Kat in White Beach, Port Barton
Guides and Itineraries,  Philippines

Port Barton (Palawan): Travel Guide + 3 Days Itinerary

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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!

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.

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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.

Port Barton Beach, Palawan
Port Barton main beach.

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.

Port Barton island hopping - Twin Reef
Fish feeding in Twin Reef.
Port Barton island hopping - Wide Reef
Corals in Wide Reef.
Sea turtle in German Island, Port Barton
Sea turtle in German Island.
Group shot - Port Barton island hopping tour lunch
Sumptuous lunch included in our island hopping.
Kat in Pina Plata, Port Barton
Me in Pina Plata Island.

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.

Port Barton - White Beach
White Beach.

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.

Pamuayan Falls in Port Barton, Palawan
Pamuayan Falls.

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 for 15-20 minutes and then trek the rest of the way to the waterfall (15 minutes).

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.

Long Beach in San Vicente, Palawan
Long Beach in San Vicente, 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

Long Beach in San Vicente, Palawan
View from 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).

Other recommended stays in Port Barton:

You can also book 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 one 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).

CommuteVan 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
ActivitiesIsland 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)
AccommodationAccommodation in Port Barton: P600-1000 per room
MiscellaneousEnvironmental 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.

Group shot - Port Barton dinner by the beach
Dinner by the beach in Port Barton.

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:

Puerto Princesa:

Coron:

El Nido:

Balabac:

Port Barton:

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