Coron Island & Busuanga Travel Guide : Things to do, where to eat & where to stay
Coron Island and Coron Town are two different locations. Coron Town is located on the island of Busuanga, while Coron Island is a protected natural reserve a minutes by boat south of Busuanga. You can see it from Coron Town.
Coron is the paradise for the beach, sea, nature and dive lover. Coron is famous for its deep blue lagoons & lakes, incredible islands and beaches, but also for its dive spots. Especially the World War II wrecks and some incredible coral reefs.
To visit Coron Island, the best thing to do is to do either a joiners Island boat tour or a private boat tour.
Things to do in Coron & Busuanga
Coron Island Boat Tour
Most people do a boat tour around Coron Island. There are plenty of tour companies in Coron town where you can book your tour. Prices go from 750pesos/person to 1750pesos/person depending on which places you want to see on Coron Island. Boats take between 6 to 25 persons.
Private boats are available if you want to go at your own pace and without 20 other people. Prices start at 2,500 pesos for the boat. If it includes the 500 pesos for the (mandatory) guide, then it’s the best price you’ll get. Then you’ll have to add the food (200 to 250 pesos per person), which we recommend because they buy the food at the market in the morning and cook in on the boat so it’s really nice.
Then you will have to add the entrance fees. Each place of interest on Coron Island comes at a fee, depending on what it is. For an entire day you will probably visit between 5 and 6 places. The must dos according to us are Coral Garden, Kayangan Lake and Twin Lagoon. Do not miss them !!
Places to see on Coron Island (with prices)
Kayangan Lake
300/pax. The picture below is actually the view of the bay at the entrance of Kayangan Lake, not Kayangan Lake itself. The scenery is incredible, and while the lake is beautiful, there is not much to do. It is now mandatory to wear Life Jackets while swimming in the lake.
Barracuda Lake
200/pax. Similar to Kayangan Lake, clear blue turquoise water and beautiful rock formations but again, not much to do.
Coral Garden
100/pax. An amazing snorkeling spot, beautiful corals and many fish, even a sea turtle. Not to be missed !
Twin Lagoon
200/pax. A beautiful place to be enjoyed with less people. The boat stops in the first lagoon and there is a tunnel to access the second lagoon. When it is high tide (from late morning till end afternoon), you can access via stairs, watch out they are very slippery !
Smith Beach
100/pax. The picture below is a view taken from Coral Garden, very near Smith beach, not Smith beach itself. When we got there it was pooring rain ! Smith Beach is where most of the boat tours stop for lunch, and it’s a tiny tiny beach. Nothing incredible. Skip it if you can, not worth 100 pesos.
Siete Pecados
100/pax. Good for snorkeling.
Skeleton Wreck
100/pax. Good for snorkeling, it’s a wreck so no corals. We haven’t done it so we can’t advise much.
Twin Peaks Reef
150/pax
Atwayan beach
100/pax
CYC Beach
The only (apparently) free beach on Coron Island. Very crowded.
Banol Beach
100/pax
Islands to visit around Busuanga & Coron
Appart from Coron Island, there also many other beautiful islands to visit around Coron and Busuanga. It will not be possible to do that the same day of your boat trip to Coron as they are further away, so you might want to add another day to your Coron itinerary for that.
- North Cay Island 200/pax
- Malcapuya Island 200/pax
- Banana Island 200/pax
- Bulog Dos Island 150/pax
- Pass Island 200/pax
- Black Island 200/pax
Things to do around Coron Town & Busuanga Island
Best thing to do is to rent a motorbike in Coron Town and go around. We recommend Angel Motorcycle Rental on the main road. A motorbike for 6 to 12 hours was around 500 pesos if I remember correctly. Other solution is to take a trike but they will ask you a lot of money !
- Mont Tapas for sunset
- Maquilit Hot Springs (200/pax)
- Conception Waterfalls : nothing incredible but it’s nice, you can swim and mostly only locals go there. If you go to Conception, eat at Ann & Mikes restaurant and guesthouse. Food is good, homemade and cheap.
The best dive shops in Coron Town
We haven’t done any diving with them as they were all booked for the time of our visit but these are the top 4 dive shops recommended online :
- Rocksteady Dive Center
- Corto Divers
- Neptune Dive Center
- Fun & Sun Dive Travel and Tours
Where to eat in Coron Town
- Brujita : best food we’ve had in the Philippines. Many vegetarian & vegan choices.
- Le Vines : great breakfast & vegetarian options, great wifi and sitting area upstairs if you need to get some work done.
- Altrove : we queued almost half an hour outside for this apparently famous pizzeria, which, sorry to say, wasn’t extraordinary. It might please the non europeans, but for us and especially Antoine who is half French, half Italian, the pizzas did not match our expectations. Good, but not worth the wait !
Where to stay in Coron Town
Budget
- Patrick & Tezz Guesthouse : Best cheap accommodation in Coron Town. Friendly owners, lovely dog & cat, small & basic room but we were the only ones using the “shared” bathroom next door, nice small pool, terrace, hot water, fridge & toaster available for your food, and lounge with tv.
- Lagrosa Backpackers : They were fully booked when we were there but their rooms were clean & decent.
Mid-range
- Jim’s Castle Inn : recommended by a couple of friends, best Wifi in town !
- Suzen Coron : quiet & remote, for travelers looking for a more comfortable & quiet stay.
Where to stay : The best resorts in Coron, Busuanga Island
Puerto del Sol
If you’re looking for a luxurious and relaxing getaway far from the crowded and busy Coron Town, there are many resorts on the western part of Busuanga. We had the chance to be invited by Puerto del Sol Ecoresort for a 2 days stay and are forever grateful to had this opportunity. It is a wonderful place, different from the other resorts. It has the best views on Busuanga Bay and a mediterranean-like design. If you are southern European, you might not want to stay there if you’re looking for something different than what you’re used to. But still, I myself loved their feeling like I was in Greece 🙂
Other ecoresorts in Coron, Busuanga Island
- Sangat Island Resort
- Al Faro
Budget accommodation on Busuanga
Busuanga is a big island, for the budget traveler looking for a more authentic experience and quiet budget accommodation away from Coron town, just take one of the buses or vans going towards Busuanga, the village, and stop in one of the villages like Conception or Salvation. There were a few guesthouses, like Ann & Mike Restaurant & Guesthouse in Conception.