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Travel Guide: Culion, Palawan

Kara Santos

Culion Island in Palawan is not your typical mainstream tourist destination. Locals say that most people have either never heard of Culion, or know it only for once being the world’s largest leper colony. In fact, the island was isolated for over a century. The Culion leper colony was established in 1906, and patients from different parts of the Philippines and hospital staff were brought to Culion. But in 2006, the island was declared leprosy-free by the World Health Organization.

Despite El Nido and Coron being top tourist draws in the Philippines, tourism in Culion was virtually non-existent before 2006 and today remains fairly new. That long period of isolation means Culion is remarkably well-preserved and unspoiled, without a trace of commercial development. For those who want to experience a raw adventure in Palawan, Culion offers a combination of otherworldly underwater seascapes, historic allure, and a genuine community spirit and hospitality that is increasingly becoming hard to find.

Culion offers a feeling of remoteness and isolation, where you can reflect and recharge from the urban grind, making it a popular venue for retreats and quiet getaways. For those who want to get away from the beach party scenes and experience simple island living, this Eco-Historical destination is a great place to visit.

Where exactly is Culion?

Culion is part of the Calamian group of islands situated in the northern part of Palawan in the Philippines, approximately 200 nautical miles southwest of capital Manila. Culion Island is bounded on the north by Busuanga; on the east by Coron reef; on the west by West Philippine Sea; and on the South by Linapacan Island, which has been listed as one of the places in the world with clearest waters for swimming in. By sea travel, you pass Culion in between Coron and El Nido.

How to get to Culion

There are no direct flights to Culion Island. From Manila, you need to take a flight to Coron (Busuanga) and then a van/shuttle to Coron Town and port, and then ride a ferry to Culion. As of August 2018, Fastcraft ferries are now available from Coron to Culion and vice versa 3x a day via Montenegro Shipping Lines for faster, more convenient and safer sea travel.

Many Coron-based tour operators can arrange day trips to Culion, usually packaged as historical tours (with visits to the museum, church and fort). Group day tour packages cost roughly P1,200/pax for a group of at least 5. You can also charter a boat from Coron to Culion for P3,000.

Recommended Tour Operator: Kawil Tours

Kawil Tours, the only Culion-based tour operator, can arrange ferry transfers from Coron to Culion, private trips, live onboard expeditions, island overnights, Culion Historical Walk Tour and museum trips and other meaningful journeys around Culion and Coron.

I’ve personally joined two of their expeditions: a 3D2N Trip to Coron & Culion’s main attractions with an overnight stay in Malcapuya Island in 2013 and an amazing 5D4N Culion Expedition circumnavigating the whole island and beach camping in various spots in 2018. I highly recommend Kawil Tours for their customized itinerary, quality services and delicious meals!

Getting around Culion

Getting around the Culion town proper is easy enough on foot or tricycle, which is the main mode of transport. The tricycles are large and can easily fit four people carrying luggage or at least 6 people without.

As of my latest visit in October 2018, I noticed that there are several small shops in town that offer motorbike rentals. Renting a motorbike is a great option for those who know how to drive and want a budget-friendly way of exploring the lesser-known towns of the island.

Kawil Tours offers Motorbike Rentals for P500/day (self-drive) or can assist in guiding / driving tourists who will backride if they prefer to be accompanied with a local guide and skilled driver. Some of the roads in Culion leading to the remote beach destinations are very new, with patches of rough or gravel roads, so you’re in for an adventure! For motorbike rentals in Culion, Palawan, contact Renlee at +639455098522.

Where to go / what to do in Culion

Culion Museum & Archives

The well-preserved and curated Culion Museum & Archives established in 1997 is where you can learn more about the painful yet hopeful history of the island. It offers a vast collection of records and artifacts, including historical news clippings, letters and correspondences during the decades of struggle.

There’s a detailed timeline of the history of leprosy, as well as photos, murals and actual memorabilia used on the island, including medicine, coins (they had their own currency), slides of patients and hospital items. The museum is located within the premises of the Culion Sanitarium and General Hospital, the only general hospital in Northern Palawan.

