San Vicente on Palawan - how to get there, what to see, where to stay

General information about San Vicente - recreation, infrastructure, beaches

San Vicente or San Vicente (San Vicente) is a small resort town on the western shore of northern Palawan, 170 kilometers from Puerto Princesses and 130 from El Nido (San Vicente on the map).

San Vicente is still an underdeveloped and little popular tourist destination, but with great potential. It is known for its long beaches, which are simply called Long Beach, because their length is more than 14 kilometers. For the development of the resort, they even built an airport here and launched regular flights to it in 2017, and now (in 2024) roads are being built here, in particular, San Vicente is connected by a full-fledged concrete road to another popular resort, Port Barton.

Sunset at the pier in San Vicente

Beach in San Vicente

But, unfortunately, apart from the magnificent prospects and long beaches today, Saint Vicente has nothing to offer tourists and travelers. The tourist infrastructure here is poorly developed, there are no attractions and entertainment. This place will be interesting only for the most passionate lovers of discovering previously unexplored places, or if you just come to relax in the silence and rustic tranquility. After all, despite the fact that San Vicente is considered a city, in fact it is just a village with an appropriate setting. Foreign visitors are still a rarity here, so you may well be the only foreign tourist in the entire resort.

The infrastructure in San Vicente is poorly developed even by the standards of Palawan. Yes, there is an airport and even a kind of bus station, and instead of the old smoking tricycles, modern electric golf carts run through the streets. But at the same time there is not a single modern supermarket with a refrigerator, ready-made food and payment by credit card according to the type of network 7/11. Of course, you will not stay here without food and food, everything is sold in small shops. You can eat in the food court after the pier, order food at the accommodation or eat from street stalls. But such an infrastructure does not pull for the title of a full-fledged resort yet. Selling excursions, currency exchange, tourist minivans, travel agencies, motorcycle rental – all this is also not about today's San Vicente, there is nothing like that here.

And this is actually the center of San Vicente

And a local children's amusement park

Alumni Festival in the city

Beaches in San Vicente

What Saint Vicente can definitely please is the magnificent beaches that stretch for many kilometers and are completely deserted. Several beaches are located within walking distance from the center, but the best and "wild" ones are at a distance, and you need to go to them by transport. Jeepneys do not go here, and therefore you will have to go to distant beaches on electric tricycles-taxis, which, by the way, are more expensive than at other resorts in Palawan. And since the places here are quiet and wild, having left for a distant beach, you will also have to take care that this tricycle comes to pick you up. Therefore, it is best to come to San Vicente by rented car or motorbike, and move freely along the beaches as you want.

And now we will tell you in more detail about several beaches in San Vicente, which we visited:

• Long Beach for Alimanguan / Alimanguan

  This beach is just not named, on the maps you can see it as Boong Beach, On-Going Beach, Nagtulay Beach, Monakhov Beach and Erawan Beach, but in fact all this is one continuous sandy beach 4 kilometers long. It is located 20 kilometers from the center of San Vicente behind the Alimanguan district. The last kilometers to it is a primer along the coast to the village of Irawan (Long beach in Alimanguan on the map). You can drive to the end of the road to the village and go to the beach there, but it is more interesting to leave or go ashore along one of the paths laid between private areas along the shore. Then you will be the only people on the shore. We liked this beach because there are a lot of coconuts that can be collected from the ground, opened and drunk, if, of course, you know how to do it. By the way, we removed video on how to open a coconut with your bare hands.

  Long Beach for Alimanguang

• Tagpis Beach / Tagpis Beach

  Tagpis beach is almost no different from the previous one, except that it is located closer to the center of San Vicente, just 11 kilometers away (Tagpis on the map). It is also long, deserted and magnificent.

  Tagpis Beach

• Long Beach / Long Beach

  This is the closest of the "Long Beach" to the center of the resort, it starts almost in the city and stretches continuously and endlessly for 8 kilometers (Long beach on the map). And it is also deserted, except that sometimes a few tourists accidentally appear here, and in the evenings the local kids go out to swim. If you stay in the center, you can walk to the beginning of Long Beach, but, unfortunately, in this part the coast is littered. Well, if you want to live on the beach, you can stay in one of the hotels or guest houses on the first line.

