Patungan Beach - Cavite

Located in Barangay Sta. Mercedes (Patungan) in Maragondon, Cavite, Patungan Beach is one of the province's little-known beach destinations. It is situated inside Patungang Cove which is south of Mt. Palay Palay which is also known as Pico de Loro.

Patungan Beach

Patungan Beach Details

The area near Patungan Beach is home to about 100 - 200 families, most of which are fishermen hence the alternate name of the barangay -Patungan Fishing Village. According to the locals that I interviewed, their place was once an isolated barangay, reachable only by boat, horse, or foot. Thankfully, with the completion of the Nasugbu - Ternate Highway and Kaybiang Tunnel, the barangay was finally connected to the province. However, there is still no direct public transportation system that serves the area coming from Manila. 

Patungan Beach - Maragondon, Cavite

The beach from a distance

Check out these photos of Patungan Beach:

Just a heads up, Patungan Beach is not a white sand beach destination. It has fine brown sand that turns a bit grayish when dry. The seawater, on the other hand, is quite murky due to the sand particles in it. Sad to say, despite being free from commercialization, the beach is not totally trash-free. Some plastic trash and water lilies from Manila Bay and Bataan eventually find their way to the beach. Despite this, the locals tirelessly clean their beach at least twice or thrice daily. 

 

The cottages in Patungan Beach

Guess who's enjoying the waves

A perfect place to visit on a sunny day

I got to visit Patungan Beach quite by fate. My family and I were actually planning to spend a day in Katungkulan Beach during the long ASEAN "break" last November 13- 17, 2017. However, after driving for two hours from our home, we were surprised to find out that Katungkulan Beach was closed due to the heightened security alert in the Gen. Gregorio Lim Marine Base (you can only reach the beach by passing through the marine base) due to the ASEAN Summit. However, locals said the beach was actually filled with water lilies and is currently being cleaned. Whatever the true reason was, we didn't want to ruin our planned vacation so I Googled another nearby beach destination and found Patungan Beach. Since it was only about a 15 -20 minutes drive from where we are, I took the chance and I could say that it was worth it.

Carabao Island as seen from the beach

As expected there were several visitors there already, most of which tried to visit Katungkulan Beach and also looked for an alternative beach destination, thankfully Patungan Beach did not become too crowded. We rented the cottage of Ate Sally Gaa (prices at the RATES section below) and meeting her was also a blessing for us. Ate Sally was very accommodating and hospitable. She made sure that we would have a comfortable stay in her cottage so she kept coming back to provide us with extra pillows and blankets. Because of that, we opted to stay overnight. She also accompanied us to buy fresh fish and gave us several freebies like dried fish, oil for stomach pain, and several medicinal plants to bring home. I even woke up at around 2 to see her patrolling around the cottage to make sure that we are safe. To sum it up, our stay became memorable and safe because of her. 

Team Nicerio visits Patungan Beach

Inside the cottage

Can you guess what fish this is? (It's a cousin of the milkfish)

Before heading to Patungan Beach, let me warn you first that the electricity there is only from 6PM - 10PM. Despite this, you can still rent a videoke to make your night more lively. Lastly, don't leave without buying fresh fish or squid early in the morning. It's way cheaper here than in Manila.

My daughter Ella enjoying the Patungan Beach

Patungan Beach Expenses:

Parking: P50 day tour / P100 overnight
Banca ride: P50 pax 
Cottage: P1000 day tour / P2000 overnight

Optional

Videoke P1500
Island hopping tour: P1500 = Carabao island, Mugne Island, and Iba Cove

You may bring your tent but you have to talk to a cottage owner to rent his/her area out. Usually, they charge P500 for this depending on the owner. 

Ate Sally Gaa

Recommended contact person in Patungan Beach:

If you want quality accommodation I highly suggest the overly hospitable Ate Sally Gaa. 

You may contact her here: 📱09481834018 

Why visit Patungan Beach?

Overall, Patungan Beach is one of the beaches in Cavite that I will surely come back to. It really is perfect for family and barkada outings. Patungan Beach is also cleaner than most of the beaches in the province. Aside from that, it's not crowded like most of the well-known beaches in Cavite.

Getting to Patungan Beach:

From Manila, the best way to reach Patungan Beach is by driving your own vehicle. After driving through CAVITEX, follow the Daang Governor Road and the Nasugbu - Ternate Highway. Once you reach the fork, turn left. You'd see the Kaybiang Tunnel about 15 -20 minutes from there. Continue driving until you see the cove. 

Follow this path and rent a boat

Look for that THANK YOU sign

Keep an eye out for the signboard on the right side of the road that shows the way to the beach. Once you see it, park your car at the side of the road and talk to the local in charge of the parking. 

From there, ride a banca going to the beach. 

If you're planning to use public transportation, then you might want to follow this:

Ride a bus bound for Maragondon or Ternate. Board down at the town of Ternate. From there ride a tricycle and say to the driver to drop you off at Barangay Sta. Mercedes (Patungan). Since Patungan Beach is far from Ternate, you might want to ask for the tricycle driver's contact number so that he can pick you up after you enjoyed your time in Patungan Beach. From the Nasugbu-Ternate Highway, you need to ride a banca to go to the beach because the only road to the beach is privately owned.

Bus fare Manila - Ternate: P80 -100

Tricycle to Barangay Sta. Mercedes: P300 - 400 good for 4 pax (You should haggle with the drivers as some would ask for 500-600 pesos.) 

Banca ride to the beach: P20 pax

Ratings:

Crowd

Cleanliness

Overall rating