How to get from Siquijor to Malapascua? If you’ve been reading us for a while, you’ll know these two islands have stolen our hearts. That’s why we’re so happy you want to do this route.
The first thing you need to know if you plan to go from Siquijor to Malapascua is that it will most likely take you almost a full day. Although on a map they don’t seem too far apart, transfers in the Philippines are quite tiring and the ferry schedules between the islands of Siquijor and Cebu (the transit point) are not as frequent as you might expect. So, lots of patience and enjoy the experience.
Keep reading and discover how to get from Siquijor to Malapascua. At the end of the article you’ll find a summary of the return journey, although you only need to reverse the steps we’ve given you in previous sections bearing the ferry timetables in mind. If it’s your first time in the country, we suggest you read our article on Transport in the Philippines to get familiar.
Getting from Siquijor to Malapascua via Cebu
The most comfortable alternative to go from Siquijor to Malapascua goes through Cebu. In our opinion, it’s the fastest and easiest. However, it’s very likely that you’ll need to overnight in Cebu City or Maya, since the boats to Malapascua finish around 17:30. To give you a clearer idea of the route, here’s a map:
Step 1: Ferry from Siquijor to Cebu City
To do this leg of the itinerary you have 4 options from Siquijor:
- Take the Oceanjet ferry, which departs every day at 8:20 and 14:30 from Siquijor Port and takes approximately 4 hours to reach Cebu. The price depends on the fare. You can book online and here as well.
- Take Supercat, which leaves every day at 7:30 and arrives around 12:00 approximately in Cebu. Note that this one departs from Larena Port and, unfortunately, it’s not as reliable as Oceanjet. From our experience, cancellations due to “maintenance” are super frequent, so we opt for Oceanjet whenever we can. You can book from this link.
- Take Lite Shipping, which sails every day except Mondays at 19:00 from Larena Port and takes about 11 hours to dock in Cebu. You can book here.
As you can see, if you choose the latter two alternatives you’ll be sleeping on the boat (there are bunks) and arriving in the early hours of the morning to Cebu City. This will allow you to go from Siquijor to Malapascua on the same day. With the first Oceanjet ferry you could also make it, but it will depend on the traffic when leaving Cebu. The only way to make sure you get there the same day would be a car with driver to Maya.
If you take the second Oceanjet ferry, much more comfortable, then you might have to sleep in Cebu (the One Central Hotel is close to the port) or in Maya (the Suba Beach Nipa Huts and Arriyus Apartelle are the best alternatives among the few available). You could also consider chartering a full boat from Maya to Malapascua outside regular hours, but sometimes they won’t leave late even if you pay extra, so it’s not an option we’d rely on.
✈️ Heads up: if you want to save time, Siquijor has a small airport with small planes to Cebu and other points in the Visayas. It won’t be cheap, but you can ask Royhle Aviation.
Step 2: Bus or van from Cebu to Maya
Ferries from Siquijor to Cebu arrive at the port located south of the city (normally Pier 1). Once here, the most convenient thing is to take a white taxi (they usually use the meter) or request a Grab car to the North Bus Station (now located next to SM City). The transfer will take about 20 minutes and cost around 100 pesos, depending on traffic.
Once there, you can choose between 2 options:
- Take one of the buses heading to Maya: the ones with air conditioning cost about 250 pesos and take between 5 and 6 hours to arrive, depending on the traffic getting out of Cebu.
- Take a seat in a van: these are faster but also more uncomfortable. The ticket costs about 350 pesos and they take around 4 hours.
Both run 24 hours, although they are more frequent from 5:00 to 22:00, operating roughly every 30’.
A more comfortable and faster alternative (reduces the trip to about 3–4 hours, depending on traffic) to complete this step from Siquijor to Malapascua is to hire a car with driver. Of course, it’s a more expensive option, but not outrageous if there are several of you. Prices range between 2,500 and 3,000 pesos for a car for up to 5 passengers. If you want a trusted taxi driver, leave us a comment and we’ll gladly send it to you.
