Island hopping in Coron: the definitive guide

Looking to do island hopping in Coron? We don’t blame you. This destination features in many trips around the Philippines on its own merits. The massive black limestone walls contrasted with the turquoise of its lakes, lagoons and the sea create a landscape that’s hard to match. Add to that the chance to visit uninhabited islands that tourism has barely reached. The best way to discover these places is by doing island hopping in Coron—that is, “hopping” from place to place, island to island, on a bangka, the traditional Filipino outrigger boat.

There are lots of ways to do island hopping in Coron and you could spend several days enjoying these paradises. Here we’ll tell you which Coron tours we consider essential if you’re short on time and give you a few extra hints if you have longer to explore.

Table of Contents

Do you need to do island hopping in Coron?

The answer is, without a second’s doubt, YES.

To be blunt, Coron Town (located on Busuanga Island) is pretty ugly. While it’s true that, as we explain in Things to do in Palawan, Busuanga does have some attractions (Ocam Ocam Beach, the motorbike scenery, the beaches near Coron Town…), the real beauty is found when you do island hopping in Coron. So going to Coron with the aim of not taking any excursion wouldn’t be worth it.

Do I need to do Coron tours privately or through an agency?

As we say in Things to do in Coron, there are two ways to do island hopping: booking with an agency or going private (DIY).

In our opinion, doing island hopping in Coron privately—i.e., hiring your own boat—is a totally different experience and 14817416746194 times better. Doing Coron excursions on your own has the following advantages:

You can leave earlier than the rest and therefore reach the best-known places such as Kayangan Lake or Twin Lagoon before they’re packed. For example, we’ve been at the former completely alone several times.
You can choose the route you want; you don’t need to go to specific places because you can agree and decide on the ones you like best. Below we’ll tell you the must‑sees for island hopping in Coron.
You can stay longer at the places you like most. Although the guide will help you pace the day so you can see more, you won’t feel rushed. Prices are per day, so as long as you’re back by sunset, you’re good.
You won’t be crammed into a huge group like sardines in a can. By making your own group, you’ll go more relaxed and, of course, more comfortable.

Plus, on excursions like the Ultimate Tour (the best‑known and must‑do island hopping in Coron), if there are three or more of you, the difference in price is negligible compared with agency tours. It’s absolutely worth it!

If you’re on this site, it’s because you’re after incredible experiences, right? Our advice is: don’t skimp too much on this—every peso you invest is worth it. And we’re not saying that because we did this tour once; we’ve been visiting Coron since 2010.

By the way, while strolling around the port we were lucky enough, over eight years ago, to meet an unmatched guide for island hopping in Coron. We told him clearly that we wanted to go at our own pace and enjoy places with few people, and we spent some unique days with him and the crew. Since then we’ve repeated with him many times and shared his contact with thousands of travelers who have always come away super happy with the experience. So why risk going with an agency that might let you down?

Do you want our guide’s contact in Coron? Leave us a comment and we’ll write to you with all the details.

Bulog Dos – Banol Beach – Twin Lagoon

Prices for private island hopping in Coron

How much does island hopping in Coron cost? As we mentioned above, prices for Coron tours privately or via agency don’t differ that much.

The Ultimate Tour usually costs around 1,400 pesos per person with an agency, whereas the same island hopping done privately costs 3,500 pesos per entire boat (up to four people, which is 875 pesos per head). To those 3,500 pesos you need to add the fees for the places you visit and food, which you’ll buy to your taste at the market and the crew will cook. It’s normal to visit five or six spots, which usually add up to about 1,000–1,100 pesos in fees, and food will mainly depend on whether you load up on seafood and alcohol or not, but figure around 250 pesos. So the difference is usually about 700 pesos (roughly $8) compared with a regular tour.

Although we don’t think it’s necessary, you can also rent kayaks for 1,000 pesos per day. At Twin Lagoon you can easily swim.

If there are more of you, it’s even cheaper, since a boat for up to eight people costs 3,850 pesos—around 480 pesos per person. You’ll still need to add the fees and food cost, but it remains worth it.