  Long Beach

• Makatombaten / Makatombaten Beach

  Makatombaten is located on the outskirts of San Vicente opposite the airport (Makatombaten on the map). It would be an interesting beach if there were frequent flights from the airport, but, unfortunately, they only fly a couple of times a week. Therefore, nothing special can be said about this beach, it is the same as all the others near San Vicente: long, deserted and excellent. And on Makatombaten, alone and away from civilization, there is an expensive hotel Foxy's Beach resort, you can, if you wish and have the finances to settle in it.

  Makatombaten Beach in San Vicente

• Kemdeng Beach / Kemdeng Beach

  This beach is located in the village of Kemdeng, 10 kilometers from the center of San Vicente (Kemdeng beach on the map). It consists of two very long bays separated by a tiny cape, and the total length of the sandy strip here is almost 4 kilometers. Despite the presence of a village nearby, so far this is a pristine and deserted beach, where there is no one except boats and rare locals. But now (in 2025) large-scale work is underway there: there are several large hotels at once. If the matter is brought to an end, it will be possible to settle here and enjoy a relaxing holiday in the village, but for now you can only stay in your headscarf. Or come here for a rest from San Vicente during the day.

  Kemdeng Beach

• Mahilamonen / Mahilamonen Beach

  This beach is located almost halfway between San Vicente and the Port of Barton (Mahilamonen beach on the map), and not all tricycles agree to go here. If you have a rented motorbike, you can get here yourself, you definitely won't regret it. Another way to get here is by boat from the Port of Barton with an excursion to the Bigaho Waterfall, during which you will be dropped off on this shore and guided on foot to the waterfall. Mahilamonen seemed cozy and calm to us, but most of all we liked the coconuts, of which there are a lot.

  Mahilamonen Beach

Hotels in San Vicente and where to stay

Despite the very poor infrastructure, there are a couple of dozen accommodation options in San Vicente, and some of them are very good. You can even choose a hotel on the first line with its own beach, or stay for a rest in an inexpensive guest house in the very center. You can pick up and book accommodation in San Vicente on these sites:

• 🛌 Search for hotels in San Vicente on Trip.com (👍 Mir maps work)
• 🛌 Search for hotels in San Vicente/Palawan on Ostrovok.ru
• 🛌 Search for hotels in San Vicente on Yandex.travel
• 🛌 Search for hotels in San Vicente on Booking.com

Best hotels of

InexpensivePopularBest

Hotel Palawan Holiday Home near SM Tourist rating 9.9/10, exceptionalPrice from 60 USDBook hotel

Hotel The Cabins at LVF Tourist rating 9.7/10, exceptionalPrice from 50 USDBook hotel

Hotel Casa Belina⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Tourist rating 9.6/10, exceptionalPrice from 26 USDBook hotel

Hotel Villa Kalachuchi V.K⭐⭐⭐ Tourist rating 9.4/10, exceptionalPrice from 49 USDBook hotel

Hotel Hibiscus Garden Inn⭐⭐⭐ Tourist rating 9.4/10, exceptionalPrice from 66 USDBook hotel

Hotel Las Residencias Bed And Breakfast⭐⭐ Tourist rating 9.3/10, exceptionalPrice from 23 USDBook hotel

Hotel Cleon Villas Pension⭐ Tourist rating 9.3/10, exceptionalPrice from 21 USDBook hotel

Hotel Balai Princesa⭐⭐⭐ Tourist rating 9.2/10, exceptionalPrice from 60 USDBook hotel

Hotel NoBi\'s Place⭐ Tourist rating 9.2/10, exceptionalPrice from 16 USDBook hotel

Hotel Lola Itang Pension House⭐⭐ Tourist rating 9.2/10, exceptionalPrice from 18 USDBook hotel

Hotel GUNI GUNI HOSTEL Tourist rating 9.1/10, exceptionalPrice from 20 USDBook hotel

Hotel Charlie\'s El Nido Tourist rating 9.1/10, exceptionalPrice from 65 USDBook hotel

More...

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Weather in San Vicente and tourist seasons

You can visit San Vicente at any time of the year, it is always warm and sunny here. However, during the year, the rainy season (low) and the dry season (high) still stand out.

• The dry season runs from January to May. This is the best time to visit, because the probability of typhoons and rains is small, the sky is clear most of the time, it is not very hot. Well, the "driest" and best months are January-March.
• The rainy season lasts here most of the year from June to December. At this time, you can also go on vacation, but it rains and clouds more often, and there is a high probability of typhoons. Typhoons very rarely directly affect Palawan, they can spoil the weather for several days. But in fact, the rainy season is not at all the same as many people used to think after visiting other Southeast Asian countries. Precipitation is short-lived, usually in the evenings, and within an hour after them there is no trace. And even if the sky is covered with clouds, this does not interfere with sunbathing at all.

