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Published: June 26th 2008
Northern Palawan, known as The Calamianes Group of Islands as described by National Geographic is beautiful—extensive fringing reefs, sandy beaches, majestic vertical cliffs, mangrove forests, seagrass beds, and protected bays and inlets.
Again, as part of the summer tradition on my birthday, we planned for a vacation. This time, we decided to go to Coron and Busuanga Palawan. And, as an added treat for me, who loved giraffes, we included Calauit Island as part of the itinerary.
Puerto Princesa, Palawan
We flew from Manila to Palawan via 4pm flight of Air Philippines (a 1 hour flight). Palawan was a place one could get in love with easily. Nature’s beauty could be seen through its abundant trees, green fields, mountains, clear lakes, lagoons, rivers, islands and cream sand beaches. While its non-existent towering malls, fairly good roads, a good number of inns and lodgings with affordable rates and restaurants with refreshing ambiance that serve deliciously cooked seafood, friendly people and zero crime rate made Puerto Princesa, Palawan my best city in the country.
Normally, one would spend a day at the Underground River but we chose to go City touring instead for the reason that it was a bit cloudy that day and rain might drop hard. Our City Tour included a visit to Plaza Cuartel, City Hall, Butterfly Garden, Crocodile Farm, Mitra Ranch and Baker's Hill.
Plaza 
Banol Beach
Fine creamy sandCuartel, now a park, was once a POW camp during the WWII . This was where Japanese Forces burned almost 150 imprisoned American soldiers. These soldiers hid and were burned inside a tunnel. The entrance of the tunnel was at the left side of the remains of the fort where only one man could fit to go in and out of the tunnel. When you go near the entrance of the tunnel, you would feel the eeriness and at the same time bring to mind history lessons about WWII. In memoriam of those American POWs who died and survived (11 of them) the burning hell, a Memorial Marker was built on top of what used to be the main underground bunkers.
The wall entrance of the
Butterfly Garden was decorated with an extra ordinary Palawan map that showed all its islands with drawings that represent them. There were drawings of corals and divers, crabs, ship wrecks, giraffe, deer and other sea creatures. The garden was not that big but interestingly (it was raining awhile ago) at that time we entered, all the butterflies were out and flying. These butterflies were not shy after all. They would even go over
Sunset at Rio Playa, Busuanga
Our first taste of sunset at Rio Playa, Busuanga to your shoulder or fly towards your hand, and were patient enough to finish a photo shoot. There were also live pupae on display. Our visit became a photo session of butterflies, plants and flowers.
I have been to The
Crocodile Farm thrice but first for my family. One would always be awed at the sight of the skin of the largest crocodile caught in Palawan. Its bones were also displayed at the building's lobby. At the hatchling house, we shrieked when a baby crocodile snapped at Dennis who was looking and pointing at it and almost caught his finger. We laughed at the excitement after. Only crocodiles and no alligators could be found lurking around Philippine surroundings since crocodiles could withstand warm climates. Anyway, what’s the difference; both were carnivores (flesh-eating).
The
Mitra Ranch was closed for a wedding ceremony. It had a newly built garden with stone benches where people can enjoy a picnic with a view of the islands and sea.
It was drizzling by the time we came to
Baker's Hill just a few meters from Mitra's Ranch. We chose a good picnic spot, ate the pastries (um so good, especially their pianono
Rio Playa Beach front
The River Delta is at the left side where a sand bar appears every afternoon. and melt-in-your-mouth chocolate crinkles) we bought from the bakeshop and discussed what to do the next day to kill time before boarding the ship to Coron.
Dinner was at
Kalui that night, where we savored its cool ambiance and superb food (buttered Blue Marlin and Prawns, mouthwatering fruit dessert (it was for free!) served on a coconut shell).
Coron and Coron Islands, Palawan
The travel via Super Ferry from Puerto Princesa to Coron was 12 hours. The sea trip was smooth compared to their previous sail from Manila to Coron. We heard from one of the crew that the storm hit while they were sailing thru Mindoro waters and were forced to go to another route.
Coron was a small town bustling with handful of tourists and whose locals thrived on tourism. It had tourist lodgings, bistros, souvenir shops, spa, internet café, mom-and-pop stores and several eateries.
Coron Island, a 10 minute boat ride from Coron, is made of small islands of black rocks/stones with inlets of clear aquamarine water. Here you could find hot spring, lakes, lagoons and beaches.
Kayangan Lake and Cave The boat crew suggested going to Kayangan Lake first,
Testing Panoramic Lens
Testing a borrowed panaromic lens while waiting for our delayed plane ride at the airport... famous for its deep, clear, mix of fresh and sea water. At this time of the year, mosquitoes were in season so we had to put on insect repellant to hopefully ward them off. Going to Kayangan lake as was not expected was a bit an adventure in itself. One has to go up and down a man-made, rocky and wooden stairway of 150 steps. But when you see the lake, aaaaahhhh, ones temporary loss of strength after that difficult climb and descent was overcome by the lake's soothing power. The lake was so calm with no waves coming in and out, even a ripple.
