Illustrative image, not a photograph
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Mount Tapyas

Coron town's own sunset stairway, 721 steps to a free, no-permit view over the Calamian Islands

Difficulty
Easy
Duration
30 minutes to an hour return, via 721 concrete steps
Summit elevation
210 m

Mount Tapyas is less a mountain than a steep hill directly above Coron town on Busuanga Island, reached entirely by a paved concrete stairway of 721 steps that starts a short walk from the town centre. There is no park, no permit and no fee: the appeal is purely how quickly a visitor with limited time between island-hopping tours can reach a genuine 360-degree view, capped by a large white cross at the summit, over the town's rooftops and out across the limestone islands and lagoons of the Calamian group that Coron is famous for.

Highlights

  • A 360-degree view over Coron town and the Calamian Islands from the summit cross
  • A short enough climb to fit into a single afternoon between island-hopping tours
  • One of the very few genuinely free, permit-free hikes on this whole site
  • A well-known sunset spot with benches and a viewing platform at the top

Getting there

The stairway entrance is next to K-Heights Inn, no more than a 10-minute walk from anywhere in central Coron town, itself reached by boat from Manila or a flight into Francisco B. Reyes Airport on Busuanga Island followed by a short land transfer.

Safety tips

The steps are steep in places and can be slippery when wet, and the climb works the legs more than the short distance suggests, but there is no wilderness risk here: stick to the stairway, carry water for the heat, and time your descent before it gets fully dark since the steps have limited lighting at night.

What to bring

  • Water, even for a short climb, given the heat and humidity
  • A torch if you plan to stay for sunset and descend after dark
  • Comfortable closed shoes rather than flip-flops, given the number of steps
  • A camera for the summit panorama, the main reason most people climb at all