Typhoons or tropical storms hit the Philippines several times a year, for example, in 2019 it happened 21 times. They occur mainly during the rainy season and affect the north of the island. In general, they do not interfere much with the rest on Palawan, but during the most ferocious typhoons, the movement of ferries completely stops for 1-3 days, and sometimes even evacuation is announced. It is not yet possible to predict the appearance of storms and typhoons for a long period, so just follow the forecasts before the trip, and make a decision immediately before departure. Read more about the seasons in the Philippines and when it's better to go here...

Seasons in San Vicente by month, when is the best time to go

Current weather in San Vicente and forecast

How to get to San Vicente

San Vicente can be reached by plane through a small local airport, San Vicente Airport, built specifically for the development of this resort. You can also travel by land from other cities and resorts of Palawan, arriving, in turn, on the island through the airports in Puerto Princesa, El Nido or by ferry through one of the ports. See more information, how and how to get to Palawan here.

• To Saint Vicente by plane

  Flight to Palawan

  A small domestic airport was opened in San Vicente in 2017, which, according to plans, was supposed to give impetus to the development of this resort (airport on the map). Unfortunately, the plans for the development of the resort have not yet been realized, and the airport is almost idle. Now flights to the airport are operated twice a week from Manila by the airline Sunlight Air, tickets can only be purchased on the a/k website. Previously, Air Juan and SkyJet a/c flights from Manila were also operated, but they are suspended or operated as charter flights, i.e. tickets cannot be bought for them.

  Sunlight Air tickets are very expensive by local standards, so in practice it is cheaper to fly to the island at Puerto Princesa airport, and from there get to the resort by taxi or local transport.

• To Saint Vicent by bus, taxi, minivans

  Palawan RoRo Bus

  If you have arrived at Puerto Princesa airport and you need to get to San Vicente right away without spending the night in the city, then the easiest way is to take a taxi. Unfortunately, this direction is not popular yet, and therefore you will most likely not find inexpensive tourist minivans or taxis with the cost of the trip divided at the airport, and you will have to pay for the whole car, which will cost approximately 3,000 pesos (54.2 rub.), but you still need to bargain before this price. If this price is high for you, then you can go the other way: look for a tourist minivan or taxi to the Port of Barton (it will cost from 600 pesos per person), and arrange with the driver to take you to San Vicente for an additional fee, or transfer to a tricycle with a capacity of up to three people at the Port of Barton, which will cost an additional 300-600 pesos for the entire tricycle.

  You can also get to Saint Vicent by regular buses that depart from the new Irawan Bus Terminal, it is located on the outskirts of Puerto Princesa (Iravan terminal on the map). Please note that you need to get to the new terminal, not the old one in San Jose, which is no longer in use.

  RoRoBus buses run from Iravan to San Vicente several times a day, the fare starts from 400 pesos (7.23 rubles). Departure at 09:00, 12:00 and 14:00, 4 hours drive. But the schedule may change, so it's better to check before traveling or book tickets in this direction in advance by 12go.asia

  There are no direct buses from other cities of Palawan to San Vicente, including from El Nido and the Port of Barton. To get from El Nido, you can take buses through Puerto Princesa with a transfer to the RORObus bus as written above, but then you will make a huge detour that will add an additional 8 hours to your trip. Therefore, it is best to take a bus to El Nido to Puerto Princesa, but not to the end, but to the turn to San Vicente (tell the driver, he will drop you off where you need to), and then transfer to a passing bus or passing transport directly to the resort.

