PALAWAN | Coron’s Banana Island

Friday, February 11, 2011

Beach Lounging at Coron's Banana Island

Our second destination for the day was just a few minutes sailing from Malcapuya, the Dicalabuan Island or more popularly known as Banana Island.

I asked our boatman why it was named as such as I really wasn’t able to see any Banana trees during our stay there; he said that it’s because the island’s looks like a submerged banana. Hmm.. Doesn’t every island do? It’s a stretch, but okay (I tried checking Google Maps if maybe the island looks like a bananaBeach Huts for Overnighters at Coron's Banana Island from the air, well no banana there too).

 
Being so close to Malcapuya, they almost have similar features; turquoise waters, fine sand, greens on the island interior. But high praises for Malcapuya notwithstanding, I actually liked this island better; the huts are nicer and the snorkeling area was way more interesting (at least compared to the ones I saw near the shores of Malcapuya, I wasn’t able to go far there).

In Banana Island, I was forced to wade out further into the water to enjoy snorkeling. The sea floor sinks down pretty quickly to an average depth of at least 30 feet. This was actually one of the deepest snorkeling I’ve ever tried.

I’m really no swimmer and I’m not really comfortable snorkeling all alone on depths more than my height, but the landscape underneath the waters of Banana Island was really just so awesome and it totally overpowered my fears.

I spent quite a while swimming about before finally going ashore to check more of the island. Our boatman said that we were about to leave in half an hour so I quickly dried off, picked up my cameras and went exploring. 
  Banana Island's East Side
A few minutes going east from the docking area, the sandy shore started getting rocky and water insects (I’m not sure what they’re called but they look like cockroaches, though not as disgusting) started to populate the shore. There were multitudes scrambling along the rocks on the beach but they seemed harmless, well at least they didn’t bite me or anything. The woods opposite the beach here was quite thick.

Walking further, I saw a sandbar on the island’s far side; it can be accessed from where I was as the water was just knee-deep but navigating its rocky bottom was really not that easy so I abandoned the thought of crossing it as I don’t really want to risk dunking my cameras into saltwater.

I’m not sure how large Banana Island was so instead of circling it, I headed back to check the island’s western area.

I only have a few minutes to spare after arriving at our original drop off point so I only had a glancing exploration of Banana Island’s west side.

I saw some rock formations along the area that would have been good for seascape photography, really perfect for sunsets, but I unfortunately didn’t have the luxury to wait for the sun to retire. Our boatman was already calling us and it was time to head to our next and final island destination for the day.

A Boat Being Repaired at the East Side of Banana Island Rocky Shoreline at the Eastside of Banana Island
The Main Docking Area at Coron's Banana Island

 

      Banana Island
      Contact: 0929-2082363 | Facebook Page
      Entrance Fee: Php 200.00 / person

      Malcapuya | Banana | Bulog Island Tour
      Recommended Boatman: Avel Arevalo | (0939) 815-0044
      Php 3,500.00 2-4 persons / Php 4,500.00 6-8 persons whole day boat rental fee


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9 comments

  1. 200 pesos na pala entrance fee dito, I agree with you though, this area is better for snorkeling than Malcapuya although Malcapuya has nicer beach for me :)

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  2. Chris. Ganda ng design ng site mo pre. did you purchase this one? Nice post pare. I like it. This is my dream place. During my high school days, I was not able to visit the whole place. We were just in the docking area, when we went home with my father from Manila via Palawan to Cagayan de Oro.

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  3. Surely, I will be able to tour Palawan, God willing.

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  4. Claire
    Oo nagtaas na nga, 100 lang nung last na punta namin yan eh, pero pagcheck ko sa FB page nila, nagtaas na daw.

    Bonzeti
    Free theme lang po sir, ni-customize ko lang ng madami haha.
    Balik na ng Palawan sir!

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  5. sir anu setttings ng cam ?:)

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  6. sir anu setttings ng cam ?:)

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  7. Jay
    Naka full manual ako sir everytime eh so iba-iba settings pero usually nasa f8 ang aperture and iso100, shutterspeeds vary

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  8. You have the best and most useful site by far! Im on my way to Coron in about two weeks and I will be using your guide extensively. Thank you so much.

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    Replies
    1. Glad to help a fellow traveler, Reggie! Enjoy your Coron trip! :)

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