This is not what I expected to see from almost an hour and a half of a boat ride. I just stayed optimistic that maybe the real star of the show is hiding beyond that small hill.

(The back of the island)

And yeah, I was right. That beach (photo above) is not the Malcapuya beach that I have in mind. Time to explore the island to see the real star of the show.

(Waiting to be surprised of the island's white sand beach)

From where our boat docked, we need to climb up a small hill to get to the main beach.

(Going up the small hill to see the real star of the island)

It's just a few minutes of walking to get to the other side of the island.

(A little more walk/climb)

From the top of the small hill, I can now get a better view of the Malcapuya Beach!! I was so thrilled to see how the beach looks like.

(Waiting for the surprise)

Welcome to Malcapuya Island!

(Welcome to Malcapuya Island!)

After checking out the white sand beach of the island and after snapping some photos, I went to the hut of the caretakers of the island to pay the entrance fee.

(Perfect for beach bums)

 They collect P200 entrance fees for every person who steps on the island.

(The beach leading to the viewing deck)

That's what I don't like about Coron's islands, unlike El Nido here in Coron every island that you go to, you have to pay an entrance fee of a minimum of P100-200.

(Enjoying Malcapuya)

There are a total of 5 tents in the island which you could use and aside from those, there are some beach tables and chairs as well as a number of hammocks scattered around the area.

(Relaxation Island)

(Hangout Nook)

(Gorgeous beach of Malcapuya)

Malcapuya's beach is really gorgeous. It has I think a kilometer and a half long stretch of white sand beach.

(A long stretch of white sand beach)

After setting aside our stuff, we decided to go snorkeling to check out what Malcapuya has to offer aside from its gorgeous beach.

(Time to go snorkeling!)

Snorkeling time!

(Snorkeling time)

We are all excited to see the beauty of the underwater view of the island.

(Exploring Malcapuya's hidden gems)

With our boatman as our guide, we went on exploring the deep waters of Malcapuya.

(Fishes with stripes)

We saw a lot of fishes like these stripe fishes.

(I see this fish a lot)

We also saw a lot of interesting fishes and corals. The marine life in the island is really rich.

(Looks like a disturbed grumpy old man haha "What's that noise?")

One of the most interesting fishes that we saw is this fish in a hole.

(A fighter fish!)

When you go near it, it hides itself inside the hole. And when you move away from it, it goes out of its hole again. It looks like a grumpy old man disturbed from his nap. haha.

(Finding Nemo)

Aside from what looks like a fighter fish, our boatman also showed us nemo's home!

(There he is!)

Nemo is a cute character from a Disney movie and he looks so adorable and cute. Far from the harmless looking Nemo character, the real clown fish here is really a feisty one.

(We found Nemo!)

These clown fishes are very territorial. Unlike the fish in the hole, Nemo attacks anyone who tries to get into his home. I observed that when we tried to get closer to him or his home, he all of a sudden tries to scare you and swim towards you like he's trying to make you go away to leave him alone. Haha what a feisty little fish!

(A huge starfish!)

Aside from all those cute fishes, we also saw a huge starfish, a giant clam and some interesting corals.

(Some of the corals there)

Sorry for the underwater photos, they might not give justice to how beautiful the underwater scenery looks like in person.

(Seascape)

(Underwater Scenery)

The rich marine life of Malcapuya is something that you should see. Though there are parts where the corals are already dead, a big area in the island's snorkeling area is still full of life.

(Some colorful corals)

My aunt really enjoyed the snorkeling activity that we had.

(Snorkel pa more)

After I think an hour and a half of snorkeling, we went up another hill to get to the island's viewing deck.

(Climbing up to the view deck)

You need to be careful while hiking up the small hill as the trail is a bit rocky. After a few careful steps this will be your reward, the beautiful overlooking view of the island and the surrounding ocean.

(The view of the long beach from the top of the cliff)

From the view deck you will also get to see the neighboring islands such as Banana Island and Bulog Island. One of Coron's luxury resorts, Two Seasons can also be seen from the island's view deck.

(The hill's peak)

God's creations are really awesome.

(Enjoying the awesome view)

I snapped some photos of my aunt and little cousin while we're on the view deck.

(Mama Lyds and Hernielle)

Group picture time! Courtesy of our kind boatman, Kuya Ariel.

