How $10 Got Me Inside a Cave in Coron No One Knows About
The opening in the rock is barely wider than your shoulders, and for a second you will wonder if this is a good idea.
Every boat captain in Coron knows exactly where it is. Most of the people they ferry around all day have never heard of it. That gap between local knowledge and the printed itinerary is where Pukaway Cave Underground Lake lives, at least for now.
Coron sits in the Calamian Islands at the northern tip of Palawan, in the western Philippines, about an hour's flight from Manila. It is famous for a specific kind of scenery. Limestone cliffs, lagoons in impossible shades of blue, boats fanning out from town every morning toward Kayangan Lake. Pukaway Cave is right beside Kayangan. And yet it only opened to the public in 2023, after decades as private property, which means the tourism machine hasn't fully caught up to it. That is a large part of the appeal.
The Boat Ride Past Kayangan
Getting there is the same routine as any Coron island hopping day. You board a bangka in town, cross the bay, and watch Coron Islandgrow from a smudge on the horizon into a wall of rock. The cave sits on Tagbanua ancestral land, the Indigenous community that manages and protects much of the island, and the entrance fee of 600 pesos, about ten US dollars, is collected right at the site. When you see what's inside, the price feels like a typo. In a good way.
Our boat was arranged through Experience Coron Travel and Tours with our guide CJ Martillana, and I would book them again without thinking twice.
Through the Rock
There is no grand cave mouth here. The entrance is a narrow passage in the limestone, and the way down is a metal staircase bolted into the shaft. It is tight enough that I kept repeating some version of "I promise we're getting there" out loud. If enclosed spaces are a hard no for you, this is the moment to know that about yourself.
Then the shaft opens up. A bamboo raft waits at the bottom, and beyond it, the lake.
The Lake
The water inside Pukaway Cave has a level of visibility that makes you question whether it's actually there. The surface is completely still. No current, no wind, no boats passing overhead. Limestone walls drop straight down into the dark, and the formations continue below the waterline, so what you see above you repeats beneath your fins.
It is a strange feeling, floating in the middle of an island. The lagoons outside are beautiful in a way you've already seen in photos before you arrive. This is different. The cave doesn't photograph the way it feels.
If You Freedive
This is your place. The stillness of the water and the absence of boat traffic make it one of the safest, most rewarding freediving spots I've found in the Philippines. The shots you can get here, hanging in clear water with the rock formations dropping away below, are the kind you plan entire trips around. We spent far longer inside than we intended and it still ranks as one of our highlights in Coron.
I keep thinking about the boat captains. All those years of knowing this was here, a lake folded inside a cliff, while the crowds filed past to Kayangan next door. How long does a place like this get to stay like this?
Notes
Location:Pukaway Cave Underground Lake, Coron Island, Banuang Daan, Coron, Palawan, Philippines. Beside Kayangan Lake.
Getting there: Private or shared boat tour from Coron Town proper. We booked through Experience Coron Travel and Tours, guide CJ Martillana.
Entrance fee: 600 PHP (about $10 USD) per person, paid on site. Separate from boat rental.
Hours: Reported as 8 AM to 5 PM daily. Not officially confirmed, verify with your operator.
Good to know: Opened to the public in 2023. Narrow entrance and a metal staircase descent, not recommended if you're claustrophobic or have mobility concerns. Water shoes help. A bamboo raft is available inside.
Instagram: @experiencecoron_travelandtours
About the Author
Kelly Gomez is a creative director who eats well, travels far, and lives with intention. She has sat at tables that required months of planning, flown routes that cross a dozen time zones, and found herself in rooms most people never find. She is precise about what she loves and honest about what falls short.
A WSET Level 2 Wine Certified writer and Advanced Open Water Diver, Kelly covers luxury travel, hotels, fine dining, wineries, diving destinations, and the trips built around them.
Her work reaches a US-based audience of travelers between 25 and 44, with a near-even gender split and a meaningful following.