Here’s a table with excursion prices from Coron Town. We’re talking price per WHOLE BOAT, which depends on capacity/number of people. The Ultimate Tour goes by the name Coron Island, while the Escapade Tour is Malcapuya Island/Ditaytayan. Prices are, of course, in Philippine pesos and set by the boatmen’s association, which means you won’t find them cheaper once you’re there.

Since it’s a private tour, on top of the above prices you have to add the fees, which are as follows:

Prices for the other island hopping in Coron are higher because the destinations are farther away. The places visited on the Ultimate Tour are much closer to Coron Town, whereas those on the Escapade Tour (which we’ll talk about next) are at least 90 minutes from town, which means more fuel.

Therefore, in this case you’ll need to weigh up whether it’s worth it for your group size to do one of the Coron tours privately or with an agency. Our advice is that, if you can, make the financial effort and at the very least do the Ultimate Tour, since in recent years this is where most people concentrate at each stop.

There are also companies that run routes across several of the islands we’ll discuss below, spending the night in small camps. You can also arrange a similar excursion with our guides’ contact. This is known as an “overnight” tour. Day one you do the Ultimate, you sleep on Banana Island or Malcapuya, and the next day you do the Escapade. You can also combine Reefs & Wrecks with the Ultimate Tour. Of course, the price goes up a bit because you’ll pay for accommodation and the crew’s extra working time. If you want to feel like a castaway and forget about comforts for a couple of days, this can be a great option.

You can also do a Coron–El Nido crossing (or vice versa) stopping at intermediate islands. The best company, with whom we did the Coron–El Nido Expedition, is THIS ONE. You’ll spend three or four days sailing among islands and sleeping in small camps. Honestly, sleeping on these islands is spectacular and their team is simply SUBLIME—they’re all amazing. Check out our guide; it’s a mind‑blowing experience you’ll never forget!

If you want something more exclusive, you can do this private speedboat tour in Coron, this other speedboat option (cheaper), or this private yacht tour.

Coco Beach – Malcapuya – Banol Beach

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Tips for doing the tours in Coron

We’ve already given you some advice so your island hopping in Coron goes great, but here are a few more:

Try to leave as early as possible. If you can, at 7:00 you’ll avoid lots of people. You can only do this if it’s private.
Bring your own snorkeling gear: although many tours include a mask and snorkel, it’s best to have your own for hygiene and because the ones provided are often not in the best condition.
It’s also a good idea to bring reef shoes and a dry bag so your important stuff doesn’t get wet. In The Philippines Packing List: What to bring we tell you more.
On a private tour in Coron, buy your food and drinks at the market before you leave. The crew will cook it for you so you can eat in one of the paradises you’ll visit. If you’re vegan or vegetarian, say so—they’ll happily cook what you prefer; they even sell tofu at the market.
Tell them which places you want to visit, but also let the guide advise you. He knows more than you do and will try to please you.
Bring enough cash. You’ll have to pay not only the tour, but the corresponding fees. It’s also useful if you want to buy a drink at the stops.
If you enjoyed the tour, give the crew a tip. Keep in mind the boat usually isn’t theirs and they earn barely 300–500 pesos a day. A little extra is very welcome, especially when they do a good job.
Get good travel insurance, ideally one that covers activities like snorkeling. Here you’ll find more information about the travel insurance for the Philippines we use. There aren’t good hospitals or clinics in Coron; if something happens to you while island hopping in Coron, you’ll need to go to Manila and insurance will cover it.

Banol Beach – Banana Island – Twin Lagoon

Where Coron tours start and at what time

If you’re doing private tours, it’s usual to meet your guide at the market (location here) to buy food and then head to the boat together. If you book through an agency, sometimes they’ll pick you up at your hotel and other times you meet at the agency or somewhere in between.

As for the schedule, if it’s private you can choose, though we suggest 7:00. If it’s a group tour, it’s usually around 9:00.

