If you’re searching for information on how to get to Padre Burgos, you’re probably keen to swim with whale sharks in the Philippines or explore Sogod Bay’s incredible underwater scenery.
Located in southern Leyte, this small town is the perfect place to spend a few relaxing days. However, since it’s still very much off the tourist trail, there aren’t many direct transport options yet and you’ll usually need to combine several legs of the journey. That’s why we’ve put together this guide to help you get to Padre Burgos as easily as possible.
Where is Padre Burgos?
Padre Burgos is in the province of Southern Leyte, on the island of Leyte. It’s part of the Eastern Visayas region. On the map, you’ll see that it lies on the shores of Sogod Bay.
The closest major port is Maasin (about 30 kilometers away), while Bato and Hilongos are farther away on Leyte’s western coast. The nearest airport is in Tacloban, in the north of the island.
Most resorts are dotted along the coast north of town. Buses don’t have fixed stops; they usually stop wherever passengers ask, so you shouldn’t have any trouble getting to your accommodation.
How to get to Padre Burgos from Cebu
Unless you’re already in Bohol, the easiest way to get to Padre Burgos is from Cebu. As we explain in How to get to Cebu, Cebu has an international airport as well as a major port with ferries arriving from destinations across the Philippines.
To get to Padre Burgos from Cebu, you essentially have five options: via the port of Maasin, the port of Hilongos, the port of Bato, the port of Ormoc, or via Tacloban Airport. The most direct option is via Maasin, as it’s the closest port.
1. Go from Cebu to Padre Burgos via Maasin
This is the most direct way to get to Padre Burgos if you’re coming from Cebu.
OceanJet is the fastest option; since September 2024, it has operated a daily fast ferry departing at 7:00 a.m. and reaching Maasin in just three hours—fantastic! You can book your tickets through this platform.
If you want to save money, you can also travel with Cokaliong Shipping, whose ferries depart every Monday and Friday at 19:00 and arrive in Maasin at 1:30 a.m. Ferries depart from Pier 1 at Cebu City Port. As schedules on this route can change, we recommend checking the latest times here. Tickets aren’t available online.
In the opposite direction, ferries leave Maasin for Cebu at 8:00 on Tuesdays and Thursdays, arriving at around 14:00.
Fares on this route start at 540 pesos for economy class and go up depending on the class you choose, all the way up to a private suite. All fare classes include a bunk, so you should be quite comfortable. You’ll also need to pay a 25-peso terminal fee in Cebu.
How to get from Maasin to Padre Burgos? Once you leave the port, you’ll see multicabs (smaller jeepneys) bound for Padre Burgos. They take between 30 and 40 minutes and cost around 60 pesos per person. The driver even dropped us off right at our resort, just beyond the town of Padre Burgos. You can also take any bus heading toward Sogod.
Almost all resorts in Padre Burgos arrange pickups from anywhere in Leyte. It’s therefore worth asking your resort about a pickup if you’d rather keep things simple. At the end of this article you’ll find recommendations on where to stay in Padre Burgos.
2. Go from Cebu to Padre Burgos via Hilongos
If none of the ferries to Maasin fit your schedule, another way to get to Padre Burgos from Cebu is by taking a ferry to Hilongos. Several companies operate this route, but the two main ones are:
- Roble Shipping: ferries depart daily at 11:00 and 21:00. The crossing takes about five hours. Fares start at 480 pesos for a seat, but since the journey takes several hours, it’s worth booking a bunk. The price difference is minimal. You can’t book online; you’ll need to go to their office. From the ticket office, you can walk to Pier 3, which is where the ferries depart.
- Gabisan Shipping Lines: ferries depart at 14:00 every day except Tuesday, arriving at 17:30, while a slower RoRo service departs at 21:00 every day except Sunday. The journey also takes about five hours, with fares starting at 400 pesos, similar to those charged by Roble Shipping.
