Maquinit Hot Springs

Maquinit sits on the shore a short ride east of Coron town, where geothermally heated water rises through the ground and mixes with sea water in a set of stone-walled pools built among the mangroves. Saltwater hot springs are genuinely uncommon - most thermal springs are fresh - and the water here runs around forty degrees, hot enough that most people alternate between the pools and the cooler sea channel beside them. The pools are simple, ringed by stone and concrete with a boardwalk through the mangroves and changing rooms at the entrance. It is busiest after dark, when the island-hopping boats have come back and the day's sunburn makes hot water an odd but popular choice, and there is a night-time appeal to the mangroves and the lights on the water. Sulphur smell is mild. It is usually paired with the Mount Tapyas climb as the standard non-boat afternoon in Coron.

What you actually see

• The saltwater pools - stone-walled thermal water at around forty degrees.
• The mangrove boardwalk - the walkway through the trees.
• The sea channel - the cool water alongside for alternating.
• The evening crowd - boats' passengers arriving after dark.

When to go

November to May. Late afternoon and evening are the popular hours; mornings are near-empty and the water is just as hot.

Honest expectations

The water is genuinely hot and not for long soaks - forty degrees in a tropical climate is demanding. Facilities are basic changing rooms and toilets. It gets crowded in the evening, and the tricycle fare out is charged both ways.

Nearby

Mount Tapyas is in Coron town; Kayangan Lake and the island-hopping circuits leave from the pier.