Coron Kayaking

	Philippine Travel Articles (courtesy of )





	Coron: Kayaking at its Best Written by Greg Hutchinson With the running of Mountain Travel Sobek's inaugural expeditions last April in the Calamian archipelago, word is out that the Philippines offers some of the best sea kayaking on the planet. Seventeen American and two Australian clients of the American pioneer of small group active holidays experienced an adventure that few destinations elsewhere in the world can match.





	The wedge-shaped island of Coron surrounded with mangrove estuaries and rich coral reefs rewards paddlers with hidden lagoons, natural rock formations and diverse wildlife. If s also a great venue for competitive kayaking.

	The 19 men and women, accompanied by guides from Sobek and outfitter Tribal Adventure Tours (tribaladventures.com), explored in folding Feathercraft kayaks, the coastal waters of some of the 220 islands that make up the Calamian chain in far northern Palawan. This archipelago, well known for its wrecks particularly Japanese warships sunk by American bombers in 1944, has only recently been drawing paddlers in addition to divers. Now, three foreign-run companies, SeaCanoe, Ocean Trek and Tribal Adventures regularly run kayaking tours and expeditions through the islands which form the northernmost chain making up the much larger Palawan group of islands. Palawan stretches some 600 km down to its sea border with Borneo, with which it holds more in common geologically and biologically than with the rest of the Philippines thanks to a landbridge Palawan and Borneo shared some 50,000 years ago. The earliest evidence of man in the Philippines has been found in Palawan. Latest research from the Tabon caves in	southwest Palawan dates human habitation from around 63,000 years ago. The focus for all the sea kayaking companies is the limestone island of Coron. More than 60 km around, it offers that rare combination of rugged coastline, impenetrable interior, clear aquamarine lagoons, white sandy beaches, bat and swiflet caves, coves, reefs, miles and miles of undercut cliff faces and a strong, living culture. These kayaking businesses — Ocean Trek, SeaCanoe and Tribal Adventure Tours — are benefitting from the star status accorded Coron following the entry of Mountain Travel Sobek, which signalled world tourism recognition for Coron. Sobek's two, 2-week back-to-back expeditions, outfitted and jointly-led by 1999 Kalakbay (national tourism) awardee Tribal Adventure Tours, also showcased upmarket safari camping — a vacation model famous in southern Africa and now adapted to the Philippines with an added twist — accommodation in native floating huts that get towed from camp to camp. The Tribal Adventure Weekend Palawan Paddle package costs 5,520 pesos	($124) per person on twin share basis for four days and three nights and includes the free use of kayaks for the duration of the stay. This price is a steal since the use of kayaks alone costs 2,000 pesos ($45). The camps are not your average schoolboy bivouac with a sheet of canvass for a tent and canned beans for dinner. No, accommodation is in all-weather tents, or, for those sleeping in a floating hut, on a mattress covered with fresh linen and sealed inside a mosquito net. On the Tribal/Sobek safaris, a chef typically prepares a fresh seafood feast which guests wash down with beer or wine from the comfort of deck chairs. As for bathroom facilities, the showers are hot thanks to solar bag showers. The toilets are rocket boxes or pits with a rudimentary throne. But it is the location of the campsites — squeezed in the narrow corridor between the high water mark of a beautiful white sand beach and the towering limestone cliffs of the island of Coron — which make up for any lack of creature comforts. Such a sacrifice is welcomed by a growing number of travelers eager to get





	If you have time, explore the mangrove glades in Coron Bay, home to a variety of animals, including monkeys and monitor lizards.

