Best time to visit the Philippines
The best time to do a private boat tour in Coron, and visit the Philippines in general, is during dry season. This runs from December to April. However, these months are also peak travel season (especially December and January). To avoid the crowd and find cheaper accommodation options, go in November or May!
How to get to Coron
Coron is an island located in the very north of Palawan. There are two main ways to go to Coron, either by ferry or plane. The most common ferry’s go from El Nido and Manila but they can get quite rough. So we suggest to fly. It doesn’t cost much more than the ferrys anyway and it is way more comfortable.
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Where to book your private tour
Booking your private boat tour can seem a burden. It takes more time and effort to arrange everything yourself instead of simply booking through an agency. But trust us, it is definitely worth it.
Along the main road in Coron there are many tour/travel agencies selling both the normal boat tours and private ones. However, these private boat prices are higher, as you pay through the agency. So don’t do this.
Instead, the better way is to organise the whole thing yourself. You’ll basically have to find a boat with crew, get food and water for on the boat, hire snorkelling gear, and decide the spots you want to visit (continue reading for our recommendations!)
What to organise before the tour
There are some things you need to organise before setting off on your private boat tour that really shouldn’t be forgotten! Follow this guide so you don’t miss anything.
1. Find a boat & crew
The first step is to find a boat and crew. Because you’re not going to get far without it. To do so, you have a few options.
Option one: wake up early, walk along the harbour and ask who wants to rent our their boat for the day. This might seem pointless, but you’ll be amazed by the amount of people (with boats) looking for something to do.
Option two: for those who like to be more prepared, we recommend doing some research on google maps in the days leading up. Search up “private boat tour coron” and start calling/messaging some of the numbers.
We organised our tour quite last minute (5am the morning of), by calling some numbers we found on google maps. Eventually, we came into contact with a guy named Walter (Whatsapp +63 9454390768) who found us a boat with a crew for a 7:30 pick up that morning.
2. Rent snorkelling gear
The boat will not have snorkels on board, so make sure you rent your own beforehand. Even though fins are not 100% necessary, we recommend also grabbing a pair.
In all the places you’ll visit, the underwater scenes are breathtaking and the water is unbelievably clear. So it would be a shame if you forget this step and miss out on it.
We rented ours from Outpost hostel, as we were staying there. These were on the expensive side so you can definately find cheaper places to rent. We couldn’t see any places to rent them at the harbour, so grab them in town beforehand.
3. Buy lunch for on the boat
Before setting sail, you’ll also need to sort your own lunch. Most of the boats have a cooking area where the crew will cook for you, you just need give them the ingredients.
We went to the Coron Market to buy our ingredients. This market was quite chaotic and busy, but luckily we had Walter helping us out and telling us what to buy. The market is located in the harbour, so you can go there while the crew are setting up the boat.
We had 3 people, so we got a bag of coal (for them to cook with), 6L of water, rice, veggies, sauces, a fresh fish, watermelon, and pineapple.
4. Plan your itinerary
Since you’ve got your own boat, captain and crew, you pull the strings. From what we heard, the boats are allowed to leave the harbour from 7am and must be back before sunset. So make the most of this time and plan where you want to go. For our tips, read “Our private boat tour itinerary” below.
5. Wake up early
This is not really something you should organise, but just make sure to set your alarm early to beat the crowds. You want to leave the harbour as soon as possible. As mentioned above, you can leave as early as 7am (from what we heard).
We met at the market at 7:30 and left a little before 8 am. This was already a bit later than we hoped for, but luckily still early enough to beat the mass migration of tour boats.
Coron private boat tour prices
Prices for a full private boat tour differ, since the total price you’ll pay is made up of several different things. These are: rental of the boat and crew, food from market for lunch, entrance fees to all the sights, and snorkeling equipment.
We found that most boat rentals (including crew) are around 3500 pesos for a full day. So the more people you have, the cheaper it is. We did the boat tour with 3 people, and it comes down to about 2800 pesos each (€45). This is our cost overview:
- Boat + crew: 3500 pesos (1167 each)
- Snorkelling gear: 1050 pesos (350 each)
- Food from the market: 870 pesos (290 each)
- Entry fees (for 5 different spots): 3000 pesos (1000 each)
Our private boat tour itinerary
We did a bit of research before getting on the boat, and decided that we wanted to check out the spots below. But wherever you end up, we think it will be beautiful. Because the surroundings of Coron are stunning.
Stop 1. Kayangan Lake
Kayangan lake is one of the more famous sights on Coron island, which is why we decided to go there first. Even though we were relatively early (we got there around 8am), there were already a few other private boats. But that was nothing compared to the amount of boats when we left Kayangan Lake around 9:30. So once again, the earlier you leave the emptier it will be!