Culion Church

The La Inmaculada Concepcion Church is a 17th century church built by the Augustinian Recollects. According to the marker on the site, the walls of the church were taken from the old fortress built in 1740. The base and surrounding walls of the church are said to be hewn from live corals. The church was later restored and renovated to preserve its structural integrity.

Fort Culion

Right next to the church are the remains of Fort Culion, which was constructed roughly back in 1740 by the recollect Augustinians. There are a couple of cannons here, which were historically used to defend the island. The Fort offers an excellent vantage point o the sea, the town and the surrounding islands.

Historical Town Tour

Those on a day trip can take a leisurely historical walking tour around town. You’ll find many black historical markers around town that recount the significance of the buildings, plazas, streets and landmarks in Culion. For instance, the lower gate shows the boundaries between the two worlds of old Culion: the leproso (patients) and the sano (medical and para-medical personnel), who used to have segregated living quarters.

Agila Viewpoint

The hike up 330+ steps to reach the top of Agila Hill will literally leave you out of breath, but the panoramic view of the town and surrounding islands is worth the climb. Large crosses direct the way up the concrete stairs going up to the Christ the Redeemer statue at the top of the hill, one of the most iconic landmarks in town.

On the last stretch of stairs, you pass through the individual stones which form the massive white eagle with the logo of the Philippine Health Services (now the Department of Health) which can be seen from afar carved on the face of the hill. The PHS logo was said to be personally crafted by the island’s former patients as a sign of their gratitude.

Pulang Lupa

Literally translated, Pulang Lupa means Red Soil. It’s what locals call a small hill overlooking the town proper which they liken to Tagaytay. You can reach this scenic hill through an easy hiking trail (1-2 hours) or ride motorbikes (20-30 mins) on a short, but rough dirt road with loose reddish soil and rocks (hence the name).

The site offers an amazing sunset and sunrise view and is a great place for bonfires and camping relatively near the town proper.

Island-Hopping Expeditions

The best option is to combine all the highlights of Coron and Culion with your own private expedition. Kawil Tours offers Live Onboard tours, where everything is taken care of including transfers to and from Coron, your transportation the whole time, island overnight camping, guides and entrance fees plus all the meals during the trip. All you have to do is show up.

A 3D2N Cross-Culion Expedition can take visitors deeper into the far-side of Culion for canoeing through giant mangrove forests, fishing trips and spending the night on an uninhabited beach. They have 4D3N Dive Expeditions with Reef Nomads, focusing on the best dive sights in the area. The 5D4N (which I’ll be writing about soon) took us snorkeling to some of the best spots in the country, cruising through rarely visited coastal communities and beach camping on remote islands.

Some sites we visited like Lusong Shipwreck, Malcapuya Island, Dicalatan Island (also called Pass Island) and Ditaytayan Island are also offered during island-hopping trips from Coron, but are geographically part and nearer Culion. But aside from those, there are countless other beaches and islets on the Western side of Culion Island that we got to visit during our expedition.

The great thing about private tours is that you have the freedom to customize your itinerary and can visit the beaches and islands when there are less people. You also get to enjoy the spots all to yourself instead of with a large group of tourists during the joiner’s tours. I’ll be writing more about the actual expeditions soon.

Crowning Glory Reef

One of the highlights of Kawil Tours is snorkeling in Crowning Glory Reef, a Marine Protected Area (MPA) that’s one of Isla Culion’s best destinations. The water is so clear that visitors don’t need to dive to appreciate the rainbow-colored corals and schools of fish. Sea turtles and dolphins also have been spotted in the area. This is the best place in the country that I’ve tried snorkeling by far. For those who have limited time and can’t go on multi-day island-hopping expeditions, I highly recommend you go snorkeling here as a half-day activity, as the site is near the Culion town proper.

