Littlenomadid -Indonesian Travel Blogger: Coron: Hopping to Kayangan Lake

Kayangan Lake, I wonder what is the meaning of Kayangan for them, but for me as an Indonesian, Kayangan refers to Heaven. It must be a heavenly place. I came to Coron to prove how heavenly the lake was. After comparing some tour providers in Coron, I decided to go with a day tour from a small kiosk. Actually all providers sell similar package. Like in Thailand, the agent got the fee then in the end, the tourists will be combined in the same boat.

Eight a.m., I was ready with my swimsuit, sunscreen, and sunglasses. I came on time to the kiosk, waiting to be transferred to the port. The port is just few meters, I can literally walk to the port. But the old lady from the kiosk insisted us to take tricycle. Well, that's fine for me, smart way to generate income and share it with other locals. I did wait for several minutes until all participants were loaded. There were around 30 people in a boat. Too much I think, but what could I do I sat down enjoying my time on the boat, pretended not to hear a Polish Guy beside me complaining a lot about the crowd in the boat.

After around 30 minutes sailing on the not so calm sea, we arrived in our first destination, CYC Beach. The guide allowed us to snorkel around. Coral was just okay for me, not that good. The only thing bothering me and I'm sure other participants as well, was the jellyfish stinging us fiercely. It hurts!

Next stop was Banol Beach, where we had our lunch. Delicious buffet lunch was served. I had a yummy sweet crabs, eggplants, and fresh juicy fish, enough to satisfied my starving stomach. I loved the tranquility I felt here in Coron, despite of the tourism spot, Coron was still not as booming as Boracay, especially compared to islands in Thailand. There was only 2-3 boats when I was there, and it wasn't crowded at all. I'm not sure what will it be in the next few years, but for me, I'm very grateful coming to this place when it wasn't crowded yet.

Along the way to all the islands, the magical view of rock and limestone formation awed me also made me curious. How did these continuous formation was created. We stopped in the next destination called Green Lagoon. There are several lagoons between the rocks famous one is Twin Lagoon. Surprisingly the water is the combination of fresh and salt water, that's why the water temperature is warm. From Green Lagoon we headed to Cap's Point. I saw nothing interesting here, no great landscape, not until I jumped into the water and discovered the jaw dropping view down there. Best snorkeling spot for the day. I swam with two other friends and one guide accompanying us rounding a huge stone in the middle of the sea. The corals were great, fishes everywhere, and there is one point fall and it was amazing. I couldn't see the bottom, it was dark. Unfortunately my camera ran out of battery, so I couldn't take any picture of it.

Last and the highlight of this tour was Kayangan Lake. There was a small hut for registration. Before the ancestors lived here, but now only few people stayed in this place guarding this place. I followed the stairs to Kayangan Lake, of course I'm the first one excited to run ahead so I could take better picture. Finally I witnessed the view that I saw in google. Too bad, we came a bit late when the sun was almost down, blocked by the limestone hills producing a shadow. This place is terrific, this place is heaven on earth!

I was fooled by google. I thought the picture above was the lake but that's not the lake. It was taken from the view point. The lake itself is on the other side. Again my battery was totally drained so I failed to take Kayangan Lake's picture. It looks pretty same with the lagoon though. Swimming in the lake was good to clean the body since it's fresh water. It's also possible to snorkel and find out the stunning mysterious rock formation down there.

-If you want to rent a boat/bangka on your own for hopping island, you can directly ask the locals/boat captain. Price around PHP 1500 for a boat. In some islands/spots you still have to pay PHP 100-200 for the entry permit.