Where to stay for island hopping in Coron

The best base for the most typical Coron island hopping is Coron Town. From there you can do the Ultimate Tour and Escapade Tour. In Coron Town we recommend:

Hostel: Hop Hostel
Great value for money: Bay Area Lodge
For a little luxury: The Funny Lion
More recommendations on Where to stay in Coron

It’s truly CRUCIAL to book accommodation as early as possible—don’t leave it to the last minute. Unfortunately, since there aren’t that many hotels, value for money in Coron is terrible and a few days out you’ll only find overpriced dumps left. Speaking from experience, 2025 is being awful in this regard.

Booking.com

If you’re considering other island hopping in Coron like Pass Island or Black Island, you might want to split your stay between Ocam Ocam Beach and the Concepción or Salvación area. On one of our recent visits to Busuanga, we spent 12 days exploring the island, seven of which we stayed in Concepcion. On the most recent one we passed through Salvación to swim with dugongs in Coron and fell in love with it too.

Concepción is a tiny village to the west of Coron Town—literally two streets with three hostels and two restaurants, nothing more. Its tranquility and slow pace took us back to the feelings of our first trips around the Philippines 15 years ago. From there we discovered several islands, visited Concepcion Falls, dived the shipwrecks and hopped over to Ocam Ocam Beach. If you have time, we 100% recommend it.

☀️ Everything’s explained in Things to do in Concepción, Busuanga.

Here are a few places to stay in this area:

In Ocam Ocam you can sleep in a seaview hut like this one.
In Concepción: West Atlantic Hotel or Busuanga Bay Lodge.
In Salvación: Josefina’s Tourist Inn (awesome).

The best island hopping in Coron

Now that you know all the logistics, here are the best island hopping options in Coron. Long story short: the most important one is the ULTIMATE TOUR. If you don’t do it, it’s like you haven’t been to Coron. After that, the second coolest is the ESCAPADE TOUR, which is more focused on beaches. If you have more days in Coron, we’d go for Reefs and Wrecks or Black Island. You also have other plans like diving or swimming with dugongs, which we cover in Things do in Coron.

1. Ultimate Tour: Coron’s must‑do island hopping

At the agencies in Coron you’ll find about five or six types of island hopping. As in El Nido, there’s also Tour A, Tour B… In our opinion, the best is the Ultimate Tour (sometimes called the Super Ultimate Tour because it includes more stops), which is basically a best‑of mash‑up.

If you’re going to do a private tour in Coron, as we recommend above, you don’t need a fixed itinerary. You can decide with your guide which stops to visit. You can ask us for our contact in the comments so nothing goes wrong.

Another idea is to book a speedboat tour for your group; this will make transfers much faster and help you make the most of the day. It’s of course more expensive, not only because of higher fuel consumption but also because there aren’t many of these boats.

If you want to do it SHARED (i.e., via an agency paying only for your seat), you can book here or here, where you can read other travelers’ comments. On Klook it’s slightly cheaper than booking directly at any agency in Coron.

WHICH STOPS TO CHOOSE? With quite a few of these tours under our belt, if we had to choose stops we’d probably say Kayangan Lake, Twin Lagoon, Barracuda Lake, Banol Beach and Coral Garden. If you’re not going to go to Siete Pecados on your own from Coron Town, we’d swap Coral Garden for Siete Pecados. If it really excites you, include Skeleton Wreck. Still, as we say, if you choose a private tour you can decide on the fly and ask your guide—he’ll also suggest an order to avoid the crowds.

That said, here’s a bit more about the most famous Ultimate Tour spots:

Kayangan Lake – The star of island hopping in Coron

The entrance is already amazing and gives you the chance to take the classic Coron photo you’ve seen everywhere from a viewpoint, but once you finish the 360 steps up to Kayangan Lake you’ll be blown away. This gorgeous lake surrounded by limestone walls is huge and, although you can only swim in the designated area (the rest is closed to the public because a couple of people died freediving some time ago), you’ll fall in love.

