Palawan: “Too Beautiful to Believe”

By Rachel Stolzman Gullo

Palawan, Philippines

This summer I returned to the Philippines for the sixth time. My father moved to Cebu when I was twenty-five, and though I usually see him in New York, I’ve made quite a few trips to his adopted home. My trips to the Philippines have tended to be long, between three and four weeks. This July was my second trip with my husband and two kids, and at twelve days, it was my shortest stay, yet I was determined to see a part of the country I'd long wanted to visit—Palawan. The Philippines is an archipelago of over 7,600 islands, and Palawan is a unique archipelago within it. 

I’d recommend a visit to the Philippines to anyone. Each island has its own personality and physical attributes, and there is tropical beauty throughout the entire country. The culture and people are very open; it is easy to strike up conversation with Filipinos wherever you go and to engage with local people from all walks of life. As a young tourist there in my twenties, I partied, danced, went boating and learned scuba with Filipinos in various beach towns from populous Cebu, to decadent Boracay, to sleepy Malapascua. I always find myself quickly engaged in honest conversations with local people, hearing about their lives, aspirations, career goals, and passions, and sharing my own. 

If you love snorkeling or scuba, it's definitely worth planning a vacation in the Philippines. I've swum there with giant schools of snapper, colorful tropical fish, sea snakes, eels, and whale sharks and sea turtles. The coral reefs are the most colorful and healthy I’ve seen anywhere in the world, and several areas even have sunken ships dating from World War II to explore beneath the waves.

View of Coron Bay from the hike to Kayangan Lake in Coron, Palawan.

This summer, six of us from age 7 to 81, visited Palawan. Our group consisted of my family of four, my dad and my sister. We chose Coron, in Palawan, as our one big excursion from my dad’s home in Northern Cebu. Coron is reachable by small plane or ferry from larger Philippine cities. We flew from Cebu City, a quick one-hour flight. Coron has a coastal main town, like most areas I’ve seen in the Philippines, but what makes the area remarkable is the scattering of breathtaking lagoons hiding amongst jutting rock formations climbing toward the sky like dark gray towering crystals. The area is pocketed with saltwater and freshwater lagoons that burst with color from azure blue to emerald green. It’s no exaggeration to say you can't believe your eyes. 

We arrived midday, and after having lunch we visited the Maquinit Hot Spring, where we dipped in various pools of serious intensity. I love hot baths and there were several pools here that I couldn’t handle! A volcanic fissure under the ground has created these numerous, expansive hot springs that practically boil right next to the open sea. 

The following morning we set off to see the lagoons. The only way to visit Coron’s numerous lagoons is by boat. Most visitors to Palawan join group tours to visit the various lagoons and small beaches, but we’d been advised that it is easy to arrange a private tour, which gives you more freedom to linger and avoid the crowds. On our first morning we took a motorbike taxi from our hotel to the port and within five minutes we met a guide, Roger, and arranged to spend the day on his boat visiting several Coron favorite destinations. We met Roger every morning and saw the entire area over three days. Seeing 2-3 spots per day, we enjoyed all the must-see gorgeous attractions of Coron: Twin Lagoon, Siete Pecados, Coral Garden, Coron Bay, Barracuda Lake, and the tiny beaches that are nestled between these sites. I stared at the Palawan landscape each day, thinking I've never seen anything like this. It's too beautiful to believe. 

Rachel's father floating in Kayangan Lake. (Photo by Dana Stolzman)

We swam every day in a huge variety of spectacular settings. We explored brackish lagoons, the softest freshwater lagoons, and the extraordinarily beautiful and hidden deep lagoon, Kayangan Lake, that requires hiking 175 steps uphill, then 160 steps back downhill to find the jewel of a "lake" hidden behind the Philippine Sea. My 81-year-old father managed this 350 step hike with us and then swam for hours before repeating the epic hike back to our boat. My dad is still a strong swimmer; even now he dives off a stone ledge in his backyard into the sea. I knew he could swim all day, but I was happily surprised and impressed seeing him do this difficult hike. 

My family will remember these days spent traveling together forever. In between lagoon stops, we’d break for lunch at tiny, soft sand beaches, sitting at wooden picnic tables under grass roofs, and drinking cans of Coke from tiny wooden bodegas nestled in the rocks. Lunch would be grilled fish, vegetables and rice, that our tour guide, Roger, prepared on a tiny grill on his boat.

Tiny bodega at Smith Point Beach in Coron, Palawan. Cold Cokes and beers!

After full days boating and swimming, we drank piña coladas at our hotel and swam in the pool. At night we would hail a tuk-tuk (a built-out motorcycle taxicab) for a short ride into town, where we would choose from dozens of restaurants. We often ate Filipino food (grilled fish, savory chicken adobo, sweet mango float cake for dessert) and a surprising amount of soups considering the hot weather, like shrimp pho. 

The author and her son staying cool at Banol Beach.

Rachel Stolzman Gullo is the author of three novels: CONFUSE THE WIND, THE SIGN FOR DROWNING and PRACTICE DYING. She earned her MFA in Creative Writing at Sarah Lawrence College. Besides writing, she works in the harm reduction field. Rachel lives with her family in Brooklyn, New York. 

* All photographs by Rachel Stolzman Gullo unless otherwise indicated

Published September 26, 2024