Port Barton: turtles, reefs and a slower pace
A sleepy fishing village on the west coast where the days are shaped by island hopping, sea turtles, and evenings on a beach without a single high-rise.
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- Area
- Port Barton & San Vicente
- Start from
- Port Barton village
- Distance
- island stops 15–45 minutes by boat
- Time needed
- 2–3 days
- Best season
- November – May
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Transport
- Bangka from the village beach
- Tickets & rules
- Environmental fee collected in the village
Why go
Port Barton is what many people imagine El Nido used to be. A single sandy main street runs along the bay, lined with small guesthouses, cafés and dive shops, and there are no cars on the beach road at all. Evenings are lit by candles and fairy lights, and the loudest thing in the village is usually a karaoke machine somewhere in the distance.
The island-hopping trips here are gentler and less crowded than in El Nido. Standard tours stop at Turtle Spot, where green sea turtles graze on sea grass in shallow water; Twin Reef, a lovely snorkelling site; German Island, a small island with a white-sand beach; and Exotic Island and Starfish Island, which live up to their names.
I stayed for four days and did very little: swam in the morning, read on a hammock, walked to the waterfall behind the village, and drank coconuts in the shade. It was the most relaxed part of my Palawan trip, and when I left I felt as if I had slept deeply for the first time in weeks.
The story
Port Barton is part of the municipality of San Vicente, and for a long time it was isolated, reachable only by boat or by a rough road. That isolation helped preserve its small-scale character. For years electricity came from generators that ran only in the evening, and visitors from that time remember the village going dark around midnight.
The village was built around fishing, and you still see fishermen bringing in catches in the morning. Tourism arrived slowly, mostly through backpackers coming from El Nido or Puerto Princesa. The community has tried to keep development modest, with low-rise buildings and an emphasis on locally owned guesthouses.
The turtles of Turtle Spot are wild animals that feed in the shallow grassy beds. Guides ask visitors to stay at a distance and not to chase or touch them. In a world where so many wildlife encounters are staged, it is a quiet joy to see them just going about their lives.
Getting there
Port Barton is about three to four hours by van from Puerto Princesa, and a similar distance from El Nido. Vans often drop you at the main road junction, from where you take a local vehicle down the final stretch. Boats also run in the dry season between Port Barton and El Nido, which can be a scenic alternative.
There are few ATMs; bring enough cash.
A suggested plan
- 9:00Join an island-hopping tour from the village beach.
- 10:00Snorkel with turtles at Turtle Spot.
- 11:00Twin Reef for coral and fish.
- 12:30Lunch on German Island.
- 14:00Starfish Island and Exotic Island, then back to the village.
Where to stay
Stay in the village for easy access to the beach and boats, or in one of the quieter beach cottages north or south of the village if you want more seclusion.
Good to know
- Bring enough cash; the ATM situation is unreliable.
- Walk to Bigaho Falls behind the village on a free morning.
- Book island tours a day ahead in high season.
- Respect the turtles; keep at least a few metres away and never touch them.
- Internet is slow; don’t plan on getting much work done.