But nevertheless, arriving here was so beautiful. The boat will drive in inbetween these massive limestone rocks with bright blue water beneath you.
The boat will dock, then you need to walk up and over a hill to the actual lake. Atop this hill is a nice viewpoint over the boats. The Kayangan lake itself is SO unbelievably clear. It comprises of 70% fresh and 30% saltwater and it super refreshing to swim in. We spent around 1.5 hours here.
Stop 2. Siete Pecados
When crafting our itinerary, we initially wanted to go to the Coral Gardens. However, when discussing the plan our crew, they recommended Siete Pecados instead. And we are so happy we listened. According to him, Siete Pecados is the less busy and more beautiful version of the Coral Gardens.
Siete Pecados is also close to the Kayangan lake, so it is the perfect next stop. It is a reef that surrounds a small rocky island. We arrived here around 10am and there were only a few other boats at the time.
This snorkelling spot is possibly the most lively, colourful, and rich coral reef we’ve ever seen!
Stop 3. Twin Lagoon
Twin Lagoon is another famous spot to add to your Coron private boat tour itinerary. But, because of that, also a very busy one.
This place, as the name suggest, consists of two turquoise water lagoons that are connected by a narrow tunnel. The boats all dock in one of the lagoons and you can get to the other by either swimming or kayaking through.
This place is again stunning. The lagoon is surrounded by the massive limestone rock formations and has the bluest water ever.
Now here is a hot tip for you. Many of the tour boats have lunch on either Banul or Smith beach at 1pm, so if you have your lunch a little later you can have the lagoons to yourself. We planned to do this (well Lisa did) so we arrived around 12:30pm, just as everyone was leaving. This was great timing and we definately recommend doing the same.
Stop 4. Dimanglet Island beach
We initially wanted to have lunch on either Banul or Smith beach (two beautiful beaches and famous lunch spots). But when driving past we saw they were still very busy. So the captain suggested to go to the beach on the other side, called Dimanglet Island beach.
When we arrived there were only 2 other boats, but after they left we were alone on this nice little beach. The crew prepared our lunch, they roasted the fish over the coal, cooked rice and prepared the veggies in a tasty sauce. We had some fruit after as well.
Stop 5. Barracuda lake
Our last stop of the day was the Barracuda lake. When we arrived here around 4pm it was still quite busy. Since the sun was already down behind the mountains, the lake got a bit darker. However, the water was still very clear and beautiful. Fortunately, most tours left soon after we arrived (again good timing by Lisa) and we had the lake to ourselves.
The impressive rock formations surrounding the lake go straight down under the water until you cannot see them anymore, which is quite a scary idea. But so cool to see.
At 5 pm we were the only ones left and got asked to leave, because that is when it supposedly closed. It was an epic place to end our private boat tour with. On the way out, we grabbed a 6-pack of beer from the little stall for the ride back to harbour.
Relaxing on the boat with a beer, watching the sun set on what was one of our most memorable experiences in the Philippines. We got back to the harbour, tipped the crew and that was that. What a day.
Entrance fees
In every single destination, be it a lake, beach or snorkelling spot, you’ll have to pay an entrance fee. We are honestly not too sure exactly what we are paying for, but there are entrance fees all throughout the Philippines, so it is kind of expected. These fees are quite steep compared to other Philipino prices though. It is good to keep this in mind when budgetting your private boat tour!
This is a overview of the fees per person
- Kayangan lake – 300 pesos
- Siete Pecados – 150 pesos
- Twin lagoon – 200 pesos
- Dimanglet island beach – 150 pesos
- Barracuda lake – 200 pesos
For our itinerary, this makes a total of 1000 pesos per person (€16)
Final thoughts/tips
Even though doing a private boat tour is more expensive and takes more effort, we are so glad we did it. You can decide where you want to go and how long you want to stay at every place. You can leave as early as you want and return late. We highly recommend!
To get the most out of your Coron private boat tour, here are our final tips!
- Plan your route carefully: stagger the times with the tour boats to avoid the crowds
- Early bird gets the worm: leave as early as possible to maximise your time
- Eat fresh & local: get your food from the Coron Market at the harbour
- Find a crew: the bigger the group the cheaper the boat rental will be
- Snorkel the better reef: visit Siete Pecados instead of the Coral Gardens
Where to next?
Haven’t visited El Nido yet? This great place is only a ferry drive away and has some of the most stunning beaches in Palawan. And if you’re going even further, be sure to check out Port Barton.
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