If you’re visiting Palawan and looking for a quieter place to spend your vacation, then head to Port Barton in San Vicente. It has nice beaches, island hopping activities, and resorts where you can chill out. Here’s our Guide to Port Barton in San Vicente, Palawan!.
P.S. We have also written separate posts on Island Hopping in Port Barton and Top Things to Do in Port Barton.
About Port Barton
Port Barton is a quiet coastal community in San Vicente, Palawan. It’s composed of 12 islands, which is endowed with pristine beaches, snorkeling areas and other natural attractions.
Port Barton is one of the quieter destinations in Palawan so it appeals best to those who want a relaxing vacation. Similar to El Nido, this place also offers island hopping activities.
How to Get to Port Barton
From Puerto Princesa
From Puerto Princesa Airport, there are vans going to Port Barton (P500 per person).
A cheaper option is to ride a tricycle/jeep from the airport to San Jose Terminal. From the terminal, there are air-conditioned buses (P300, 4 hours) or vans going to Port Barton (P350, 3 hours).
Schedule of vans start at 6AM to 6PM. Here are the van operators for the PPS-Port Barton route.
- Recaro: 09054858597, 09093513037
- SBE: 09194455021, 09951629155
You can reserve a slot for the vans. You can also schedule pickup from the airport for an additional fee.
From San Vicente
From San Vicente, you have 2 options to get to Port Barton:
- Ride ride a van (2 hours) to Port Barton.
- Charter a private boat (boat rent – P3000, 1 hour) to Port Barton.
When is the Best Time to Visit
The best time to visit Port Barton is from March to June (dry season), but island hopping tours can be done all-year round.
Peak season is from December to February, which is the time when foreign tourists flock to San Vicente in general.
Best Things to See and Do in Port Barton
Here are the best things to do in Port Barton.
For a complete list of available activities, make sure to check out our post on Top Things to Do in Port Barton.
1. Island hopping
There are different island hopping tours in Port Barton: A, B, C, D and E. Rate is P1200 per person (inclusive of lunch and miscellaneous fees). If you’re going to choose only one of these, I suggest Tour A because it’s the most popular.
- Tour A (Essential Tour): Twin Reef, Turtle Spot, Inaladelan Island, Smart Island, Starfish Island
- Tour B (Fishing Life): Paradise Island, Exotic Island, Sanctuary Reef, Albaguin Village, Starfish Island
- Tour C (Tribal Life): Aquarium Reef 1 and 2, Reef #5, Bunuanguin Town, Luli Beach Island, White Beach
- Tour D (Waterfall Life): Inaladelan Island, Reef 1, Lagoon Reef, Bigaho Falls, Pamuayan Beach
- Tour E (More Reefs and Islands): Paradise Island, Maxima Island, Wide Reef, Capsalay Island, Fantastic Reef, Starfish Island
Island hopping starts at 9AM to 4PM.
It’s also possible to avail of a private tour, inclusive of lunch, masks and miscellaneous fees. Rates are as follows: P5000 for 2 pax / P7000 for 3-5 pax, additional P1300 per person.
We asked the staff in our accommodation Westpoint Inn to assist us in securing a boat for island hopping. We visited Twin Reef, German Island, Pina Plata (where we had lunch), Maxima Island and Exotic Island, Wide Reef and Starfish Island.
Read more about our Island Hopping Experience in Port Barton.
2. Visit White Beach
White Beach is one of the most beautiful beaches in Port Barton. This is a place where you can relax, swim and just beach bum.
There are different ways to get here. It can be included in your island hopping tour (joiner or private). Or you can get a boat service from the Port Barton Beach for P150 per person. There is an entrance fee of P50 per person.
3. Take a dip in Pamuayan Falls
Pamuayan Falls is an 8-meter high waterfall in Barangay Pamuayan, Port Barton. There is a small basin where you can swim. There are also cottages where you can leave your items.
There is a required donation upon registration to Pamuayan Falls. Guide fee to the waterfall is P300. In our case, our tricycle drivers simply went with us.
To get here, you can trek from the town proper to the waterfall for 1.5-2 hours. Or you can rent a habal-habal or tricycle (tricycle rent – P750) for 15-20 minutes and then trek the rest of the way to the waterfall (15 minutes).
If you can drive, you can rent a motorcycle for a whole day (P500, excluding gas) to visit Pamuayan Falls and another falls called Bigaho Falls.
Some things to note:
- The waterfalls in Port Barton may be dry during summer. Ask around first before visiting so you don’t waste your time.
- During rainy season, a habal-habal or motorcycle may not survive the roads going to Pamuayan Falls. In this case, it’s best to get a tricycle instead.
- Cliff diving is not allowed in Pamuayan Falls due to accidents. Our guide told us that a handful of foreign tourists have died in the past months leading our visit since they did ignored the warnings. Take note that Port Barton has only 1 small clinic.