How to get from Hilongos to Padre Burgos? When you get off the boat, you’ll often see buses waiting on your left. There’s a good chance one of them will be heading to Maasin, as buses run there frequently. If not, you can walk to the main road or take a pedicab (pedal tricycle) and flag down any bus heading toward Maasin. The journey takes about 90 minutes. The fare depends on whether you take an air-conditioned bus, but it’s around 80 pesos.
Once in Maasin, transfer to a bus or multicab heading to Padre Burgos. The final leg takes another 45 minutes or so.
3. Go from Cebu to Padre Burgos via Bato
Another option is to take a ferry to Bato. The main operators are:
- Medallion Transport: ferries depart on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 20:30. The journey takes six hours, with fares starting at 470 pesos. You can book online here.
- Southern Pacific Trans. Corp.: daily departures at 20:00, arriving at 3:00 the following morning. Confirm the schedule at the port in advance; the company doesn’t have a website or Facebook page.
How to get from Bato to Padre Burgos? As with Hilongos, there are also buses heading to Maasin—usually the same ones that pass through Hilongos. Since Bato is closer to Maasin, the journey takes approximately one hour. Once in Maasin, take a bus or multicab to Padre Burgos.
4. Go from Cebu to Padre Burgos via Ormoc
Ormoc is quite a bit farther north than Hilongos, but one of the ferry services to Ormoc might fit your Cebu-to-Padre Burgos itinerary better. The main operators are:
- Roble Shipping: a daily ferry departs from Cebu for Ormoc at 22:00. The crossing takes about five hours. Fares start at 600 pesos.
- Lite Shipping: a daily ferry departs at 11:00. The journey takes about seven hours and can be booked here.
- OceanJet: fast ferries depart at 5:00, 6:00, 9:30, 12:00, 13:00, and 16:30. The trip takes 2 hours and 40 minutes. You can book here.
- SuperCat: daily departures at 5:30, 9:00, 12:30, and 16:00. The journey takes 3 hours. You can book here.
- SeaCat: daily departures at 8:30 and 15:30. The crossing takes around three hours and can be booked here.
How to get from Ormoc to Maasin? You can take a bus or van heading to Maasin. The journey takes about 3.5 hours and costs around 200 pesos, depending on whether you travel by bus or van. You can usually find buses and vans near the port but, if you don’t find anything, head to Ormoc City Park, located between Larrazabal Street and the baywalk.
5. Go from Cebu to Padre Burgos via Tacloban
If none of the ferry schedules work for you, flying is another option, although it will be more expensive unless you book well in advance, and you won’t save much time. Cebu Pacific Air (Cebgo) and Philippine Airlines operate flights almost daily. If you book several weeks or months in advance, you may find flights from around $25.
How to get from Tacloban to Padre Burgos? You’ll first need to take a tricycle to the Robinsons Tacloban Transport Terminal. Once there, you’ll see vans and buses to Maasin. If possible, ask whether there’s a bus or van that passes through Padre Burgos so you don’t need to change vehicles again. It will take about 3.5 hours by van, considerably longer by bus, as buses make more stops.
How to get to Padre Burgos from Bohol
Have you been exploring beautiful Bohol and now want to travel on to Padre Burgos? Then it’s actually pretty straightforward.
The first thing you need to do is get to Ubay Port, where ferries depart for Leyte. Depending on where you’re staying in Bohol, there are a few different ways to get there:
- From Tagbilaran to Ubay: buses and vans to Ubay depart from Dao Terminal (Integrated Bus Terminal). The journey takes around 3 hours and costs about 150 pesos.
- From Panglao to Ubay: you’ll first need to go to the Tagbilaran bus terminal. To get there, you can take the airport bus, which stops along the main road by Alona Beach (1 hour/50 pesos), a tricycle (45 minutes/300 pesos), or a taxi (30 minutes/500 pesos). From there, follow the steps above.
- From Anda to Ubay: take a motorela to the Bohol Circumferential Road (a shared ride costs 20–30 pesos). From there, flag down any bus heading to Ubay. It will take about 90 minutes.
