Coron, Palawan

We're fine... We had very limited or no WiFi at our last destinations. So here are the travel reports...

As the saying goes better late than never. We decided to take the ferry route as it is much cheaper than flying. Of course, everything has its advantages and disadvantages, and so we have to be at the Manila port a whopping 4 hours before the ferry departs.

In addition, we have a 15-hour journey ahead of us, which means we are on the road for a whole day. For Philippine standards, we depart relatively punctually and head south at 1:45 pm.

Once inside the ferry, it feels a bit like prison, with bunk beds stacked upon bunk beds. In the "Tourist Class", these beds are made of wood and there's air conditioning. Fortunately, we're not sleeping in the large dormitory but in a smaller room with fewer beds. It's a bit quieter (we think), but to our surprise, there are many families with small children around us. They don't seem to think about sleep and don't seem to get tired at all.

So we head to the upper deck to enjoy the sun. With a cool drink in hand, it's quite enjoyable here. Before it gets dark, we go back to our bunk beds. The kids are still wide awake and playing tag in the hallways, so we're forced to stay awake as well. Suddenly, crying from the bed opposite us, the little Russian boy has wet his pants. Great, now it also smells like ****.

At 10 pm, the situation calms down (maybe also due to some urging from a young Belgian backpacker), and we can get a few hours of sleep.

It's now 5 am when we disembark the ferry in Coron. We make our way to the hotel and surprise, it is still closed. Luckily, the security guard lets us in, and we can sit in the reception area. At 8 am (we were told it would be at 6:30), someone finally appears at the reception to inform us that check-in is only possible from 2 pm onwards and each hour before that costs an additional 100 PHP.

We quickly decide to go for breakfast and then head to the hot springs (Maquinit Hot Tubes). After a good coffee and no rice for breakfast this time, we set off. After about a 15-minute bumpy tricycle ride on dusty dirt roads, we reach our destination.

There are hardly any people here, which is exactly what we need after the 15-hour journey. The natural pools have temperatures between 38-41°C, and you have to get used to the hot water. But it's super relaxing (and super salty) and excellent for the skin.

While we're simmering, we're considering taking a day tour. Since we can't check-in yet, we head to the port.

We set sail on a boat just for the 4 of us (and 3 guides).

We had discussed beforehand which destinations we would visit, and so we arrive at the first stop, "Kayangan Lake", after 15 minutes. From the dock, we still have to walk a short distance (about 300 steps) until we reach the lake, which consists of 70% fresh water and 30% salt water.

The view from above is incredible, the turquoise water and the rock formations are indescribably beautiful to look at.

After a dip in the cool water, we continue to the "Blue Lagoon". While snorkeling, we see lots of sea urchins and occasionally a few fish. The water is crystal clear, and there's always something new to discover. The perfect time to improve our snorkeling skills (well, Debbie, Marc can already do it).

It's time for the next destination, "Skeleton Island", which is named after a Japanese shipwreck that lies at a depth of only 5 meters, so it's still easily visible without diving.

As soon as we disembark, we are greeted by a multitude of fish swimming right in front of our noses.

Surrounded by fish, we swim a few rounds before returning to the boat. By now, we're starting to feel hungry, so it's perfect that the 4th stop is a beach where we get our grilled fish, along with some rice and soy sauce, paired with a view of the beach and the sea, making it a perfect lunch.

At this time, we're the only ones on this beach, and we're enjoying the silence.

After the meal, the last point on the list is a coral reef, where there are plenty of fish that you usually only see in aquariums.

With many beautiful impressions, we make our way back to the hotel. Totally exhausted from the day, we're already in our beds at 8 pm, but that's okay because our ferry to El Nido leaves at 8:00, which means we have to be at the port at 7 am. As planned, with a Fast Ferry, you can travel from Coron to El Nido in 3-4 hours. 

We set sail and off we go…

Paalam.