Coron is famous for wreck diving. But in Lusong Wreck you don’t have to go on diving because you can just snorkel around the ship! Our boatman says that this is the most shallow wreck in Busuanga.
I have my hubby in this vid trying to dive! haha… 
We also found Nemo in Lusong… There’s supposed to be two of them but the other one got away. I think this one was left to protect their anemone.
Kayangan Lake is said to be the cleanest and clearest lake in Asia! You can see the bottom as far as 15 to 20 ft. deep! Kayangan Lake is located in Coron Island, better known as Higantes island for the locals. On the way to Kayangan Lake, you’ll see a lot of these amazing limestone formation.
After your boat has docked, you will be welcomed by the caretaker (I think he’s one of the natives - Tagbanua) who collects the Php 200 entrance fee. Before going up the you’ll see this sign at the foot of the stairs. You’ll go through 150+ steps made of big rocks but don’t worry, there’s a wooden railing where you could hold on to.
sign at the foot of the stairs
According to our boatman, the soap opera Dyesebel was shot here just outside Kayangan Lake.
outside Kayangan Lake
Once you reach the peak, you have to go down to get to the lake and see this magnificent view!
a stunning view of Kayangan Lake
Calauit Game Preserve & Wildlife Sanctuary (CGPWS) is our local version of the African Safari because of its endemic animals and African wildlife. It was declared as a Game Preserve in 1977 with a total land area of 3400 hectares. This nature park is situated in Calauit Island, northern part of Palawan and northwest tip of Busunga.
You can get there by a 3-hr. boat ride from Coron town or by 2 hrs. travel by land + 15 mins. boat ride to the park. It’s true that traveling by land is faster but we took the 3-hr. boat ride because we will do island hopping after. The highlight of our visit was feeding the giraffes. This is the only place where I’ve seen a lot of giraffes and zebras who are free to roam around the island! In fact, the last time I’ve seen a giraffe was when I was little. I can’t even remember it, I just saw a picture of mine in Manila Zoo with a giraffe.
Here’s a video of my hubby feeding “Athena” the giraffe from the top of the jeepney.
These are some of the other animals that you can see around.
deer
Zebras
This celebrity bearcat is named “Princess”. Don’t ask me why…
Palawan Bearcat
You can also see 2 wild boar, 2 monkeys, 2 squirrels, 2 porcupines and native crocodiles.
Breakdown of expenses:
Boat Rental: Php 8,000
Entrance Fee: Php 250/person
Tour Truck: Php 1000
References:
Calamianes Group of islands is located in the northern part of Palawan, Philippines. It consists of Busuanga (largest island), Coron and Culion Islands.
How to get to Busuanga from Manila:
By Plane, daily:
South East Asian Airlines
Asian Spirit
PAL Express
CEBU Pacific
By Ferry, twice a week:
Negros Navigation
Super Ferry
Super Ferry’s schedule: Manila - Coron every Thursday & Friday afternoon
Super Ferry’s schedule: Coron - Manila, every Saturday & Sunday
What’s confusing is Coron Town is located in Busuanga Island instead in Coron Island.
Coron is a haven for wreck divers because you can find a lot of World War 2 Japanese ship wrecks around the area. It is actually considered as one of the best wreck diving sites in the world! So be sure you have your snorkeling, diving and underwater cameras ready because you’ll do a lot of island hopping!
For those who doesn’t want to go island hopping, you can visit Culion Island where you can find the former leper Colony, climb the 786 steps of Mt. Tapyas, have a dip in the 40 deg. celcius water of Maquinit Hot Spring, or see different African animals in the Calauit Game Reserve & Wildlife Sanctuary.
Our family (my hubby, parents-in-law, and our baby) went to Coron Last November 25 - 29. This was taken while we were waiting in the NEW NAIA Terminal 3.
Before, only small planes like Sea Air and Asian Spirit can land in Busuanga. Since the renovation of their airport, planes from Cebu Pacific and PAL (Air Philippines) can now cater flights going to Busuanga. As you can see this is not the typical Cebu Pacific plane because it is smaller and you can see the propeller outside.
The plane is just small so the entrance is just a few feet above the ground.
Honestly, I was scared when I saw the plane’s size. I was just relieved when we landed safely in Busuanga. Upon arrival, you will just wait for the small truck to drop off your baggages. As usual always be alert in looking after your bags!
It’s been a long time since I last posted. I will just post this last one to complete our travelogue in Bohol.
