Coron Island hopping is the major drawcard for people visiting Coron and is quickly becoming one of the most popular places to visit in the Philippines. It’s the perfect destination for those seeking crystal clear water, and untouched natural beauty. Coron island has long been popular with local tourist and backpackers looking for budget-friendly destinations in the Philippines.
We spent four days in Coron and would have loved to stay longer. The first day we stayed there we rented a scooter and visited some of the best places to visit in Coron. After doing the Island Hopping tour in El Nido we were excited to see how it compares to Coron Islands.
What Coron Island Hopping Tours To Do?
If you go on a private boat tour you can choose what locations you want to visit. There are many different group tours with the most popular being the Ultimate Island Hopping Tour in Coron and the Coron Island Escapade Tour. These are al full-day tours starting at 9 am with a return time of 5 pm.
The following destinations are the ones we attended and would recommend all these places.
Twin Lagoon – 200 pesos
This is the most popular destination for island hopping in Coron and every tour will visit the Lagoons. Entry is 200 pesos and if you arrive there early then you will get to see it at its beauty. It takes time to explore there is a lot of swimming involved from one lagoon to the next.
Kayangan Lake – 300 pesos
The second most popular place to visit while doing Coron island hopping is Kayangan lake. This lake is made of brackish water which is a combination of salt and fresh water mixed together.
Just like in the Twin Lagoon you are required to wear a life jacket when swimming in Kayangan Lake.
Barracuda Lake – 200 pesos
If you are lucky enough like we where there is a chance you can have Barracuda Lake to yourself if the timing is right between tour boats. We did go later in the day so I think most of the tour boats had already left so we got to see the Lake in its full glory. It’s not as popular as the first two destinations but if you have it to yourself it’s a surreal experience.
Skeleton Wreck – 150 pesos
Was definitely the highlight of our trip with a WWII shipwreck you can swim to, unlike other shipwrecks where you need diving gear. There is an abundance to see with so many fish swimming around you.
When the boat rolls up to the location you couldn’t see much from the surface but as soon as we entered the crystal clear water we could see the ship resting at the bottom of the sea.
Skeleton Wreck is a 25m Japanese ship that got hit by an Airstrike in WWII by the US airforce. It’s an awesome spot for snorkeling as the ship rests at a depth of around 5m to 22m at its deepest, it’s truly amazing to be able to experience a WWII shipwreck.
Private Island Hopping Tours vs Group Tours
In El Nido, we went on the group tour which was great but we opted for a private tour for the island hopping in Coron. We were lucky enough to meet a family wanting to do the same tour so we shared the costs and this is a much cheaper way of doing private island hopping tours.
The biggest benefit of the private tour is you can choose the exact destinations you want to visit. You can also dictate how long you want to spend at each place. When you take the group tour everything is on a schedule and you will most likely be visiting the same places as all the other tour boats at the same time.
If you are traveling solo or with a partner group tours work out much cheaper as they include all the entrance fees and costs built into the package. When you take a private boat you still need to pay the entrance fees to each location you visit. All up we paid around 2500 pesos for the private tour and you can get group tours for 1500 pesos.
What You Will Need on Your Island Hopping Tour
If you choose a group tour food and drinks will be provided, but if you are going on a private tour as we did then you will need to bring your own food. We went to the market in the morning and bought fish and pork and they cooked it on the boat for us.
Bring your own snacks as it’s a long day and it’s good to have them on hand. Before you leave there is a little shop that sells snack like nuts and dried fruit. Some of the islands you visit will also sell coconuts and snacks but don’t rely on this.
If you are taking a private tour you will also need snorkeling equipment which can be rented. We rented ours from the hotel we stayed at for around 150 pesos.
Coron is a nature lover’s paradise! It has some of the clearest water you will find with corals, diverse sea life and scattered shipwrecks around the islands. This is a pure slice of heaven in the Philippines and is a must-visit destination.
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