Sun, Sea and Sand Eco-Tour Coron, Palawan
Sunday, October 07, 2012
This is a very late post because of busy schedule but I'd still like to share my adventures in Coron, Palawan last September 19-22, 2012...
Balaibinda, the lodge were we stayed does not offer their own tours so what we did was to look for travel and tour operator on our first day. We found budget ecotour programs (Joiners Program) from Coron Galeri, situated in town proper and a few steps away from the lodge. We asked for reservation the night before our island hopping experience and pay a downpayment of P500 for the two of us. For our Day 2, the destination would be Malcapuya Island which costs P950/person. We also had option to add Banana Island and Bulog Island for an extra fee of P250/person. We grabbed the option, all in all, for our day 2, we paid for a sulit amount of P1200/person for three island visits and with picnic lunch included. The meeting time of all the joiners was before 8:30 AM inside Coron Galeri store where we had to pay the remaining balance.
Along with our tour guide, we walked to the port, up to our boat. Our headcount was eleven including a 4-year-old Chinese girl named Amy (excluding the 2 boatmen). It was required to wear our lifevest while sailing which took for almost an hour I guess, because I fell asleep. Surprisingly, our tourguide which was also one of the boatmen, was also our cook. :) At the edge of the boat, there was a small grill where he cooked fresh chicken, crab and large fishes for lunch.
A. Malcapuya Island
When we reached Malcapuya Island, we stayed on one cottage together with other joiners. We put on sunblock and enjoyed the fine white sand (very much similar to Boracay). There were only few tourists in this island at that time.. very simple and quiet, I would be happy if it will not be developed and stay as it is. No activities at all but to swim, took pictures and relax. There is a small cliff on the side where other islands can be viewed. Our tour guide gathered all of us to eat at exactly lunch time. He prepared all the food in the cottage, the chicken, crabs and large fishes paired with sibuyas, kamatis and toyo. There's also bottled water for all of us and two bottles of 1.5L Coke.. And bananas for dessert. Oh so yummy! :) Better not to worry if you've eaten a lot because there's a comfort room in the island with a supply of clean water. :)
FYI.. Radney ate most of the crabs.. :)
B. Banana Island
The Banana Island proved me wrong when I thought that Malcapuya is the best island in Coron. I wonder why is it called Banana Island when in fact I haven't seen banana plantation in here, only few small ones.
The sceneries are more beautiful and the place is more relaxing. Literally, the grass is greener in this island because the land is covered with bermuda grasses. I even saw a sari-sari store located in the middle part. Several swings (duyan) are suspended between coconut trees. I saw some crows flying freely in between trees. Like Malcapuya, there is also a comfort room with supply of clean water.
We enjoyed swimming in its crystal clear water even if the sun was super duper hot.
To conclude, for me, Banana Island is a paradise.
C. Bulog Island
Out of the three, Bulog Island is the smallest and less enjoyable. No comfort room can be found here.But since it was the last destination for Day 2, we still get to enjoy the last part of swimming and picture taking. There is also a small cliff facing the Malaroyroy Peninsula where the 'pangarap-ka-nalang' Two Seasons Island Resort & Spa is just like up to ten steps away. :)
Day 3 adventures to follow... :)
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