Port Barton | Island Hopping Tour and the Trek to Pamuayan Waterfalls

Port Barton is becoming a well-liked destination to tourist nowadays because of its remoteness and simplicity. It is still mostly intact and pleasantly natural, which exactly makes it an attractive destination.

But apart from its charismatic vibe and environment, Port Barton cannot be discounted when it comes to attractions and island activities. This becoming popular destination in the northwest coast of Palawan also revealed to have several beautiful islands and inland tourist spots that are worth visiting.

Island Hopping in Port Barton

It was on the second day of my stay in Port Barton when I participated in an island hopping activity that was arranged by Ausan Beach Front Cottages.

There are four kinds of island hopping tours in Port Barton, namely; Tour A, B, C and D. Though the island hopping tours are categorized into four, there is no essential dissimilarity in the whatnot of each tour because each one is pretty similar. They all have common islands and snorkeling spots to visit. But then you’ll only see that there are only one or two activities or spots for each that the rest doesn’t have.

I selected Tour A, which is the most popular among them all. The tour will get to different islands and snorkeling spots within Port Barton’s Marine Park. The tour package costs more or less PHP 800 per person including lunch and all other fees. The tour starts at 9:00 AM and ends at 4:00 PM.

We left our resort on time and started sailing the sea going to the spots and islands that we were intended to visit. We had four places to go, which had left us time to explore each one without rushing. That day was sunny. The sea was calm. It was absolutely a perfect day for a sea and island adventures.

Twin Reef

After sailing for about 20 minutes, we reached our first stop, the Twin Reef. This is one is one of the most popular snorkeling sites in Port Barton.

It has a magnificent reef teeming with beautiful corals and schools of fish. The water on this snorkeling spot is shallow that one let not to go into intense diving to see the amazing underwater sceneries and corals underneath closely.

Our group almost spent an hour snorkeling. I enjoyed snorkeling in the area because of the calmness of the sea and the overwhelming view undersea. It was just our first stop of our island hopping activity but Port Barton had already given me one of the most spectacular experiences that I have seeing the underwater. The view underwater was really impressive.

Exotic Island

It was around 11:00 AM when we reached our second destination, the Exotic Island. This island is a good place for a swim. It is also a great place for having lunch on the beach.

We spent almost 2 hours in the island. We were given free time to roam around and take a swim. The sand is creamy white and granular. The water is clear. The sea was inviting but I didn’t take a swim, perhaps because of the several huge jellyfish floating in the seashore.

I decided to spend my free time in the island taking pictures. Having a splendid view of the sea was enough for me to enjoy the Exotic Island.

Wide Reef

Our third stop was the Wide Reef. Compared to the first snorkeling spot that we’ve visited, the water in Wide Reef is quite deep. This snorkeling spot covers a wide area that has a rich marine life. There also corals and schools of fish that you’ll definitely appreciate. One of our boatmen had even able to see a sea turtle. Too bad I wasn’t able to spot it, but the boatman did and was able to take a shot of it when he borrowed my camera.

German Island

German Island was the last stop of our island hopping activity. The island is just small. The island can actually be explored in 15 minutes. Its sand is creamy white and powdery. The island is surrounded by clear blue water.

When we arrived at the island, the place was already filled with a lot of tourists. Though it was already crowded it is still looks really nice. There are hammocks available if you wish to relax and have a nap. There are also native chairs and tables great for picnic.

I was told that the underwater neighbouring German Island also has a great marine life. Some in our group had already been to this island previously and they told me that they were able to see sea turtles. Hearing about it, I became keen and had wished to see one as well. So without waiting any further, I put on my snorkel and swam to the sea to check out the underwater life in German Island.

The marine life is also amusing. The corals are plenty. There are also schools of fish. I was searching for sea turtles but it looked like the luck was on me then. I wasn’t able to see one, and I almost got drowned when waves suddenly crashed into my snorkel tube. Good thing that I was able to ask for help and a foreign guy helped me to get back to the shore. What I’ve learned from that incident? Always wear a life jacket when the sea current is strong.

It was nearing 4:00 PM when our group decided to go back to Port Barton. Our boatman told us that we can still go to other snorkeling spots if we would want to because it was still pretty early. Looking at the faces of my tour mates, it seemed like that they were not interested anymore. I actually would love to explore more of the snorkeling spots in Port Barton but, of course majority still wins. The group had just proceeded to the original plan, which was finishing the tour at 4:00 PM. So after visiting German Island, we concluded the tour and went back to Port Barton.

Visiting Pamuayan Waterfalls

My third day in Port Barton was rather a mix of relaxed and intense activities. In the morning, I spent the entire time in the resort and by the beach, munching snacks, relaxing and watching people passed by from where I was resting.

Conversely in the afternoon, I went on trekking to see the Pamuayan Waterfalls.

Pamuayan Waterfalls is a 4-kilometer walk from the town of Port Barton. Normally, it’ll take an hour and a half from the village to reach the falls. It was right after having my lunch when I asked the staff of Ausan Beach Front Cottages about my intention of visiting the Pamuayan Falls. The staff handed me a paper stating the step-by-step direction to get to the waterfalls. They explained it to me but didn’t able to grasp everything they’ve told me, so I’ve just relayed everything stated from the paper and started walking to get to the waterfalls.

From the resort, I walked through the beachside towards to the northern end of the beach. From there, there is a small path leading to a waterfall. Take the path going to the cemetery. You’ll also see sign stating to keep going. When you reach the junction, take the right path. After 15 minutes taking this trail, you will reach another junction but going to the Pamuayan Village and Pamuayan Waterfalls. Just follow the signs until you reach the waterfalls.

Getting to the waterfalls is quite laborious. There are paths that are poorly marked and confusing like the ones at the area where there are already streams and boulders. But I find the trek enjoyable because it goes through the jungle, crossing the streams and passing by some rice fields. But more importantly, I was joined by two other tourists that I met during the hike to the waterfalls, Jasper and Elisa from The Netherlands.

The falls is nice but what makes it worthy for a visit was the cool water coming from the falls. There’s also an edge somewhere there, wherein you can go cliff jumping. We took a dip and it was a refreshing feeling after containing ourselves for more than an hour of trekking.

Sunset in Port Barton

Port Barton also has a nice beach area that is swimmable. I actually like the beach in Port Barton because it was calm. The water is also clean and clear.

But what really makes the beach in Port Barton even more an enjoyable destination in Palawan is because of the dramatic sunset. Port Barton cannot be ignored when it comes to an amazing view of the sundown. The sunset in Port Barton is just magnificent. It was so soothing to see. It was just a pleasant experience to see such wonderfulness before one end’s his or her day at the beach.

Disclosure: Please note that some of the links in this post are affiliate links, and at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you decide to make a purchase after clicking through the link. For more information, see my disclosures here.