How to get from Bohol to Siquijor without spending endless hours on the road? You’ve probably asked yourself this if you’re planning a trip to the Philippines, as they are two of the most visited islands in the Visayas region. Well, you’re in luck because they’re connected by ferries and fast boats, without needing to take a million transport in the Philippines.
In this article you’ll find two options to go from Bohol to Siquijor. The faster but pricier one and the slower but cheaper one—your call! Plus, at the end you’ll see the reverse direction as well. In other words, how to get from Siquijor to Bohol without going crazy.
If you landed here but you’re actually looking to reach these destinations from other parts of the country, we recommend checking How to get to Bohol and How to get to Siquijor.
How to get from Bohol to Siquijor fast
We’re in luck because getting from Bohol to Siquijor quickly is as simple as taking one of the boats run by Oceanjet. They operate two fast boats, that is, two speedboats that connect the islands twice a day. In case you were wondering, there are no flights from Bohol to Siquijor or vice versa.
What time does the boat from Bohol to Siquijor leave? It departs every day at 7:30 and 15:20. The journey takes around 2 hours, depending on sea conditions.
How much is the ticket? This depends a lot on the class. With Oceanjet you have Open-Air, Tourist Class and VIP. We like the first one because we’re not fans of air conditioning—especially in the Philippines, where it’s often cranked up—but we admit the seats are less comfortable. You’ll find tickets from 800 pesos per person. On top of that, add the port fees in Bohol, which are around 10 pesos per person and are paid at a separate booth.
Our advice is to book through these 2 portals, which are easy to use and, above all, reliable (compare prices):
Book Bohol to Siquijor tickets on 12go
Book Bohol to Siquijor tickets on Klook
Keep in mind that Oceanjet also charges to “check” luggage. It’s a bit odd because sometimes they do and sometimes they don’t. As you enter the port terminal, you’ll sometimes find people collecting suitcases to load them onto the boat. They’ll give you a tag to retrieve it later. This costs 50 pesos per bag. Beware of a very common scam here where they try to charge 100 pesos—it’s 50, trust us. Other times, if you’re not carrying much and just walk straight in, they don’t charge anything.
On board they sell some drinks, instant coffee, snacks and cookies. You can also buy something at the port in case you haven’t had breakfast. Remember to bring a light layer because the air conditioning is usually set very high.
By the way, this is the same boat that goes from Cebu to Bohol, departing at 5:10 and 13:00. That is, it covers that route, makes a stop in Tagbilaran (Bohol), where some passengers get off and others get on, and then continues from Bohol to Siquijor. Note that if you want to buy the entire leg, i.e., from Cebu to Siquijor, you can do so via this link.
Boats run by a company called SuperCat have also recently started operating. They also depart daily from Tagbilaran at 15:00. The price is the same, but keep in mind it takes 2 hours and arrives at Larena Port. This is farther from the San Juan area, so it will take you more time and money to reach your hotel, which is most likely around there. You can book from this link.
Be very careful with SuperCat. Unfortunately, it cancels its trips for boat “maintenance” over and over and many travelers get stranded. If we had the choice, we’d always pick Oceanjet because SuperCat doesn’t seem reliable at all.
There’s also another company called Apekoptravel that runs the Bohol–Siquijor route daily. It departs from Tagbilaran at 10:00 and arrives around 12:00 at Larena Port. Tickets are a bit cheaper than Oceanjet and SuperCat and can be purchased here. Keep in mind this boat is also much smaller and moves around quite a bit more.
Also be careful with Apekoptravel because it’s quite common that (due to the type of vessel—which has nothing to do with those of the previous two companies—and because they don’t fill them) they cancel their trips. Not a very trustworthy company, to be honest.
Transport from Siquijor Port to your hotel
There are two ports on Siquijor Island: Siquijor (where Oceanjet arrives) and Larena (where the others arrive). As we explain in Where to stay in Siquijor, in our opinion the best area to stay is San Juan. This is also where almost all the restaurants we mention in Where to eat in Siquijor are located.
a) How to get from Siquijor Port to your hotel in San Juan
Previously, the Oceanjet boat arrived at Larena Port, much farther from the accommodations. However, it now arrives at Siquijor Port, which makes it much more convenient and cheaper. The ways to go from Siquijor Town to the San Juan area are:
- Rent a motorbike: from 250–300 pesos per day, depending on how long you rent it. Be careful and check its condition thoroughly. If you can, take photos or a video. There are several companies right outside the port.
