If you’re looking for how to get to Camotes or the Camotes Islands because this group of Philippine islands caught your eye, you’ve come to the right place. Here we’re going to tell you everything about the best routes and transport from other corners of the archipelago such as Cebu, Manila, Bohol or Leyte.
Where the Camotes Islands are – Location
Before getting into it, you should know that the Camotes Islands are located in the Visayas region and are part of the province of Cebu. If you look at the map, they are east of the island of Cebu and northeast of Cebu City, which is the capital. Specifically, they are situated between the islands of Cebu and Leyte.
The two most important ports in the Camotes Islands are Consuelo, located on the west of Pacijan Island, and Poro, located on the south of Poro Island. There is also another port in Hagutapay, in the north of Poro Island, which receives boats from Leyte; and another called Bokok Wharf, on the east of Pacijan, which also receives boats from Ormoc in Leyte.
An airport is expected to open in Camotes at some point, but it still looks like it will take a little while.
Looking at the map, it’s easy to reach Camotes from Cebu and Leyte and, therefore, from all the destinations that are well connected to them such as Malapascua, Bantayan, Bohol or Siquijor.
How to get to Camotes from Cebu
The most common and comfortable way to get to Camotes is via Cebu. Since it has one of the most important and best-connected cities in the Philippines, it’s usually the easiest way. Here you basically have 3 main ports: Danao, about 30 kilometers north of Cebu City and the one most used to reach Camotes; Mactan (the island where Cebu’s airport is); and the newly opened Pier 88 in Liloan, just 17 kilometers east of downtown Cebu. We’ll walk you through the options so you can see which one suits you best.
Please keep in mind that, although we are constantly updating articles, schedules sometimes change, especially on holidays. It’s important that you always reconfirm them with the ferry companies.
We also strongly recommend that you buy your ticket to Camotes as early as possible (much better if you do it online), especially the return to Cebu if it’s a Sunday or a holiday. We had to spend 3 hours at Consuelo port because we missed out on the first boat.
If you’re not in Cebu yet, be sure to check our guide How to get to Cebu. If you need to stay overnight in the city, this one will help: Where to stay in Cebu.
a) Go to Camotes via Danao
Before the opening of the new Liloan pier (Pier 88), this was basically the only way to get to Camotes from Cebu. It’s the one we chose, since there are quite a few boat schedules and because Consuelo port is well connected with Santiago Bay, the area we chose to stay in.
Danao is roughly an hour and a half from Cebu (depending on traffic) and you have lots of buses leaving from the North Bus Terminal (next to SM City). In fact, any bus heading north (including those going to Maya, Hangnaya or Bogo) stops in Danao and the port is right on the roadside, so you won’t have much trouble getting there. The ticket is around 70–80 pesos, depending on the type of bus.
To get to the North Bus Terminal from the airport, you can take any white taxi (make sure they use the meter), Grab or the MyBus buses. Same if you’ve arrived in Cebu by sea, from where you could even walk if you’re not carrying much. If you want to do it comfortably, we can also give you a driver’s contact, which will be around 1,500 pesos. Leave us a comment and we’ll share more information.
Once in Danao, there are Jomalia Shipping boats from 5:30 to 20:00 that go to Consuelo port. On Sundays from 6:30 to 17:30. The price is around 300–650 pesos, depending on the ticket type, and they can be easily booked from this link.
By the way, Danao port is next to a rather pleasant shopping area with restaurants and bars where you can eat with sea views. Right next door there’s a large mall where you can buy things you might need (sunscreen, creams, flip-flops…).
b) Go to Camotes via Liloan – Pier 88
This port opened in May 2023, much closer to Cebu City and also connected by sea to Mactan Island, where the airport is, which can save you time, since the traffic leaving Cebu is, in many cases, quite bad.
From here you can go to Camotes with the following companies:
- SuperShuttle: operates every day at 9:00 and takes 3 hours to reach Poro port. It’s expected to start another departure at 18:00 soon. Prices are around 400 pesos, depending on the ticket type. You can buy it here.
- Camotes Ferry Services – CFS: departs daily at 8:00 and 16:00. The ticket price is 360 pesos and they cannot be purchased online.
- Aznar Shipping: operates daily at 5:00 and is a bit slower because it’s a RO-RO boat. It costs 390 pesos and can be purchased here.
- Oceanjet: currently suspended, but they used to run this route. We’ll have to wait to see if they add more boats.
The good thing about boarding SuperShuttle or Aznar is that, being RORO, buses usually ride onto the ferry and then head to Santiago Bay, which we think is the best area to stay.
How to get to Liloan port – Pier88
You can take any bus that departs from the North Bus Terminal. As we mentioned, there are some from the company Ceres (the yellow ones) that drive onto the ferry and take you to Santiago Bay in Camotes. You can buy the combined ticket at the bus station.
You also have jeepneys and you could even take a taxi. Allow about an hour of travel, although it’s usually more due to Cebu traffic, so don’t cut it close and don’t leave with less than 2 hours to spare so you don’t miss the ferry.
On the other hand, from Mactan Marina (we’ve marked it on the map) you have “water” buses to Pier88 for only 35 pesos. You can see the schedule here and, in theory, they offer free pick-ups from this point.
c) Go to Camotes via Mactan
Good news: since March 2024 you can go to Camotes from Mactan Island, where Cebu’s airport is. Therefore, you can get there quickly from almost anywhere in the country by first flying to Cebu and then heading to this specific point, from which Jomalia Shipping boats depart to Consuelo.
At the moment, they operate every day at 8:00 and on Saturdays and Sundays there’s an extra one at 12:00. The trip takes an hour and a half and the good news is you can reserve in advance from this link.
