When this became common knowledge a few years ago, thousands upon thousands of both local and foreign tourists alike began flocking to the island of Palawan. Puerto Princesa City’s once-quiet Subterranean River now sees hordes and hordes of people continuously snaking through its famed underground caverns every other day. The formerly calm waters in El Nido’s Bacuit Bay are now swollen with tourist boats shuffling guests from one island to another.
While these wonders of nature are definite musts when visiting Palawan, the truly best parts of the island do not require you to fall in line or squeeze inside a boat. All you will need in these sites are a towel, some sunscreen, and maybe a pocketbook or two.
While all of the beaches in Palawan are beautiful, there is something about having a wide stretch of sand and a never ending horizon of blue all to yourself. Let the tourists fawn over El Nido. Here are some of the most beautiful——and remote!——beaches elsewhere on the island of Palawan.
BINGA BEACH (San Vicente Town)
The crowds are slowly starting to gather in the main beaches of San Vicente. Keep on going up north and you will find the most immaculate of all of the beaches around.The white sand of Binga Beach is literally untouched. There are no buildings big or small here. There is only the beach on one side, the mountain on another, and a humble resort that you can call your own.
It is located on the foothills of the tallest mountain in Northern Palawan and is cut off from the rest of the world. There are mangroves in the area where the seawater has taken over the beach. Otherwise, the place is all yours.
Binga Beach sits comfortably on the edge of the West Philippine Sea’s Imuruan Bay. Its strategic location makes for an awe-inspiring sunrise that roars up past dozens of hills and the lushest of virgin forests. Mornings here will leave you utterly speechless.
On the other side of the coin, afternoons spent on Binga Beach make for the most beautiful sunset on this side of the earth. The sun that shines so bright in the day takes its sweet time before going to rest. There is no better place to witness this grand show of nature than this area of the town of San Vicente.
Only one accommodation caters to those who would like to experience the wonders of Binga Beach. The Binga Beach Resort is 45 minutes away from the newly opened San Vicente airport. It is halfway to El Nido, and halfway to the City of Puerto Princesa.
NAGTABON BEACH (Puerto Princesa City)
In the island’s local dialect, the word nagtabon means covered. That is what this beach is.Although Puerto Princesa City is the first stop on most visitors’ Palawan journey, it is not known for its beaches.
The City of Puerto Princesa is bigger in area than the entire region of Metro Manila. In its almost 1,000 square miles worth of land, you will find mountains that zigzag their way toward the Underground River and mangrove-laden banks by the Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm. You will also find this hidden beach unknown to most tourists and only frequented by the locals.
Nagtabon Beach is on the coast opposite from Puerto Princesa City’s downtown area. It is about a 30-minute uninterrupted drive away from the city’s main street of Rizal Avenue.
Getting there is fairly easy. One just has to trace the stretch of the Puerto Princesa North Road. Once off the main highway, there will be a couple of sleepy barangay towns to pass by. Just follow the signs! The roads are all the way until a few meters from the beach itself.
Go past a few more bushes and coconut trees, and you will be greeted by the sun-burnt golden sand of the beach and the soft, persistent waves of the sea.
TALAUDYONG BEACH (Puerto Princesa City)
About half an hour’s drive away from Nagtabon Beach is another pocket of golden sand and sea that most tourists have yet to see.Do not expect paved roads on your way here. It will take more than a scooter to get you to this hidden beach.
The Talaudyong Beach is as off-the-beaten-path as it can get for those who are used to the city. While there are a couple of huts and small-time restaurants here, this beach is not one would define as a textbook tourist-friendly destination.
The boats that are docked on its sand are used for catching fish, not ferrying vacation-goers. By all means, this is a beach for the locals. Nevertheless, they will most likely be happy to share with anyone who passes by.
TAGKAWAYAN BEACH (Puerto Princesa City)
Even farther up north than the first two entries on this list is a truly remote and hidden beach within Puerto Princesa City.If not a lot of visitors step foot on the beaches of Nagtabon and Talaudyong, more so here in what locals call Tagkawayan Beach.
Tagkawayan Beach is located in Puerto Princesa City’s Barangay Simpocan. If you venture here from the city proper itself, it will take about an hour.
This beach is not what you imagine a beach in Palawan Island would be. Its sand is a little rougher and its waves are more unruly. However, if you want a beach all to yourself, this is a place to be.
Tagkawayan Beach does not stretch for miles. It only runs for less than a kilometer long.
There are no parties here and no restaurants as well. The huts that are scattered in this area have long been abandoned. The only things there are endless supplies of in Tagkawayan Beach are peace and quiet. Put up a tent on its sand, and then listen to the crickets at night. Roasted marshmallows would be a perfect snack to munch on when here.
SABANG BEACH (Puerto Princesa City)
When people make their way to the Puerto Princesa City Subterranean River, they often neglect to look around their first stop on their journey towards one of the most magnificent natural wonders of the world.The boat terminal on Sabang Beach is as busy as it gets with dozens of bangkas transporting hundreds of visitors a day. Walk a few more steps to the right of this port, though, and you will see a pristine beach with almost no one lounging on its sand or wading in its waters.
The land voyage to the Underground River is already an adventure in itself with the many twists and turns that it takes. If the roads are slippery, it will take around two hours to get there. And so, even before you are served with the main course, you are treated to this tantalizing appetizer.
There are beach resorts aplenty along the stretch of Sabang Beach, but there are no strobing lights and loud music. If you walk far enough, you can have a private spot all to yourself.
Consider taking an hour or so here, or maybe even a day. What’s great about Sabang Beach is that it is convenient for the regular Palawan traveler, yet it can feel like a whole world away.
PAMUAYAN BEACH (San Vicente Town)
The beaches of San Vicente Town’s Port Barton has been gaining popularity in the past few years. There is no wonder with the consecutive list of white sand beaches that come one after another on its coastline.Downtown Long Beach spearheads the bunch with its 14 kilometers worth of white sand. The beaches of Bokbok and Alemanguan come after it. And then there is Pamuayan Beach.
Pamuayan Beach is located a little to the south of these San Vicente beaches we mentioned. Unlike these three areas that are easy to get a hold of, Pamuayan Beach likes to play it a little more hard to get.
Thanks to the mountainous terrain that cradles Pamuayan Beach, a drive towards it will take hours even if you are coming from San Vicente Town itself. The best way to get to this part of Palawan Island is by boat.
The few minutes boat ride from this center of San Vicente Town to this side of the mountains is definitely worth it when you arrive. Aside from the glorious beach that can be all yours if you’re lucky, there is also a nearby waterfall that is an easy trek from this site.
Hit all of these breathtaking beaches on your trip to Palawan, and then call Binga Beach Resort home.
(photos from: bingabeach.com )
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