***Photobomber skill level: 999,999 It felt so surreal. An encounter like this with the wildlife is definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
🇵🇭PORT BARTON ADVENTURE PRIMER🇵🇭
✈️🛳🚌 How to get to Port Barton, Palawan:
⏺ Take a plane from Metro Manila to Puerto Princesa City (e.g. Cebu Pacific, Philippine Airlines and AirAsia).
⏺ Hire a tricycle to reach San Jose Terminal.
⏺ Ride a van bound for Port Barton (travel time: 3 – 3.5 hours).
⏺ Alternatively, you may fly directly to San Vicente Airport via Philippine Airlines from Clark Airport.
🏄🏝🚴 Sites to Explore/Activities:
Starfish Island/Sandbar
Twin Reef
Fantastic Reef
Turtle Spot
Exotic Island
Maxima Island
Paradise Island
Inaladelan/German Island
Capsalay Island
Itaytay Beach
I first heard about Port Barton in 2015. I was on my way to El Nido (my first solo backpacking trip) and I overhead the staff of the restaurant where our van had a stop-over. He said that the place got some awesome islands like El Nido and Coron. It was also mentioned by this French couple during my island hopping tour in El Nido. They were planning to visit Port Barton once they finished exploring the islands of El Nido. 📍Inaladelan/German IslandMy mum always wanted to go to Palawan. She was supposed to travel with me on my first El Nido trip in 2015 but since she missed that due to her appointments, I suggested we visit Palawan in April 2019 with my father, uncle and aunt. After all, the weather for the month of April always calls for beach bumming.Our journey started at Manila International Airport by dawn. Luckily, the flight was not delayed and we landed in Puerto Princesa City before the sun was up. Our rented van picked us up and took us first to the city’s cathedral before we had our breakfast at Ka Inato. 📍Maxima IslandWe first had our side trips to Crocodile Farm, World War II Memorial Museum and Baker’s Hill to buy pastries.Before heading to Port Barton, we decided to buy fresh seafood at the wet market of Puerto Princesa. We then had our lunch at a restaurant along the way. 📍Starfish Island/SandbarThe ride en route to the village of Port Barton was relatively short compared to my prior experience when I visited El Nido. Besides, the majority of roads were already cemented.We arrived in Port Barton late in the afternoon. After checking in, my aunt cooked some of the seafood catch we got from Puerto Princesa for our dinner. Boy was I so full before going to sleep. My body got enough glycogen stores for our adventure the next day. 📍Maxima IslandThe next day, we started prepping for our island hopping tour after having breakfast. I was extremely excited that I would finally get the chance to use my new diving fins.We availed of a private tour so I could freely adjust our itinerary because we only got one whole day to explore Port Barton since we would be off to Puerto Princesa the next day. 📍Inaladelan/German IslandWe walked towards Itaytay Beach which serves as the jump-off to island hopping activities in Port Barton. Good thing it was just a few meters away from our accommodation.We waited for our boat to pick us up since our boat crew still had to buy our lunch first before we set off for our tour. The perfect summer weather that day was pretty much welcoming. 📍Maxima IslandWe sailed for just a few minutes and docked at this sandbar called Starfish Island.The place was deserted when we arrived. We were quite a bit late since we started our journey by 10:00 AM. Most of the visitors already made their way to farther islands.There’s really not much to see in this island considering it lacks vegetation. The sand is not fine but the clear water and lovely cloud formation against the blue sky were worth capturing.Two boats carrying a number of tourists arrived and parked on the other side of the island as if it was our cue to move to our next destination.This sandbar is known as Starfish Island because you can see a lot of starfish here. Okay, so there’s only one starfish in this photo of mine. My bad, I didn’t get to capture them as other groups of visitors crowded the portion of the sandbar with tons of starfish for picture-taking.
⏰⏳ SAMPLE ITINERARY:
DAY 1
12:00 PM ETA Puerto Princesa Airport
1:30 PM ETD for Port Barton
5:00 PM ETA Port Barton / check-in
7:00 PM Dinner
DAY 2
7:00 AM Wake-up call / breakfast
9:00 AM Start of island hopping
4:00 PM ETA Itaytay Beach
6:00 PM Dinner
DAY 3
7:00 AM Wake-up call / breakfast
9:00 AM Start of island hopping
4:00 PM ETA Itaytay Beach
6:00 PM Dinner
DAY 4
8:00 AM Check-out
9:00 AM ETD for Puerto Princesa Airport
1:00 PM ETA Puerto Princesa Airport
💰💶 ESTIMATED BUDGET (for a solo joiner of public island hopping tours): Php 7,000 – 8,000 (exclusive of airfare)
***Expenses may vary depending on the type of accommodation you will avail, personal consumption of food and other necessities and length of stay/number of days you will allot to explore Port Barton.
