Tending Island is one of the less-visited of the Calamian Island group, which lies up in North Palawan, between Curion and Busuanga islands. It has plenty of nice beaches and good access to Coron Bay.
Tending is rather small and more exclusive than Busuanga Island, Coron Island, and Curion Island, and comes with several top-end resorts with every conceivable facility. Its best attribute, apart from the cute beaches, is its proximity to Coron Bay, where some of the world’s best wreck diving can be had.
The US navy sank many Japanese warships in 1944, which now lie on the bottom of Coron Bay, littered with hard and soft corals and a plethora of fish. Dive tours of the wrecks can be organized from hotels on Tending Island and you can even snorkel onto one of the wrecks.
Elsewhere in the Calamian group is Calauit Island, to the north of Busuanga Island, which is home to the Game Preserve and Wildlife Sanctuary. Coron Island has the pristine Barracuda and Kayangan lakes, while Busuanga Island itself is home to the largest town in the region, Coron Town.
Getting There & Away
Coron Airport is the gateway to the Calamians, a small airport just north of Coron Town on Busuanga Island. Hour-long flights come in from Manila daily, with transfers via taxis and jeepneys to the pier in Coron Town. Boats leave from here for Tending Island, 20kms to the southwest.