In the opposite direction, from Consuelo to Mactan there’s a daily departure at 10:00 and on Saturdays and Sundays at 10:00 and 16:00.
How to get to Camotes from Leyte
If you’ve decided to explore remote Leyte (where you’ll find attractions like Pintuyan and its whale sharks, the Padre Burgos area with its wonderful dive sites, or the Four Islands tour), you can also continue your route through the Visayas by hopping over to the Camotes.
To go to Camotes from Leyte you’ll need to head to Ormoc, one of its main cities. From here the following operate:
- Jomalia Shipping: departs at 15:00 every day and arrives in Hagutapay (Poro Island) at 18:00, stopping first at Pilar Island. The ticket is about 200 pesos.
- Camotes Ferry Services – CFS: departs at 12:30 and arrives in Hagutapay around 15:30, also stopping at Pilar. The ticket costs about 330 pesos.
- KCQ Express: departs every day at 12:00 from Ormoc and arrives at Bokok port (Pacijan Island) around 15:00. They usually make an intermediate stop in Esperanza, on Poro. The ticket is about 400 pesos. This port is closer to tourist places than Hagutapay, as it’s just a little north of San Francisco.
None of these tickets can be purchased online at the moment.
Remember to always reconfirm schedules. The most reliable source tends to be Facebook pages: Jomalia, CFS and KCQ Express.
How to get to Camotes from Manila
If you’ve just arrived in the Philippines through its capital or you’ve returned to the starting point after visiting other islands and want to know how to get to Camotes from Manila, the first thing you need to do is search for a flight to Cebu. Since there are so many, if you buy in advance, you can get one for about €20.
Once in Cebu, you can choose any of the options we mentioned in How to get to Camotes from Cebu. Since you’ll arrive at the airport, which is on Mactan, the easiest is to take the boat that leaves every day from Mactan to Consuelo. You could walk from the airport to the pier or take any white taxi, which use the meter and are very affordable.
How to get to Camotes from Bohol
Being relatively close, you’re probably wondering if you can get to Camotes directly from Bohol. For now, no. Therefore, you’ll first have to go to Cebu and, from there, go to Camotes via Liloan or Danao port.
The options to go to Cebu from Bohol are:
- From Tagbilaran: this is the main and generally most convenient port, as it’s well connected to Panglao, Loboc and Anda. Boats take 2 hours and prices are around 800–1,000 pesos. They depart between 6:00 and 17:40. You can buy the ticket here.
- From Tubigon: a more economical option, as tickets are around 300–400 pesos, but keep in mind that you have almost 2 hours by bus from Tagbilaran. It only really makes sense if you’re in the Chocolate Hills area. There are fast boats (90 minutes) or slow ones (2 hours). You can buy the ticket here.
- From Getafe: this port is closer to Cebu, so it only takes about 75 minutes. Still, check carefully how it fits with the areas you’ll be in around Bohol, as it’s not well connected with the rest of the island. You can check schedules and prices at this link.
You’ll most likely arrive at Cebu Pier 1. From there, you can go to the North Bus Station by bus or taxi and make your way to Liloan, Danao or Mactan, whichever you’ve chosen.
You have much more information about transport to/from this fabulous island in How to get to Bohol.
How to get to Camotes from Siquijor
As in the previous case, to get to Camotes from Siquijor, you’ll first have to go to Cebu. For that:
- You can take a fast boat from Siquijor to Cebu: they depart every day at 8:20 and take about 4 hours to arrive. They’re operated by Oceanjet and the ticket costs between 1,600 and 2,000 pesos, depending on the fare. You can buy it at this link.
- You can take the slow boat from Siquijor to Cebu: operated by Lite Shipping and only leaving on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at 19:00, taking about 7 hours. It costs between 800 and 900 pesos. You can conveniently buy the ticket here.
There are also more convoluted options such as going by bus (which will take many hours) and taking a boat from Siquijor to Dumaguete (you can book here) and then catching a flight from Dumaguete to Cebu (search here). See more information at How to get to Siquijor.
Once in Cebu, follow the steps we detailed above in How to get to Camotes from Cebu. It’s normal to have to take a taxi or a Grab car from the port to the North Bus Station (very close) and, from there, go to Liloan, Danao or Mactan, whichever you prefer.
How to get to Camotes from Malapascua or Bantayan
Another relatively simple way to get to Camotes is from Malapascua or Bantayan, since these islands are to the north of Cebu and, therefore, you can reach Danao (the port from which many boats leave for Camotes) without too many detours.
- From Malapascua to Camotes: you’ll have to take a bangka to Maya (200 pesos/about 45 minutes, cannot be booked online), then take a bus or van towards Cebu and get off in Danao (about 2.5 hours/around 200 pesos) and board one of the boats that go to Consuelo in Camotes (2.5 hours/about 350 pesos, you can buy a ticket here).
- From Bantayan to Camotes: you’ll have to take one of the boats from Santa Fe to Hagnaya (90 minutes/about 400 pesos, can be purchased here), a bus towards Cebu (around 2 hours/about 200 pesos), get off in Danao and take the boat to Consuelo (buy here).
You’ll find more information about these routes in How to get to Malapascua and How to get to Bantayan.
How to get to the Camotes Islands from other destinations in the Philippines
If you’re elsewhere in the Philippines such as Palawan (El Nido, Port Barton, Coron…), Siargao, Camiguin, Negros or similar, our recommendation to get to Camotes is to first go to Cebu. From there, it’s very easy to connect to the Camotes.
You can find more information about those routes in How to get to Cebu or, directly:
This is just a small part of all the information we have about these islands. You can read much more in What to do in Camotes.
If you still have any questions or want to know how to get to Camotes from another destination, you can leave us a comment and we’ll reply as soon as possible.
