It was another fun in the sun day in Coron, this time we’re off to the farther islands of the Calamian Group. First stop was the very popular Malcapuya Island.
 
Roughly 18 hectares large, this island is dubbed as the Boracay of Palawan; fine white sandy beach, crystal clear waters, lush greens and wooden huts for the occasional visitors. The island was originally owned by the Tagbanuas and was purchased by Mr. Eddie Reyes for only Php4,000.00 during the 80’s, what a bargain huh.

The island is now under Chinese-Filipino businessman Henry Chusuey who plans to construct 60 to 70 high-end vacation villas on the island. Better check this place out now before it becomes too expensive for us regular travelers.

We originally planned on doing an overnighter here but due to poor planning, were unable to find a contact person before we flew to Palawan. So to a daytour, we had to settle.
 
Our boat left Lambingan Bridge at quarter to eight in the morning and we arrived at twenty minutes past nine at Malcapuya. Dark clouds were forming up on our way to the island and rain threatened to ruin our day.
 
We boarded down our boat into the clear waters of Malcapuya and immediately started exploring. There was a rocky hill off the island’s east side and we checked it out.

Rough stone steps were carved into the hill and it was a pretty easy climb. The view from the top was quite nice, green waters all around. There was a nipa shed for those wanting to pass some time but it was already dilapidated. I imagine an afternoon here waiting for the sun to retire with coffee in hand would really be grand.

The island’s interior was dotted with palm trees and perched on one of the hills was a house which must be island owners’; this must be where overnighters stay. Outdoor toilets were also available to visitors. The whole area was surrounded by verdant grasses and seemed to be maintained by the island’s caretakers.

After a few more minutes of exploring we finally hit the water. It really was not that deep but swarms of fishes can already be seen swimming about, totally unafraid of people; perfect for those just learning to swim/snorkel.
 
We must’ve lost time as next thing we knew, our boatman was already calling us for lunch; it was already noontime! Lunch was supposed to be at the next island, but I guess we got caught up snorkeling.

Malcapuya was indeed beautiful, but I guess I was still expecting a bit more judging from the raves online about this island.

Don’t get me wrong though, we had a grand time here and would have liked to explore the island further as I’m sure we’ve only seen a very small portion of it (I checked out Google Maps and the island was indeed huge; a wide stretch of beach on the northwestern side looks good for snorkeling) but it was time to go to our next destination.

Next time, we’ll definitely book a night or two here, just crossing our fingers that development hasn’t caught up with the island yet then.

   

   Malcapuya Island 
   Anne 0921-7232456 (Given to us from the Tourism Office)
   http://malcapuyaisland.multiply.com/notes
   malcapuyaisland@yahoo.com

   Malcapuya | Banana | Bulog Island Tour
   Recommended Boatman: Avel Arevalo | (0939) 815-0044
   Php 3,500.00 2-4 persons / Php 4,500.00 6-8 persons whole day boat rental fee 

   Malcapuya Island Entrance Fee
   Php 150.00 / person