Once you get in the water, you’ll be surprised by how clear it is. Put on your mask and look down—the underwater rock formations are incredible.

It’s mandatory to wear a life jacket or at least carry it in your hand. They’re not super strict, but it’s for safety because several people have died freediving. Kayangan Lake is freshwater, so buoyancy is lower than in saltwater. If you’re thinking about freediving, be realistic about your ability and be careful.

Travel around the Philippines tip: try to arrive before 7:30 because most Coron tours do it around 9:00. Seriously, the scene changes dramatically.

Entrance fee: 300 pesos per person.

Twin Lagoon – Coron’s most beautiful lagoon

Kayangan Lake is incredible, but another island‑hopping star in Coron is Twin Lagoon. They’re two lagoons connected by a small staircase (or, at low tide, a gap you can swim through). You can access by swimming from either of the two mooring points. We’ve tried both and they’re more or less the same. From the staircase you can see the other side, where there are usually lots of boats parked.

When they offer to rent you a kayak in Coron Town for the Ultimate Tour, it’s only for Twin Lagoon. Since it costs 1,000 pesos and you can easily swim it, we don’t think it makes sense.

Travel Around the Philippines tip: it’s a good idea to visit this lagoon right after Kayangan Lake, around 7:30, because later it gets absolutely packed and loses some charm.

Entrance fee: 200 pesos per person.

Barracuda Lake – Marvel at the thermocline

Not as popular as the previous stops for an island hopping tour, but very popular with divers because, besides being beautiful, it’s often one of the three daily dive sites.

The boat drops you at a jetty and then you walk through a passageway between two massive rock walls. The walk itself is pretty, and once inside you’ll love the setting. Don’t hesitate to swim to experience the thermocline—the different layers of water temperature—and to see the underwater rock formations. It’s like entering a baroque temple under the sea. Do be careful, though, because due to the water’s composition several people have died there in recent years.

By the way, it’s named after the barracuda fish. Although there’s only one left now, it’s huge and very chill. It’s not as easy to spot anymore, but keep an eye out.

Travel Around the Philippines tip: try to go before 9:00 or 10:00, which is when more people tend to arrive. If you’re thinking of flying a drone, you can’t take off from inside the lake—only from the jetty. If you fly high you’ll see it anyway. In any case, always ask for permission.

Entrance fee: 200 pesos per person.

Banol Beach – The most beautiful beach on your Coron island hopping

On most Coron island hopping trips they’ll take you to Banol (or Banul) Beach for lunch—but ask your boatman to take you earlier! This gorgeous strip of white sand bathed by turquoise water, backed by towering limestone walls and dotted with small bamboo huts, is a gift for the eyes. For us, it’s one of the best beaches in the Philippines.

We’ve visited at 9:00 or 10:00 and been completely alone for a couple of hours, enjoying the place, eating and sipping a coconut. Around 11:30 the rest of the boats start to arrive.

Entrance fee: 150 pesos per person.

Coral Reef Garden – Pretty corals

Coron island hopping tours usually include a bit of snorkeling at local reefs. If you like marine life, it’s always a good idea to visit one or two. In our case, having done several island hopping tours in Coron, we recommend Coral Reef Garden (also called Smith Coral Garden), where you can see beautiful corals, fish and, with luck, a turtle.

Bear in mind that if the sea is a bit rough, this area is not very sheltered, so the waves can make it a little uncomfortable. Ask your guide what he thinks.

Entrance fee: 150 pesos per person.

Siete Pecados – Great snorkeling with a chance of turtles

If you have enough time in Coron, we always suggest going to Siete Pecados on your own rather than on a tour. The area is big and beautiful enough to spend at least two hours snorkeling, and it’s accessible by land from Coron Town, so we recommend using the Ultimate Tour time to visit other places. If you’re short on time and can’t go another day, we suggest swapping Coral Reef Garden for Siete Pecados, which we find prettier.

Entrance fee: 100 pesos.

