By Landolfo Mancini 
Palawan Island became famous for its tropical landscapes and island hopping, but in a direct comparison between Coron and El Nido, which is better?
These two places are awesome, and it is possible to do both (I recommend it!), but if you are limited in time, you may have to choose one or the other, since the two provinces in the Philippines are separated by 100 kilometers of sea.
El Nido is more popular and developed than Coron, but this is not always good. Coron is quieter and has better snorkeling and diving. El Nido and Coron have incredible islands and beaches to explore.
Getting There
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The city of El Nido can be reached by plane, van, bus or ferry.
The easiest, fastest and most expensive (but recommended) way to get to El Nido Palawan is one of the direct flights that AirSWIFT sells.
There are no international flights to El Nido Island (ENI) airport, which means that you first need to fly to one of the major cities of the Philippines — Manila or Cebu, and then from there to ENI.
Coron
Flights to Coron Airport (USU) are slightly affordable than El Nido, as there are more flight options, including Cebu Pacific and Philippine Airlines.
If you are planning to visit both El Nido and Coron, the most popular way to do it is to take the fast ferry between the two places.
You can also join a 4-day sailboat expedition to Palawan from Coron to El Nido (or vice versa) and see some of the awesome remote islands along the way (I’ll explain more about that after).
Things To Do
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El Nido is an island hopping paradise with perfect turquoise lagoons, karst mountains and the best white sandy beaches of Palawan.
If you have time, spend your first days switching off the 4 day trips to El Nido Island (A, B, C and D). Then watch the sunset at Marimegmeg Beach and explore mainland attractions such as Nacpan Beach and Nagkalit Kalit Waterfall.
Overall, I think that El Nido is the area with the most activities in Palawan. You could easily spend a week just on boat trips! And even if you don’t get on a boat at all, El Nido has a lot of beaches on the mainland at hand, which can be easily reached with a little drive.
* Coron
Coron offers an ultimate island tour that will take you to a huge twin lagoon and the famous Kayangan viewpoint, as well as coral reefs and other hidden places.
Other tours, such as the Island Escapade, allow you to cruise across the ocean on a narrow sandbar and visit a number of other incredible white sandy beaches with hammocks, fresh coconuts and everything else you need to relax.
Coron has the best snorkeling and diving in Palawan. Coral reefs, exotic fish and sunken shipwrecks that you will see in Coron make El Nido jump out of the water (no pun intended).
There are also some great beaches in Coron, although the only way to reach them is by boat, so they are not as accessible as the beaches on the mainland of El Nido.