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Busuanga & Calamianes resorts

Northern Palawan’s island group — Busuanga, Coron, Culion and Linapacan — reached through Francisco B. Reyes Airport (USU) on Busuanga Island

Almost everyone flying into the Calamianes lands in the same place, and almost nobody calls it the same thing. Francisco B. Reyes Airport is coded USU, is commonly known as Busuanga Airport, sits inside the municipality of Coron, and is the gateway for resorts scattered across several separate islands. That is why “Coron airport transfer” is not yet a plan: a stay on Busuanga Island is a road transfer, while Culion or a smaller offshore island needs a boat after the road leg. Tell us the actual resort, not only “Coron”, and we quote the whole arrival — vehicle, timing and boat hand-off — as one connected journey.

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Not sure USU is the right airport? Compare Palawan’s four airports

Palm trees lining a sandy beach on Culion in the Calamian Islands, Palawan.

What you should know before you book

  • Francisco B. Reyes Airport carries the IATA code USU and the ICAO code RPVV. It is commonly called Busuanga Airport, it stands within the municipality of Coron on Busuanga Island, and it is shared with the neighbouring municipality of Busuanga — so “Busuanga Airport”, “Coron Airport” and “USU” all name the same single terminal.
  • The airport is named after Francisco B. Reyes, Mayor of Coron from 1936 to 1939, who donated the land the airport complex stands on.
  • The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines classes it as a Class 2 principal (minor domestic) airport, with one concrete runway of 1,225 metres. It is a domestic gateway, so an international visitor connects through a Philippine hub before flying in.
  • The Calamian Islands are a group, not a single place: Busuanga, Coron, Culion and Linapacan, plus numerous smaller islands, spread over roughly 1,800 km² of sea.
  • Busuanga Island is the largest island in the Calamian group and the second-largest in Palawan province after Palawan island itself, at about 890 km². Its western part is the municipality of Busuanga and its eastern part the municipality of Coron.
  • Coron town sits on Busuanga Island. Coron Island is a different island — the third-largest in the group, ringed by limestone cliffs and karst and holding eleven inland lakes, among them Kayangan and Barracuda. It is reached by boat, never by road.
  • Coron municipality covers 689.10 km² across 23 barangays, had a population of 69,439 at the 2024 census, and uses postal code 5316. Giving a driver the barangay as well as the resort name is what turns “Coron” into an address.
  • Culion is a separate island municipality — Culion Island plus 41 smaller islands, 499.59 km², population 23,985 at the 2024 census, postal code 5315. A Culion resort always needs a boat leg after the airport road transfer.
  • Culion was a leprosarium from 1906 under the American colonial administration and was declared leprosy-free by the World Health Organization in 2006. Its heritage town is a destination in its own right, not only a transfer stop.
  • The Japanese wrecks that made Coron Bay a diving destination were sunk there by a United States Navy air attack on 24 September 1944. The bay is a natural anchorage beside Coron town, so wreck days run from the town side of Busuanga Island.
  • Calauit Island, at the far western end of the group, holds a wildlife sanctuary established in the 1970s with African species including giraffes and zebras, alongside endemic Philippine wildlife such as hornbills, sea turtles and dugongs. It is a full land-and-boat day from Coron town, not a short hop.
  • The Calamian Tagbanwa are an indigenous people distinct from the Tagbanwa of mainland Palawan. They hold a Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title granted in 2004 covering 24,520 hectares, which includes Coron Island — so access there follows the community’s rules, not a resort’s.

We publish facts, not fares. Prices depend on the vehicle or boat, your group size, waiting time and the season, so every trip is quoted individually — free and with no obligation.

What we can quote for Busuanga & Calamianes resorts

  • Francisco B. Reyes Airport (USU) transfers to Coron town and Busuanga Island resorts
  • Road-and-boat arrival plans for resorts on Culion and smaller Calamian islands
  • Private cars and vans sized around your group and luggage
  • Return transfers coordinated around the flight and the resort’s boat hand-off
  • Land days across Busuanga Island, including the western end towards Calauit
  • Culion heritage-town visits built into a Calamianes stay rather than bolted on
  • Multi-stop stays combining a Calamianes resort with Coron town or El Nido

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Busuanga & Calamianes resorts: common questions

Is Busuanga Airport the same as Coron Airport?

