If you’ve fallen head over heels for this corner of the Philippines after reading all the things to do in Port Barton, Palawan, you’re surely wondering what the best way is to get there. Here we’re going to tell you how to get to Port Barton from other parts of the Philippines such as El Nido, Puerto Princesa, or San Vicente, as well as from farther afield.
Where is Port Barton
Port Barton is located 146 kilometers from Puerto Princesa, the capital of Palawan. It rests peacefully on a bay that belongs to the municipality of San Vicente, in the northwest of the island. Although a few years ago only a dirt track linked both destinations, the route is now completely paved.
Port Barton has a small bus and van terminal in what could be considered the center of town. The most common airports for reaching Port Barton are Puerto Princesa (which receives more flights and cheaper ones) and El Nido (served only by the airline Air Swift from Coron, Cebu, Boracay, and Bohol). The closest is San Vicente, which receives Cebu Pacific flights from Cebu, but since public transportation is very limited it’s usually not the option most people choose.
In short, if you’re in El Nido, the most convenient thing is to take a minivan. If you’re in other parts of the Philippines and want to go to Port Barton, the most sensible option almost always is to fly to Puerto Princesa and, from there, take a van to Port Barton. But don’t worry, we’re going to explain everything here.
How to get to Port Barton – Updated guide
The two most common starting points for going to Port Barton are El Nido and Puerto Princesa.
Since airfares are more economical, most travelers start their trip through Palawan at Puerto Princesa Airport (IATA code: PPS) and from there choose the van (minivans) to reach Port Barton. If you’ve started your trip in El Nido, you can also get to Port Barton quickly and easily by minivan. However, there are other possibilities we’re going to talk about below.
When you arrive in Port Barton, they will drop you at the terminal, which is in what we could consider the town “center.” Since distances here aren’t big, it’s normal that you can walk to your accommodation in a few minutes. If you’re very tired and don’t want to carry your luggage, you can also negotiate a tricycle, which usually wait right in front. Given the distances within town, they shouldn’t charge you more than 50 pesos for the ride.
How to get from Puerto Princesa to Port Barton
If you’re planning how to get to Port Barton from other places in the Philippines such as Manila or Cebu (or anywhere else: Siargao, Malapascua, Bohol, Siquijor, etc., where the most convenient thing is to go to Cebu first), keep in mind that the best way to make the transfer is by taking a flight to Puerto Princesa. All the airlines operating in the Philippines usually run this route, which won’t take you more than two hours, and you can find tickets from about €20 if you book in advance.
Book flights to Puerto Princesa
To go from Puerto Princesa to Port Barton you have two options:
From Puerto Princesa to Port Barton by VAN (minivan)
Shared minivans or vans are the most common way to reach Port Barton from Puerto Princesa for both foreigners and Filipinos themselves. As soon as you leave the airport you’ll be “accosted” by people who will tell you about them. The ride takes about 3 hours – sometimes a little less because they tend to drive very fast – and includes a stop to go to the comfort room (bathroom).
The companies that run this route are RECARO, Lexxus Shuttle, Palajuanders, and SBE. The service is quite similar, so we would choose the one that suits your schedule best. They operate departures from 7:00 to 17:00 and charge between 500 and 600 from the airport. Book your seat on the minivans from Puerto Princesa to Port Barton.
If you want to save a bit, you can go to Puerto Princesa’s bus terminal, the San Jose Terminal. The vans from Puerto Princesa to Port Barton charge 400 pesos per person. Recaro’s depart from this terminal as of today at 6:00, 9:00, 11:00, 13:00, 15:00, and 17:00.
To get to the terminal from the airport you can take a tricycle or a multicab (the small jeepneys). The price is 12 pesos per person, but if you want a private tricycle it’s normal for them to charge about 100 pesos for this 10–15 minute ride.
If you’re traveling as a group, you might be interested in renting a whole minivan so you’ll be more comfortable, since the shared ones pack passengers in to the limit. Prices for a van for 9 people are around 4,500–5,000 pesos. Book it here.
Attention: if you arrive at Puerto Princesa airport later than 17:00, don’t worry, you’ll also find transport there. It will be more expensive and you’ll have to negotiate, looking for other travelers so it’s a bit more economical, but you already have reference prices above. Even arriving at 23:00 it will be possible to reach Port Barton. Another idea, if you’re afraid of being left without transport, is to contact your hotel in Port Barton and have them arrange pickup at the airport for you.
From Puerto Princesa to Port Barton by local BUS
There is a local bus and a jeepney from the company SBE (San Isidro Bus Express) that make the trip from Puerto Princesa to Port Barton twice a day. They leave from Puerto Princesa’s new terminal (since early 2023) located in Irawan at 8:45 and 14:30, although we recommend being at least 30 minutes earlier, as they sometimes depart ahead of time. The trip takes about 4 hours and costs 350 pesos per person. You can book here.
From Puerto Princesa you have multicabs to the Irawan terminal for 30 pesos per person, or you can hire a tricycle for 150 pesos. Keep in mind it’s approximately 12 kilometers from the center/airport.
In the opposite direction, from Port Barton to Puerto, they leave at 8:00 and 13:30.
