Barracuda Lake |
After beach hopping, we went island hopping on our third and fourth day in Coron; as I mentioned in the first blog post of this series, we had a setback in our tour; the third day was supposed to be the Super Ultimate Tour, but we ended up with a group that went for Ultimate Tour only; the latter did not include Barracuda Lake. On our fourth day, we were finally given a complimentary S.U. tour.
This series will cover our destinations of the Super Ultimate tour.
BALINSASAYAW REEF AND CYC BEACH
CYC Beach |
First stop is Balinsasayaw Reef where you can go snorkeling; it's one of the reefs near Coron Town and my golly, it's so beautiful! It's teeming with colorful corals and lots of fishes; if you're lucky, you may even spot a turtle. It's a perfect place to snorkel and good thing it's one of the protected areas in Palawan, which explains why the corals there are healthy and fishes are abundant.
Next stop, CYC Beach, a small island with lots of Mangroves and shallow, crystal clear water. It's a public beach for the locals to enjoy; unfortunately, most of the islands in Palawan are private already and CYC, by government ruling, remains a public beach for the residents of Coron. Careful though, there are sea urchins in the areas with corals!
TWIN LAGOON
If El Nido has small lagoon and big lagoon, Coron has Twin Lagoon; it's a big lagoon that's been separated by a limestone cliff.
Before entering the lagoon, the boat will stop by in front of towering limestone cliffs where you can take a photo.
Here's Twin Lagoon A; this lagoon is deep, but the other one is bigger and much deeper. If you're seeing the line of people climbing a ladder, that's the easiest way to get to the other side of the lagoon; the other one is a small crevice underwater, just below where the ladder is installed.
We were told that there are no fishes in the lagoons; just rocks, corals washed from the open sea, and limestone. The water here is slightly salty because it was separated from the sea, which led to the desalination of the water. Not a place for snorkeling too because all you will see is endless water; it's a great place for quiet swimming though!
After visiting the first four destinations, we went to this spot with huts for lunch; it's by a shallow portion of the sea near Twin Lagoon; there are fishes swimming around, particularly Swordfish and there are sea urchins hiding between rocks as well so be careful.
The view is just stunning and the water is clear as well; you get to enjoy the view of the open sea and limestone cliffs, and swim in the beautiful water afterwards or go kayaking too! We stayed here for an hour to have lunch and to chill or swim; the lunch offered in Super Ultimate Tour is the same as our first beach- hopping tour; I think this is the standard lunch offered by all tour agencies here in Coron.
BARRACUDA LAKE
After lunch, we headed straight to Barracuda Lake.
Barracuda Lake was originally known as Luluyuan Lake because of the giant skeleton of a Barracuda found at the depth of the lake. There's actually a live Barracuda swimming in the lake, but it doesn't show up all the time and prefers solitude and roaming in the deep. Barracuda Lake has thermocline water, meaning on top is fresh water and below is salt water.
Barracuda Lake is such a beautiful place! It's one of the clearest lakes in the world and surrounded by jaw- dropping, majestic towering limestone cliffs that are about 8 million years old; you can snorkel or do scuba diving with a group. There are no fishes in here as well, but the view of the cliffs and various rock formations underwater are still something that you shouldn't miss when you visit Coron!
KAYANGAN LAKE
Our second to the last stop is Kayangan lake, another pride of Coron. Kayangan Lake is also considered one of the cleanest lakes in the world. The water here is partly salty and water is deep green, but it's clean. There are small swordfish swimming between the rocks by the limestone cliffs, but in the lake itself, I was told that there are no fishes. It's very deep and in most parts, I only see endless green water. Compared to Barracuda lake, water here is warmer, but entering Kayangan Lake is much more challenging, physically, than the former because you have to climb 300+ steps to get to the lake, but it will be all worth it because you will be rewarded with an amazing view.
You can also kayak on the outer area of Kayangan Lake; don't just jump in the water though because there are jellyfish that sting!
Between Kayangan and Barracuda Lakes, I prefer the latter more; those limestone cliffs and ultra clear water just left me in awe!
SIETE PECADOS
Our last stop for the day was Siete Pecados, an area with 7 small limestone cliffs within a bustling coral reef. Just like Balinsasayaw Reef, this place is a haven for corals and fishes, as well as cuttlefish and turtles; on our last visit, my husband saw a turtle swimming by!
Whew! What a day! If you want to experience the top tourist destinations in Coron, then I suggest book the Super Ultimate Tour because it's worth it; it's 8 places in one day and even if I wish I spent more time on a particular area, the tour was great and we didn't feel rushed nor dissatisfied.
That's all for today's island hopping tour. On our last day tomorrow, let's check out the best food spots in Coron!
Check out my other travel guides in Coron:
TBJ TRAVELS CORON 1: Malcapuya Island, Bulog Dos, Coco Beach, Maquinit Hot Springs
TBJ TRAVELS CORON 3: Best restaurants in Coron
Check out my other travel guides in Coron:
TBJ TRAVELS CORON 1: Malcapuya Island, Bulog Dos, Coco Beach, Maquinit Hot Springs
TBJ TRAVELS CORON 3: Best restaurants in Coron
2 Comments
Ang ganda talaga ng coron 😍 thanks Ms Martha for sharing ur travel with ur hubby 💋💕
ReplyDeleteAng gaganda po ng shots! Great place. Great people! Have fun po. Salamat dito. Nakakarelax na makita yung mga ganitong scenery. Nakakawala ng stress sa buhay. Sana makapagtravel din ako soon.
ReplyDeleteLet me know what you think of this post! :)