The Island of Palawan is famous for its tropical landscapes and island hopping but in a direct comparison of Coron against El Nido, Which is superior?
Both places are fantastic and it is possible to do both (I would recommend it!), but if you are limited in time, you may have to opt for one or the other, since the two provinces of the Philippines are separated by 100 kilometers of sea.
El Nido
El Nido is more popular and more developed than Coron, but this is not always a good thing. Coron is quieter and offers superior snorkeling and scuba diving. El Nido and Coron have awesome islands and beaches to explore.
In this guide, I will completely break down all the differences and hopefully help you decide in the middle Coron or El Nido which is superior!
Arrival
El Nido
The city of El Nido can be reached by plane, Van, Bus or ferry.
The easiest, fastest, and most expensive (but recommended) way to get to El Nido Palawan is one of the direct flights sold by AirSWIFT.
The airport of El Nido Island (ENI) is not serviced internationally, that is, first you need to get to one of the major cities of the Philippines—Manila or Cebu, and then get to ENI.
Koron
Flights to Coron Airport (USU) are a little inexpensiveer than to El Nido, as there are more airlines, including Cebu Pacific and Philippine Airlines.
If you are planning to visit both El Nido and Coron, the most popular way to do so is to take the fast ferry in the middle the two places.
You can also join a 4-day Palawan sailing expedition from Coron to El Nido (or vice versa) and see some of the awesome remote islands along the way (I’ll explain more about this after).
Things to do
El Nido
El Nido is an island-hopping paradise with perfect turquoise lagoons, karst mountains and the best white sandy beaches in Palawan.
If you have time, spend your first few days eliminating El Nido’s 4 island Hopping day trips (A, B, C and D). Then, admire the sunset on Marimegmeg Beach, then explore the mainland sites such as Nacpan Beach and Nagkalit-Kalit Waterfall.
Overall, I think El Nido is the area with the most things to do in Palawan. You could easily spend a week just for the boat trips! And even if you don’t get on a boat at all, El Nido has many mainland beaches at hand, easily accessible by car.
Koron
Coron has an ultimate island tour that takes you to a great twin lagoon and the famous Kayangan lookout, as well as coral reefs and other hidden places.
Other tours like Island Escapade allow you to cross the ocean on a narrow sandbar and visit a number of other awesome white sandy beaches equipped with hammocks, fresh coconuts and everything you need to relax.
Coron has the best snorkeling and scuba diving in Palawan. The coral reefs, exotic fish and sunken shipwrecks that you will see in Coron make El Nido explode out of the water (no pun intended).
There are also great beaches in Coron, although the only way to reach them is by boat trip, so they are not as accessible as the beaches of the mainland El Nido.
