stunning waterscapes of northern palawan
july 15-18, 2011 friday to monday
objective: to visit the best tourist spots that fits my taste and budget accordingly.
additional task: to find-out why most of the filipino speaks about coron's lagoons, lakes and beaches
calamian group of islands
day 1: solo on coron town tour
day 2: coron island solo trip
continued...
woke up as early as 0500H to acknowledge sunrise above the islands. then, packed-up and left north cay island for exciting island tripping in calamian islands. from north cay, we have to have a 1.5 hours travel time to get-in the calauit island. we planned the island tour as per the following;
1. calauit island safari park - there are 2 ways to get-in this island. one is by land which is through busuanga island because it is almost connected to this. there is not so much to see en route so we decided for the option two which is by sea. lot of islands to explore en route and we're so lucky that the weather and waves are very calm. with entrance fee of php200 per pax and php1,000 for hiring a jeepney for tour inside. this safari park is famous for its african animal breeds such as giraffes and zebras. we made a very close encounter on this animals by feeding them some branch leaves, another remarkable experience. as per locals, zebras are black color in nature with white stripes and belong to the family of horses. another attention grabber were the native calamian deers with over 1,000 counts inside. other animals inside where local porcupines, monkeys, bear cats, turtles, wild boars and crocodiles. all of them where inside the cage, and only the calamian deers, zebras and giraffes were strolling around freely inside the park.
we took our brunch aboard while boat was moving so fast, thus, my 1st time to eat while riding a roller-coaster-like motion due to the waves are geting stronger.
2. black island beach and cave - with another 1.5 travel time from calauit island, with entrance fee of php100. according to the locals, this was called black island due to its black limestone rock formation. this island is famous for having a powdery white sand and dome-type cave inside, less than 5 minutes from the shore. they told us also that black island cave was featured in angel-robin tv show and in international documentary film. as for my observation, i've rated it as one of my top caves visited. i even spent my time inside the cave rather than its beach though its sand is very much likeable for photoshoot. it has a mini-lagoon inside and has a very clear not-so saltwater, ideal to bath rather than the beach at 1300H sunny time. green-gray color stone but no moss appearance. i spent alone inside due my friends were busy taking photo-ops on the shore. again, mosquitos are anywhere but not like the volume in kayangan lake.
3. maltatarok island sandbar - this island has appearance like of north cay even the sands. ideal for a photo shoot with all-white shirt. since it was on very hot sunny weather, we didn't spent much time.
4. delrey coral garden - another snorkle/diving activity. since we didn't hired any set and none of us knows how to swim and dive, we were just contented on wearing life-vest then swimming like a dog inside the boat outrigger. we cant see any reefs beneaths but we know these are beautiful as told by the locals.
5. lusong gunboat wreck - another snorkle/diving activity. but this time we swam around 50 meters away from the boat. we cant see the shipwreck but at least somehow feel it with our foot.
we went back to coron town around 1800H, proceed to coron souvenir shop then head-off to princess of coron lodge. the following day, i left busuanga for another delayed departure of 40 minutes.
boatman: WILLIAM (coordinator)
boat type: big boat with katig, cover and restroom
contact no: +639296783943
max passenger: 10-14
rental fee: php7,500-9,000
starting point: boulevard port near public market
comments: highly recommended for being kind and accommodating
remarks:
* check weather forecast, calamian islands tour is only possible on a very calm waves
* bring mosquito repellent, a must for kayangan lake and black island especially rainy season
* northern palawan is one of the most expensive domestic tourism i ever had, next to batanes and followed by bohol
* northern palawan is the shipwreck capital of the philippines with over 8 boats underneath during WWII
* smart telecom has the most strong signal on the islands we have visited
* allied saving bank and bpi are the only banks found in coron town
july 15-18, 2011 friday to monday
objective: to visit the best tourist spots that fits my taste and budget accordingly.
additional task: to find-out why most of the filipino speaks about coron's lagoons, lakes and beaches
calamian group of islands
day 1: solo on coron town tour
day 2: coron island solo trip
continued...