Others: Side Trip to Poblacion
Poblacion is another town in San Vicente. You can visit here as a side trip or you can stay here to enjoy its own beaches. Here is where you can find the famous Long Beach.
How to get here
To get here, you can either take a direct flight from Manila to San Vicente. If you’re coming from Port Barton, you can ride a van (2 hours) or rent a boat (boat rent – P3000, 1 hour) to get here.
From Poblacion, you can also go on an island hopping tour to the islands in Port Barton (P1800 per person, 2 hours away).
Attractions in Poblacion
There are a few places to see in Poblacion, but here are the best ones.
1. Long Beach
Long Beach is the longest white-sand beach in the Philippines, at 14.7 kilometers. It’s one of the rising destinations in Palawan.
To get here, you can ride a tricycle from the town (P50 per person).
To be honest, Long Beach isn’t the best beach for swimming because of regular strong waves. This is one of the reasons why we only chose to drop by here before going back to Puerto Princesa. Bucket list item checked off.
2. Irawan Beach and Bato ni Ningning
This is another spot that you can visit in Poblacion. Bato ni Ningning features a distinct rock formation (similar to that in Sambawan Island in Biliran) and an overlooking view of the Long Beach.
To get here, you can charter a habal-habal (P300-400 round trip per person, 45 minutes one way from the Long Beach).
3 Days Itinerary to Port Barton
Here’s our 3 days itinerary to Port Barton.
| Day 1 | – Morning arrival at Puerto Princesa Airport – Ride a van from San Jose Terminal to Port Barton (3 hours) – Check in at accommodation – Free time at Port Barton Beach/White Beach |
| Day 2 | – Island hopping in Port Barton |
| Day 3 | – Morning trek to Pamuayan Falls (15 min tricycle ride, 15 min trek) – Check out at accommodation – Travel to Poblacion via private boat (1 hour) / lunch in town – Ride a trike to the Long Beach / enjoy Long Beach – Ride a van from Poblacion Terminal to Puerto Princesa (2-3 hours) – Night departure from Puerto Princesa Airport |
We originally planned on staying at Port Barton only, but after a discussion, we decided to do a side trip to Long Beach as well. It was quick but we were okay with it since there was really nothing to do at Long Beach. Unlike the islands in Port Barton, there are no nearby snorkeling areas here and it’s best for relaxing. It worked out since our return flight was scheduled at night.
Where to stay in Port Barton
There are different resorts in Port Barton. If you’re on a budget, you may want to book on an inland accommodation instead of a beachfront resort.
We stayed at Westpoint Inn which is 5-10 minutes walk from the main beach (off-peak rate: P1000 per night, double-bed room good for 4 people).
- Westpoint Inn. Book discounted rates here
Other recommended stays in Port Barton:
- Ausan Beach Front Cottages. Book discounted rates here
- Deep Moon Resort. Book discounted rates here
You can also book discounted rates for other resorts in Port Barton here.
Things to know before you go
- There are no banks or ATMs in Port Barton. Bring enough cash with you.
- Port Barton only has 1 small clinic. Exercise caution and follow local regulations whenever you go to avoid accidents.
Budget and expenses
Here’s a summary of expenses for Port Barton (Updated as of 2020).
| Commute | Van from San Jose Terminal (PPS) to Port Barton (San Vicente): P350 per person Boat from Port Barton to Poblacion (Long Beach): P3000 boat rental Trike from Poblacion town to Long Beach: P50 per person Van from Poblacion (San Vicente) to San Jose Terminal (PPS): P300 per person |
| Activities | Island hopping in Port Barton: P1200 joiner tour per person / P5000 private boat rental Misc fees for island hopping: German Island entrance fee – P100 per person / White Beach entrance fee – P50 per person Boat ride to White Beach: P150 per person Tricycle service to Pamuayan Falls: P750 per ride (round-trip, good for 3-4 people) |
| Accommodation | Accommodation in Port Barton: P600-1000 per room |
| Miscellaneous | Environmental fee in Port Barton (valid for 10 days): P50 per person |
There were 5 of us and our budget was approximately P5500-6000 per person.
Has this 3 days itinerary to Port Barton been helpful to you? If you have any questions or suggestions, let us know in the comments below!
What to read next:
Visiting Palawan? Check out the rest of our guides in Palawan:
- Ultimate Guide to Palawan
- Top Things to Do in Palawan
- Puerto Princesa: Guide to Puerto Princesa Underground River and Island Hopping in Honda Bay
- Coron: Travel Guide to Coron
- El Nido: Travel Guide to El Nido
- Balabac: Travel Guide to Balabac, Island Hopping in Balabac and Onuk Island
- Port Barton: Guide to Port Barton, Top Things to Do in Port Barton and Island Hopping in Port Barton
2 Comments
Hi, I just want to ask on how can I get to Port Barton from San Vicente Airport? Do I need to ride a van, trike or boat to get to Port Barton?
From San Vicente, you can take van in the terminal or hire a boat. 🙂