Itinerary · 10 days · 47 places
10 Days in Palawan
Ten days in Palawan: five days in El Nido with the limestone lagoons of Bacuit Bay and the beaches of the north, then by ferry to Coron for Kayangan Lake, the shipwrecks of 1944 and the quiet island of Culion.
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Photo: Amaia Garcia · Pexels
The route on the map
The plan, day by day
Day 1Arrival in El Nido & first view of Bacuit Bay
Arrival in El Nido
Hotel check-in
A base in the centre of El Nido between Rizal Street and the beach, with all the tour offices and the boat landing within walking distance.
Lio Beach
Wide, barely developed sandy beach north of the airport, where you arrive in shallow water with the limestone outcrops offshore in view.
Caalan Beach
Quiet shore path on the edge of town with a direct view across the bay to Cadlao Island, where the outrigger boats come in in the evening.
Evening: Calle Hama beach street
Narrow lane right behind the beach where the bars put tables out on the sand and play live music until late.
Day 2Tour A — the great lagoons of Bacuit Bay
El Nido Beach boat landing
The outrigger boats leave from the sandy beach in the middle of town; life jackets are handed out and the environmental fee is checked here.
Big Lagoon
You glide through a narrow rock gateway into a turquoise basin enclosed all around by karst walls a hundred metres high.
Small Lagoon
Reachable only by swimming or kayaking through a rock cleft, with a still cove and a small cave at its edge beyond.
Shimizu Island
Small island with a sandy cove between two rocky headlands, where the crew fires up the grill and you can snorkel off the reef.
Secret Lagoon
Behind a person-sized hole in the rock opens a circular pool of knee-deep water with open sky above.
Seven Commandos Beach
Long palm-fringed beach at the entrance to the bay with fresh coconuts from the beach bar, the last stop before heading back.
Evening: Rizal Street and night market
The town's main street, packed in the evening with grill stalls, fruit carts and small shops selling sarongs and reef shoes.
Day 3The north — Nacpan, Duli and old Sibaltan
Nacpan Beach
Four kilometres of golden sand with surf and coconut groves, the best-known swimming beach north of El Nido.
Calitang viewpoint hill
Short climb above the twin beaches, from which you can see Nacpan and Calitang on either side of the spit at once.
Duli Beach
Rarely visited bay further north with surf, where beginners learn to surf from October to March.
Sibaltan
Fishing village on the east coast with a reconstructed Cuyonon house and a small collection of salvaged Chinese trade ceramics.
Evening: Pukka Bar in Corong-Corong
Beach bar in the south of town with fire pits in the sand and a view of the dark silhouette of the bay.
Day 4Tour C — hidden beaches and the Matinloc Shrine
Helicopter Island (Dilumacad)
From the side the island looks like a helicopter lying down; in front of it is a reef slope with corals at a depth of five metres.
Secret Beach
A rock cleft you have to swim through leads into an enclosed bowl of sand — the inspiration for Alex Garland's novel.
Matinloc Shrine
Abandoned pilgrimage chapel from the 1980s against a rock face, behind which a ladder leads up to a viewing rock over the bay.
Hidden Beach
Behind a rocky barrier lies a shallow strip of sand the boat can't reach, so you wade the last few metres.
Evening: Republika Sunset Bar
Terrace above the water at Corong-Corong facing due west, open late into the night.
Day 5On land — cliffs, waterfall and sunset
Taraw Cliff Canopy Walk
A secured walkway over the razor-sharp limestone pinnacles right behind town, with the whole bay and its islands spread out below you.
Las Cabanas Beach
Sandy cove three kilometres south of town with a zipline over the water and the area's most reliable sunset.
Nagkalit-kalit Falls
A half-hour trek through the jungle and along a riverbed to two small falls with a cold pool for swimming.
Corong-Corong Beach
Shallow beach in the south where the fishing boats are moored and the sun sets behind Cadlao Island.
Evening: Lonesome Carabao Lounge
Small bar in the centre with craft beer from Manila and live music, where guides and travellers meet in the evening.
Day 6By ferry to Coron
Onward to Coron
Hotel check-in
La Inmaculada Concepcion Church (Coron Town)
White parish church on the town square, whose forecourt is the afternoon meeting place for basketball and coffee.
Coron Public Market
Market hall with tuna, crabs and cashew nuts from Busuanga, plus stalls selling dried mangoes to take away.
Mount Tapyas summit cross
721 concrete steps lead up to the illuminated cross above the town, with views over the offshore islands as far as Coron Island.
Evening: Maquinit Hot Springs
Saltwater thermal pools on the mangrove shore, open into the evening and just the thing after the climb.
Day 7Coron Island — lakes among limestone cliffs
Kayangan Lake
Down a steep staircase past the famous viewpoint to the crystal-clear freshwater lake among the limestone cliffs, a sacred site of the Tagbanua.
Twin Lagoon
Two basins linked by a passage through the rock, where cold fresh water and warm seawater visibly swirl together.
Banol Beach
Narrow strip of sand under overhanging rocks with covered huts where the crew fires up the grill.
Barracuda Lake
Layered lake where the water warms to 38 degrees with depth — a dive and snorkel site unusual anywhere in the world.
CYC Beach
Small sandy spit with mangroves opposite Coron Island, the last quiet stop before the trip back to town.
Evening: Coron Baywalk at the harbour
Wooden boardwalk along the bay with benches, fish grills and the lights of the outrigger boats on the water.
Day 8Wrecks of 1944 and reefs of the bay
Siete Pecados Marine Park
Seven rocky outcrops off the harbour with a well-kept coral garden where parrotfish and clownfish hover in the shallow water.
Malaroyroy (Banana Island)
Sandy spit with a palm grove and huts, where the boats moor for the lunch stop and you can snorkel straight off the beach.
Skeleton Wreck near Sangat
Japanese cargo ship from the Second World War, whose hull starts just five metres down and is visible while snorkelling.
Lusong Gunboat Wreck
The stern of the gunboat sunk in 1944 reaches almost to the surface and is now overgrown with soft corals.
Evening: bars on Don Pedro Street
The town's strip of bars behind the market, where grilled skewers, San Miguel and guitar music come together in the evening.
Day 9Culion — the island with a quiet history
Culion Museum and Archives
In the former laboratory building, photos, index cards and instruments tell of the time when Culion was the world's largest leper colony.
La Immaculada Concepcion Church (Culion)
Church from 1933 within the walls of a Spanish fort, with cannons on the parapet and views over the harbour.
Aguila viewpoint
Short climb to the stone eagle above the town, from which you overlook the bays and offshore islands.
Balala Beach
Quiet bay south-east of the town with clear water and seagrass meadows, where few day-trippers arrive.
Evening: night market at Coron Public Plaza
After the trip back, stalls with grilled fish, halo-halo and sisig around the square in front of the town hall.
Day 10Last morning in Coron & return flight
Lualhati Park by the harbour
Waterfront park with benches under trees, where fishermen sort their catch in the morning and school groups pass by.
Pearl and craft shops on Real Street
Small shops on the main street with South Sea pearls from Busuanga, cashew nuts and woven baskets as last souvenirs.
Departure from Coron
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