Mesmerizing, that’s just one of the many adjectives to describe Kayangan Lake. Serene emerald waters beset on all sides by soaring limestone formations, it cannot get any better than this. This is the Coron I pictured when I hit that  book button on our airline’s website.

The freshwater lake, which is located on the northern side of Higantes Island, is one of the many inland water formations that dot the isle. I’m unsure if those lakes are interconnected, but a larger body of water can be seen on a map at the cove’s entrance, it’s off limits to tourists though.

The whole island is granted by the government to the Tagbanua’s, the indigenous people who had been living in the area since way before as their ancestral home. We’ve really got to thank them for letting visitors in to see even just a little portion of this paradise.

Kayangan Lake is rated as the cleanest lake in the whole country and can be reached by hiking up a maze of uneven stone stairs. The water is crystal clear and looks deceptively shallow at first glance; it’s surprisingly deep though once you get in. Reaching a depth of around 20 feet, it has a sandy bottom interspersed with craggy rock formations similar to the cliffs that encircle the lake.

Unlike the waters surrounding the island, there are no corals and colorful fishes here. A species of small elongated fishes  can be found near the outskirts of the water though. Venturing farther into the water, one can enter a cave chamber; the water’s cooler inside, as was to be expected; and at the far end, a shaft of light enters the chamber from a natural hole of the rock formation above.

Master traveler Ferdz Decena mentioned on his site that his boatman once said to him that the waters of Kayangan look even more magical on a full moon. Visiting hours for the lake however is limited between 8am to 4pm so I guess a special arrangement would have to be made in order to witness that affair.

But worry not; once you step into the deep green waters of Kayangan, you’d definitely be bowled over with the place that you’d be hardly thinking about that evening experience. Lake Kayangan definitely needs no special moonlit night to enthrall its visitors.

  
      Coron Island Hopping Tour
      Boatman: Avel Arevalo | (0939) 815-0044
      Tour Fee: Php1,500.00 whole day boat rental fee

      Kayangan Lake Entrance Fee
      Php200.00 / person