Coron Island
Island Island known for limestone cliffs and dive sites
Out of Coron town, Coron Island offers limestone karst cliffs, turquoise lagoons like Kayangan, freshwater lakes and world‑class wreck and reef diving; most visitors do island‑hopping tours and shoreline hikes.
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Coron Island is part of the Calamian group in northern Palawan, noted for its karst limestone cliffs, clear lagoons and significant WWII shipwreck dive sites. The island and surrounding waters attract snorkelers, divers and day-trippers.
Clear inland lakes like Kayangan and Barracuda Lakes, dramatic cliff-anchored lagoons such as Twin Lagoon, and a cluster of sunken Japanese ships in Coron Bay popular with wreck divers. Boat trips from Coron town provide access to most sites within a single-day itinerary.
The island’s underwater wrecks date to World War II and now function as artificial reefs supporting abundant marine life, while the island’s karst topography forms steep cliffs and sheltered bays that are visually striking and easily photographed.
Coron Island lies off the northeastern coast of Palawan, adjacent to Busuanga Island; the nearest settlement and transport hub is Coron town (Busuanga), which serves as the usual launch point for island tours.
- How to visit: Many key visitor sites such as Kayangan Lake and the wrecks are reached by day trip boat from Coron town on Busuanga Island.
- Visiting Kayangan: Kayangan Lake requires a short but steep walk down limestone steps to reach the shore; water clarity is best early in the day.
What to See #
- Kayangan Lake: A clear-water mountain lake ringed by limestone cliffs and steps used for swimming and short treks to the lakeshore viewpoint.
- Barracuda Lake: A thermally stratified lake famous with divers and snorkellers for its dramatic rock walls, underwater visibility and warm surface waters over cooler deep layers.
- Coron Bay wrecks: Numerous WWII-era Japanese shipwrecks in Coron Bay that are accessible to sport divers and form some of the most visited wreck dive sites in the Philippines.
How to Get to Coron Island #
Fly to Francisco B. Reyes (Busuanga) Airport (Busuanga Island) from Manila or Cebu; from the airport it’s a roughly 25-40 minute drive to Coron town/port by van or tricycle. Coron Island (the island and lagoon areas off Coron town) is reached by boat from Coron town’s main piers-typical day‑trip boats take about 20-60 minutes depending on the destination and sea conditions; most visitors join organized island tours that depart from Coron town.
Tips for Visiting Coron Island #
- Go to Kayangan Lake as one of your first stops of the day-arrive at opening to beat the cruise-boat and day-tour rush and to get calmer water for photos and swimming.
- Book a private banca or a small-group boat from Coron town if you want a more flexible itinerary; private hires let you time visits (Kayangan, Twin Lagoons, Siete Pecados) to avoid crowds.
- Be aware that many of Coron's famous WWII wrecks are deep and require certified scuba diving; if you only snorkel, target the shallow reefs and well-marked snorkeling sites instead.
Best Time to Visit Coron Island #
Best visited in the dry months (November-May) when seas are calm and visibility for snorkeling and diving is at its best.
Weather & Climate near Coron Island #
Coron Island's climate is classified as Tropical Monsoon - Tropical Monsoon climate with consistently warm temperatures year-round. Temperatures range from 22°C to 32°C. Heavy rainfall (3105 mm/year), wettest in July with a pronounced dry season.
January
January is warm with muggy conditions (dew point 23°C). Light rainfall and partly cloudy skies.
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February
February is warm with muggy conditions (dew point 22°C). Light rainfall.
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March
March is hot, feeling like 29°C due to high humidity. The driest month with just 11 mm and mostly sunny skies.
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April
April is the hottest month, feeling like 30°C. Moderate rainfall (48 mm) and mostly sunny skies.
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May
May is hot, feeling like 31°C due to high humidity. Heavy rain (208 mm) and partly cloudy skies.
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June
June is warm with stifling humidity (dew point 25°C). Heavy rain (377 mm) and mostly overcast skies.
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July
July is warm with stifling humidity (dew point 25°C). The wettest month with heavy rain (677 mm) and mostly overcast skies.
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August
August is warm with stifling humidity (dew point 25°C). Heavy rain (609 mm) and mostly overcast skies.
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September
September is warm with stifling humidity (dew point 24°C). Heavy rain (507 mm) and mostly overcast skies.
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October
October is warm with stifling humidity (dew point 24°C). Heavy rain (297 mm) and mostly overcast skies.
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November
November is warm with stifling humidity (dew point 24°C). Heavy rain (233 mm) and partly cloudy skies.
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December
December is warm with muggy conditions (dew point 24°C). Regular rainfall (91 mm) and partly cloudy skies.
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