	closer to nature and experience the true adventure of travel — like witnessing a water spout dancing across the water and the sky in an awesome 20-minute display of power and majesty. This genie-like spiralling whisp of water-ladened cloud appears like a tornado, but thankfully is far more innocuous. The water spout was witnessed on April 4, 2000 from the first camp of the first Tribal/Sobek expedition. It was followed that night by a half-hour spectacle of lightning, thunder and driving rains. It was taken as an auspicious start to a month of wonderous paddling through hectares of mangrove forests, up and down the Busuanga River, along the coasts of Culion and Coron islands and round small palm-fringed islands ringed by white sand. Two people were lucky enough to glimpse a dugong and many more were thrilled by the sight of dolphins. However, it was the island of Coron that spelt magic for the participants in each expedition. A highlight for some were the campsites built below towering limestone cliffs, their heavy vegetation of tall trees, plants and lianas defying gravity. For the enthusiastic sea kayaker it was gliding for miles and miles under the undercut section of the east Coron coast, or experiencing those tranquil moments in the island's many lagoons. For a birthday celebrant on the second 2-week expedition, it was a fiesta at a	Coron island seaside village at which he had to feed all 50 plus native Tagbanua before himself. The Mountain Travel Sobek expeditions, though outfitted and jointly conducted by Tribal Adventure Tours, used six Feathercraft folding kayaks flown in especially from the U.S. by Philippine Airlines. Other trips conducted by Tribal Adventures use Dusky Bay Double, Traveller Two and Puffin single sit-in kayaks. SeaCanoe's trips use mainly sit-on Ocean kayaks. More Mountain Travel Sobek expeditions are planned for November and again in April 2001. Inquiries can be coursed through info® tribaladventures.com. Tribal Adventures runs sea kayaking tours and expeditions in the Calamian archipelago day-in-day-out, year-round. Ingredients for a successful expedition Jeremy Carroll, SeaCanoe Philippines manager, rates Coron as having 'high potential' as an international destination due to its unique and outstanding beauty. Additionally, it is ideal for kayaking, its calm sheltered paddling routes and distances suiting all levels of experience. It has a huge choice of camping islands and beaches, perceived remoteness, and is close to logistical support. Indeed, so accessible is the island of Coron, that an unfit paddler can alight from the ferry at the Coron town pier on	Busuanga island on a Saturday morning and kayak across to the adjacent lagoons of northwest Coron island in 30 minutes. Such popularity is a mixed blessing, and Jeremy, who is moving to Vietnam to run SeaCanoe's tours there, is cautious about the future. "Overcrowding is potentially a major problem for sea kayaking operators, although perhaps not in the same degree as that of Phuket's where physical scuffling and yelling abuse in front of customers to access paddling areas are common." He notes that the Tagbanua now control the land and islands of their ancestors, having becoming the first Filipinos to win an 'ancestral domain' claim from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. The land area totals some 8,000 hectares, which includes the whole of Coron Island. The sea area is about 14,000 hectares. The Tagbanua, particularly in and around Cabugao where most of the traditional people live, are shy and value their privacy. They practice Christianity, having been heavily influenced in recent decades by missionaries who have convinced them to be more self-sufficient. This does not mean they value their traditions less. In recent years, several nongovernment organizations have taken on a strong advisory role, helping the Tagbanua gain legal control over their traditional lands and waters. The vitality



	of their traditions helped the Tagbanua attain such a goal. However, the clainrhas not been welcomed in some quarters as it purports to take away the local municipality's control over coastal waters. Legal action to rescind the order or reduce the amount of sea area involved is being considered by aggrieved parties. The best way to interact with the Tagbanua is by paddling a canoe as they do, and staying in native huts that are towed into Coron lagoons called "Maroon", or camping on the small but picturesque beaches on the island of Coron. But ask permission first of the Tagbanua Foundation and the Council of Elders of Cabugao. This requires a special trip, or else a tour operator may be able to do it for you. Permission will be rarely denied, though they will tell you those places that are off-limits. These are mainly burial areas and beaches already occupied by Tagbanua families, as well as Cabugao itself. □ □ □ Philippine Airlines flies Manila-Puerto Princesa-Manila daily and Iloilo-Puerto Princesa-lloilo twice weekly. From Puerto Princesa, take an 11-hour ferry ride bound to Coron. Fare ranges from 600 pesos ($13.50) to 3,000 pesos ($67.40).

	WHAT, NO ROOM SERVICE? The Location of the campsite — squeezed in the narrow corridor between the beach and a limestone cliff — makes up for the lack of resorts, restaurants or shops in the island.




	One of the best ways we recommend to explore the Calamian Islands is to hire a pump boat, rent snorkeling gear, and explore one picturesque islet after another. You will discover mangrove estuaries full of wildlife, desolate white sand coves, and abundant coral reefs.

