When In Coron: Maquinit Hot Springs

I am not a beach person. I even have a love < hate relationship with the sun. I remember that my nose used to bleed every time I get too exposed to the sun’s harsh rays. Yes, I was a sensitive kid back then. So when R invited me to go to Coron with him and his friends who I do not know then, I wasn’t really thrilled. But I changed my mind when I saw Coron’s beauty.

Hello, Coron!

We were in Coron for 3 days and 2 nights and R’s friend who is based in Coron did all the arrangements for us. We had a tour guide during our whole stay and all we had to do is ride the van, tricycle or boat and follow him.

 

On our first day, we kept it light and went to Maquinit Hot Springs.

I would have not thought of Coron having hot springs as the first few things that come to mind whenever I hear Coron are rock formations, corals, snorkeling, beaches and giraffes. (Okay, giraffes seem a bit out of place but there is a place in Coron where you could feed them!)

 

We got to the hot springs a bit past 4 p.m.. We were supposed to be there earlier after our supposed Mount Tapyas climb. But thanks to the ever reliable Cebu Pacific, we were behind schedule by a couple of hours. We opted to delay the hike till our last day in the island.

The Maquinit hot springs was slightly packed when we got there. We didn’t immediately jumped into the hot springs as first order of business was to listen to our awesome tour guide (and to take photos of the area, with and without our faces).

Aside from being told of the medicinal benefits of hot springs, our tour guide also pointed out a mountain that could be seen from Maquinit. He said that locals call it the sleeping giant. It actually took me a while to see it. And when I finally did, I giddily told the rest of my sort of discovery… and eventually got frustrated when the others could not see the giant in slumber.

Anyway, time for some healthy dip.

IT WAS HOT!

The water was around 40 degrees Celsius when we dipped. Well, we dipped slowly, inch by inch. We first dipped our feet (with our slippers since the bottom of the hot springs is quite rocky and sharp) for a few seconds and when we finally got to adjust, we tool a full dip.

 

Some of our friends brought their cold bottled water with them to keep them from being too hot and faint. Seeing how they lasted, it must have worked.

It was nice and relaxing (despite the crowd) experience. The rough walls accompanied by the chirps of the birds within the area made me feel closer to nature, something I couldn’t do in Manila.

In fact, I felt too close to nature that I felt how vital I am to the ecosystem. I fed a lot of mosquitoes.

Note: Wear insect repellant band.

Maquinit Hot Springs is located at Coron, Busuanga Road, Coron.