Coron is home to some of the nicest and most hospitable people in the country, from the hotel staff, to the restaurant attendants, to the tour guide, to the tricycle drivers, name it, they are a true example of how customer service and hospitability should be. 
Mt. Tapyas, Coron, Busuanga Island, Palawan
You can separate from the crowd and walk your way towards the back side of the big cross at Mt. Tapyas.

TOWN TOUR
Tour operators offer Coron Town Tour but you can actually do it yourself. If you are staying far from the town, you can take a tricycle (fare could be 10 to 50 Pesos depending on your location), but if you are staying in the town center, Mt Tapyas is just a walking distance. Tour operators' town tour includes a visit to the Town Plaza, Harbour Center, Souvenir Shop, Cashew Factory, St. Augustine Church, Mt. Tapyas, Maquinit Hot Spring and Lualhati Park.
Mt. Tapyas, Coron, Busuanga Island, Palawan
Taken at the center below the big Coron sign

MT TAPYAS
Mt Tapyas is Coron's famous landmark. It will take you 721 steps to get to the top, so bring a bottled water with you. The stairs are paved and wide. On your way up, flash your smile and offer it to strangers, the acquaintance maybe fleeting but it will definitely help a lot to boost their confidence. Always take time to rest to catch your breath, remember, it isn't a race. Your stay in Coron Town is more fulfilling if you have climbed Mt. Tapyas.
Mt. Tapyas, Coron, Busuanga Island, Palawan

The stairs to Mt. Tapyas Coron Palawan
The stairs to Mt. Tapyas. Feel free to take a break in between.

MAQUINIT HOT SPRING
Maquinit Hot Spring is a little far from the town center, about 25 to 30 minutes away. If you want to go there just for picture taking, it may not be worth it as the road is bumpy (lubak lubak; kagang kagang), so you really need to dip in the therapeutic water if you have to go there and if you do, do it after climbing Mt. Tapyas. 
Maquinit Hot Spring Coron Palawan
Maquinit Hot Spring - Coron, Palawan

PLACES TO STAY
If you want to be close to everything (restaurants, ATM machines, souvenir shops, etc.), check out properties with the address Poblacion or Barangays 2-4. Busuanga SeaDive Resort is where I stayed at for 2 nights (Barangay 3 or Poblacion 3) and is just a walking distance to Mt. Tapyas, Coron Public Market, Lualhati Park, island hopping's loading and unloading area, etc. On my 3rd night, I stayed at MO2 Westown Lagoon Coron fronting Coron Westown Resort at Poblacion 6, a perfect place to relax and unwind, away from the hustle and bustle of the town center. The hotel is closer to the airport and is just a few minutes away from Coron Town. Two Seasons Coron Bayside and Sunlight Guest Hotel are also close to the town center and very near the Port of Coron, so if you are coming from Manila via 2GO Travel, you will just walk your way towards those hotels. 



Busuanga SeaDive Resort - Coron, Palawan

HOW TO BOOK A HOTEL IN CORON
Before hitting that book button, please keep in mind where do you want to stay. Again, Coron is both the name of the island and the name of the town, always take time to check the map on how close you are to your points of interests. Coron the town is part of Busuanga Island. Coron Island on the other hand is part of Calamian Islands where Busuanga Island is a part of. If you so decide to stay in the island, remember that you need to take a boat to get there. You can book your accommodation via the hotels' websites or via trivago.com, tripadvisor.com, traveloka.com, travelbook.ph, booking.com, agoda.com, hostelbookers.com, hotels.com and any other booking websites.


THE ISLAND HOPPING TOURS
Aside from Coron Town Tour, most tours are island hopping tours, away from Coron Town, Busuanga Island. If you want to stay in the island, I believe your hotel can book a tour for you. Famous island hopping tours are: Coron Ultimate Tour (which is actually Coron Island Ultimate Tour); Culion Island Tour; Calauit Island Safari; Malcapuya Island Escapade and Pass Island Escapade
Twin Lagoon Coron Island Palawan
This is at the docking area near Twin Lagoon, Twin Lagoon is part of Coron Island Ultimate Tour which also includes the most photographed attraction, the Kayangan Lake


Pass Island
This is Pass Island. This is where you take your lunch on your Pass Island Escapade. The tour is more on reefs and shipwrecks, so if you are a diver or are not afraid of deep waters, this tour is definitely for you. 

HOW TO BOOK A TOUR
Upon your arrival at the airport, you can find several pamphlets from several tour operators. Just pick as many as you can and decide from there then text the number listed on the pamphlets. I chose Wonderful Island Travel and Tours. Some other tour operators include: JY Travel and Tours, K-Tours Coron, Be Cool Travel and Tours, Calamian Islands Travel and Tours, Ocean Pearl Travel and Tours, etc.





HOW TO GO TO CORON
You can go to Coron by air from Cebu or Manila via Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific and Skyjet Airlines. You can also go there by a ferry from Manila to Coron via 2GO Travel or from El Nido to Coron via Montenegro Shipping, etc. Alternatively, you can also go there by seaplane from Caticlan (Boracay) and Puerto Princesa via Air Juan.

OFF THE BEATEN PATH
Some of the off the beaten paths in Coron and Busuanga Island are: Mabintangin Cold Spring, Concepcion Falls, Cabo Beach, Bali Beach, Marcilla Beach and Black Island (a lot of good reviews about that island).

How about you, have you been to Coron? Which tour did you book and how was your experience?

CORON ISLAND ULTIMATE TOUR



MO2 WESTOWN LAGOON CORON




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