When you arrive in Ubay, you’ll need to take a tricycle to the port, as the new bus station is 3 kilometers away. A private ride should cost no more than 40 pesos. The current ferry options from Bohol to Leyte are as follows:
- To Bato: Soemco Mariner operates a daily ferry departing at 8:00, with a journey time of 1.5 hours. Fares start at 470 pesos. Medallion Transport also operates ferries departing at 10:00, 12:00, and 18:00. Tickets cost 480 pesos. Tickets for these services cannot be booked online. In the opposite direction, from Bato to Ubay, departures are at 8:30, 10:30, 15:00, and 18:00.
- To Hilongos: Leopard Shipping’s ferries leave Ubay at 9:00 and take a couple of hours.
Note: it’s best to use these schedules only as a rough guide and confirm them in advance with dive centers in Padre Burgos because these routes serve areas that receive relatively few tourists, services are limited, and schedules change frequently.
Once in Bato or Hilongos, you’ll need to take a bus to Maasin and then a multicab to Padre Burgos. Allow between 90 minutes and two hours.
If you’re not in Bohol yet, don’t miss our article How to get to Bohol.
How to get to Padre Burgos from Siargao
If you’re in beautiful Siargao and want to swim with whale sharks, Padre Burgos is well worth adding to your itinerary. It’s actually pretty straightforward, as the two destinations are reasonably well connected.
To get from Siargao to Padre Burgos, follow these steps:
- Take a ferry from Dapa on Siargao to Surigao City: ferries operate from approximately 4:00 to 15:30. The only operator you can book online with is Evaristo and Sons, which operates daily departures at 4:00, 6:00, 10:00, 13:00, and 15:30. The 4:00 ferry takes 3.5 hours, while the others take around 1.5 hours. Fares are around 400 pesos, depending on the type of boat. If you leave early, you should be able to comfortably reach Padre Burgos from Siargao on the same day.
- Take a tricycle or walk from Eva Macapagal Passenger Terminal to Luneta Park: the tricycle shouldn’t cost you more than 10 pesos per person.
- Take a jeepney to Lipata Port: jeepneys generally depart once full from the corner of Borromeo Street and Luneta. Lipata Port is only about 8 kilometers away.
- Take a ferry from Lipata to Liloan: FastCat operates daily ferries at 00:00, 6:00, 12:00, and 18:00. The trip takes 2 hours. If you miss the ferries to Liloan, which is the closer of the two ports, you can travel via San Ricardo instead. San Ricardo Shipping Lines and Montenegro operate several services between roughly 5:00 and 17:00. Tickets aren’t sold online and we recommend contacting the Pintuyan Tourism Office to confirm the latest schedules. The crossing takes about an hour and costs around 300 pesos.
- Take a bus or van heading toward Sogod or Maasin: check with the driver, but you can usually take a bus or van bound for Tacloban, Sogod, or Ormoc. You can also check whether there’s a direct service to Maasin. It’s about 40 minutes to Sogod. Once there, take another bus to Maasin. Ask the driver whether the vehicle passes through Padre Burgos so you can get off at your accommodation. This leg of the journey will take around four to five hours.
☀️ Keep in mind that Pintuyan is on the way, so staying there will save you both time and money.
How to get to Padre Burgos from Malapascua
If you’re planning to combine thresher shark diving in Malapascua with whale shark encounters in Southern Leyte, then you’ll probably want to know how to get from Malapascua to Padre Burgos. You can make the journey either via Cebu or via Kalanggaman. Check out the two options:
1. Go from Malapascua to Padre Burgos via Cebu
You’ll need to return to Cebu and then head to Leyte. Depending on the ferry schedule, you may need to spend the night in Cebu City. Take a look at Where to stay in Cebu to help you decide. The steps are:
- Bangka from Malapascua to Maya: boats depart roughly every hour from 6:30 to 17:30. Tickets cost 200 pesos per person and the crossing takes about 30–45 minutes.
- Bus or van to Cebu: you can choose between vans from the port (350 pesos) and buses (250–320 pesos). Vans are faster, although journey times also depend on traffic as you approach Cebu City. Allow 3–6 hours.
- Taxi to the appropriate port terminal: it can take about 30 minutes, depending on traffic. Make sure the driver uses the meter.