We swam and snorkeled for hours. We saw a lot of shrimps, sword like fish and vast natural formation of rocks at the bottom of the lake. On our way up back, a visit to the Kayangan Cave became a short respite for tired legs and for a view of the entrance of the inlet and lake; the view was breathtaking.
Twin Lagoons The boat then led us to Twin Lagoons, so called because; this big Lagoon was separated into two by an island with a gap or hole. To go back
and forth the Lagoon required one to swim through this gap or hole. The water here was different from Kayangan Lake. It was again a mixture of clear fresh and sea water but the water coming from the bottom of the lagoon felt warm and cooled as it went up the surface.
We saw a lot of sea urchins, big eyed fish and lot more fish. The idea of coming back here came across our minds when we saw others came with their kayaks. It was a cool idea to go kayaking here. Oh well, we had to come back anyway since we needed to get photos of the lagoon and we forgot to use our underwater camera!
CYC Beach The trip from the lagoon to the nearby beach was about 15 minutes. And by the time we requested to go to a beach, it was now the afternoon, the tide was low but the waves were strong and the boat cannot go near the shore. We saw a bunch of youngsters eating newly caught sea urchins by the cream-colored shore (Wow, UNI!- I love Japanese food!). The corals where we dropped our anchor were exuberant with
PuertoPension
The lodging we stayed in had rustic ambiance and good food lots of fish and sea creatures (see the video). However, my enjoyment in snorkeling was cut short when I felt a stinging sensation on my arm and I knew a jellyfish was nearby. Indeed, there was a big white one. I panicked and immediately went back to the boat with my son. I would never know how to deal with the pain when I'm stung by it.
The following day was a bit sunnier. We had packed lunch and rented a kayak for two for we wanted to try it on at Twin Lagoons.
Siete Pecados (7 Deadly Sins) The same boat we hired led us to Siete Pecados, a preserved marine park in Coron Island. The park got its name from the seven (or
siete in Spanish) tiny islands that surround the area.
This area had more diverse coral and sea creatures. Jellyfishes were abundant that we were able to record on camera a moving jelly fish underwater (see the video). It was here also that Dennis saw and took a photo of a big colorful clam.
At last we were going to the beach. I longed for the beach, the feel of fine
Plaza Cuartel
Entrance to the tunnel. Only one person can fit at a time. sand, warm sun, cool wind and cool sea water. Fine beach sand could provide several purposes; sandcastles, sand bombs, digging and burying something into it for fun and it can be used as a natural exfoliator.
Banol Beach Banol beach was small and had wooden hut and benches. On the left side facing the sea were large rock formations and one looked like a rhinoceros.
We took advantage of the benefits of fine sand. Rocky, who was now a sand-lover (should be clean fine sand), used his one hour on the beach digging on the sand, then the next few minutes swimming then another hour again playing fight with his Dad with sand bombs, while Dennis and I used the sand for exfoliation.
Twin Lagoons Again It's kayaking time! Everyone wanted to try. The first ones to go kayaking were Dennis and surprisingly, my son. He was so excited so he donned on his rash guard and Pluto cap. I got surprised that he didn’t wear a life vest - so brave, unlike his Mom. So, we took turns trying the kayak. We even went to the extent of lying down on our backs on
Palawan Map
Map at Butterfly Garden the kayak just to pass through the hole and go to the other part of the lagoon. Indeed, it was a first for us. We explored the whole lagoon area and sneaked in a little to the open sea. Again, we enjoyed the warm and cool water, took photos and had fun.
Busuanga, Palawan
Our contact in Rio Playa, our lodging at Busuanga, directed us to a well known traveler/van owner/driver to and fro Coron and Busuanga. The land travel lasted for 2 and half hours and the view was wow (again for inadequacy of terms). It was a road trip with view of lush hills, sea, islands, forest, and fields. There were broken bridges that necessitated the van to cross the rivers on tires.
Rio Playa was located at the corner of the Busuanga river delta and Palawan Sea. It had 2 pavilions, several gazebos, big yard, and wide beach front, garden of flowers, plants and trees. We were greeted with fresh coconut juice by friendly host, the chef, the butler and the boat crew. And then we were led to a gazebo with ready lunch of steamed crabs, fish, eggplants, bananas and mangoes.
There
Butterfly at Butterfly Gaden
Photo session with a butterfly. were 50 and 1 things one could do at Busuanga; stay at Rio Playa and do 26 things; visit Calauit, do island hopping and do the rest of 25 things.
Staying at Rio Playa At the beach, one could swim, jog, lounge on the beach, build sandcastles, catch jellyfish, take photos of the islands, sea, moon, sunrise and sunset, run through the sand bar and watch local kids catch hermit crabs.
At the yard, one could eat at the gazebo, look for dead geckos (the Tokay), play with pet dogs, catch the chickens, climb trees, take photos of the garden of flowers, look for an oriole and watch fireflies at night.
At the river, one could play with nearby fish, go river cruising, and take photos of the river, mangroves and trees.
