One of the most popular tourist destinations in the Philippines are Palawan and Coron islands. El Nido town gets the most attention in Palawan but just a couple of hours (more like 6-8 hours) drive away is situated a small village, called Port Barton. Let me tell you why I enjoyed my stay in Port Barton!

Island hopping & snorkelling

When getting to Port Barton you will notice that one of the most popular things to do is to join an island hopping tour. There are quite many tours and tour operators to choose from but I decided to book one with my hostel. As it turned out it was not listed among common Tour A, B or C options but a more personalized tour. This allowed the small 8 people group that I was on the boat with have more chill and quiet island hopping. The first stop on the tour was a stop for snorkelling and discovering the underwater magical coral world. After that, we headed to Albaguen island where we got to explore the island by walking around. That island had by far the most beautiful beaches I have seen in my life so far. After a long walk on a forest road, I reached a paradise beach which according to one sign was called Maxima Paradise. Totally empty beach with white sand and palm trees made the place look unreal. The boat crew prepared us a lovely lunch on the island after what we continued with our tour. We made few more stops to snorkel and see corals and turtles. Last stop was at an extremely small sandbar next to Port Barton beach. The “island” was about 10 by 10 meters and I could walk along the sandbar for several hundreds of meters. The water got maximum knee level. According to locals, this stretch goes on and on for even longer.

Beaches

The main beach in Port Barton is not really suitable for swimming because of jellyfish population there but there are plenty of beaches around the village that allows doing that. Just a short walk away to the south there are Coconut Beach and White Beach. Both have small entrance fees but are pretty empty and gorgeous. Coconut Beach is pretty empty, but White Beach is actually a resort. So at White Beach, you have hammocks and service.

Papawyan falls

Besides attending island hopping tours and laying around in beaches it is also possible to visit a waterfall. Papawyan falls are about 5 km away from the village. It is possible to rent a scooter from the village to get there or just walk there which is what I chose. I started my walk at mid-day which was a terrible choice because of the heat. But the more rewarding and relaxing was the swim in the chilly waterfall pool afterwards. The waterfalls itself are not the biggest but there are some cliff jumping options which makes the stay there more interesting. Papawyan falls also get many local visitors who come here from far away to spend a day with their families.

Sunrise & sunset

Catching both sunrise and sunset in Port Barton is not difficult at all. You would think that it is not possible to see the sunrise since the village is situated on the west coast of Palawan but I managed to capture a pretty decent view with a sun rising over hills from the really south-west part of the main beach strip. Tourists gather to the beach to enjoy the sunset which can be enjoyed in one of the many bars while having a drink or two. To get a better overview of Port Barton, check out my video 30 days in Philippines. Gallery of Port Barton.