We’re on our third day in Coron and we’re ready for another *drumroll* island hopping, of course. We opted for a private tour again because, well, we’re old and almost rotting, so we always want to take everything slow now. lol
This tour includes Las Islas de Coral, CYC Beach, Sunset Beach, Quin Reef, Green Lagoon, and Kayangan Lake. You might wonder why there are so many destinations for a chill tour, but we only visited four destinations, and two of them were “2-in-1 spots,” as the tour guide called them.
I’ve been itching to go to Kayangan Lake and have this shot because just look at that view!
We were picked up at 8:30 AM from our hotel by a van. Once we arrived at the port, we were directed to our tour guide, “JM.” We introduced ourselves and were given a short orientation by him. We also rented a kayak for 1,000 pesos, which we could use for the whole day.
Tour A Private Island Hopping is 3600 pesos per person, which includes entrance fees, lunch, and a friendly tour guide. I highly recommend JY Travel and Tours so book your tours with them.
Me, getting so excited for the tour but the truth is, I just want you to take a look at my cute aqua shoes lol
The boat is quite big for us, actually bigger than our first day’s boat, and can accommodate up to 20pax. While on our way to our first stop, here’s a little kid taking photos of the view.
FYI: Palawan’s coast guards are very strict in implementing safety measures, so wearing life jackets upon departure is a must.
Our first stop is the Green Lagoon, where you can kayak and snorkel at Quin Reef, which is just a few meters away. When we arrived, we were the only ones there, so it may not be that popular or maybe we were just too early. However, after a few minutes, it seemed to be the latter, as three boats arrived.
We went kayaking in El Nido before, but if you don’t know how to paddle properly, you can hurt your hips and arms – just like Ron, LOL. When we switched seats and he moved to the front, he seemed much more comfortable there.
To be honest, it was really hot while paddling, and I just wanted to soak in the water instead, so kayaking just isn’t for us. But don’t get me wrong – I love stand-up paddling and have done it many times before and I really love it. We also tried it in Bantayan Island. So before you react negatively and bash us, just think about how vulnerable old people’s bodies are loljk we just love to complain that’s all.
Anyway, we did snorkeling after the kayak, but I’m just too tired to edit the photos from the videos, so let’s just skip that.
We went to CYC Beach afterward, where Las Islas de Coral can also be found. It is a public beach, so expect it to be crowded with locals. This is where the guides cook lunch, I think, because most of them were grilling on the boat while we were given one hour to enjoy the beach.
We then decided to head to our lunch spot, Sunset Beach. When we arrived, we were the only ones there, and that’s when we learned it was a private island exclusive to JY Tour Agency’s guests. Delighted, we didn’t hesitate to take photos despite the heat of the sun.
We had the island to ourselves *teary eyed* and there comes our lunch – a heavy lunch for two.
Based on the Badjaos we spoke to, who stay there to sell pearls, there are about 3–4 tourist boats per day. Since we were the first to arrive, they were expecting three more to come. I guess booking with JY tour agency was really worth it because, unlike the others, we had exclusive access to the beach and limits the number of tourists.
After staying for 2 hours, we decided to leave for our final destination *that sounds wrong* But yeah, we are going to the last stop, which is the Kayangan Lake! This is where you can find the best view that we usually see in Coron’s advertisements.
At Kayangan Lake, you’ll need to climb about 150 steps from the entrance, then descend another 200+ steps to reach the lake and take the same route back.
It wasn’t that hard for us, though, since we’re used to this kind of activity. It’s also refreshing once you reach the lake and take a dip in the water.
So I guess that’s the highlight of today’s trip! At 4:30 PM, we went back to our hotel and took a rest. And when I say “rest,” I mean opening my laptop to edit the photos lol.