A little over a year ago, I went on a weekend trip to a less known-place called Port Barton. This small fishing village in San Vicente, Palawan is located 3 hours by land from Puerto Princesa & about 4 hours from El Nido. I shared with you all the details of my trip – click this link to take you to that article. That Port Barton blog is actually one of the most read posts in this website.
Inaladelan Island at its finest 😍
Last month, my friends & I went to Port Barton for 2 full days or 48 hours – that’s after a quick visit to El Nido. We only went to El Nido for Nacpan Beach & that’s it. It was a good call to go to Port Barton after because weather in El Nido was pretty bad. It was raining all day & all night.
Since my last visit, Port Barton has remained to be ‘relatively’ unknown to the Filipino traveling community. There has been already a handful of Filipino visitors; but the majority of the tourists are still foreigners – mostly those who are traveling around the Philippines for a few weeks. I loved the fact that this place is still untouched, unpopular & very basic.
Instagram-worthy photo in one of the beach huts in Inaladelan Island 😍
In this post, I will talk about how we spent 48 hours in Port Barton. I’ll talk about how we went there, where we stayed & what we did there during our stay.
El Nido To Port Barton
The most comfortable way to go to Port Barton from El Nido is to take the scheduled van trips. There are 2 to 3 scheduled trips per day – 7:00 am, 8:00 am & 1:00 pm. Fare per person ranges from ₱500 to ₱700, depending where you book your ticket.
In our case, we booked it through Outpost Beach Hostel & the fare per person from the hostel tour desk is ₱700. We took the 8:00 am trip. Travel time from El Nido is around 3.5 to 4 hours. The road to Port Barton has improved since my last visit. There are still parts which are under construction, but most of the roads have now been paved.
Island view 😍
Environmental Fee
As mentioned in the previous post, the local tourism council collects ₱50 environmental fee from all guests visiting Port Barton. This environmental card is given to the visitor after signing the guest log book & paying the small fee. This card is valid for 10 days & is required in taking the boat / island tour.
Deep Moon Resort
Welcome to Deep Moon Resort!
My friends & I stayed in a beachfront resort named Deep Moon Resort. I have a friend working there so I asked for his help in getting a place to stay. We stayed in fan bungalow for 3 people for ₱1,100 per night. The bungalow features a double bed in the ground floor & a single bed in the mezzanine. Both beds have mosquito nets. The bungalow has a private toilet & shower & a balcony. It is located at the back of the beachfront bungalows.
Our fan bungalow for 2 nights
Deep Moon Resort offers free Wi-Fi in the common areas. They also have an on site bar & restaurant which we weren’t able to try. The resort is located right in front of the Port Barton village beach. The staff were nice & helpful, they helped us & our new-found friends book our island tour.
Inside our fan bungalow – I slept in the bed located in mezzanine
The resort recently opened their dormitory rooms under the name Dragon House Dorm. They have 8-bed & 10-bed dormitory fan rooms for those who are traveling on budget. All guests also have access to the facilities of Deep Moon Resort. A dormitory bed costs around ₱400 – ₱450 per night. Not bad, right?
Port Barton Village Beach
Port Barton village beach – right outside your doorstep!
Port Barton is a fishing village that is located by the beach. The first to-do when visiting this beautiful place is to enjoy the village beach. My friends & I immediately went swimming after check-in. This place is very quiet & relaxing.
View from Deep Moon Resort’s Moon Bar
Island Hopping Tour
Jump shot with the whole island tour crew!
Just like El Nido & Coron, Port Barton also has its set of island hopping tours. We asked the help of my friend working in Deep Moon Resort to secure our spot in the sole Lonely Planet-recommended tour guide. The whole island hopping tour still costs ₱700 per person – no price change since last year. The rate includes picnic lunch & boat fees. It doesn’t include the ₱100 per person entrance fee in Inaladelan Island (formerly German Island).
Inaladelan Island from the beach 😍
This island tour had a slightly different itinerary from that of last year’s. Instead of having lunch in Paradise Maxima & Exotic Islands, we spent more time & had lunch in Inaladelan Island. We still visited the Twin & Paradise Reefs & still swam with the famous turtle (now two of them so turtles!). We didn’t go to the I-forgot-the-name-of-the-island & instead went to Long Paradise Island. We were the only visitors in this island. The experience was quite cool. The tour’s last stop is still the Luli Island, now known as Starfish Island. The tour started little past time & ended around 4:30 in the afternoon.
What’s for lunch? 😋 This meal is included in the island tour fee
Let me share to you some photos my friend & I took during the island tour.
