Coron Transportation

I came up to El Nido by jeepney and later flew to Coron/Busuanga. However, the very same day I did that, two of my friends came by the boat (M/V Jessabel) and we all met for a few days.

They said the boat was very rough. The winds made the trip take 10 hours. They said that the seats were not comfortable and had to take clothes out of their bags to sit on and add cushion.

Boat leaves ~5 times week (weather and season depending) and cost is approx 2200 PHP. Most hotels and travel desks in Coron and El Nido will help with bookings.

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We call them tricycles. Three-wheeled cars that can accommodate up to 5 passengers :) Going around town, the fare is P8 per passenger.

Nonoy is one of the drivers you can call. He's really nice and helpful and can even point you to the good places to check out.

The best thing is that he has a cellphone so you can communicate any time :)

Coron city proper is literally a small island and tricycle is the only mode of transportation around town. Try Mang Anton 0928-388-0246. He can show you around Coron and will gladly bring you to anywhere you need to go. Nice, helpful guy that does not overcharge or rip-off tourist.

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The boat trip back to Manila could sometimes experience delay as it comes from Puerto Princesa, which is 12 hours away from Coron.

Be sure to call the pier for updates so you don't have to wait at the harbor for a long time. We had to wait for more than 3 hours because we didn't know about the adjusted schedule.

The best way to go, for those who just plan to stay in Coron for just 3 days and 2 nights, is to go there early Friday (or on your day 1), take the first or the only plane that goes there in the morning.

Going back (on your day 3; in our case Sunday), take the ferry that leaves at around 9PM. You will reach Manila at 8AM.

Taking the plane on your way back would mean preparing to go to the airport at around 11AM on your day 3 to be in the airport by 1PM which will be waste as there are a lot of places to explore.

This way, your 3 days stay is maximized.

The only plane that travels to Coron during the time that we went there are Asian Spirit and SEAir. We took SEAair, and it's a very small 19 seater plane. The size is just like that of a small bus and the seating arrangement inside the plane is based on weight, should be balanced on both sides. Before, departing the stewardess conducted the briefing and gave candies and left us on our own. That's how small the plane was, no room even for the stewardess :-)

The Darayonan Lodge offers tour packages for island hopping inclusive of boat rental fees and entrance fees. However, if you prefer to arrange trips on your own, you may try to contact "Manong Ton", a local tricycle driver who we met in coron and who arranged an island hopping tour for us together with a local boatman we called "Manong Toks". We went to about 6-7 major snorkling spots (twin lagoon, barracuda lake, siete pecados, a ship wreck, kayangan, etc.) for around P1,500 for the whole boat for half a day.
We were only 3 in the group but the boat could comfortably seat 8-10 people, it was in good condition and it has livevests (i can't swim so this is a must hehe!). The price is a bargain for such an activity-filled tour.

Hopefully you can still reach "manong ton" through 09283880246 so he can make the same arrangements for you.

Tricycles is the primary mode of transportation around Coron town. The fare is P6.50 per person for short distances. There's a terminal close to the market and pier but a lot or tricycles just drive around so you can hail one from just about everywhere.