Kayangan Lake: A journey to paradise

From a distance, Coron Island is a massive and unbroken limestone wall of sheer precipices that juts out from the sea.  Up close, lush stunted forest vegetation, so resilient that they are able to grow on pure rock, cover the craggy cliffs of the island.  

On a cloudy morning, we traveled to Coron Island to see the famous Kayangan Lake, one of the seven mountain lakes in the island.   Out of the seven lakes, only Kayangan and Barracuda lakes are open to the public.  It took our outrigger boat less than 30 minutes to reach the island from Coron town harbor in the nearby Busuanga Island.

Coron Island is an ancestral territory of the Tagbanua, one of the oldest tribes in the Philippines.  Visitors must pay an entrance fee of P200 (or less than $5) per person.  Funds go to the Tagbanua Foundation that supports community projects such as medical assistance for the elderly and scholarship for Tagbanua children.

This was the outrigger boat that brought us to the island.

We stopped to read the sign---the rules are listed here. 

The steep ascent and descent to the lake are ideal for trail hikers---I'm not one of them though.  So imagine me almost running out of oxygen on the way up and down the steps.  This was my --th stop in the guise of taking photos.

It had been raining and the rocks that formed the steps were slippery, the wood railings helped me a lot.  After an arduous climb, we were rewarded with this spectacular view of Coron Bay and the most photographed channel entrance to Coron Island.

From this viewpoint of 250 feet above sea level, we started our descent to Kayangan Lake.  The lake is a Hall of Fame awardee for the "cleanest and greenest inland body of water".  

Enclosed by high limestone karsts, this splendid awuyuk (lake) is held sacred by tribal folks. The Tagbanua believe the panya'in (hostile spirits) dwell in the lakes so they seek the advice of a babailan (shaman) before they go to the limestone walls of the lake to search for balinsasayao (Collocalia troglodytes) nests.

The water was warm and a bit salty, according to my sister.  And the emerald water was so  clear that breathtaking stalagmite formations underwater and schools of fish were visible from where I sat.  There were no corals underwater, only rock formations.  

I only soaked for a little while then stayed on a shady spot under the overhanging  branches.  This place is undeniably beautiful, but lakes spook me...images of Loch Ness monster  and undiscovered life forms crossed my mind.  Lakes are  mysterious--I wonder what forces of nature created them.

I admire this boy's courage--the dark crevices under the rocks creep me out.

Swimming with the fishes...some even bit my legs!  They probably wanted me to swim with them, too.  Sorry, guys.  Our guide assured me there were no big fish in this lake, only the greenish elongated fish that resembles dilis (anchovies) were found here.

And here's my little sister---she's fearless and tireless!  She snorkeled all over the lake, even attempted to get into a cave on the other side. 

We stayed the whole blissful morning in Kayangan Lake...it was serene, an amazing experience.  Thanks to the Tagbanua for taking care of this place and sharing a piece of paradise with us.

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Paddle your own canoe

The little blue canoe glided across the placid water as it brought this Tagbanua woman closer to home after doing the laundry at Atwayan cove.  I thought of my washer-dryer at home and counted myself lucky.

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Moody skies over Coron Island [SWF]

@ mirandablue

Moody skies over Coron Island in the Calamianes.  The dramatic limestone formations look menacing  under the blanket of dark clouds.

@ mirandablue

Coron Island is the largest limestone rock formation in the Philippines; "coron" comes from the Tagbanua word for "enclosed", stemming from its towering cliffs and mountains shielding the island on three sides.

@ mirandablue

Beneath the pristine water surrounding Coron Island is one of the world's best dive sites for its well-preserved World War II wrecks.  The coral gardens are also amazing.

Coron Island is open and accessible to the outside world now, but it's a protected area beyond the contemporary sense, and will remain protected for as long as the Tagbanua live here.  

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May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view.  May your mountains rise into and above the clouds. ~ Edward Abbey

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Calamianes: Out on the water

@ mirandablue

I have always dreamed of living by the ocean.   I'd love nothing more than communing with the wilderness on a pristine headland or crescent of sand. But I would prefer my coastline to have a little bit more of land than rocks.  


These stilt houses are homes of the Tagbanuas, an indigenous folk of Coron Island, one of the islands we visited in early September.  The Tagbanuas of Coron Island are mostly fishermen, but when the amihan (northeastern monsoon) blows and keeps the fishermen inland, the Tagbanua scale the jagged limestone cliffs towards cave entrances high above sea level.  Then they make an  arduous, death-defying descent into dark caves to gather balinsasayao (Callocalia troglodytes) nests, an edible nest made from swiftlets saliva.

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For Thursday 2 Questions - you are invited to answer and join:

1.    What exotic food have you tried lately?

2.    What is the most amazing place you have visited recently?

Calamianes: Covered [Photo-Hunt]

@ mirandablue

These are photos from my recent trip to the Calamian group of islands in northern Palawan.  In one of the white beaches of Coron Island, I spotted these Tagbabua lovebirds perched on the rocks.  The island is part of the Tagbanuas ancestral domain, and they make sure places here frequented by tourists are preserved and maintained.  They got the beach covered.

@ mirandablue

I walked the white sandy shores of Atwayan beach, and at the end of the cove, partially covered by  rocks, I noticed this woman washing clothes.  I wondered how she could wash clothes with saltwater.  I walked over and we chatted.  She's also a Tagbanua and she pointed to me the fresh water gushing between the rocks. 

@ mirandablue

This is Coron Island cove, the gateway to Kayangan Lake.  From Coron Bay, the cove is covered by limestone and granite rock formations, you wouldn't know it is there.

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