(Group picture!)

(Some weird shaped trees at the top of the hill)

Here's a view of another area of the island where the boats are parked. I noticed that not a single boat docked at the front of the main beach, it made me think that they're not allowed to park in there. The island is huge that's why a lot of parking/docking areas are available in some other parts of the island aside from the main beach.

The view from the left side of the cliff)

After enjoying the beautiful views from the island's view deck we already went down the small hill to enjoy the island once more before we leave.

From what I heard, Malcapuya has already been bought by a company from Boracay and any time soon they'll be developing the island to make it into a resort.

Good thing we were already able to visit the island before it becomes private and high end.

(The little mermaid can't get enough of the ocean)

My little cousin just can't get enough of the ocean. She loves the beach so much, just like me.

(Henrielle while sipping her Buko Juice)

The caretakers in the island has a stall where they sell buko, each piece costs P50.
Before we left the island, we bought some Buko for refreshments. After sipping all the coconut water, you can ask them to cut the shell open so that you can eat the coconut meat. They will give improvised spoons made from the coconut shell itself. After finishing  our Buko, we decided to proceed to our next destination where we'll have our lunch.

(The island's glimmering white sand)

It was just during the time when we're departing the island did I see it's front view. The beach of Malcapuya is Immaculate. Should I had seen this view on our initial approach, I wouldn't be so disappointed for the long boat ride that we took just to go to this place.

(The front view of the island from afar)

Time to bid good bye to one of the beautiful islands of Coron. Until next time, Malcapuya!



ADIOS!

The Palaweña Explorer ;)

Last June 2015, the Palaweña Explorer was given a great opportunity to explore the wonderful creations of God in the municipality of Coron, Palawan. Coron has been a famous tourist destination since I can remember.

It is one of Palawan's greatest prides.

A marine world of Japanese shipwrecks, a unique lake, barracudas, turtles, and a lot more awaits you here in Coron.

So what are you waiting for? Come on, Vamonos. Let the Palaweña explorer take you on a virtual island hopping tour in the Islands of Coron, Palawan Philippines.

SIETE PICADOS

The first stop of our Coron Island hopping tour is a famous snorkeling site known as Siete Picados Marine Park.

Aside from the nice corals and fishes that you can see here, an interesting story behind this Marine Park will surely pinch your curiosity. 

(Siete Picados Marine Park, Coron Palawan---June 2015)

Entrance fee: P50 per person for locals and P100 per person for foreigners

What to see/do: Snorkeling, Swimming and Fish Feeding.

(A Marine Park with an interesting story)

KAYANGAN LAKE

This is the most famous tourist spot in Coron, Palawan. It is considered as the cleanest and clearest lake in the Philippines and in Asia by the tourists who have visited the place. Kayangan Lake is indeed one of Coron's Prides! I, myself has been amazed by the beauty of this place. It's one of the most relaxing places that I've been to. The lake is really spotless and it is very clear that you can see what's underneath it. Of all the islands/places in Coron that I've visited, Kayangan Lake is my top 2 favorite destination next to the Coral Garden.

Kayangan's View Deck

Entrance fee: P200 per person

What to see/do: Mountain Climbing/Trekking, Picture-taking, Swimming, Snorkeling, Riding a raft. You can mostly see rock formations underwater, and there are few fishes too.

(Cleanest Lake in the Philippines and in Asia)

BARRACUDA LAKE

There was once a barracuda seen in this lake that's why it was called as such. It is a very deep lake which makes it a famous diving spot. Some people get scared of this lake not only because of the barracuda story but mainly because of its deep waters. The lake is surrounded by huge limestone mountains and it has a very serene vibe in it.

(Barracuda Lake, Coron Palawan --June 2015)

Entrance fee: 100 pesos per person

What to see/do: Swimming, snorkeling, cliff diving and scuba diving. All you can see underwater are the solid rock formations, some small fishes and shrimps, and the divers (if there are some).

(Barracuda Lake is a famous diving spot)

VIVIAN BEACH

Vivian Beach is a privately owned island which is a perfect spot for picnic lunch :) It is part of the Coron Islands Island Hopping Tour.

(The stunning view of Vivian Beach)

Entrance fee: P100 per person. Cottages can be used for free. There are a total of four (4) huts in the island.

