12 Best Things to Do in Coron, Philippines (Beyond the Postcard Shots)
Coron packs more drama into a small slice of Palawan than places ten times its size. Jagged limestone cliffs drop straight into water so clear you can count the fish from the boat. Warships sunk in 1944 sit on the seabed like a frozen museum. And the town itself? A scrappy little place where a sunset climb and a bowl of noodles can cap a day better than any resort bar.
Here's exactly what to do, what it costs, and how to do each one without the crowds.
1. Swim in Kayangan Lake (and earn the view first)
This is the shot you've seen on every Palawan poster — emerald water ringed by karst cliffs, taken from a wooden viewpoint partway up the trail. To get there you climb roughly 300 steps from the boat dock. Then you descend the other side to the lake.
Entrance is around PHP 300 (~$5.30). The smart move is to be on the first boat out — operators leave Coron town pier around 7AM, and being early means you photograph that viewpoint before fifty other people are leaning on the railing. The water is brackish, cool, and weirdly buoyant. Bring water shoes for the steps.
2. Float Through Twin Lagoon
Two lagoons separated by a limestone wall. At low tide you duck under the rock through a small gap; at high tide you climb a short ladder over it. Either way, the inner lagoon is glassy and still, with cold freshwater layering over warm seawater so the surface shimmers like heat haze.
Entrance runs about PHP 200 (~$3.60). Rent a kayak at the entrance for a quieter paddle, or just swim — the inner lagoon is small enough to cross in a few minutes.
3. Dive a WWII Japanese Shipwreck
Coron is one of the best wreck-diving destinations on the planet, and you don't need to be an expert. Divers who cut their teeth on the wrecks of Bali routinely rank Coron's intact fleet among the best they've ever swum through. In September 1944, US carrier planes sank a Japanese supply fleet here, and the ships have been resting in 10–40 metres of water ever since.
The Irako is the deep, intact prize for advanced divers. The Okikawa Maru and Akitsushima are huge and swimmable. A two- or three-tank fun-dive day runs roughly PHP 5,500–7,000 (~$100–125) including gear, lunch, and boat. Not certified? Most shops offer a Discover Scuba intro, or a full PADI Open Water course over 3–4 days.
4. Freedive or Dive Barracuda Lake
Barracuda Lake is the strangest swim in Coron. Walk up a short rocky path, drop in, and descend through a thermocline where the water temperature jumps from cool to bathtub-warm — sometimes past 38°C deeper down. The walls are sheer rock, the visibility is endless, and there are usually no actual barracuda in sight.
Lake entrance is about PHP 100, and divers pay a fun-dive rate on top. Freedivers love this place; it's calm, deep, and otherworldly.
5. Climb Mount Tapyas for Sunset
In Coron town, a giant illuminated cross sits on top of Mount Tapyas, reached by 700-plus concrete steps. It's free. Start the climb around 5PM so you reach the top with time to cool down before the sun drops behind the islands.
From the summit deck you get the whole bay laid out — boats threading between green islands, the town below, the light going gold then pink. Bring water. The steps are no joke after a day of swimming, but the payoff is the best free view in the region.
6. Soak at Maquinit Hot Springs
Here's the move nobody tells you: after a day of dive ladders and step-climbing, go to Maquinit Hot Springs in the evening. These are saltwater hot springs — one of only a few in the world — sitting around 38–40°C, fed naturally and walled into stone pools beside a mangrove channel.
Entrance is roughly PHP 200 (~$3.60). Go after sunset when the air cools and the pools feel best. A tricycle from town costs a few hundred pesos round trip; ask the driver to wait.
7. Spend a Slow Day on Malcapuya Island
If the lagoons are about drama, Malcapuya is about doing nothing well. Powder-soft sand, a long shallow shelf of warm turquoise water, and palm shade for your towel — it rivals Boracay's famous white sand but with a fraction of the crowds. It's further out, so it's usually part of a separate "Reef and Wrecks" or southern-islands tour rather than the classic loop.
Pack snacks and water — the island has little for sale. Give yourself a couple of hours here; this is the beach you'll think about back home.
8. Walk the Sandbar at Banana and Bulog Dos
On the same southern route, Banana Island and the Bulog Dos sandbar deliver that barefoot-castaway feeling. At the right tide, a ribbon of sand connects islets and you can wade between them in ankle-deep water.
Snorkelling off the edges is solid — bring your own mask if you can, since rental gear on the boats is hit or miss. A southern-islands group tour typically costs PHP 1,500–2,200 (~$27–39) including lunch.
9. Snorkel the Skeleton Wreck (No Tank Needed)
Not a diver but want a piece of the shipwreck magic? The Skeleton Wreck sits in shallow water near Coron Island, with the top of the hull just a few metres down. From the surface you can see the ribs of the ship and the fish that have moved in.
Most group island-hopping tours include it as a snorkel stop. It's the easiest way to understand why divers obsess over Coron without ever strapping on a regulator.
10. Drift Over Siete Pecados Marine Park
Close to town and easy to add to any tour, Siete Pecados ("Seven Sins") is a cluster of coral pinnacles teeming with reef fish. A small conservation fee of around PHP 200 keeps the reef protected, and the coral here is in genuinely good shape — comparable to the reefs you'll snorkel in India's Andaman Islands, and far easier to reach.
Visibility is best on a calm morning. Float, don't kick the coral, and you'll drift over clownfish, parrotfish, and the occasional turtle.
11. Eat Where the Boat Crews Eat
Skip the overpriced waterfront tourist menus for at least one meal and head into Coron town market or the small carinderias along the side streets. A plate of fresh grilled fish, rice, and vegetables runs PHP 150–250 (~$3–4.50). The seafood here came off a boat that morning.
For coffee or a sit-down dinner, the town has a handful of genuinely good cafés near the main road — fuel up before the Mount Tapyas steps, not after.
12. Charter Your Own Boat for a Day
The single best upgrade in Coron is a private island-hopping charter. Group tours run a fixed loop on a fixed clock; a private boat lets you flip the order, hit Kayangan Lake before the armada arrives, and linger at the beach nobody wants to leave.
Expect PHP 4,500–7,000 (~$80–125) for the boat depending on size and route — split between four to six people, it costs barely more than separate group tickets and buys you the whole day on your terms.
Pro Tip
Build your trip around the tides and the boat traffic, not just a checklist. Do the famous lagoon-and-lake loop on your first full morning, on the earliest boat, while everyone else is still at breakfast. Save the far southern islands (Malcapuya, Banana) for a calm-weather day. And block out one late afternoon with nothing planned but the Mount Tapyas climb and the Maquinit hot springs after — it's the perfect end to a day in the water. Carry cash in small pesos for the per-site entrance fees; card machines are scarce once you leave town.