- Take a ferry to Maasin, Bato, Hilongos, or Ormoc: as detailed in the section above on how to get to Padre Burgos from Cebu.
- Take a bus to Maasin: as detailed above.
- Take a multicab to Padre Burgos.
2. Go from Malapascua to Padre Burgos via Kalanggaman
It takes a bit more effort, but if you’re planning to visit Kalanggaman, it could be worth it. Here’s how:
- Arrange the transfer to Kalanggaman: this excursion costs 1,200–1,300 pesos for round-trip transport and 1,000 pesos for island fees. You’ll therefore need to negotiate the price of a one-way transfer at the port. Around 600 pesos would be a reasonable estimate. Boats usually depart at 9:00, and the journey takes about two hours.
- Arrange a boat transfer to Palompon: since there’s no scheduled transport between Kalanggaman and mainland Leyte, you’ll need to arrange a place on a day-trip boat returning to Palompon. You’ll probably arrive at Kalanggaman at around 11:00, so you’ll have to wait for the day-trip boats to head back, usually around 15:00 or 16:00. If you want to stay longer on Kalanggaman, you can spend the night in the huts or tents mentioned in our guide to the island. For reference, a round-trip boat charter from Palompon for up to 15 people costs 3,000 pesos, so the cost per person depends on the number of passengers. The ride takes about 45 minutes.
- Take a bus or van to Ormoc: traveling by van is much faster, costing around 200 pesos and taking 90 minutes.
- Take a bus or van from Ormoc to Maasin: vans are much faster. The journey takes about 3.5 hours.
- Take a bus or multicab to Padre Burgos: the journey takes 30–40 minutes.
How to get to Padre Burgos from Manila
If you’re starting in Manila, the most convenient way to reach Padre Burgos is to take a flight to Tacloban or Cebu. If you book well in advance, you may find fares from around $25. Once you arrive, follow the steps outlined in the relevant sections above.
Flights from Manila to Tacloban
Getting to Padre Burgos from other parts of the Philippines
Want to go to Padre Burgos from somewhere we haven’t mentioned here? You can leave us a comment and we’ll help you figure it out, but here’s a brief overview of the most common routes:
- From Camiguin to Padre Burgos: you can take the 9:30 ferry from Camiguin to Jagna in Bohol, arriving at around 13:30. You can book tickets through this link. Once there, take a bus to Ubay and try to catch a ferry going to Bato or Hilongos.
- From Bantayan to Padre Burgos: you’ll need to return to Cebu City by ferry and bus and then follow the steps above to reach Padre Burgos.
- From Siquijor to Padre Burgos: you can go to Bohol (see our full guide on How to get from Siquijor to Bohol) or to Cebu (find more information in our guide on How to get to Cebu).
- From Moalboal to Padre Burgos: take one of the frequent buses to Cebu City (around 3 hours) and then follow the steps to Padre Burgos.
Where to stay in Padre Burgos
Padre Burgos is a small town that still sees relatively few tourists. Most people come here to dive because it’s one of the best places for diving in the Philippines. As a result, most accommodation options here are dive resorts. In recent years, the number of travelers coming to see whale sharks has increased, so there are now more accommodation options, including more budget-friendly places to stay.
Here are some recommendations on where to stay in Padre Burgos:
- Burgos Reef Boutique Resort: a newly opened property and, in our opinion, the best option in the area.
- Portofino Homestay: located north of Padre Burgos in a peaceful seaside setting. It offers comfortable rooms and a pool.
- Daom Dive Resort: simple yet spacious rooms, some with sea views. The hotel has a small yet lovely beach, perfect for a quick dip and snorkeling straight from shore. There’s also a restaurant and, of course, a dive shop.
If you plan to visit Padre Burgos during whale shark season (November to April), particularly over a weekend, we recommend booking in advance.
By the way, if you decide to stay in Pintuyan rather than Padre Burgos to see whale sharks, don’t miss our article How to get to Pintuyan.
We hope this guide has made planning your journey to Padre Burgos a little easier. If you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comments and we’ll be happy to help.
