A Long Walk at the Long Beach San Vicente Palawan

“How long does it take to walk from end to end of the Long Beach?” I asked the staff of Ursula Long Beach Traveller’s Inn about the amount of walk if I explore the Long Beach by foot. I was told that it’d take a day to walk from end to end back and forth. I asked if any of them had tried it, none of them actually did.

Long Beach is the one of the most renowned sites in San Vicente, Palawan. The Long Beach stretches to 14 kilometers that has creamy white and powdery sand. The staff of the resort told me that some of their guests attempted to get from end to end but none of them had become successful. Some simply got tired after walking for a few hours while some just gave up till they reached the middle part of the lengthy shoreline.

My first agenda when I reached San Vicente was to see the longest beach in the country. I was lucky that I stayed at Ursula Long Beach Traveller’s Inn because I was able to have a nice view of the entire shore. The resort is situated at the southern end part of the beach offering me a great view of how wide-ranging the beach is. It was totally extensive, I must say. And seeing how lengthy it is, I doubt if I could get to the other end of the beach before sunset when I arrived at the resort.

So Aivan, the son of the resort’s owner gladly accompanied me to go to the central part of the Long Beach by motorbike. From the resort, we were able to get to that part of the beach in approximately 10 minutes.

A Glimpse of Nayarani Villas

Another plan of mine that day was also to check Nayarani Villas. It was a great chance that I had able to contact the person overseeing the resort that she allowed us to check out the property.

This is a private and exclusive resort nearby the Long Beach however by how it looks, it is seems more like of a rest house. The resort is only open when there are guests who will be renting out the entire property. The caretaker told me that famous celebrities and personalities had already stayed in the resort. I wish I could also stay here when I visit Long Beach again, in the future.

Before visiting San Vicente Palawan, I already planned that I would be exploring the stretch of the famous beach by foot. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen on the first day of my visit because my time was constricted that I was only left with few hours to see the beach. Hence I came up with the idea of going back to San Vicente after spending some days in Port Barton. I went back to San Vicente to finally accomplish what was really my goal, to walk along the lengthy stretch of the Long Beach.

Pinagmangolakan Beach

I stayed at Ursula Long Beach Traveller’s Inn again. Because I didn’t able to get around the beach area near the resort on the first time that I stay there, I didn’t let the chance to pass by anymore without experiencing that part. I walked through the shore and explored the beach area. Locals say that that part of Long Beach is locally known as Pinagmangolakan Beach.

I ended up walking when I reached the river separating that portion from the rest of the Long Beach. It was a short walk from the resort. The river wasn’t that deep but I was alarmed to cross because the waves coming from the sea was strong. So after taking some pictures, I then went back to the resort and just spent the rest of the morning lazing around.

Too Long for a Leisure Walk

When I learned that I have friends who were also in San Vicente, I met up with them and asked them if they would want to go to the farthest end part of the beach. With no idea what to expect, they agreed to go and altogether, we explored that section.

After taking our lunch in one of the eateries at the market, we hailed two motorbikes to take us to our desired destination. At first, we were asked to pay for PHP 180 per way per motorbike, which can accommodate up to 2 persons but we thought that the price was costly. So we haggled and haggled and haggled until everyone agreed in paying PHP 130 per motorbike.

The motorbike ride going to the long beach was a different experience. The motorbike crossing through the sands felt like an adventure already. We were all thrilled that we enjoyed the entire ride. And yes, getting to the farthest end section of the beach was a long ride. From the town of Poblacion, it took us about more or less half an hour to get there. We paid each of our drivers PHP 150 instead.

The northern end part of the beach is absolutely a different kind of sight. The group wasn’t expecting to see such wonder that we remained there for almost half an hour taking photographs. There are rock formations and small caves. The water on that part is also calm. This section of Long Beach is dreamily peaceful, deserted and unspoiled.

Long Beach is truly a promising beach destination. It is pristine. The place is uncrowded. There are only few other tourists around or sometimes none. Most of the time, you’ll only see local kids, families and fishermen.

Sunset came but we still found ourselves walking through the vast shoreline. It seemed like an endless path. When nightfall came, we went off the beach and continued walking along the main road. It was already past 7:00 PM when we were able to reach the town of New Agutaya. Imagine, we walked for more than 3 hours but we only finished two-thirds of the 14 kilometer stretch.

Our attempt of exploring the Long Beach by foot starting from the northern most section was not an easy endeavor. It was really tiring and laborious but the experience, the beach and the view of sunset turned our effort into a rewarding and fulfilling one.