Showing posts with label best beach. Show all posts
Showing posts with label best beach. Show all posts

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Coron: Trip Highlights (2/2)


Coron: Trip Highlights (continued)
Click here for the first part of the trip highlights.

3. Beach Bumming
a.     Black Island
This was my favorite island because it was stunningly beautiful with its limestone mountain, powdery white sand, and azure water. This served as our stop-over for lunch after our trip from Calauit Park.



b.     Malcapuya Island
Malcapuya island is about 1½ hours of boat travel from Coron town. We were there on our last day and it was the perfect place to unwind after all our tours. It also boasts of an abundant marine life perfect for snorkeling.

Photo by Loki

c.     Bulungan Beach
This may not be as stunning as the other 2 islands in the list but it has its own charm. The Kalachuchi trees that abound its shores gave this small islet its charm and was a perfect stop-over for lunch.  



d.     CYC Beach
Like Bulungan Beach, it wasn’t as stunning but we had fun swimming towards the raft, trying to get on the raft, and doing jump shots while on it. It was pretty hilarious and jump shots in an unstable bamboo raft is not advisable and should never be done.


Photo by Loki/Oliver

4. Twin Lagoon
This was my favorite spot. It wasn’t included in the Coron Island Tour (B-1) from Coron Galeri, but they were accommodating enough to include this in our itinerary for an additional 100php/pax to cover for the entrance fee. It was incredibly picturesque. Two (2) lagoons separated by a wall of rock formation and you can pass to the inner lagoon by either swimming through a narrow opening or climbing the wooden stairs. The inner lagoon was so serene and eerie at the same time especially after the crowd has left.


5. Kayangan Lake
This is the most photographed spot in Coron for a reason. The limestone cliffs that surround the emerald lake is enchantingly beautiful. We were there late in the afternoon hence we enjoyed the serenity of the lake without the crowd.


6. Others
a. Mt. Tapyas
The 718 steps going up this mountain was challenging, but the sunset view that greeted us on top was worth it. Bring mosquito repellant and water.

Photo by Loki

b. Maquinit Hot spring
This was a perfect stop to relieve your aching muscles after the climb to Mt. Tapyas. Entrance fee was 150php/pax and the tricycle ride going here was 350php for a group of 3-5 persons.

c. Coron Market
We had fun snacking our way around the market. We found this fruit shake stand that sells 5-peso shakes, as well as snack stands reminiscent of our grade school years: cotton candies, grilled corn, and popcorns. You can also find souvenir items sold by the locals here. 


Itinerary:
Day 1: Mt. Tapyas, Maquinit Hot spring
Day 2: Calauit Safari Tour (Calauit Safari, Black Island, Lusong Coral Garden, Lusong Gunboat)
Day 3: Coron Island Tour (CYC island, Calachuchi Coral Eden/Coral Garden, Twin Lagoon, Lunch at Bulungan Beach, Twin Peaks Reef, Kayangan Lake)
Day 4: Malcapuya Island Tour
*We availed of the Day 2-4 tours from Coron Galeri.
** For Day 1, we hired a tricycle to take us to Mt. Tapyas and Maquinit Hot springs
***Twin Lagoon was not part of the itinerary from Coron Galeri, we paid an additional 100/pax for this to be included in our tour.

Enough talking and hope you enjoy this video shot and edited by Froi.


Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Calaguas Island: Trip Review


I’m a proud Oragon. I love that amazing places such as Calaguas, Caramoan, Burias Island, Albay, and Donsol are only a few hours of travel from my hometown. Siguro kaya magaganda at gwapo ang mga Bikolano ay dahil pinapalibutan kami ng magagandang lugar?? Haha.. kaya nga oragon.. may tinatagong kahambugan lang. My travel mantra is to refrain from returning to a destination until I have crossed it all off my bucket list. Except of course when we talk about the beaches in my province.


When Froi and I were planning our departure date for Australia, we made sure that it will be after the summer season so we can enjoy a few more months of beach bumming here in the Philippines. Calaguas was an easy choice while choosing our travel destinations. I’ll return to this place in a heartbeat because this is my happy place. It may no longer be as pristine as before, but this place will always hold the number 1 spot in my list of the best beaches in the Philippines.



We saw stingrays while snorkeling! The visibility was so good, although there were only a few fish and the corals were not as extensive. We only snorkeled in the reef a few meters from the shore, but I heard there are other snorkeling sites worth exploring. Maybe next time we can ask our boatman to bring us to those sites.

Let me end this post and hope you’ll enjoy the beach experience through this video, shot and edited by Froi.