Early next morning we took a minivan to Port Barton, we booked it through the guesthouse for 500PHP (you can get it for 350PHP in the bus station) and after about 4 hours we reached Port Barton "bus terminal" and were directed to the tourist information desk to sign in and to pay the "environmental fee" (50PHP per person). We began the usual search for a place to stay, and luckily fell in love with the first one we saw, JBR Inn not on the beachfront but close enough and run by a nice family. They have spacious clean rooms for 600 PHP per night and the best part is that you can cook in their open-air kitchen. I cannot explain how having a kitchen to cook for ourselves made this trip so much more enjoyable for us, we had so much fun cooking together and as a vegan especially it made my life easier.
We absolutely loved Port Barton, though it is a tourist destination and it has plenty of restaurants and accommodation options it still manages to maintain a homey, small town vibe. Besides the many beautiful off-shore islands, secluded beaches, snorkeling sites and lovely waterfalls, even the main stretch of beach in Port Barton itself is nice, especially at sunset.
One of the most popular activities in Palawan and probably on any island is an island hopping boat tour, which can be booked through any guesthouse or travel agency (or directly by approaching the "boat men" on the beach)and usually offers the same deal: a 9:00-16:00 bangka boat tour stopping at 2-4 islands/beaches and snorkeling sites, and the price includes snorkelling gear and a lunch (fresh fish, rice vegetables, and fruits). In Port Barton we did "tour A" (700PHP per person) and we were lucky to be alone on the boat (you are often joined to other tourist or groups) with our lovely captain and guide Sam. We had an amazing snorkeling experience in Twin Reef and Wide Reef and then we relaxed in the beautiful Exotic island while Sam prepared a delicious lunch for us. Our last stop was German Island which was rather crowded with other groups doing the same tour and would have been a disappointment if it wasn't for Sam who took us snorkeling nearby and spotted a giant sea turtle for us!
The next day we rented a kayak (500PHP per day at Barton Bistro) and rowed to White Beach and Pamuayan Beach nearby and to Capsalay Island. Although it was physically strenuous at times it was worth it because it was nice to explore the area on our own and spend as much time as we wanted at each place. We were pretty much alone the whole day and didn't see other tourists and it was great to relax enjoy the nature peacefully.
Also worth a visit are Pamuayan waterfalls (detailed directions below), reached by a pleasant 40 minute walk from the beach. It is a nice place to have a picnic or spend a few hours swimming and relaxing. After 5 amazing days in Port Barton we hopped on the morning jeepney to Roxas bus station where we caught a bus (250PHP, 4 hours Cherry bus company ) to El-Nido.
Upon arriving to El-Nido we set out on a 2-hour walk through the town in search of a decent affordable guesthouse that wasn't fully booked, which as it turns out was not easy. We finally found the small family-run David guesthouse (700PHP per night with attached bathroom, free coffee), located across from Bacuit Lodge. When you first arrive in El Nido you will probably be disappointed because all you see is just a small busy tourist town overly crowded with travel agencies and noisy tricycles, and a thin strip of beach packed with boats and restaurants. What makes it unique and the reason it is so over crowded with local and foreign tourists is the amazing Bacuit Archipelago just off shore and several beautiful neighbouring beaches. Before we came we heard some mixed reviews about El Nido, some saying it is simply paradise while others were majorly put off by the overflowing of tourists. We thought it is worth a visit anyway.
We decided to try one island hopping tour even though we were warned that it can be very "touristy" and crowded. Again we chose the recommended "tour A", (1100 per person including 200PHP environmental fee) and set sail with 8 other tourists and 3 crew members. Our first destination was Secret Lagoon which was strikingly beautiful BUT there were so many people there and we had to wait in line to enter\exit the lagoon, which pretty much ruined the experience in our opinion. Small Lagoon and 7 commandos Beach were also beautiful but equally crowded. On the upside, lunch was delicious.