- Negotiate the price of a tricycle: unfortunately, they all charge 300 pesos. If you want to try to save, you can walk out of the port and try negotiating for 200.
- Try a “line” tricycle: although it may not look like it, there are tricycles that run set routes to San Juan. These usually charge 30 pesos per passenger and depart from the Siquijor Poblacion market. It’s a slower but cheaper option.
b) How to get from Larena Port to your hotel in San Juan
If you arrive at Larena Port, you’ve got a much longer ride. In that case, you can try negotiating multicabs (smaller jeepneys) to San Juan for about 100 pesos per person, or a whole tricycle for 400–500 pesos. Be patient—they’ll try to charge you more.
Another option is to rent a motorbike at the port (250–300 pesos per day).
How to get from Bohol to Siquijor cheap
As you can see, the prices to go from Bohol to Siquijor by fast boat aren’t particularly cheap by Filipino standards. So, if you want to save a bit and you’re not in a rush to reach Siquijor from Bohol, you can opt for the ferries run by Lite Ferries.
Lite Shipping boats run every day except Sundays. They depart at 20:00 from Bohol and arrive (in theory—delays are common) at 23:00 at Larena Port. Prices are around 500–700 pesos and you can easily book your ticket here. Lite Shipping usually doesn’t charge any fee for bringing luggage, even if it’s bulky.
As in the previous case, the Lite Shipping boat departs from Cebu at 13:00, stops in Bohol and continues to Siquijor.
Whatever the time, there will be plenty of transport options waiting for you at the port. If you don’t want to complicate things, you can also stay the night at this accommodation, which you can walk to. Then, the next morning, head to the San Juan area or even base yourself here.
(In case you read it elsewhere, this trip used to be run by a company called Starlite, but they stopped operating their boats)
How to get from Siquijor to Bohol
We imagine you already have an idea of the alternatives for getting from Siquijor to Bohol, but here’s a summary:
- Oceanjet: runs daily fast boats at 8:20 and 14:30 from Siquijor Town port. The trip takes around a couple of hours and they arrive at Tagbilaran Port. You can book here.
- SuperCat: operates one boat per day at 7:30, but from Larena Port (remember, farther from the accommodation area). The price is the same as Oceanjet, but it takes a couple of hours to reach Tagbilaran. You can book from this link. — be very careful with this company; they constantly cancel their trips and aren’t very reliable.
- Apekoptravel: departs daily at 13:00 from Larena and takes 2 hours to reach Tagbilaran Port. You can book here. — just like SuperCat, unfortunately they also cancel trips due to issues with the boat or simply because they don’t fill it. Not very reliable either.
- Lite Ferries: has boats from Siquijor to Bohol every day except Mondays at 19:00 from Larena Port. They dock in Tagbilaran around 22:00, though delays are common. You can book here.
Transport from Tagbilaran to your destination in Bohol
Depending on the area where you’re going to stay in Bohol, you’ll need to choose one transport or another to reach your hotel.
- Panglao: at the port you can negotiate a taxi (500–600 pesos) or a tricycle (300 pesos). If you want to save, you can walk to the city’s jeepney terminal and take one to Panglao for 25 pesos. Another option is to go to DAO Terminal (it shouldn’t cost more than 20–30 pesos by tricycle) and take the bus to Alona Beach, which drops you at McDonald’s for 70 pesos. You can also try Grab, but prices are a bit higher. Find more info in How to get to Panglao.
- Loboc: take a tricycle (20 pesos) to the Integrated Bus Terminal (also called Dao Terminal) and from there a bus or jeepney. It’ll take about an hour and prices are around 25–50 pesos. If you want, there are also buses straight to Loboc. Alternatively, you can go by car with driver or tricycle for about 800–1,000 pesos. We can give you a contact if you leave us a comment. Read more in How to get to Loboc.
- Anda: head to the DAO Integrated Bus Terminal and once there ask for the vans or buses going to Anda. They leave roughly every hour from sunrise to sunset. The journey takes around 3 hours and costs about 150 pesos by bus or around 200 by van. You can also negotiate a private car. It’s faster but costs about 3,000 pesos. If you want, we can share a trusted contact—leave us a comment and we’ll send you the info. In any case, you can read more in How to get to Anda.
You already know you’ll find much more information about both islands in our Bohol Guide and our Siquijor Guide. Remember you can also see how to get there from other destinations in How to get to Bohol and How to get to Siquijor.
We hope this article helped you figure out how to get from Bohol to Siquijor and vice versa in a simple way. If you have any questions, we’ll be happy to answer them in the comments as soon as possible.