We proceeded to our first snorkeling area. I could finally try out what I learned from my freediving lesson. I was so ecstatic that I didn’t mind bringing my long fins.Palawan never really ceases to amaze me. Its beaches are to die for, but its coral reefs are also on par in terms of beauty. No wonder why it’s always voted as one of the best islands in the world.We stopped by the spot where we could find sea turtles. It’s just a few meters away from the shore of Inaladelan.I quickly dove into the water to see where they were. There were also other tourists swimming with us, hoping for a chance encounter with these gentle creatures.Luck was on my side as one of the boatmen, who was also my freediving guide, was wearing his own fins. At least he wouldn’t get tired chasing after me to get video footages. A few more minutes had passed when he tapped me and pointed with his finger where one of the turtles was. It’s sleeping on top of one of the corals underneath us. Unfortunately, it was way too deep for a freediving noob like me so I wasn’t able to say hello to it up close. Besides, I think it wouldn’t be happy dealing with an uninvited guest. It’s taking a nap after all.We finally docked here at Inaladelan Island. Surprisingly, there were no other tourists when we reached the place.My parents and relatives opted to just stay inside the boat. My guide and I decided to alight to get some decent shots of this island.Also known as German Island, Inaladelan boasts of creamy fine sand that visitors will surely love.The crystal clear calm water under the hot weather that day seemed to be inviting me to take a dip.It was nearing lunch time so my guide and I quickly took our shots. I was also already beginning to feel my face getting sunburnt.You can also chill out at this portion of the beach if you’re down for sunbathing.We walked to the other side of Inaladelan Island to check some more Insta-worthy shots.A battalion of boats with loads of tourists started arriving thus ruining our photo ops so we walked farther towards this part of the island.Too bad my companions were feeling lethargic to enjoy the beach with me. They must have been hungry already and the heat of the April sun was probably making them lazy.Considering Port Barton is now becoming a mainstream tourist destination just like El Nido and Coron, I wouldn’t be surprised that its islands would welcome a huge influx of tourists in the coming years.We concluded our visit here at Inaladelan Island at this picturesque spot of its shoreline. The lively hues of the beach against the faint sound of the waves were indeed therapeutic for the soul.My guide and I hopped on our boat and off we went to our next destination where we would be having our lunch.Because this was my first official diving experience, holding my breath underneath proved to be a difficult skill to hone. It was quite a challenging feat since I just recently quit my relationship with cigarettes after being a chain smoker for years.Thank the gods that my freediving guide was supportive. Even if I didn’t have my swimmer friends with me, at least I could still dive. After all, it’s not advisable to dive alone.I would have wanted to spend more days to explore Port Barton but I had no choice but to stick to the number of days that my parents could allot for this trip. Initially, I was planning to take them to El Nido but it was far from Puerto Princesa City. Fortunately, Port Barton is relatively closer to Palawan’s capital. We could have considered San Vicente Airport as our entry point but they wanted to see Puerto Princesa as well.We finally reached this beach called Exotic Island where our boat crew would prepare our food. This is usually where guests of Port Barton eat their lunch.Exotic Island is just within walking distance of Maxima Island (it’s that island facing me in this photo).There were a lot of people frolicking by Exotic Island’s shore as they waited for their meals to be cooked so whilst our lunch was being prepared, my guide and I decided to explore the other island. 📍Maxima IslandThe tide was still a bit high as we walked through waist-deep water to reach this beach called Maxima Island (Exotic Island is now on my left side in this picture).My companions again decided to just stay in our cottage at Exotic Island. Boy were they missing out a lot on this trip of ours.I noticed a handful of foreigners by the shore of this island. It was not surprising at all as Palawan is known to be one of the best in the world.My guide confirmed with a local about the trail leading to the other side of this island. After a few minutes of trekking, this beautiful portion of Maxima Island welcomed us.Compared to Exotic Island, Maxima only got a few visitors when we arrived. We could have taken this opportunity to eat our lunch here but we’re pretty sure that our boatmen had already started cooking our meals at the moment.One distinct feature of Maxima Island is having the best of both worlds. On one side, it has creamy fine sand while the other portion of its coastline is rocky.We chilled out by this spot to take a breather as we took more photos before walking back to Exotic Island.As we walked farther, I noticed the fine sand in this portion which reminded me of some of the beaches in the country with sand so fine that it feels as if you’re walking on concrete floor.We didn’t use the trail that we used to get here to go back to our boat. We instead strolled along the shoreline of rocks until we reached again the side facing Exotic Island.We bid farewell to Maxima Island and crossed the sandbar connecting it to the shoreline of Exotic Island. Before setting off for another swimming session, we rested for a bit after having our lunch of fresh seafood and fruits.