In the pavilion, one could eat and sleep to one’s heart content, lounge on the sofa, listen to geckos, listen to the oriole’s loud whistling, watch DVD’s and play games.
Calauit, Busuanga Calauit Island is known for it’s likeness to South Africa, a vast land with grazing zebras, giraffes, deer, impalas, wild boars and various species of birds and other creatures.
Butterfly at Butterfly Gaden
Photo Session with a butterfly. This was for us to see and believe.
The boat ride left early morning from Rio Playa and arrived at Calauit Island 2 hours after. Behind a short uphill from the pier entrance, a field of grass and trees with grazing deer, zebras and horses welcomed the visitors. The gazes from a doe and fawn compelled me to approach and nearly pet them thinking they were friendly. But, they were too reserved. As we walked along a dirt path towards the gazebo, we saw several zebras, nonchalant of us going very near them. We wanted to verify if zebras were white with black stripes or black with white stripes. It turned out that they were black with white stripes.
Giraffes, my favorite animals At the gazebo, my eyes wandered through the field and guess what; I saw two giraffes in a den. Was amazed by this fascinating sight that I ran towards them and greeted them with a very big smile and loud hello. Was caught up again in a reverie of the past when I first visited the zoo and saw this very, very tall giraffe; I was five years old then. This was when my
Mitra Farm
Mitra Farm lawn love of giraffes started. I got excited and wanted to feed them. Good thing one of the boat crew knew where to get their favorite food - leaves of local trees called…
We were “fortunate’” that there were giraffes being held captive. But, we pity these giraffes. Caretakers were letting these giraffes rest so that their injuries would heal. One giraffe had an abrasion on her neck suspectedly caused by entanglement between tree branches and the other giraffe had a swollen ankle. Originally, there were 15 giraffes transported to Calauit and now there were 23 living.
Exploring Calauit Island After our impromptu encounter with the giraffes, we then explored the island hoping to see other giraffes. Calauit had a mini zoo with Palawan bear cats, local porcupines, monkeys and crocodiles. The landscape was like that of South Africa in a National Geographic segment of wild animals. It had 44 zebras, 3 impalas, unnumbered wild boars and over a hundred Calamian deer. A hundred species of trees grow and over 50 species of birds with some migratory ones live on the island. These were not much and nothing compared to the mega-biodiversity in South Africa but the visit
was worth it for locals who wanted to experience a mini safari.
Island Hopping in Busuanga Black Island, an island so called due to black rocks/stones built naturally around the island. The remains (metal parts) of a ship wreck were just beside the shore. A large cave could be found in the island and as per our boat crew, a gold treasure was found inside it a long time ago and this was where Survivor Slovak recently held its reality game. Exploring the island and cave on foot was exciting; the sand was smooth and cold even under a hot day, the path of earth going to the cave was clear with occasional ants, small rocks and lying branches. Several reddish jellyfishes lined the shore making a polka dot pattern. The ocean was very inviting that it was impossible not to enjoy the water and the sun.
Dibutunay Island, one of the most beautiful islands in Busuanga. It had a fairly large fine cream shore, very much conducive for building sand castles, making sand angels and sleeping. The slow swashing of waves to the shore could really pat one to sleep. There were corals and fishes just
Holding a baby croc
Bee was a bit scared... fifty meters away from the shore.
Calumbayan Island had a lot of trees, small fishes and crabs along its shore. The water current near the shore was so strong that one could move from one part of the shore to another just by floating. The island has a flat, unobstructed area favorable for a picnic lunch and rest. Here we saw one very active jumping fish that we watched for some 30 minutes.
North Cay Island, the island we could never forget, the last island we went to. The island was a bit small that one could go to the other side of the island in just 100 steps or less. It was 98%!s(MISSING)and with large amounts of shells and dried corals on the shore. A very nice collection of shells and corals could be gathered from the island. We learned from our boat crew that this large amount of shells and corals washed to shore came from damaged coral reefs caused by cyanide fishing. Cyanide fishing then was popular in Palawan and good thing was now banned. The island has a spectacular panorama; clear blue water and view of the other surrounding islands.
Saying Goodbye
Our dessert at Kalui Restaurant
Sumptuous dessert at Kalui, Puerto Princesa, Palawan..served for free A number of difficult goodbyes were said when we left Palawan. It was difficult for us to leave such a place where we felt the bliss of the sky, earth and sea. It was difficult for us to face reality of going back home, going back to work and going back to school. Most importantly, a great number of new experiences were gained when we were in Palawan; experience of traveling by sea, carrying baby crocodiles, kayaking, going on a mini-safari, feeding giraffes, and a lot more.
And indeed, Coron, Busuanga and Calauit Islands are beautiful with sandy beaches, mangrove forests….- very well described by National Geographic
See other photos at
Our Best Photos of Palawan
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non-member comment
hi
hi there nice pics! we are planning to go to busuanga palawan and I want to know if you have any recommendations regarding lodging, places to go to (and not to miss) food, etc? thank you very much!