Twin Reef
Turtle Point
Inaladelan Island (formerly German Island)
Long Paradise Island
Paradise Reef
Starfish Island
Sunset Watching
The ‘best’ sunset we had during our stay – weather was not at its best!
Port Barton boasts a very beautiful sunset. I’ve witnessed what sunset view this village has to offer last year. Unfortunately, the weather during this trip was not at its best. Nonetheless, this is one of the best things to do in this very relaxing place.
Native Bo Reggae Bar
Spent our last night in Native Bo Reggae Bar – had a fun night with these people!
Last year, my friends & I went to Jungle Bar & had a great time. I’d love to bring my companions to this place but we didn’t have the luxury of time. We opted to enjoy the night at Native Bo Reggae Bar. It’s the reggae bar located by the village beach. This bar offers affordable drinks & a very social atmosphere. They even have a buy 1 get 1 on selected drinks from lunchtime until 7:00 pm. My friends & I plus the ones we met in the island tour went here on our last night in Port Barton.
Other Things To Do
48 hours in Port Barton is not enough to visit everything this place has to offer. Just like my trip last year, I missed out on a few places like the White Beach (because we already a lot of white beaches in the trip?), Pamuayan Falls (again) & the San Vicente Long Beach (this is really far). I also found out that they now offer a tour to the nearby mangrove conservation area.
Port Barton After A Year – ANYTHING NEW?
It’s been a year & a few months since I first went to Port Barton. Last time, I shared with you some facts about this not-so-famous place. This time, I’ll share with you what has changed after 15 months of not visiting this place.
More Accommodation Choices
Last year, there were only less than 10 accommodation choices available online. Most accommodations can only be contacted via call or text. After 15 months, there has been a boom in the number of accommodation choices in Port Barton. There are already a lot of hostels, guesthouses & homestays available in websites like Booking.com & Agoda. Rates also have increased a bit; though some have retained the rates they had since last year.
More Restaurants & Eateries
There has also been an increase in the number of restaurants & eateries in the village. The growing demand forced the locals to open more restaurants & local eateries. My friends & I still opted to eat at Gacayan Restaurant – they still have the cheapest food in the village. It was not as crowded as it was last year.
Had dinner in Gorgonzola Pizza – one of the new restaurants in the village
Electricity Hours
Port Barton still doesn’t have 24-hour electricity supply. Power supply is only available from 5 pm until 12 midnight & now from 10 am until 12 noon. Make sure to charge all your gadgets & equipment in these power hours.
Still no ATMs
The village still doesn’t have ATMs. The nearest money dispensing machines are located in El Nido, Puerto Princesa & Roxas. Make sure to withdraw enough cash before going to Port Barton. Credit cards can be used here but only for a handful of establishments. Cash is the preferred & the widely-used mode of payment.
Village Clinic for Medical Emergencies
There is a small clinic or health center in the village; it’s located along Ballesteros St near the school. Take note that the nearest hospital in the village is located in Roxas, which is around an hour away. Don’t forget to stack up on medicines before going to the village.
Limited internet connectivity
Port Barton still has limited internet connectivity. The fastest mobile internet connection can be found near the beach & it doesn’t even give you a 4G connection. Plan out all your emails & internet usage before going to this village. Best to also take this trip as a disconnection from the usual internet-dependent routine.
This pretty much sums up our 48-hour Port Barton trip last month. My friends & I made the right decision of leaving El Nido & heading to this paradise where the weather was good. 48-hours was not enough to discover everything this place has to offer. I look forward to staying longer in my next Port Barton trip.
With Maanne & Yana in Palawan. Thanks for the fun weekend! 🙂
Port Barton is starting to gain attention from the local tourism industry. Locals have started to visit this place, unlike last year when it was all foreigners. I hope this place remains the same in the next few years. I can easily say that Port Barton is my current favorite hideout from the busy metro life. I would like to also take this chance to thank my friends, Maanne & Yana, for the fun weekend in El Nido & Port Barton. The trip was short but very memorable.
Can’t get over how beautiful Inaladelan Island is! 😍
Are you planning to go to Port Barton soon? You should! Have you been there? How was your trip? Will you go back soon? Don’t forget to share some details of your past or upcoming trip in the comments section below. Do you have any questions about Port Barton? Feel free to send an email to contact@thewkndtravel.com or contact me via these social media channels – Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
Thank you for reading & until the next 48-hour trip! 🌴
PS. Photos were taken using my HTC U11 & HTC Re. Shout out to Maanne for letting me use some of her photos.