The beautiful port Barton lies on the north-west coast of the island of Palawan, Phillipines and stretches about 23 km north-west of Roxas.
It is comparatively much quieter with a serene and laidback setting which makes it an attractive holiday destination for budget backpackers and international travelers seeking adventures yet wish to enjoy the peaceful, rural and relaxed atmosphere, wrapped with a natural beauty. It is one of the favorite places to relax, unwind and recharge your soul.
Port Barton is unspoiled and slightly undeveloped. Just reaching there is an adventure itself. If you ask any traveler who has been here, they can tell you how exciting the trip is. It houses a 1,500 meters of clean and white sand beach, surrounded by coconut tree with a panoramic view of several islands out front. It is a protected bay with a virgin forest in the background.
How to Get To Port Barton?
You can reach Port Barton via Puerto Princesa City by taking the first flight out of Manila. Generally, Philippine Airlines, Cebu pacific Air and Air Asia will have regular flights to Puerto Princesa. Flights leave at around 6 am, 9 am, 12 pm, 3 pm, 5 pm and 7 pm. Check your baggage allowance as usually the airlines only allow 10 to 15 kilograms. You can buy more allowance online. Excess baggage attracts a high charge so make sure you have all the allowance that you need. Flights are generally priced at around $60 each way, but book early or the price goes to around $100 for last minute bookings.
From Puerto Princesa by Private Van.
The travel time could take about 2 and a half hours. The private rental charge for a 7 seater between Puerto Princesa and Port Barton is 4,500 Php or around $106 usd. Private vans will meet you at the airport or your hotel at any time of the day or night for the trip north to Port Barton. For a little more they will assist you to buy your tickets for the Underground River, and take you via the side trip to Sabang to take the river tour. Total price from Puerto, to Sabang to Port Barton is Php 7000 at the time of writing this article in February 2016.
By Public Transport
Although we must tell you that it can sometimes be grueling, we suggest you consider this trip as an adventure. You’ll favor the experience at the end of the day.
After you land at the airport or reach Puerto Princesa City proper, take a tricycle for Php 50 per trip or get inside a multicab for Php 15 per pax to San Jose Terminal. This could take anything between 10 to 15 minutes. Look for San Isidro Express (Php 300), a Jeepney that goes directly to Port Baton. While the trip leaves at 8:30 am, it’s advisable that you be there early as there are chances of the bus getting filled up by as early as 7:30 am. With one stopover for lunch midway during the trip, the bus could take around for hours to reach Port baton. The bus stops at the Tourist Assistance Center on the beach in Port Barton.
There is a new operator in Puerto Princesa offering one way tickets for a van trip to Port Barton for around 400 Php. We’ll provide more information and contact details when we have them.
Make sure you wear comfortable clothes, bring sunglasses, and pack water during the trip as some of the road is unpaved, bringing dust along the way and it can get very humid, especially during the summer season.
From Sabang to Port Barton by Private Transport
The Subterranean River is located a short boat trip away from Sabang. Many of the Port Barton travelers visit the ‘Underground’ river on the way to or from Port Barton. Because there’s no direct trip via land, you’d need to go back to Puerto Princesa and travel to Port Barton the following day. One of the fastest ways is via a private boat that can carry four persons for Php 5,000. This could take 2-3 hours. The photos below shows a group in a small boat on the Underground River tour and the group returning to Port Barton by boat.
By Public Transport from Sabang to Port Barton.
Boat trips cost around Php 1,200 per person. There are road options available by public transport.
From El Nido by Boat
There’s a large boat leaving Port Barton every day. The travel time is 4 and a half hours, but can be longer depending on weather conditions. The price is around 1500Php per person. You nay find a smaller boat to take you for around the same price but we recommend that you take the large boat for comfort. Leave early in the morning as the afternoon waves can make travel uncomfortable at times.
By Land
You can catch the vans from El Nido and the trip should take three hours to reach Roxas. Once you reach there, head to the public transport terminal and look for the jeepney going to Port Barton. The only trip leaves at 11:00 a.m. and travel time is two hours.
Once you reach Palawan, enjoy the perfect paradise and leisure; be relentless and take advantage of the relaxing adventure in this fantastic location.