All in all, you can say we were rather disappointed. It was a nice tour but there are just too many people doing the same tour as you which makes it a bit hard to enjoy these truly amazing places. Maybe during low season it is better. Maybe we were spoiled because we had such a good experience in Port Barton where some places you are all alone and can really enjoy and appreciate the nature. Bottom line- these small islands and rocky lagoons ARE stunning and definitely worth seeing, but just be prepared for the crowds and try not to let it spoil your experience.
the next day we walked to the neighbouring Corong Corong beach (consider staying there, it seemed much nicer and quieter than staying inside El-Nido) and had breakfast at the nice Happiness restaurant on the beach. We continued walking on the shoreline to Los Cabanos beach, it took us around 40 minutes to walk and you have to pass a rocky part but it is doable in low tide (otherwise you can just walk on the road or take motorbike or tricycle from El-Nido). Los Cabanos is a beautiful white sand beach and during the low tide the beach connects to a small neighbouring island that you can walk to. After a few hours in the sun we went to watch the sunset from the Republica Sunset Bar that aside from great views offers cold beers, cocktails and a tapas menu.
Another beautiful beach is Nacpan beach 1 hour north of El-Nido (return tricycal costs 1000 PHP). We were amazed at how long and and wide the coastline is, with a beautiful tree backline and clear turquoise water. It is not too crowded and because it is so big you don't notice the other people on the beach. We had lunch at Prince Restaurant that offers happy hour 1-7 Pm with cheap alcohol (30 PHP for San Miguel beer) and delicious food (also very reasonably priced). We stayed until sunset and had a wonderful time, definitely a must visit if you are in El-nido!
After a five-day stay in El nido we decided that we want to try and find a place that is less "touristy" and maybe explore the east coast of Palawan but we were unable to get any information on towns/islands in the area and how to get there. We decided to try Taytay, a town on the east coast and try to continue south from there.
From El-Nido Bus station we took a Cherry company bus to Taytay (100PHP per person) Bus station and then a tricycle (60 PHP for 3 people 8 Min) to Casa rosa (600 PHP per night with bathroom), a nice guesthouse (not that there is much choice in town) on top of a hill with a good restaurant and lovely views. The town was very quiet and there are virtually no tourists around. Taytay's claim to fame is an old fort, Fuerza de santa Isabel and a funny looking "Hollywood" style Taytay sign on the hill overlooking the town . The island hopping tours are expensive (starting from 3000PHP for 2 people) but we decided to go for it and booked with Casa Rosa because we were promised we will be absolutely alone, and it turned out to be a success. We visited Elephant island that has a beautiful blue lagoon and Dinamayan Island, a small private island owned by Casa Rosa and inhabited only by the island caretaker and his wife, lovely people who cooked a delicious lunch for us. We spent a few hours relaxing on this beautiful beach and headed back to Taytay in the afternoon.
We had a few days left until our flight back to Manila and we decided to return to Port Barton where we had such a great time before. We took a Cherry bus to Roxas (100PHP) and a jeepney (125PHP after some negotiation, locals pay 70) to Port Barton and returned to our favorite JBR Inn, excited for some more home-cooking. We spent one day walking to White Beach (1 hour walk) which was still beautiful like we remembered from the last time we visited it with a kayak. The next day we went on one last island hopping tour (Tour B 700PHP per person) and had a wonderful day with our guide Sam, visiting Aquarium Reef, Shallow Reef, Paradise Island and Double Island. Taking a break from cooking one night we found the cheapest place to eat in PB- Gacayan restaurant that offers a meal of rice, veg/ meat curry, a soft drink and a banana for 50 PHP!!!!
From Port Barton we took a Jeepney (250PHP per person) to Puerto Princesa bus station and headed to EZ Stay Pension (tricycle 80 PHP) where we scored an air-con room for the unbeatable price of 600PHP but the real bonus was the extremely nice manger that runs the place. In Puerto we had a very good vegetarian dinner at Namaskar Restaurant that offers good imitation-meat dishes for cheap prices, and later we watched the Avengers 2: Age of Ultron at the Robinson mall cinema. The next morning we said goodbye to Palawan Island and boarded our flight back to Manila.
No comments:
Post a Comment