How to get from San Vicente to Port Barton
The newly inaugurated San Vicente airport is the closest airport to Port Barton. At the moment the only airline operating flights to San Vicente is Cebu Pacific Air, and it does so from Cebu.
Once at the airport, you’ll have to arrange a transfer to Port Barton, which can be by boat, tuk tuk, or jeepney. The trip will take 1 hour. There used to be a kind of scheduled service, but since there aren’t that many people who choose to move this way, it’s now handled privately, which usually runs about 500 pesos per person. If you need a contact for this, you can leave us a comment and we’ll send it to you without a problem.
Since it isn’t a very common way to move between these 2 places, the Puerto Princesa option, although it may seem farther, is the one that works out best. In addition, you’ll find more flights to Puerto Princesa than to San Vicente. We only recommend this if you’re going to stay longer in the area and for that you can read our guide Qué hacer en San Vicente or if you see a flight from Cebu that’s very cheap and fits the time well.
If you’re in San Vicente because you’ve chosen to stay there for a while (well done!), the best thing is to ask at the hotels to see how you could do it. It usually works out best to take private transport.
How to get from El Nido to Port Barton
Most travelers who visit Port Barton go to El Nido either before or after, as these are the two best-known corners of Palawan island. That’s why we want to tell you about the best ways to get to Port Barton from El Nido.
Go from El Nido to Port Barton by VAN
The most convenient way to get to Port Barton from El Nido is by minivan. Several vans make this journey several times a day from the terminal in El Nido, in Corong Corong. You can reach it on foot from your hotel (depending on where it is) or by taking a tricycle, which shouldn’t cost you more than 50 pesos in total.
Departures from El Nido to Port Barton are usually at 8:00 and 13:00. The journey takes about 3.5–4 hours and costs 600–700 pesos per person depending on the route and the company.
Book your seat from El Nido to Port Barton here
If you need to leave later than 13:00 or there are several of you and you want to travel more comfortably, you can also arrange private transport. In this case, keep in mind that prices are around 6,000 pesos per trip. You can go to the terminal and negotiate or do it directly through this link.
From El Nido to Port Barton by local transport
If you want to reach Port Barton from El Nido cheaply, you can do it by combining local transport. This trip will take you about 5 or 6 hours, depending on the connection, and we’ll warn you that it will be tiring.
First, take one of the buses that leave from El Nido terminal toward Puerto Princesa and tell them you’re going to get off in Roxas, a small town located 37 kilometers from Port Barton. The ride will take 1.5–2 hours and the ticket costs about 200 pesos (depending on the type of bus). Keep in mind that you’ll need to leave early (preferably before 9:30) to be able to connect with the next transport.
The next step is to take the daily bus from Roxas to Port Barton. This normally leaves at 12:00, but it doesn’t hurt to ask in El Nido to make sure and not end up stranded in Roxas. The journey takes about 3.5 hours and the ticket costs 100 pesos.
Another alternative is to take the bus that goes to El Nido as far as the intersection with the road to Port Barton and there negotiate a tricycle. It will be rare for them to charge you less than 500–600 pesos.
How to get to Port Barton from other parts of the Philippines
If you want to go to Port Barton from other places in the Philippines, you’ll almost always have to go via Puerto Princesa, but we wanted to make a brief summary of the usual routes:
- How to get to Port Barton from Coron: in this case, first you have to take a ferry from Coron to El Nido (4–5 hours) and then a minivan from El Nido to Port Barton. You’ll need the schedules to line up.
- How to go from Bohol to Port Barton: the most convenient and economical option will be to take a ferry from Bohol to Cebu, a taxi to the airport, a flight from Cebu to Puerto Princesa, and a minivan from Puerto Princesa to Port Barton. You could also look for flights from Bohol to Puerto Princesa with a layover.
- How to go from Siquijor to Port Barton: in this case you can choose between taking a ferry from Siquijor to Cebu + a flight to Puerto Princesa + a minivan to Port Barton, or a ferry from Siquijor to Dumaguete + a Dumaguete–Puerto Princesa flight (with a layover) + a minivan to Port Barton. Compare to see what works best for you.
- How to get to Port Barton from Malapascua: you’ll have to return to Cebu City (bangka to Maya + bus or van to Cebu) and then take a flight to Puerto Princesa and a minivan to Port Barton. Be careful not to get caught out by the flight time.
- How to get to Port Barton from Siargao: you’ll have to look for a Siargao–Puerto Princesa flight, which will have a layover in Cebu or Manila (the layover in Cebu usually works out better), and then a minivan to Port Barton.
- How to get to Port Barton from Camiguin: as in the previous case, look for Camiguin–Puerto Princesa flights with a layover in Cebu and then a minivan to Port Barton.
- How to go from Boracay to Port Barton: you’ll have to take a flight with a layover to Puerto Princesa.
If you have to pass through Cebu, remember that you can also search for flights to San Vicente airport. There aren’t many, but it’s another alternative.
If you want to know about another route, you can leave us a comment and we’ll tell you the best way.
Port Barton Guide
You’ll find much more information in our Port Barton Guide: things to do, where to stay, and other useful information.
If you have any questions about this journey, don’t worry — we’ll answer everything in the comments!