Step 3: Bangka from Maya to Malapascua
Most buses arrive at a small station next to Maya Port; once there you just have to walk to the pier. Vans usually drop you directly at the port.
Walk to the little booth where you can buy your bangka ticket from Maya to Malapascua. The price is 200 pesos per person (plus 140 pesos in environmental fees) and it takes about 45 minutes, depending on sea conditions. Boats depart roughly every hour starting at 6 in the morning.
At this point, something very likely may happen: the captain might approach you and say that since there aren’t enough passengers, you can all pay more to reach the 2,000 pesos the full trip costs so you can leave earlier. If you’re not in a hurry and want to save money, wait.
Boats arrive at a pier that has been built in the Logon neighborhood. There are no cars here, so if you have a lot of luggage, you can use the services of habal-habal (motorbikes with driver) to take you to your hotel in Malapascua. Prices are around 40 pesos per person, unless your accommodation is on the other side of the island. Otherwise, you can just walk.
Getting from Siquijor to Malapascua via Liloan
The next way to go from Siquijor to Malapascua is via the Port of Liloan, located in the south of Cebu Island. As you can see on the map below, this route means you’ll have to do more of the journey by road, but it’s also more economical:
Step 1: Ferry from Siquijor to Bato
This one runs on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday from Larena Port at 13:00. On Sundays at 16:00. It takes a couple of hours and the ticket costs 300 pesos. The company is called Maayo Shipping and it’s best to reconfirm schedules because you never know. You can contact them through their Facebook page.
Step 2: Bus from Bato to Cebu
Once in Bato Port you can hop on any bus heading to Cebu. The journey takes about 4 hours, depending on traffic, and costs around 250 pesos, depending on the type of bus. It will drop you at the South Bus Station and it will be quite late, so the best thing is to overnight around this area. The One Central Hotel is the best alternative, but you can see more options in Where to stay in Cebu.
If you don’t mind sleeping on the bus (note: there are no bunks or anything), you can continue to Maya on the same day.
Step 3: Bus or van from Cebu to Maya
You’ll have to go from the south terminal to the North Bus Station, since the buses you’ll use for this stretch to reach Malapascua from Siquijor depart from the latter. The best option is a white taxi with meter, which will drop you there in about 30 minutes for 100–1500 pesos. You can also take a Grab car if it’s more convenient, although it will be more expensive.
Our advice is to leave very early (around 6:00) to avoid Cebu’s traffic and reach Malapascua sooner.
At the North Bus Station, as we told you in the previous crossing from Siquijor to Malapascua, you can choose the bus (5–6 hours/250 pesos) or the van (3–4 hours/350 pesos).
Step 4: Bangka from Maya to Malapascua
Once in Maya you only need to take one of the bangkas to Malapascua. You can register at the little white booth on the left and pay the 200 pesos the ticket costs (plus 140 pesos in environmental fees). It’ll take about 45 minutes to reach the Logon pier, from where you can walk to your accommodation.
Getting from Siquijor to Malapascua via Dumaguete
The next alternative to go from Siquijor to Malapascua is via Dumaguete. This is the capital of Negros Oriental and has an airport, a seaport and a bus station.
In this case, you also have 2 options: take a flight from Dumaguete to Cebu City (the fastest and most expensive, 50 minutes/from 30€) or combine buses and boats to reach Cebu City. As in the previous options, you’ll need to go by land to Maya and then take a bangka to Malapascua. We’re going to explain how to do everything by land and sea, which is the trickiest:
Step 1: Ferry from Siquijor to Dumaguete
Doing this first stretch of the route from Siquijor to Malapascua won’t be difficult for you, since there are frequent boats between Siquijor and Dumaguete from sunrise to sunset. The journey takes between 1 and 2 hours, depending on the type of vessel, and can be booked here. These boats depart from Siquijor Town Port, the closest to most Siquijor accommodations. You have everything detailed, including schedules, in How to get from Siquijor to Dumaguete.
