Coron Part 3: Coron Island Tour (Nemo Found!)

On our second day in Coron, we were scheduled to have the Coron Island tour. According to our tour guide from Be Cool Travel and Tours, it would normally cost Php1200 per person for the whole day tour (from 9am to 5pm) with lunch. Since it was already included in the package we got, we didn't have to worry about this. Our tour guide and boatman were very nice and helpful throughout our trip, unfortunately, I can't remember their names (I'm so bad with names!).

We were picked up at the resort at around 9:30am. After some introductions, we got on our way to our first stop, the Marine Sanctuary. You can rent snorkeling gear from them for Php150, which you can use for the whole day. It's better to bring one of your own though or just use goggles, if you like snorkeling, just to be on the safe side.

We stopped in the middle of the sea and were assisted to go down the boat. They provided life vests and encouraged everyone to wear one as it is the coast guard's rules, they said. The part of the water where we went down was 5 to 10 feet deep and surrounded by the small islands with volcanic rock formations. It was shallow in some areas because of the corrals. I think more fish would come out if we brought something for them. The fish I saw were mostly small ones, but there are different kinds.

It was here that we found Nemo (or saw clownfishes). Our tour guide and boatman were also in the water with us, supervising, pointing where to look and volunteering to take our picture (if you have a waterproof camera, they would even dive to take a better shot of fishes and corals). Our tour guide called on us to see where Nemo and his family are living. There were three clownfishes hiding in a coral but peeks out once in a while. To be honest, I haven't seen the movie Finding Nemo (I don't really like animation movies), so at first, I wasn't sure if what I saw was the clownfish. Our tour guide was very patient with making sure I got a good look at it.

After spending about an hour at the Marine Sanctuary, our next destination was the Twin Lagoon. The lagoons are nestled within the islets. We entered into one of the lagoons, docked the boat and had to go down in the water to slip in a small opening in between the islets to get to the other lagoon. The water here is part sea water and part oil. You can actually see the oil in the water since they don't really mix together.

Twin Lagoon

CYC Beach

CYC beach's sand

Our next stop is CYC beach, where lunch was served and where we would spend the hottest time of the day. The beach is just a short stretch. The sand is white, but there are some rocks and corral pieces around the beach. There's no resort here, just picnic tables rented out for the day. After lunch, we lounged around in the covered huts and took a dip in the part of beach that is shaded by the rocks.

Huts and rock formations at CYC beach.

Our rest proved to be much needed for the climb to Kayangan Lake. From CYC beach, we meandered through the islands and got into a docking station on one of the islands. To get there, we would have to climb the mountain, because the lake is almost at the top of it. The climb is steep and unlike in Mount Tapyas, there's no stairs. They only placed flat stones (some are not as flat) to make it easier to climb. Mountain climbers would have fun, but for the elderly, not as much. I would tell you that it's very much worth it.

Our tour guide led us to the higher part of the mountain for some photo ops. One of the most iconic pictures of the Coron islands are actually taken from up here, so it's a souvenir photo you wouldn't want to miss.

Coron islands and emerald green waters.

After savoring God's amazing work, we went down a couple of steps to the lake. The patch near the lake are some of the most difficult ones to climb, but since the lake is almost on your reach, you can use that as motivation.

There's a wooden pathway surrounding the lake with benches where you can sit or leave your personal belongings. The lake has 100% fresh water and you'll see schools of swordfish swimming in the shallow waters. It's surprisingly not as cold when you first take the plunge. I'm not sure how deep the lake is, but most of it look as high as two normal persons stacked up, maybe higher. I wish I had an underwater camera because the cathedral-like rock formations beneath were beautiful. There's also caves you can explore, some are small and some can fit a few people.

Kayangan Lake

After swimming and climbing down from Kayangan Lake, we were all tired. On the boat ride back to our resort, we just sat back and enjoyed the view while water splashed to our faces.