Skeleton Wreck – A shipwreck for snorkelers

If you’re a diver and you’ll spend at least a day diving in Coron (or you’re doing the Reefs & Wrecks tour), you can skip this stop—but if you’re only snorkeling, it’s highly recommended!

It’s a 25‑meter‑long ship from the Japanese fleet that was sunk by US aircraft during World War II. It lies between five and 22 meters deep, so even if you’re not a freediving expert, you’ll still be able to see part of it and the marine life around it.

Travel Around the Philippines tip: there’s no need to come at any specific time; being underwater, crowds don’t matter as much.

Entrance fee: 150 pesos per person.

Other stops on the Ultimate Tour in Coron

Of course, these aren’t the only Ultimate Tour stops in Coron. There are many more you can explore—you could spend several days island hopping around Coron Island and nearby and still not see them all. For example:

Reefs: Balinsayaw Reef, Malwawey Coral Garden…
Beaches: Smith Beach (one of our favorites and highly recommended if you want more beaches; it’s very similar to Banol Beach but much smaller), CYC Beach (no entrance fees, but it isn’t the best and it’s usually packed), Atwayan Beach (also lovely, but gets very busy), Sunset Beach, BBH Beach, Calachuchi Beach (also called Vivian Beach)…
Lagoons: as of today, only Blue Lagoon is open to visitors. Green Lagoon and similar ones are closed to the public.
Cave: Pukaway Cave, newly opened and lit. It’s cool, but note the entrance fee is 600 pesos per person.

Leave us a comment with your email and we’ll send you our trusted contact for island hopping in Coron.

Smith Beach – Blue Lagoon – Atwayan Beach

2. Escapade Tour: the other one you can’t miss

Keep reading because we’re not done with the island hopping in Coron that, in our opinion, are must‑dos. This second one is the so‑called Escapade Tour—basically a “getaway” from Coron, since these islands are quite far from town, about 90 minutes by boat.

The scenery here is totally different: some of the best sandbars in the Philippines and huge beaches. There are no lagoons or karst walls on these islands, but you’ll enjoy white sand, turquoise water and lots of coconut palms.

As with the Ultimate Tour, if you do a private excursion you’ll have some leeway and, instead of visiting the three we mention below, you can swap in Coco Island (also called Coco Beach) or Bulog Dos Island. It’s also possible to increase to four destinations. Just discuss it with your bangkero.

Which one first? Let your guide advise on the order, since the sandbars at Bulog Dos and Ditaytayan look best at low tide and he’ll know the timing.

Also, trust them on the return time. It’s a long way back and, after midday, the sea usually gets rougher. We almost always take longer returning and get soaked by the spray. Be careful.

As shown in the table above, if you do it privately the whole‑boat price for this excursion is 5,700 pesos for one to four people. It goes up as your group grows because the boat needs more capacity. Add each island’s entrance fees and your food costs.

Do you need to do the Escapade Tour privately? We prefer it (the last time we did it we were ALONE on every beach), but since fewer people do this tour there aren’t as many boats at each stop. In other words, if you’re on a tighter budget, it’s better to invest in a private Ultimate Tour before the Escapade Tour.

Distances are quite long, so it’s also feasible to book a private speedboat tour. Obviously, the price goes up a lot.

If you want to do it SHARED (through an agency, with a pre‑made group), which is a bit cheaper, you can book it here or here. You can read reviews from other travelers and compare before walking into a random agency.

Which stops to choose? They’re all beautiful, but for us the basics are Malcapuya, Waling Waling (or Bulog Dos—they’re next to each other and you can swim between them), Coco Beach and Banana Island. We’ve been to Ditaytayan several times and we love it, so we really go back and forth between Ditaytayan and Banana… In any case, here’s more about them.

Malcapuya Island – Postcard‑perfect beaches

Without detracting from the others, this is perhaps the prettiest of the three or four islands you’ll visit. This tropical island has a huge stretch of fine white sand (honestly, one of the best in Coron and possibly in the Philippines) and a couple of gorgeous rocky corners at each end. It’s packed with palm trees and also has interesting reef for snorkeling.