	PREHISTORIC PAST With a vast tract of virgin rainforest and preserved marine wilderness, the 1,700-island province of Palawan is known as the Philippines' last frontier. Also in Palawan is the site of the Tabon Cave, now dubbed as "The Cradle of Philippine Civilization" because archeological findings revealed that man occupied the cave in different periods for 40,000 years. Fossils found of "The Tabon Man" are dated to be 22,000 to 23,000 years back and together with other prehistoric mammals, they were theorized to come to Palawan through the Quanternary land bridges that connected Palawan to Borneo. The Calamians—which include Busuanga, Coron and Culion, plus 90 other small islands—	once connected Palawan to nearby islands Mindoro and Luzon. The Tagbanuas, the semi-nomadic indigenous people who live mostly in Coron Island, their protected ancestral domain at present, are said to be the descendants of the Tabon Man. Today, you only need to see the wedge-shaped Coron Island's 700-meter stretch of limestone spites, similar to those found in China's Guilin and Vietnam's Ha Long Bay, to believe that Palawan was part of the Eurasian Plate some 40 million years ago. Rock climbers may be tempted to scale these 30- to 50-metei Swiss cheese-like katsts but be warned: the rocks can be razor-sharp. It is also recommended to ask the permission of Tagbanuas or Nido's bird nest collectors, as the site might be licensed by the municipality to a particular individual. SEA AND LAKE WONDERS Although there are no accommodations in Coron Island, you can always spend whole day swimming, snorkeling, kayaking and diving around it. For a truly enchanting experience, take a short hike over a steep rocky rise to find Cayangan Lake, framed in splendid rock walls adorned with hanging plants and bonsai trees. With a crystal cleat water that reveals the bottom, Cayangan Lake is reputed to be the cleanest in the countty so don't pass up the chance to




		Nerve-wrecking Dives DIVERS GO TO Coron for a dozen reasons: There are 12 accessible shipwrecks of the Japanese Imperial Navy in sheltered locations in the waters surrounding the numerous islands between Busuanga and Culion Island. On September 24, 1944 Admiral Bull Halsey, going north with his fleet, discovered Japanese ships, camouflaged like islands. He immediately ordered an air strike, sinking 24 enemy ships. As of today 12 wrecks have been found in varying depths between 10 to 40 meters. All the wrecks are intact, extremely photogenic and overgrown with hard and soft corals. Several dive shops now operate out of the town and provide you with expert guides. The Olympia Maru has immense plate corals, rug sized anemones and clownfish . It is a favorite among photographers because of better lighting since it's portside is only 12 meters from the surface. They also enjoy inspecting the exterior of the 185-meter long Taiei Maru. Sitting almost upright, divers can swim through walkways which are festooned with Orange Black Coral trees while the main deck is covered with soft and hard corals. You are sure to see shoals of yellow snappers throughout the dive. In all of the wrecks, expect to find lion and scorpion fishes, fusiliers and batfishes. Lurking underneath in the ships' twisted metal remains are large groupers. If you are here be sure to dive Barracuda Lake. Its underwater topography mimics the pinnacles found above ground. Overlooked, but no less breathtaking, the reefs around the islands are lush with soft and hard corals—and sea fans that easily dwarf a diver. -YVETTELEE

	swim and snorkel. You can bring your own snorkeling gear or you can rent one (starts from 250 pesos a day). Another wonder is the nearby Barracuda Lake, named after a strange, solitary barracuda that seems to have taken the role of being the lake's guardian and greeter (loves to swim across divers). You will be surprised to find crayfish, rabbitfish, garoupa swimming together with catfish since this freshwater lake has a halocline, a division between fresh water and salt water 14 meters beneath the surface. This is probably the cause of the eerie feeling that all divers encounter here. If you go farther south, be careful not to tread on the bigger Cabugao since the lake and the inner part of the island are off-limits to outsiders. One of the best ways we recommend to explore the Calamian Islands is to hire a pump boat, rent snorkeling gear, and explore one picturesque islet after another. You will discover mangrove estuaries full of wildlife, desolate white sand coves, and abundant coral reefs. You can also go solo on a kayak and paddle through natural rock arches, discover hidden lagoons, and camp on deserted beaches. There are very few parts in the world that still remain relatively untouched and offer so much natural beauty as Palawan. .