Balicasag Island
After the exciting dolphin watching, your boatmen will direct you to Balicasag island. Before you reach Balicasag, there would be a drop off point where you can enjoy the beauty of different corals and fishes! No wonder it is one of the popular diving spots in Bohol! For those who don’t know how to swim (like me), don’t worry, because there’s a part where you can stand on the big dead corals but be careful the next few steps will lead you deep into the ocean! Once we have our diving certification, we’ll definitely go back to this place and explore what’s in store for us in the deep! I bet there are a lot of manta rays and other big fishes underneath!
After our awesome snorkeling experience, we finally went to Balicasag Island for our lunch. As expected, the food was expensive but totally worth it because of it’s freshness! There are also cottages in the island where you could stay overnight.
One of the oldest churches in the Philippines is the Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception which can be found in Balcayon, Bohol. Beside the church is a Museum. We were not allowed to take some pictures inside the museum.
Baclayon Church Tower
inside Baclayon Church
Tip: You need to leave your cameras in their baggage counter. So better bring a camera bag with you and label it. If you don’t want to leave your camera, you can wait outside the museum or hide it where nobody else could find it!
Baclayon Church Museum
The most exciting attraction that Bohol has is dolphin watching! You will go to the site early in the morning, because that is the best time wherein dolphins play! I’ve watched a lot of dolphin shows and always been a fan. But this is my first time seeing them in their natural habitat! I can’t explain the feeling whenever we spot a group of dolphins swimming and playing! There was also a time where two dolphins swam along our boat! All of us were excited to see them underneath, nobody was able to capture a video/picture while they’re under our boat! They were so close, my hubby almost touched it! It makes me want to swim with them!
Dolphins
TIP: Have your camcorder ready when you visit this place! If you’re planning to take still pics, you should have a camera with a powerful zoom and fast shutter speed for you to be able to take pictures because they move so fast!
These are the only videos that I was able to take:
Bohol is one of the places where the Philippine tarsier resides. The Tarsier, locally known as Maumag in Cebuano/Visayan, derived it’s name from its elongated “tarsus” or ankle bone. They can be found in Samar, Bohol, Leyte, and Mindanao. It is often mistaken to be the smallest monkey or the smallest primate but in fact, it is neither. The world’s smallest monkey is the Pygmy Marmoset (Callithrix pymaea) of western Amazonia while the world’s smallest primate is the Pygmy Mouse Lemur. It is however considered to be the mammal with the biggest eyes and still one of the smallest primates to live. The taxonomy of this animal is somewhat a problem among scientists.
Hello Tarsie!
According to Bohol.ph
Some scientists consider tarsiers to be a taxonomic suborder among the primates. While, because they are closely related to lemurs, lorises and bushbabies, others classify them with the prosimians to which these animals belong. Monkeys and apes belong to the suborder of anthropoids. The complete taxonomic classification thus is:
Class Mammalia Order Primates Suborder Prosimii/Haplorrhini Infraorder Tarsiiformes Superfamily Tarsioidea
sleeping tarsier
Philippine tarsiers are unique among mammals because of their elongated hindlimbs and short forelimbs. Their digits are long and tapered, tipped with soft, rounded toe pads. All of their feet have flattened nails except the second and third hind toes, which have claw-like nails used for grooming. They can also turn their head around more than 180 degrees!
You will visit these tarsiers after you take the trip to Loboc River. I was disappointed because the place is just small. I thought we will see them from the forest or something. At the back of the souvenir shop you will just see some plants. But when you look closer, you find these tarsiers clinging on the branches. It’s still a nice experience because you won’t see these creatures everyday!
me and my friend tarsier
me, hubby and tarsier
The 1268 hills are mostly between 30 and 50 meters high. They are all uniformly shaped and covered with grass which eventually turn into chocolate brown during the dry season and hence the name Chocolate Hills. What’s amazing about this site is it is not man-made, it is just plain nature’s work!
chocolate hill from afar
You will see this sign at the foot of the stairway.
sign before the staircase
You have to climb 214 steps to get a panoramic view of the chocolate hills. Don’t worry, there are places where you can take a rest.
214 steps to reach the top
You will see this amazing view when you reach the viewdeck. Does it remind you of our favorite chocolate kisses? How I wish…!!! :)
Chocolate Hills
Don’t forget to vote for Chocolate Hills in new7wonders of nature! You only have until Dec. 31, 2008 so hurry!
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