When you arrive you’ll see a quirky basketball court (it couldn’t be any other way in the Philippines!) and a small stall selling snacks, cocktails and delicious coconuts. If you get there before noon, there’s a good chance you’ll have it to yourself. In our most recent visit we were completely alone for an hour and a half.

By the way, there are a couple of very basic huts in Malcapuya (just a mattress) where you can spend the night. If that interests you, talk to the crew and do what’s called an overnight tour—i.e., a tour where you sleep on one of the islands.

Note that the trip from Coron Town to Malcapuya usually takes 1.5 hours. On the way back it usually takes a bit longer because the sea is rougher.

Entrance fee: 300 pesos per person.

Banana Island – The perfect lunch stop

The next stop on this island hopping in Coron is usually Banana Island, where you’ll also enjoy a huge white‑sand beach, turquoise water and lots of palms. They typically bring you here at lunchtime because there’s a covered area with large communal tables that’s perfect for it.

The island is quite large and has a small resort where you can also spend the night, a little shop and, best of all, some amazing hammocks for a nap!

Travel Around the Philippines tip: after 14:00 it’s usually fairly empty. Also, don’t stay where everyone is—walk to either end of the beach and you’ll find your own corner.

Entrance fee: 300 pesos per person.

Ditaytayan Island, Waling Waling and Bulog Dos – Spectacular sandbars

Ditaytayan is an island with a fabulous white‑sand bar that won’t leave you indifferent. On either side of the island you’ll have crystal‑clear water for a great swim. Ditaytayan is a little more isolated than the rest, so it takes a bit more sailing.

Bulog Dos is also truly wonderful. In our opinion, Bulog Dos is perhaps a tad more photogenic, but both are beautiful. On this island there’s a small hill you can climb to admire the landscape and the neighboring luxury resort—the Entrance fee: 200 pesos. Right next door is Waling Waling (the one in the photo on the right, above) and you can actually swim there from Bulog Dos.

Let your guide advise you and you won’t go wrong. What is important is that you go at low tide, especially to the latter two, so you’ll see them at their best.

Entrance fee: 200 pesos.

Ditaytayan on the left and Bulog Dos on the right

Coco Beach – Super photogenic beach

Lately (and rightly so) many tours stop at Coco Beach on Bulalacao Island. The beach, while the sand isn’t as fine as Malcapuya’s or Banana’s, is incredible and features some super picturesque bamboo huts. In fact, many expeditions stop here to sleep (along with Banana Island).

It also has shade and several roofed tables for lunch, so you’ll find it busier around midday.

Entrance fee: 200 pesos.

3. Reefs and Wrecks: Pass Island, Lusong Gunboat and Lusong Coral Garden

If you want to go off the beaten path, there’s even more island hopping in Coron! One of the more “typical” options takes you to Pass Island, which is everything you imagine when you picture a tropical island: palm trees, crystal‑clear water and fine white sand.

On Pass Island there’s—of course—a basketball court and another for volleyball, a small hill for a view from above, top‑tier snorkeling reef and some bungalows in case you want to spend the night. These even have fans and outlets and cost around 1,000 pesos per night. There’s also a tiny shop selling drinks, but it’s better to bring your own food and drinks.

In addition, the visit to Pass Island is usually combined with two fantastic snorkeling spots: Lusong Gunboat and Lusong Coral Garden. The former is one of the Japanese fleet ships sunk during World War II and can be seen perfectly while snorkeling as it’s almost at the surface. The latter is one of the prettiest coral gardens we’ve seen in Palawan.