What to see/do: There's a pet monkey in the island which is tied up at the tree in the middle of the beach. There's nothing much to see underwater. You can have your lunch and go swimming or just soak up the sun and bum around at their white sand beach.

(Vivian Beach, Coron Palawan---June 2015)

TWIN LAGOON

Our last stop for the Coron Island Island hopping adventure day 1 is this Twin lagoon that's divided by a limestone cliff. There are two ways on how to get to the other lagoon, first is you can climb up that small ladder and cross over the limestone cliff, another way to get inside is to swim under the limestone formation. To enter the other lagoon, I chose the first option and I quite regretted it because it was tiring and you need to be very careful with your steps because the stairs are quite steep. When I exited the lagoon I chose to experience exiting it under the limestone cliff. All you need to do is to float and go through the small opening. It was easier as compared to climbing up and down the staircase. Our boatman was also the one who helped us go out the other lagoon. All we did was float and he was the one who dragged us out. You cannot do the second option if its high tide as the water will fully submerge that small opening and you are left with no choice but to climb up and go down that wooden staircase.

(Coron Islands' Twin Lagoon, June 2015)

Entrance fee: P100 per person

What to see/do: There's a lot to see underwater as it is blessed with a beautiful marine life but you can't really enjoy its underwater scenery because the underwater view isn't clear due to the water's climate.

(The gateway to the other lagoon)

SKELETON WRECK

Coron has a marine world of Japanese shipwrecks in its different areas. One of these can be found in one of the destinations in the Coron Islands island hopping tour. A Japanese sunken ship from the World War II is the main attraction of this site popularly known as the Skeleton Wreck.

(The skeleton of a Japanese sunken ship)

What is left with the sunken ship now is only its skeleton that's why the site was called as such. Aside from the main attraction of a skeleton ship, there are also a lot of fishes in this area. There are very large fishes such as Suran and many other types of fishes who freely swim around the skeleton wreck.

You can bring bread or if there is some rice left from your lunch you can use that for fish feeding. In our case, our very thoughtful boatman prepared us some plastics with the leftover rice in it which we used to feed the fishes. It was really an enjoyable activity. The only downside in our experience here at the Skeleton wreck is that during that time the water was very itchy. According to our boat's captain, maybe it was because of the planktons. The wreck is one of the famous diving sites in Coron and maybe there were divers who went diving that day that's why the planktons went into the surface.

The itchiness of the water was really disturbing and it made us really uncomfortable but don't worry because the itchiness subsided after a few minutes.

The place is still a nice place to go to, just pray that there will be no itchy things in the water on your visit hehe.

(Fish feeding at the skeleton wreck)

Entrance fee: P100 per person

What to see/do: Swimming, Sight-seeing (Japanese Shipwreck), Snorkeling and Fish feeding

CORAL GARDEN

A wide array of beautiful corals will keep you entertained in this snorkeling site. All you need are your snorkeling gears and a life vest if you don't know how to swim.

This place has by far the most beautiful underwater scenery that I've seen in all my excursions. The view underwater is really awesome! I have never seen that many corals in my entire travel adventures. El Nido's underwater view is no match with Coron's underwater scenery.

NO WORDS can express how beautiful this coral garden is! It definitely is one of the must-see and must-visit places in Coron, Palawan. Too bad we weren't able to capture its beauty in the camera because the camera's battery was already drained when we got to the area. I guess it only means that you guys should visit and see it for yourselves. I promise you that this place will really leave you in awe. You will definitely be amazed with this creation of God.

There are many coral gardens in Coron and I'm sorry I can't tell you what the name of this one is. I forgot the name of this one because I wasn't able to jot it down and its name is quite hard to pronounce and remember.

The one hundred peso entrance fee is all worth it. This made our Coron trip really unforgettable and it's definitely a beautiful finale for our Coron Islands adventure. Never ever miss out the opportunity to visit this Coral Garden if you happen to be in Coron.

(Coral Garden, Coron Palawan 2015)

Entrance fee: P100 per person

What to see/do: Swimming and Snorkeling.

(The gateway to an epic underwater garden)

For a more detailed article about each island, just click on the names of the island hyperlinked to its corresponding blog post. I hope you enjoyed our virtual island hopping tour in some of the islands of Coron. Till next time!


ADIOS!!


-The Palaweña Explorer ;)