Discovering Coron
November 3, 2002 | 12:00am
If you have no problem flying for an hour in a 19-seater LET-410 plane followed by a really bumpy 45-minute jeepney ride, then pack up your bag because Coron beckons.
Coron is a world-class dive site and is one of the most famous among the more than 100 islands that make up the Calamianes in northern Palawan. Tourists find Coron town as the best jump-off point for most tours and activities, including island-hopping, scuba diving, kayaking, snorkeling, swimming, fishing and trekking. Coron is also a boat ride away to the world-renowned game preserve and wildlife sanctuary on the island of Calauit.
All these adventures begin when you take the chartered flights of South East Asian Airlines (SEAIR) from Manila to Busuanga. The small LET-410 plane is proven to be ideal for the short take-off and landing runway conditions that you’ll find in Busuanga. But one’s jimjams about flying should go away the moment this tiny aircraft hovers for a wonderful view of the islands minutes before landing.
Be ready to miss many of city life’s modern amenities once you set foot on Busuanga. There will be no taxis, ATMs, regular payphones or any signal for your Globe cellphone. But you’ll likely find friendly stray dogs at the airport wagging their tails next to well-tanned tour guides as they all welcome you.
You can base yourself in any of the affordable lodges in Coron like the Bayside Divers Lodge. But if you really want to be away – even from a small, sleepy town – the Dive Link and Coral Bay are two destinations you might want to try.
Coron, like many other islands in the Calamianes, boasts of small white sand islands, clear aquamarine waters, dramatic cliffs, limestone walls, lakes and lagoons, marine life and coral reefs. Of special interest to recreational and technical divers are the World War II wrecks that lie at the bottom of Coron Bay. Local and international divers come here to see at least seven Japanese vessels that were sunk here toward the end of the WWII by US Navy Admiral "Bull" Halsey’s navy bombers.
Coron Island is a 20-minute boat ride from the town.
You might just find the fresh seafood, especially the crab, as the next biggest attraction of Coron. The good news is you can pig out on seafood even when you leave Coron to explore other islands and beaches. Be sure to visit or at least cruise the Barracuda Lake, Cayangan Lake, Dimakya Island and Siete Pecados, among others.
Barracuda Lake, which is also on Coron Island, lies behind an array of limestone walls. Visitors have to get off their boat and walk some 15 to 20 minutes behind and up the walls to Barracuda Lake, where a giant barracuda was reportedly last sighted many years ago.
Cayangan Lake requires a 15-minute trek up the hill so it’s advisable to bring a small bottle of mineral water. Make sure you’ve applied mosquito repellant all over your body before the climb. The reward for your calorie-burning effort is a view of the Cayangan Lake, recognized for three consecutive years as the cleanest lake in the country. Divers have the added attraction of experiencing its thermal layer at a depth of 14 meters where water temperature rises to 38 degrees Celsius.
The Dimakya Island is home to Club Paradise Resort where occasional sightings of dolphins, sea turtles and the endangered dugong are reported. But if you’re not lucky enough to see these elusive marine creatures during your visit, surely you won’t be denied the beauty of Siete Pecados. As the name implies, Siete Pecados is made up of seven islets strung in the waters between the islands of Coron and Busuanga.
Collective efforts to promote tourism in Calamianes are being undertaken by CATE or the Calamianes Association of Tourism Establishments. Organized in 1997, CATE is a loose organization of resorts, lodging houses, restaurants and bars, dive shops, souvenir shops and other places that provide tourist services.
SEAIR also contributes to the promotional effort of the local tourism council by actively bringing in tourists to the Calamianes. "We want to make remote, beautiful tourist spots like Busuanga more accessible and affordable to all types of tourists and visitors," said SEAIR director Nikos Gitsis. "With our daily, one-hour flights to Busuanga, planning the perfect vacation to Palawan becomes easier."
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