Yes — there is one airport and three names for it. Francisco B. Reyes Airport (IATA USU, ICAO RPVV) is commonly called Busuanga Airport, stands within the municipality of Coron on Busuanga Island, and is shared with the neighbouring municipality of Busuanga. If a booking says Busuanga, Coron or USU, it is the same terminal.

Which airport do Calamianes resorts use?

Francisco B. Reyes Airport (USU) on Busuanga Island. It is the air gateway for Coron town and for resorts across the Calamianes. The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines classes it as a Class 2 principal (minor domestic) airport with a single 1,225-metre runway, so an international visitor connects through a Philippine hub before flying in.

Which islands are the Calamianes?

Busuanga, Coron, Culion and Linapacan, together with numerous smaller islands, spread across roughly 1,800 square kilometres of sea in northern Palawan. It is a group rather than one destination, which is why an arrival plan starts with the resort name rather than the island group.

What is the difference between Coron town and Coron Island?

Coron town is on Busuanga Island and is where the road from the airport goes. Coron Island is a separate island — the third-largest in the group — with limestone cliffs, karst and eleven inland lakes including Kayangan and Barracuda, and it is reached by boat. A great many arrival mix-ups come from those two sharing a name.

Will I need a boat as well as a vehicle?

It depends on the resort. A stay on Busuanga Island itself is reached from the airport by road, while resorts on Culion or a smaller offshore island need an onward boat connection after the road leg. We plan both legs together so the hand-off is fixed rather than improvised on the day.

Why is “Coron airport transfer” not enough detail?

Because the name covers several different places. Coron town is on Busuanga Island, Coron Island is a separate island reached by boat, and Culion is a separate island municipality entirely. Naming the actual resort and its barangay is what identifies the final leg — Coron municipality alone spans 689.10 square kilometres and 23 barangays.

How do I get to Culion?

By road from the airport and then by boat. Culion is its own island municipality — Culion Island plus 41 smaller islands, postal code 5315 — so there is no road route from Busuanga Island. Tell us the property and we quote the vehicle and the crossing as one arrival.

Is Culion worth a visit in its own right?

Many travellers think so. Culion was a leprosarium from 1906 under the American colonial administration and was declared leprosy-free by the World Health Organization in 2006, and its heritage town reflects that history. It works as a day out of Coron or as a stop built into a longer Calamianes itinerary.

Can I visit Calauit and the wildlife sanctuary from Coron town?

Yes, but plan it as a full day rather than a short hop. Calauit Island lies at the far western end of the group and the sanctuary — established in the 1970s with African species such as giraffes and zebras, now alongside endemic Philippine wildlife including hornbills, sea turtles and dugongs — takes both a long land leg across Busuanga Island and a boat.

Where do the Coron Bay wreck dives start from?

From the Coron town side of Busuanga Island. Coron Bay is a natural anchorage beside the town, and the Japanese ships that make it a wreck-diving destination were sunk there by a United States Navy air attack on 24 September 1944. If you are diving, we usually quote transfers to a town-side base rather than a far-island resort.

Can you coordinate the return with my flight and the resort boat?

Yes. Return transfers are planned around both the flight and the resort’s boat hand-off, so the connection is agreed in advance rather than sorted out on the morning you leave.

Anything specific to your dates, group or pickup point is answered on the quote — that is where the actual vehicle, timing and fixed all-in price come from.

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Related destinations and routes

Busuanga Airport to Coron townThe Calamianes arrival leg — a private road transfer across Busuanga Island from the USU terminal to your Coron town hotel.CoronLakes, lagoons and WWII wrecks, in a separate island group reached by air or sea.El NidoLimestone karst islands, lagoons and the classic lettered island-hopping tours.

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