Coron: Summit views at Mt Tapyas
Mt Tapyas Calamianes Islands Sunset
So many things have been said about Palawan on how wonderful a place it is. Being dubbed as a “Last Frontier” is a well deserved tag along it’s name. Even with those expectation ahead, one can never truly be prepared on what you will actually see. It’s fortunate that when we were there, we were blessed with good weather. On our first day, one of our major activity was to climb Mt Tapyas. It’s a good chance to preview what lies ahead on our day of exploring the islands.
Towards Mt Tapyas Summit
Mt Tapyas is one of the mountains in Busuanga. It stands low at 210 meters above sea level and offers a panoramic view of Coron Bay and adjoining islands of Calamianes. It has been developed as a tourist site so a stairs of 718 steps will lead you up to its summit.
View of Coron Island
The jump-off point to the mountain is not hard to find. One of the beauty of the quaint little town of Coron is that it’s easy to navigate the streets. Signs are everywhere to guide you. You’ll know you’re at the jump-off when you find a basketball court with a flight of stairs leading to the dominant cross at the top.
Overlooking Coron Town and Waterfront
Climbing the flight of stairs can take you around less or more than an hour to reach the summit depending on your physical condition. There are numerous shaded stops along the trail. Make sure to bring water or some drinks to freshen up and cool down.
Coron Mt Tapyas Hills
Best time to climb is about late in the afternoon in between 4-5pm where the sun isn’t that harsh. As you go up, the long stretch of shadows along the hills of Mt Tapyas will offer stunning views. And by the time you are on the summit you can wait for the setting sun on your right (when facing the Coron bay) which is the west across the islands.
Coron Bay island sunset view
I may sound like a broken record player whenever I see a stunning view, but this is really a breath taking sight. On your left is the large Coron Island dominating the view. On the center is the coron town. Pacing to the right are the rest of the Calamianes group of islands.
Coron Island Gradients
There are a couple of gazebos placed off-summit, which I thought are the best places to view the sunset. I waited there to capture the right light on the horizon. With the weather being great and the place virtually pollution free, I saw one of the best colors of the sky for sunset.
Coron Sunset over calamianes Islands
After shooting a while, I went back to the main summit platform where the cross is located. The other guys were there. Gail and Nina were resting on the cemented bench and the light continued to die down with dominant blue hues in the sky enveloping the night. We had fun taking pictures at the summit until the Summit Cross lit up with its orange hues. It was a clear night. There were a great number of stars visible in the sky, almost clumped together like a galaxy of their own.
Fading light over Calamianes Islands
It was dark when we descended the mountain. Even if there were lamp posts along the trail, some are too far apart some times. So it’s a good idea if you bring a flash light or head lamps to light your way.
Coron Summit Lighted Cross
When we got down and back to our lodging, we could still see the dominant glow of the cross at the top of the summit. As if a bigger presence is watching over the town. I’m sure most people from the town could see it as well. Climbing Mt Tapyas is a nice side activity when in Coron. It gives you a bigger picture of what awaits in every island on the horizon.
Tags: Busuanga, Calamianes, Climb, Coron, Palawan
Posted on
Friday, June 20th, 2008 at 2:55 pm 
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June 20th, 2008 at 3:34 pm
WOW ang GANDA ng Mt Tapyas Calamianes Islands Sunset! nakakainlove talga. Nice shot ferdz! *clap3x* Galing!
June 20th, 2008 at 3:44 pm
The photos are truly breathtaking!!! Love the sunset photos … Awesome!
June 20th, 2008 at 4:42 pm
every travels make me more proud to be pinoy. ang ganda talaga ng pilipinas. looking at you and oggie’s pics make me restless to go out there again. amazing.
June 20th, 2008 at 5:14 pm
Wow! Breathtaking views…
June 20th, 2008 at 9:33 pm
syempre pa, kahit na nakita ko na ito sa laptop mo, napa-wow ang ganda na naman ako. ibang klase ka talaga master ferdz. dami kong natututunan sayo
June 20th, 2008 at 11:53 pm
I think Coron is a nice place to stay while in Palawan. Is it crowded and teeming with tourists?
June 21st, 2008 at 6:07 am
Love those sunset shots
June 21st, 2008 at 11:13 am
galing nito ferdz. kasi this is not the usual coron feature. people rarely feature the view from the mountains plus yung trekking pataas. ganda pa ng cross. tsaka nagrereclame na rin pala dyan.
June 23rd, 2008 at 8:23 am
Hi Millie, yeah, romantic din yung place
Many thanks Kyels!
I’m proud of what we also have here, Lawstude. Unique talaga Philippines, and the more I travel outside the country, the more I see how much we can offer.
Thanks Nina.
Kaw talaga Og. Sinong Master? Hehe. I’m still learning pa rin as it goes
Coron is actually a whole town Photocache. It wasn’t the peak season so there weren’t much tourist around. If ever, those foreingers may have stayed in those island resorts instead of the town.
Thanks BW.
I also noticed there isn’t much Mt Tapyas photos in Coron as well, Dong Ho. Coron town is under decelopment. The bare land at the photo would soon be their waterfront. Thir own town plaza like baywalk.
June 27th, 2008 at 7:15 pm
[...] climbed Mount Tapyas that afternoon as I have narrated before. When we got down, we headed back to the resort where we [...]
June 30th, 2008 at 1:14 pm
amazing views!
July 8th, 2008 at 9:24 pm
[...] of its karst and have a 360 degree view of the bay. Frankly, it reminded me somehow of the climb at Mt. Tapyas in Coron. It has an amazing view of the islands and the bay. We waited for a while there for the sun to set [...]