📜✏ Tips/Reminders:
📌Port Barton is not a separate town of Palawan but a barangay of the municipality of San Vicente.
📌Just like El Nido and Coron, Port Barton offers public island hopping tours for joiners. You may opt to avail of private tours if you are traveling with a group.
📌There are tons of resorts and hotels in Port Barton which offer tours to their visitors. Most of these accommodations are just a few meters away from Itaytay Beach which serves as the jump-off for island hopping.
📌The island hopping fee for public tours is already inclusive of lunch.
📌Expect rain and rough sea condition during monsoon season (June-February).
📌Always observe the LNT principles.
☎️ Contact:
📌Van/SUV for hire: Kuya Edward Tuvilla (09271612401 / 09213831037)
We went back to the spot where the turtles were and we quickly spotted two of them. Thank the gods I had my fins with me. The current was way too strong as I swam.This was the highlight of my Port Barton trip. Imagine being able to play with these creatures. Thanks to my super-duper supportive freediving guide.Please don’t touch them when you get to see one. Just take photos but still maintain a distance so they won’t be stressed.We decided to swim back to our boat as the current was becoming stronger which made it harder for my father and uncle to swim. My mum and aunt just stayed inside our boat watching us enjoy the water with the turtles.We then headed to Capsalay Island after passing by Paradise Island. The beach of Capsalay was surprisingly quiet since there was only one foreign couple when we reached this island.Among the spots we visited in Port Barton, this was my least favorite. It’s not as picturesque as the other islands. No wonder why its beach is virtually deserted when we got there.We capped off our day at our last coral garden. Even if my face was already sunburnt, I just couldn’t stop practicing what I learned from my freediving class.My guide and I were the only people swimming at this coral reef. Most of the tourists were still swimming and eating at Maxima and Exotic Islands.Unfortunately, some portions of this reef were too deep for a newbie like me.To be honest, I already lost track of the names of these reefs where I took my underwater shots. They’re all the same anyway: beautiful.I have to admit, freediving is so exhausting yet fulfilling. A few years back, I’ve been conquering heights as I was so obsessed with hiking mountains and now, I am finally conquering depths.We ended our tour at past 2:00 PM. It was still early but I was so exhausted so I took a nap after washing up.By sundown, we walked to Itaytay Beach and enjoyed our dinner while watching the breathtaking sunset at this beautiful village of Palawan.Because Port Barton is becoming popular among travelers, I’m hoping that the LGUs regulate well the influx of tourists to protect their beaches and coral gardens. As I was watching my underwater shots, it broke my heart to see this wounded portion of a coral rock. It’s also best to educate tour operators for the best practices to preserve and avoid damaging the coral reefs.My diving guide told me that Port Barton has lots of coral gardens that it’ll take days to finish exploring all of them. It got me really excited knowing that there’s more to see here.Compared to El Nido, Coron and Balabac, Port Barton does not really have a lot of islands included in its island hopping tours but you’ll spend most of your time snorkeling and freediving in their amazing coral gardens.The next morning, our rented van picked us up at our accommodation. We traveled back to Puerto Princesa City where we would be spending one more night before flying back to Manila. 📍Maxima IslandAfter checking in, I met up with my college friend who is based in Palawan to catch up while my parents and relatives were resting at the hotel. 📍Inaladelan/German IslandWe then agreed to spend the rest of the afternoon and eat our dinner at the city’s baywalk park. 📍Inaladelan/German IslandEven if our stay in Port Barton was too short, it was still worth it. My most favorite part so far was being able to swim with marine turtles. I will surely come back in the future.
***For other destinations in Palawan and MIMAROPA, you may visit this link.
