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Published: March 6th 2010
We left Sabang bright and early for Port Barton. Our boat supposedly could hold 12 people but only 8 booked, so we were light in the water. On the way we passed another fully loaded boat that was headed to El Nido. The ride to Port Barton was actually really nice. Only 3 hours long, with great views of the Palawan coast along the way. We saw a lot of flying fish that were scared by the boat and soared for probably 300 feet or more, just barely above the water. We also saw two sea turtles, just hanging out on the surface. One of them was probably 3 feet wide and 4 feet long. He stuck his head up and looked at us as we passed.
Port Barton is a quiet and secluded beach town. Realistically it is only reachable by boat, so it only sees tourists that want to break up the trip between El Nido and Sabang (or vice versa). Like Sabang there is no electricity other than generators. It was well worth the stop though, because it is has a beautiful sandy beach and mellow attitude.
We got off the boat to Port Barton in search of a place to stay. It didn't take long at all to settle at 360 Resort, which has four "A" frame cottages that are literally on the sand. No reservations needed. Steph and I took one of them, right next door to my parents.
After resting a little while, I set out on a hike to a waterfall with my parents. Steph decided to sit this one out. The resort recommended a guide so we shelled out the 500 pesos (10 bucks) to get one. It was definitely worth it because the waterfall was pretty hidden. The hike was HOT, and it took almost twice as long as we were told, but we made it. The waterfall had a perfect little swimming hole, deep enough to jump in to from a 10 ft high rock. Only the guide and I made the jump, but all of us went for a swim. It felt great after the hike, and we were the only ones there. Definitely worth it.
Upon arrival at Port Barton, I took 1 picture of the boat. The next time I tried to use my camera, the lense cover wouldn't open all the way. Everything I tried didn't work. After the hike I tried to take a picture with Steph's camera, but it wouldn't focus on anything. Both of our cameras broken! Luckily my mom had her camera, although she forgot her charger at home. Pictures of port barton are understandably pretty scarce.
The next day my parents stayed back at the resort to relax, and Steph and I set out on an adventure to Long Beach. To get to Long Beach it is a 45 minute boat ride north to San Vicente and then a 15 minute motorcycle ride to the beach. I don't see why we couldn't just take the boat all the way to the beach - I think it is a conspiracy between the boat men and the motorcycle drivers - but in any case it was still a pretty cheap trip.
Long beach is supposedly the longest stretch of sand in the Philippines, at 14 km long. It was pretty nice, although the sand wasn't as white as some of what we've seen since. It is not developed at all, and it was cool to be the only people on that long of a stretch. Steph and I stayed for around 3 hours, just walking the beach, relaxing and reading. When we got hungry we decided to head back to Port Barton because there isn't much in San Vicente.
Port Barton has a lot more to offer, such as diving and island hopping, but my parents were on a tight schedule. They had a good time relaxing in Port Barton while Steph and I were at Long Beach, so we decided to move on to El Nido the next day.
Here's some of the pics (mostly from my mom's camera) of Port Barton and Long beach:
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Matt Potterton
non-member comment
I'm impressed
For a guy that sounds like he loses his current pair of sunglasses every 2 days you sure manage to find some good looking replacement pairs every time.