How to get to Pass Island? It lies off Busuanga Island, west of Coron Town, so it’s easier to access from other points. There are three ways to get there:

From Coron Town on a tour (Reefs and Wrecks): it’s two hours by boat and the price for up to four people is 5,700 pesos. Add entrance fees and food. We can also share a contact if you leave us a comment. If you want to do it as a shared (agency) tour, you can book it here or here.
From Concepción: this is a small village you can reach on your own motorbike or by taking one of the minivans from Coron Town (250 pesos per person, 45 minutes). From Concepción it’s one hour to Pass Island and, as we mentioned above, there are a few hotels for an overnight. Take the chance to see Concepcion Falls and kayak around Dipuyai Bay, a mangrove‑filled bay. The boat to Pass Island usually costs around 2,500 pesos (for up to six people) and the reefs are also visited. We stayed in this area for a week and loved it. We also have a contact from here. You can read more here: Things to do in Concepción.
From Salvación: another small village that’s a good base for these and other islands. You’ll also have to negotiate the boat price, which is usually around 6,500 pesos. As it’s much more expensive, it’s worth going to Concepcion, which is nearby, and doing it from there. Renting a motorbike in Salvacion is 500 pesos.

Entrance fees: 250 pesos per person for Pass Island, 100 pesos for Lusong Gunboat and 100 pesos for Lusong Coral Garden.

4. Black Island (Malajon Island)

They say Black Island, also known as Malajon Island, is a “mini” Coron Island—and it’s true. With gray or black limestone walls (hence the name) contrasting with the green palms and white sand, you can’t help but compare it with the Ultimate Tour scenery, only with far fewer people here.

On Black Island there are several beaches to visit plus other attractions such as caves and even the remains of a shipwreck right in front of the main beach. Don’t underestimate Black Island—devote several hours or, if you can, the whole day. We explain everything in our dedicated article: Black Island, Coron.

How to get to Black Island? As in the previous case, there are four ways to get there:

From Coron Town: as you can see in the price table above, it’s about 9,000 pesos for a boat for up to four people. The crossing takes around 2.5 hours. You can also include North Cay or Maltatayoc—just pay their fees (200 pesos each). Leave us a comment and we’ll share our contact for this tour.
From Concepción: in fact, you can also combine it with Pass Island and Debotunay (which we also love). Prices are around 3,500 pesos for a boat for up to six people.
From Salvación: same as the previous case but a bit closer. They charge 3,500 pesos, or 4,000 pesos if you include Debutonay and North Cay.
From Ocam‑Ocam Beach: this is the easiest, as this beach is the closest to Black Island. You’ll need to negotiate, but bangka prices are around 2,500 pesos. Note that there’s no public transport from Coron Town to Ocam Ocam Beach. It’s two hours by motorbike; one hour from Concepción. A rental motorbike is 500 pesos per day. From here you can combine Black Island with Debutonay or even with swimming with dugongs in Coron. If you need a contact for this, leave a comment and we’ll gladly share it.

Entrance fee: 250 pesos.

5. North Cay, Maltatayoc Island and Pass Island

This island hopping in Coron is one of the lesser‑known ones, but it’s well worth adding if you’re looking for places with fewer tourists.

North Cay and South Cay are two small islands near the Concepción and Salvación area on Busuanga. Both offer white‑sand beaches and clear water, as well as good snorkeling. Since 2019, South Cay has belonged to a luxury hotel, so only North Cay can be visited. Maltatayoc, meanwhile, is a long island with a spectacular sandbar (the one in the photo below). As mentioned above, Pass Island is a postcard‑perfect spot where you can spend several hours enjoying sun and sea.

As they’re relatively close, a good idea is to combine these three islands in one day. The island of Pamalican (snorkeling is decent) is also nearby, in case you want to tick off another of the Philippines’ 7,000+ islands.

How to get to North Cay, Pass Island and Maltayoc? As before, there are three ways:

From Coron Town: boat prices from town start at 9,000 pesos, including Black Island. We can share a contact if you like.
From Concepción: negotiate excursion prices—they’re around 2,500 pesos per boat. From Salvación it’s almost double, so it’s not worth it.

Entrance fees: 650 pesos for the three islands.

⭐ Keep reading about this destination in our Coron Guide

Did you enjoy this look at the best island hopping in Coron? We’ll be happy to answer your questions in the comments.