Ride Busuanga-Coron Palawan from Manila
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| en route to Macilla, explore with caution, roads are still under construction in this side of Busuanga |
Around mid May in 2018, Nikko invited me to check out his diving via Coron Town proper. I just finished a stint at Busuanga Bay Lodge Divers early in the year but left since it's like your trapped inside a golden cage and developed island fever after 60 days straight in a remote location without mobile signal or consistent wifi.
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| Atienza port in Manila, expect nothing fancy but the service was a quick no frills transfer of your motorbike to Coron in 14 hours. Ferry Cost P2,800 |
Having just bought a Versys just three days prior my trip, I thought...hmm why not bring it to Coron so I can move around freely this time. and a brief search on google yielded two ferry operators, where calling Atienza shipping lines saw me off to Coron with my bike in 16 hours.
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| My bike beside a Defender...cheap way to ferry your bike is via Atienza Shipping lines |
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| Where I've been... Mapped out three major routes getting around Coron by Motorbike as of May 2018 |
Upon arriving, Nikko shared local dive instructor Brenda needed a Dive Master for Apo Reef, an area I knew inside out so straight from port, I rode my bike, loaded with my dive gear and silly big underwater camera straight to the Maricavan area of Busuanga which was a mix of pavement and occasional dirt roads and was rewarded with fantastic coastal scenes
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| First stop, Maricavan North of Busuanga which was a 50km trip from Coron Town proper |
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| with Brenda's diving guests playing with their drones the next day... |
Diving with Brenda lasted around four days, staying at Vicky's Guest house, a no frills lovely seaside abode for inbound travellers after an authentic local experience with great diving.
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| Diving in Coron...yes Wrecks is the major thing here... |
Heading back to Coron, did a bit more diving with Nikko and his crew at Seadive Resort Palawan. That experience made me decide not to explore opening a dive shop in Coron, it was simply a very messy operation to get into. Nevertheless, made up my free time by exploring Busuanga further...
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| The road to Calauit from Coron will delight any rider who enjoys mountain twisties |
In my first trip here, I used to rent an xr125 to explore Coron, but having my bike with me, I fully enjoyed what the roads in Busuanga had to offer. One of the best routes is travelling from Coron all the way to Calauit which was Northwest from port, a 70km road taking you through epic coastal views and fantastic twisty roads.
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| 70km from Coron town you can explore Calauit Safari park, no local ferries, can't bring my bike, made my u-turn |
The Coron to Calauit route is definitely a civilized route which can be enjoyed by newbie to seasoned riders. You will be rewarded with so many Moto in Jetty photo opportunities, Explore backroads which are quite interesting and discover more fun as you just make sudden turns and discover breathtaking views of the sea.
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| Concepcion is one coastal town in Busuanga which has a cool vibe for both local and foreign tourists alike, roughly 40km from Coron Town proper. |
Having done the Northern and Western parts of Busuanga, it's time to check out what lies to the East which is the Marcilla area of Busuanga, roughly 30 km of challenging dirt roads with steep inclines and 45 degree drop offs.
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| Marcilla, East of Busuanga has challenging dirt roads and muddy trails but rewards you with one of the best coastal scenes while riding a motorbike |
The East holds a different charm all together. Development in the area took a backseat versus it's Northern counterparts. Riding to the East will reward you with views of Siete Pecados Islands and powder fine beaches at Marcilla which I never got to anymore...
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| here's what a foot looks like after being crushed in between your 460 pound bike lol |
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| First time I fell on my Versys, It was a 45 degree dip and a slight slip found me falling to my right side ending my motorbike adventure in Coron :( |
I was quite lucky, I went here alongside locals, actually it was me doing an ocular of a patch of raw land fronting powder fine white sand which I never really got to, was 10km away. I was quite tired from diving, actually told the broker I didn't want to go, but falling down is an experience and as shared was quite lucky I got out of that situation with the help of Jaime of Sea Dive Resort.
In summary, if you like never ending coastal roads intertwined with challenging dirt pathways, Coron is a must do for any rider. I would love to come back in the near future, it really was that good a riding experience despite the mishap, still so many backroads to explore
Trip Costs
Ferry Fees one way via Atienza P2,800 (650cc bike)
2Go add P1,000, took this on the way back, was more of a hassle, too much paperwork
(Round Trip Ferry cost P7k plus)