If it gets too late for you to go from Dumaguete to Cebu, this Philippine city is a great base to spend a few hours. There are lots of restaurants and it’s good for an interesting walk of a couple of hours. You can read all about it in Where to stay in Dumaguete and Things to do in Dumaguete.
Step 2: Transfer to Cebu City
To go from Dumaguete to Cebu you have 3 alternatives:
- Go to the Ceres Bus Terminal (a tricycle will cost you 8 pesos per person) and get on a bus heading to Cebu. These take about 5 hours, depending on traffic. To change islands, they board a boat to Bato and continue to Cebu City. The ticket price is around 400 pesos.
- If you see that there’s a long wait for these buses, you can do the journey on your own. Then you would have to take a jeepney to Sibulan Port (12 pesos/30’) and catch a boat to Liloan (around 100 pesos/25’). Then take any bus going towards Cebu (2 hours/200 pesos).
- Take a flight from Dumaguete to Cebu. Of course, it’s the most comfortable and not as expensive as you might think if you book in advance.
In the first two options you’ll arrive at Cebu City’s South Bus Terminal.
Step 3: Bus or van from Cebu to Maya
As in the previous routes to go from Siquijor to Malapascua, once in Cebu, transfer to the North Bus Station and take a bus or van to the town of Maya. Depending on the time you started this itinerary, you’ll have to decide whether to overnight in Cebu or Maya. In the latter there are barely a couple of options and very few places to eat; you’ll have to weigh whether you want more comforts or to arrive earlier in Malapascua the next day.
If you arrive at the airport, take a taxi to the North Bus Terminal.
Step 4: Bangka from Maya to Malapascua
You’ll just need to walk along the pier and get on the first one going to Malapascua. In under 45 minutes you’ll be on this beautiful island. Remember that these boats run more or less until 17:30.
How to get from Malapascua to Siquijor
Doing the opposite journey? In other words, do you want to know how to get from Malapascua to Siquijor? You just need to reverse the previous itineraries, but here we’ll give you a few pointers.
- Take a bangka from Malapascua to Maya: they depart from Logon Pier roughly from 6:00 (sometimes there’s nothing until 7:00) until 17:00. The price is the same: 200 pesos.
- Walk to the bus station (it’s next door) or take a van (they usually wait at the port): prices are 250 for the bus and 350 for the van. You’ll arrive at the North Bus Station. You can also opt for a car with driver and you can leave us a comment so we can send you our trusted contact.
Once at Cebu City’s North Bus Station, you have the following alternatives to go from Malapascua to Siquijor:
- If you haven’t arrived in time, sleep in Cebu and leave on the Oceanjet ferry to Siquijor at 5:10 or 13:00. It takes about 4 hours to reach Siquijor Port. You also have Supercat at 12:30, but bear in mind they cancel often, so it’s less reliable. — This is usually the most comfortable option. Consider that if you want to do it in a single day, it’s better to leave on the first boat from Malapascua and take private transport.
- If you’re doing this route any day except Sunday, you can board the Lite Shipping ferry to Siquijor. It departs at 13:00 and arrives in Siquijor around 23:00 the same day.
- Take a flight from Cebu to Dumaguete and, there, take a boat from Dumaguete to Siquijor. In How to get from Dumaguete to Siquijor you have more information, but you should know they run constantly more or less until 19h.
- Take a bus from Cebu to Dumaguete at Cebu’s South Bus Station and then take a boat from Dumaguete to Siquijor. The other option is to take a bus from Cebu to Bato, then the boat to Sibulan and a jeepney from Sibulan to Dumaguete.
- Take a bus from Cebu to Liloan and board the Maayo Shipping boat to Siquijor. It departs on Thursdays, Tuesdays and Saturdays at 2:00 in the early morning from Liloan and on Sundays at 7:00, and arrives at Larena Port a couple of hours later. Better to confirm schedules.
We hope we’ve helped you figure out how to get from Siquijor to Malapascua or vice versa. As always, if you have any questions, we’ll happily answer you in the comments.
Check out our Malapascua Guide and our Siquijor Guide to make the most of these islands.
