What Tourists Get Wrong About Coron
You booked a flight to Busuanga, your hotel says Coron, your island tour visits Coron Island—and you're staying on Busuanga Island.
Confused?
You're not alone.
One of the first things visitors misunderstand about Coron is that “Coron” can refer to several different places.
Here's the simple version.
Coron Town Is Where Most Visitors Stay
What tourists usually call Coron Town is the main urban center of the Municipality of Coron.
This is where you'll find many hotels, restaurants, dive shops, tour agencies and the port used by numerous island-hopping boats.
But Coron Town is not on Coron Island.
It is on Busuanga Island.
Busuanga Island Is the Big Island
Busuanga is the large island where Coron Town and Francisco B. Reyes Airport—commonly called Busuanga Airport—are located.
But Busuanga Island isn't one municipality.
The island is divided principally between Coron Municipality in the east and Busuanga Municipality in the west.
So when you drive from Coron Town toward Concepcion or Salvacion, you're travelling across Busuanga Island and eventually entering a different municipality.
Busuanga Municipality Is Something Else
This is where things become especially confusing.
Busuanga Island and the Municipality of Busuanga aren't the same thing.
Busuanga Municipality was created in 1950 when several barrios were separated from the Municipality of Coron.
Today it occupies the western part of Busuanga Island and includes communities such as Salvacion, Concepcion and New Busuanga, as well as other islands and coastal areas.
And Coron Island?
Coron Island is the spectacular limestone island immediately southeast of Coron Town.
This is where you'll find some of the destination's most famous natural attractions, including Kayangan Lake and Barracuda Lake.
Coron Island is geographically separate from Busuanga Island.
You reach it by boat.
It is also the ancestral domain of the Indigenous Calamian Tagbanwa, an important fact visitors should understand when entering its lakes and surrounding waters.
Why Does This Matter?
Because understanding the geography changes how you plan your trip.
A hotel described as being “in Coron” isn't necessarily close to Coron Island.
An attraction “in Busuanga” might mean Busuanga Island or Busuanga Municipality.
And travelling around Busuanga by road is a completely different experience from exploring Coron Island by boat.
The easiest way to remember it is:
Coron Town = on Busuanga Island.
Busuanga Municipality = western part of Busuanga Island.
Coron Island = separate limestone island reached by boat.
Once you understand that, Coron suddenly becomes much easier to explore.
Discover Coron and Busuanga with clearer local information on ilovecoron.com.
Because I Love Coron.
