The gateway to Palawan Island, the city of Puerto Princesa has a landscape that rivals some of the most beautiful places in the world. It can be used as a base for exploring national parks, limestone caves and underground rivers, but you can also relax on the beaches, stroll through museums or admire the rich nature. Puerto Princesa has it all. But if the scenery, diving, and beaches in the area aren’t enough for you, the Philippines has plenty of other islands and cities worth visiting, such as Corón. The landscape of Corón is, to put it mildly, as amazing as that of Puerto Princesa. Characterized by numerous lakes and rocky cliffs, it boasts some of the world’s most famous diving sites, including a fleet of Japanese World War II warships. Read on to find out how to get from Puerto Princesa to Corón.
Travel options from Puerto Princesa to Coron
Being on different islands, getting from Puerto Princesa to Coron won’t be particularly quick or direct unless you decide to take a plane. The distance traveled by plane is 300 kilometers, but if you take the bus and ferry or just the ferry, the trip adds about 100 kilometers. The flight is the perfect solution to get from Puerto Princesa to Corón in the shortest possible time. While it’s nice to travel leisurely and admire the scenery, not everyone wants to spend the whole day on the road, which is the time it takes to cover the route by ferry. But the truth is that there are many transport options to choose from, so it won’t be difficult to find the one that best suits your plans and budget.
Puerto Princesa to Coron flights
AirSWIFT plane © easyknotcoco / Shutterstock.com
Let’s start with the fastest and most practical means of transport, which is the plane. You can take a direct flight from Puerto Princesa to Coron. If you want to save time and get to Corón in the shortest possible time, this is the best solution. Puerto Princesa International Airport is located a few kilometers south of the city of Puerto Princesa, and from there there are direct flights to Francisco B. Reyes Airport, which is located near Coron. Francisco B. Reyes Airport used to be called Busuanga Airport, and you still hear that name often. Therefore, if you are looking for flights and see that they are flying to Busuanga, do not think that it is a bad destination.
Airport Francisco B. Reyesa is located a few kilometers from Corón and it is very easy to get to the city by landing on one of the two airlines that offer a route from Puerto Princesa to Corón. The airlines are Air Juan and AirSWIFT. The flight time is only 1 hour and 10 minutes. Even if we add transfers and waiting times at airports to this, the whole trip should not take more than 3-4 hours, so it is without a doubt the fastest option.
But flying from Puerto Princesa to Coron is not suitable for all budgets. If you’re trying to be careful about what you spend, the price of a plane ticket will probably make you consider other options. Although, on the other hand, it may be worth spending more to save time, because with the plane you will not have to spend the whole day traveling.
From Puerto Princesa to Corón by bus and ferry
Tourists boarding a Montenegro Lines ship between El Nido and Corón © Kim David / Shutterstock.com
For some tourists, spending a whole day traveling from one place to another is part of the experience. Traveling by plane may be quick and easy, but it does not allow you to experience the culture of the country or enjoy the spectacular landscapes that can be seen by traveling by land or water. Traveling by bus and ferry from Puerto Princesa to Corón allows you to do both. Many locals take ferries instead of planes, so you’ll be able to meet lots of Filipinos and enjoy the sights along the way.
There are two ways to take the ferry. The first is to take the bus to El Nido and then take the ferry that goes to Corón. The second option is a ferry that goes directly from Puerto Princesa to Corón, but we’ll talk about this boat later.
If you want to shorten the time of your sea trip, especially if you often get seasick while sailing by boat, you can take the bus to El Nido first. Combination tickets can be booked online 12Go.asiaso you’ll have both a bus ticket and a ferry ticket and save yourself the hassle of buying the two sections separately. You can take the normal bus that runs from Puerto Princesa to El Nido at 7:00 AM and 2:30 PM in approximately 5.5 hours. It’s an inexpensive option, but it has a big downside: you’d have to wait a long time in El Nido before you can take the ferry to Corón. The ferry leaves at 6am so with the second bus the wait wouldn’t be that long. But even so, if we add 4 hours by ferry, the trip would take 19.5 hours in total.
A more practical way to travel is to take a taxi to El Nido. The advantage of a taxi is that it can pick you up directly from your hotel in Puerto Princesa at a time of your choosing, so you can adjust it to the 6:00 AM ferry departure. If you plan well, this way the trip can take less than 10 hours. The bad part is how you imagine a taxi is much more expensive.
From Puerto Princesa to Coron by ferry
If you don’t mind spending a few hours on the boat, you can sail directly from Puerto Princesa to Corón by water. 2GO (not 12Go) operates several ferries in the Philippines and has a direct service every Sunday from Puerto Princesa to Coron. This ferry covers the route in approximately 11 hours. It leaves Puerto Princesa at 7:00 AM and arrives in Corón around 6:00 PM the same day. There are several types of tickets available on this ferry, so you can travel for very little money or spend more on business class travel. Since you are traveling during the day, it is not necessary to have more than one seat, but you can choose a cabin if you want more privacy.
As you have seen, there are many options to travel from Puerto Princesa to Corón. The quickest and most practical solution is usually also the most expensive. But if you’re on a tight budget and don’t mind a long journey, you can take a ferry and part of the way by bus.