MANILA: A small town in Palawan is on its way to becoming one of the Philippines’ hottest tourist destinations.
Dubbed by local tourism officials as the “longest white beach in the Philippines,” the Long Beach of San Vicente straddles 14 kilometers of undeveloped shoreline, more than three times longer than Boracay’s White Beach.
But the stretch isn’t uninterrupted. Rocky cliffs jut out into the sea, breaking what could have been a continuous expanse of sugary paradise into six shorter coves.
The motorcycle is the most convenient mode of beach-hopping. Tourists can get one at the tourism office in Poblacion.
Long Beach spans the coast of Barangays New Agutaya, San Isidro, and Alimangoan. According to the tourism office, the municipality of San Vicente had only 8,500 visitors in 2012. Half of which were from Europe. The number is rather a small compared to El Nido or Boracay.
There are no full-blown resorts there, only undisturbed fishing villages that are far from crowded. Not for long, if you ask local officials. Over 50 investors have already bought properties along the beach in anticipation of the completion of the town’s airport.
How to get to Long Beach, San Vicente: From Puerto Princesa Airport, ride a tricycle to San Jose Terminal and take the 3-4 hour bus ride to San Vicente. From the town proper, take a motorcycle tour of the beaches for P350. You might also want to extend the trip to Irawan Beach, which raises the fee to P500 per ride. The motorcycle can accommodate up to 2 passengers, cheaper if you’re with a companion.
