Paradise Found at Black Island

Part of our vacation in Busuanga is our visit to Black Island, Palawan. I’ve wanted to see this exquisite island destination since then but I never had the opportunity to visit it before because of its location. Going there by boat from Coron could take several hours. Staying at La Estancia Busuanga was the perfect timing for us to get there because it is very accessible. Visitors can go to the island in half an hour boat ride. In fact, visitors can already see the island from the resort.

Black Island was named as such because of the black limestone rocks that surround the island. The island is locally known as Malajon Island. It is located on the east side of Busuanga Island and is part of the municipality of Busuanga.

It was mid morning when we arrived in the island. La Estancia Busuanga arranged the tour for us, which normally costs PHP 4,000. Our plan was to have our lunch here, go kayaking, and explore some of the caves and swimming, of course. We were the only visitors that time that brought my buddy and I into excitement. We settled our things in one of the huts. Entrance fee costs PHP 150 per person. My excitement about spending our day in the island got even more when I saw some hammocks. Can we just forget about the island activities? The hammocks were too tempting that I just wanted to relax all day.

One of the great spots that visitors can explore upon setting foot on the island is the cave. There are actually plenty of limestone caves in the island but only few are accessible at the moment. Kuya Lester, our guide, invited us to see the cave. The cave was big and it has a natural pool. We were asked if we would like to take a dip but I guess I wasn’t in the mood to get wet then. Also, the water seemed so cold. I don’t think I can bear the coldness that time.

After seeing the cave, we went back to our nipa hut. Because my buddy and I were too lazy to get around yet, we used the hammocks available and lied down to relax and just gazed at the sea. The view of the sea was perfect. The island is surrounded by azure water.

Our guide called us afterwards to have our lunch. They prepared Chicken Adobo and Sinigang na Isda.

After we had our lunch, I went to the beach and had a swim. I was surprised that the undersea was very much alive. The marine life was amazing. There were plenty of fish, different corals and all. A shipwreck also lays right off the beach. I wanted to swim further to see more of the wonderful underwater scenery but I got frightened because I was just alone in the sea, snorkeling. My buddy was sleeping. I suddenly recalled the incident that happened while I was snorkeling in Port Barton.

When I felt that having a glimpse of the underwater world of Black Island was already enough for me, I then settled at the shore and contemplate for some moment. I was getting emotional, just kidding.

We were supposed to go kayaking but the waves got stronger in the afternoon. There was also a heavy downpour on the island of Busuanga that we decided to call off the activity. We were also supposed to visit some nearby islands. But because we wouldn’t to be trapped in due to the heavy rains, we just went back to our resort.

Black Island is a perfect island destination when in Busuanga. Getting there was such a great experience. I didn’t expect that the island could be that beautiful. The island has fine white sand. The beach shore is breathtaking. The underwater is rich with marine life. I’ve definitely found a paradise in Black Island.