On our first night in Coron, we met up with the group from the boat trip—everyone except the German couple—and went out for dinner.
As we chatted about our plans for the next day, we found that we had all struggled to find boat tours that didn’t include places we had already visited. Frederico, who had been to the Philippines before, enthusiastically recommended some of his favorite spots. Unfortunately, none of them were included in the standard tours. He was so disappointed that we wouldn’t get to see them that he suggested hiring a private boat to visit them ourselves.
Grace had already looked into this, but even split between the nine of us, it was a bit too expensive on our backpacker budgets. Then, in an incredibly generous gesture, Frederico offered to pay for the entire boat, saying we’d only need to cover the environmental entry fees. He insisted he had plenty of money and simply enjoyed spending time with us as a group—so he was happy to make it happen.
The next morning, our boat crew picked us up and took us to a local market to buy food for the day. I couldn’t even step inside—the smell of fish in the heat was overwhelming—but Grace and the other English girls braved it and picked out some chicken, rice, and fresh fruit.
While waiting outside and watching the other boat crews gather their supplies, I had a realization about the pork we’d been eating on our El Nido-to-Coron boat trip. We had been wondering why it had so much cartilage, and I suddenly put two and two together—it was probably pig’s head. I decided to keep that revelation to myself. Oh well, at least it had tasted good!
With our food sorted, we set off for our first stop, a viewpoint overlooking the island and a stunning lake where we got to swim. The lake was full of tiny fish that were so used to tourists they had no fear—you could actually scoop them up in cupped hands of water.
Next, we explored some breathtaking lagoons and went for another swim. The towering rock formations looked so dramatic and unreal, it felt like we were on a movie set, as if they were made of polystyrene and craft materials rather than actual rock.
For lunch, we stopped in a quiet cove and had BBQ chicken, rice, and fresh fruit. The fruit was incredible—the mangoes and pineapples here are unbelievably sweet and flavorful. I can’t get enough of them.
After lunch, we visited another lagoon, this one only accessible by swimming through a narrow tunnel in the rock. Again, it was stunning. One of the best parts of the day was how relaxed the pace was—we weren’t rushed from place to place like on the typical tours. We could actually take our time, swim, explore, and enjoy the scenery without feeling like we were on a schedule.
Our final stop was a snorkeling site. At first, we weren’t too excited—we’d already spent three days snorkeling—but the boat captain assured us it was worth it. And wow, he was right. The coral and marine life were unbelievable; it felt like being dropped into an aquarium.
At one point, we swam around a rock and came face to face with a barracuda. Given that we were wearing jewelry and barracudas are known to go after shiny objects, it was a little nerve-wracking. Thankfully, it seemed just as startled as we were and quickly swam away. We also spotted a triggerfish, which aggressively defends its territory in a cone-shaped zone extending from the seafloor. Luckily, we kept our distance and didn’t provoke it.
The rest of the marine life was far less intimidating—needlefish, starfish, pufferfish, parrotfish, and even a sea turtle feeding nearby. It was an unforgettable experience. That evening, we all met up one last time for dinner before heading our separate ways. The next morning, Grace and I had a flight to another island—Cebu.
I’ll tell you all about it soon! Love, Alice x