Port Barton Sights and Things to Do

Being a quaint, little beach town that exudes rural and natural character means that the main thing to do and see in Port Barton is the picturesque seascape surrounding you and the nearby bevy of mostly uninhabited islands. This destination is every beach bum’s dream holiday. Aside from lazing around and sipping from coconut husks, there are still exciting things to do for those seeking adventure and activity.

Island-hopping

Organizing a private boat or joining an already planned island-hopping tour is easy enough to arrange by simply asking around at your accommodation or with a local fisherman. There is also a Boatman’s Association located on the Port Barton Beach which you can communicate with directly. Generally the fee is around PHP800 per passenger for a full day trip of island stops and snorkelling including a scrumptious lunch of grilled seafood, rice and fresh vegetables.

Diving

Aside from snorkelling off the island in Port Baron, diving is also a wonderful attraction in this coastal fishing town. There are two dive schools, namely Aquaholics and Easy Dive.

“Aquaholics’ has a native style hut in the middle of the beach and is easy to locate. The company offers three different boat dives; scuba diving, water diving and an advanced adventurer dive and varies in duration from 1 day to 4 days. Prices start from PHP3500 per person including lunch and all diving equipment.

The second dive school, ‘Easy Dive’ is located at the southern end of the beach offering similar prices and dive experiences. Both dive schools organise fun dives as well as diving courses off of Port Barton with excellent coral and marine life and even a few worthwhile wreck dives close by.

Trekking

Port Baron has two waterfalls in its vicinity and both are easy enough to get to and well worth visiting. Bigaho Waterfall is a twenty minute boat ride from Port Barton followed by a one kilometre trek from Bigaho Village. This walk is easy enough for those wanting something relatively relaxing and is perfect for families with young children.

The trail to the second waterfall, Papuwyan Waterfall, is somewhat tricky to locate but can be found with the help of a local guide. It is an easy hour and a half walk from Port Barton itself and is perfect for an indulgent swim post-hike.

Riverboat tours

A mangrove riverboat tour is also a scenic and tranquil experience that nature enthusiasts will thoroughly enjoy. Ideal for solo travellers and couples as the boats are generally rather small. The calm and beautiful boat trip gliding through the mangrove area is a wonderful way of seeing the local houses on stilts, monkeys, snakes, monitor lizards and insects in their natural habitat. A boat trip for two costs around PHP600 and takes around 2 hours.

Beach camping

For the adventurous who are prepared to forgo a night in a resort, beach camping is also a fun activity to make your Port Barton trip all the more memorable. This two-day, one-night island hopping tour can easily be arranged in much the same fashion as the regular island-hopping day trips. Think of the stars above your head and your toes in the cool sand under the moonlight while a campfire blazes around you. Prices are around PHP1800 per person and included in the cost of your trip is a tent and food.

Additionally for those who don’t mind lugging around a tent during their travels, you are welcome to pitch your tent on the Port Barton beach for a nominal fee. Otherwise a great alternative would be to ask around at the seafront hotels if anyone can rent you a tent for a night. This will only set you back a mere PHP300 and will mean that you don’t need to cart a tent with you throughout your trip.