woke up as early as 0500H to acknowledge sunrise above the islands. then, packed-up and left north cay island for exciting island tripping in calamian islands. from north cay, we have to have a 1.5 hours travel time to get-in the calauit island. we planned the island tour as per the following;
 |
| north cay island resort |
1. calauit island safari park - there are 2 ways to get-in this island. one is by land which is through busuanga island because it is almost connected to this. there is not so much to see en route so we decided for the option two which is by sea. lot of islands to explore en route and we're so lucky that the weather and waves are very calm. with entrance fee of php200 per pax and php1,000 for hiring a jeepney for tour inside. this safari park is famous for its african animal breeds such as giraffes and zebras. we made a very close encounter on this animals by feeding them some branch leaves, another remarkable experience. as per locals, zebras are black color in nature with white stripes and belong to the family of horses. another attention grabber were the native calamian deers with over 1,000 counts inside. other animals inside where local porcupines, monkeys, bear cats, turtles, wild boars and crocodiles. all of them where inside the cage, and only the calamian deers, zebras and giraffes were strolling around freely inside the park.
we took our brunch aboard while boat was moving so fast, thus, my 1st time to eat while riding a roller-coaster-like motion due to the waves are geting stronger.
2. black island beach and cave - with another 1.5 travel time from calauit island, with entrance fee of php100. according to the locals, this was called black island due to its black limestone rock formation. this island is famous for having a powdery white sand and dome-type cave inside, less than 5 minutes from the shore. they told us also that black island cave was featured in angel-robin tv show and in international documentary film. as for my observation, i've rated it as one of my top caves visited. i even spent my time inside the cave rather than its beach though its sand is very much likeable for photoshoot. it has a mini-lagoon inside and has a very clear not-so saltwater, ideal to bath rather than the beach at 1300H sunny time. green-gray color stone but no moss appearance. i spent alone inside due my friends were busy taking photo-ops on the shore. again, mosquitos are anywhere but not like the volume in kayangan lake.
 |
| maltatarok sandbar |
 |
| maltatarok sandbar |
 |
| calauit island safari park |
 |
| lunch aboard |
3. maltatarok island sandbar - this island has appearance like of north cay even the sands. ideal for a photo shoot with all-white shirt. since it was on very hot sunny weather, we didn't spent much time.
4. delrey coral garden - another snorkle/diving activity. since we didn't hired any set and none of us knows how to swim and dive, we were just contented on wearing life-vest then swimming like a dog inside the boat outrigger. we cant see any reefs beneaths but we know these are beautiful as told by the locals.
5. lusong gunboat wreck - another snorkle/diving activity. but this time we swam around 50 meters away from the boat. we cant see the shipwreck but at least somehow feel it with our foot.
 |
| black island cave |
 |
| black island cave |
we went back to coron town around 1800H, proceed to coron souvenir shop then head-off to princess of coron lodge. the following day, i left busuanga for another delayed departure of 40 minutes.
boatman: WILLIAM (coordinator)
boat type: big boat with katig, cover and restroom
contact no: +639296783943
max passenger: 10-14
rental fee: php7,500-9,000
starting point: boulevard port near public market
comments: highly recommended for being kind and accommodating
remarks:
* check weather forecast, calamian islands tour is only possible on a very calm waves
* bring mosquito repellent, a must for kayangan lake and black island especially rainy season
* northern palawan is one of the most expensive domestic tourism i ever had, next to batanes and followed by bohol
* northern palawan is the shipwreck capital of the philippines with over 8 boats underneath during WWII
* smart telecom has the most strong signal on the islands we have visited
* allied saving bank and bpi are the only banks found in coron town
 |
| maltatarok sandbar |
 |
| maltatarok sandbar |
 |
| lusong gunboat wreck beneath |
Palawan, a shipwreck capital? Wow, that's new to me. Your travel to these islands really captured my heart and inspired me more to travel. If only my paycheck is within my reach. Hahaha!
ReplyDeleteTake good care on your next adventure. =)