Kawil Fishing

Another highlight of Kawil Tours is the experience the traditional fishing method of Kawil, using bait on hooks tied to nylon string. This tests your patience and eye-hand coordination skills and will give you a greater appreciation of the job of fishermen. It’s a simple, but very tranquil and therapeutic experience that you don’t often get to experience with the normal package tours.

Where to Stay in Culion

Hotel Maya

Hotel Maya is the only hotel on the island and is the best option for families, couples and guests who want a comfortable and relaxing place to stay during their visit to Culion. This historic building used to be the Hijas de Maria Dormitory and Sta. Teresita Home. The hotel was set up as a social enterprise to support the financially challenged Loyola College of Culion, which is run by the Jesuits. Hotel Maya can accommodate large groups and is often used for retreats, weddings and events. For those going on expeditions with Kawil Tours, this is the best place to stay overnight before and after your trip.

Hotel Maya is situated on top of the hill right next to the church and offers a stunning view from their restaurant’s balcony. The rooms are clean and comfortable, and the staff give a personal touch that makes you feel welcome from the moment you step in like bath towels arranged like swans on the bed. They have a selection of books and magazines in the rooms and lobby for guests to read including Piers Anthony’s Xanth series. Nice! As of 2018, electricity now runs 24 hours, but the hotel also has a built-in solar charger in the room to power lights and outlets in case of brownouts.

ROOM RATES:

Hotel Maya also offers catering services, venue for wedding reception birthdays, baptismal reception, meetings and seminars, mask and snorkel rental, massage, tour package and tour guides

Other Hotels & Lodging Houses

Backpackers and budget travelers can also opt to stay in guesthouses and lodging houses around town mostly located along the Culion Port, including:

Island Overnights / Beach Camping

Throughout our expedition, we stayed overnight in remote spots on small islands and on the mainland of Culion, sleeping in tents or native huts right by the beach. You really get to experience that authentic island life. These stays need to be arranged ahead of time to ensure availability. For those who want to go “DIY”, the phone signal in the area is very weak and there’s no way to make arrangements online or call caretakers directly at the spots we stayed in, but Kawil Tours can arrange everything for you beforehand.

Where / what to eat in Culion

There are not a lot of commercial restaurants in Culion yet, though there are some small snack houses serving pasta, burgers, fries and other basic Filipino fare and tapsilog-type meals including:

The best place to eat is Hotel Maya Resto Bar, which serves the widest range of chicken and fish rice meals, sandwiches, snacks and breakfast fare like fried danggit. Breakfast costs P125 with coffee, while rice meals cost about P140-P165 in Hotel Maya. They also serve beer (P50/bottle or can of San Mig).

Most fresh seafood is directly brought by fishermen to Coron since they have a bigger tourist market there. However, vendors also sell some fresh catch in the street especially in the morning. During our first visit, while walking around town in the afternoon, we lucked out and were able to buy 5 huge crabs for P120 bucks, which we had cooked in Hotel Maya (cooking fee was also P120).

The food highlights are on the actual expedition, where you get to buy fresh seafood from coastal communities and fishing villages and have it cooked on the boat or during overnight stops.

We had some amazing meals on our expedition courtesy of Kawil Tours including grilled fish, stuffed squid, dried squid fried with sugar (great as pulutan) and kaykay (seashells harvested from the beach) cooked with malunggay soup.

But my absolute favorite was this deep-fried chicken stuffed with lemongrass and herbs. I was not expecting to have a feast like that on a remote beach with no electricity!

What to buy in Culion

Typical Culion souvenirs like shirts and pins are sold in Hotel Maya and the souvenir center right next to it. There’s also a small Culion Information and Tourist Center in town that sells souvenir items like banig placemats and other crafts made by Tagbanua tribe. Tabing Dagat Lodging House & Restaurant also has a souvenir/gift shop. The most meaningful souvenir I bought from my first trip there, was a crocheted table runner, made by Lola Conching, a former leper patient, who we were fortunate to meet.

Travel tips & useful information

NOTE: This trip was made possible by Kawil Tours. This travel guide was compiled from two separate trips to Culion in October 2013 and October 2018.

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