Busuanga Island

Busuanga Island belongs to the Palawan archipelago in the western Philippines. Ships anchor offshore in Coron Bay, where limestone cliffs rise straight out of clear green water. The island itself is covered in thick jungle, and most visitors head to the surrounding lagoons and reefs by outrigger boat. Coron town, the main settlement, is basic but has enough restaurants and dive shops for a day. The main draws are underwater. Barracuda Lake, a freshwater lake inside a limestone crater, has warm thermoclines that shift between hot and cold as you dive deeper. Several Japanese warships sunk during World War II sit in the shallows around Coron Bay, making this one of the better wreck-diving spots in Southeast Asia. Snorkelling tours typically visit Twin Lagoon and Kayangan Lake, both boxed in by karst walls.