• By rented transport

  Rent a motorcycle in Palawan

  To travel around Palawan, you can rent a motorcycle from 350 pesos/day or a car from 1500 pesos/ day, these are the minimum prices for long-term rentals, we told you more about this here . You can rent a transport in Puerto Princesa (including near the airport), in El Nido and Port Barton. And now you can book a motorcycle and get it on arrival without difficult searches on the spot through the service 🏍 BikesBooking.com:

  When traveling to San Vicente on your own, some features will be waiting for you. This resort can be reached by one of three roads:

  • The best road is Poblacion Road, which is completely asphalt (more precisely, concrete), and if possible we recommend driving along it.
  • Another route leads through the village of Alimanguan, but it is partially unpaved and is under long-term repair. In principle, you can drive along it without any problems on any transport, but you will, as they say, swallow dust along the way, and drive very slowly. But what's good about it, along the way you can make a stop and relax on the magnificent sandy beaches of Long Beach.
  • Another road along the coast connects San Vicente with the Port of Barton, and navigators and maps don't even know it yet. So, if you build a route between these two resorts, the navigator will offer you to take a detour through Rojas for almost 80 kilometers. But in fact, you need to take the road along the coast. The road here, too, is still partially unpaved and even runs like a serpentine through the mountains, in fact, it is easy to use any transport. The only difficult moment that will have to be overcome along this road is the passage of a small shallow river wading in the vicinity of the Port of Barton. In addition, this road is currently being repaired and closed with concrete, and a bridge will be built in the future.

Attractions in San Vicente and what to see

There are no attractions in San Vicente at all, and therefore there is nothing to do except rest on the beaches, and the beaches have already been described above. The town is small, falls asleep early, and most streets are already falling asleep at 8 pm. There is no street lighting here, so we advise you to take a lantern with you for evening walks, ideally take a headlamp.

The only place where there is still some movement with the arrival of darkness is the area of the port and the conditional "embankment". There is a decent food court where you can eat with a view of the sunset from 180 pesos for a dish of rice and drinks from 80 pesos. There is also a tiny children's amusement park, which, however, is unlikely to surprise children even from the Russian hinterland.

We did not meet any tours and excursions, travel agencies in San Vicente, but perhaps something will appear here as the resort develops. You can have excursions from San Vicente online at Klook.com .

If you are here on vacation by rented transport or hire a local tricycle, then you can go to remote wild beaches (they want to go wild here, in principle, while all the beaches are wild), or roll down towards the Port of Barton along the coastal road to visit the Pamuayan Waterfalls and Bigaho, and that's it we didn't find anything else interesting in San Vicente.

• Pamuayan Waterfalls

  Pamuayan Waterfall

  The Pamuayan Waterfall or Pamuayan Waterfalls is located on the road between the Port of Barton and San Vicent, just four kilometers from the Port of Barton, and therefore it can even be visited from this resort on foot. The waterfall is not very large and not very full-flowing, but at its foot there is a large swimming pool for bathing in refreshing water, and therefore it is popular with holidaymakers in the Port of Barton. Near the waterfall there are remnants of infrastructure: a toilet, a changing cabin and a gazebo with a table. But, unfortunately, all this is abandoned, destroyed by bad weather and requires restoration. Learn more about Pamuayan Waterfall here...

  🕐 Working hours: during daytime.

  Entrance fee / ticket price: donations are paid at the entrance, 50 pesos is enough (0.9 rubles).

  🚶 How to get there: Pamuayan Waterfalls is located on the road between the Port of Barton, 4 kilometers from the Port of Barton and 25 kilometers from San Vicente (waterfall on the map). At the entrance to the waterfall there is a booth where you need to register in the magazine and leave donations in the box. After this booth, you can drive a little further to the parking lot, and then walk 5-10 minutes directly to the waterfall along a clearly visible path without ascents and descents.

• Bigaho falls

  Bigaho Waterfall

  Bigaho falls is a small beautiful waterfall, which is convenient and pleasant to visit both from the Port of Barton and from San Vicente. It is smaller than its "neighbor" Pamuayan Waterfall, but since it is located further from the popular resort of Port Barton, fewer tourists get here, and accordingly Bigaho is not crowded, and most likely you will even find yourself here all alone. We advise you to combine his visit with a rest on the wonderful deserted beach Mahilamonen Beach, which is just a couple of minutes away from here. Learn more about Bigaho Waterfall here...

  🕐Working hours: during daytime.

  Entrance fee / ticket price: 50 pesos(0.9 rubles).

  🚶 How to get there: Bigaho Waterfall is located on the coastal road between Port Barton and San Vicent approximately in the middle, so it is convenient to visit it from any of these resorts (waterfall on the map). Navigators and Google maps cannot build a route to Bigaho, because they "believe" that there is no road here. But in fact, there is a partially unpaved and partially asphalt road leading to the waterfall, which is being repaired and will become completely asphalt in the future. You can drive along it even now without any problems on any transport.