If you’re looking for how to get to Padre Burgos it’s probably because you’re dying to swim with the whale shark in the Philippines or you want to explore the fabulous underwater scenery of Sogod Bay.
Located in the south of Leyte Island, this small town is a perfect place to spend a few relaxing days. However, as it’s such a non‑touristy spot, there are still not many direct transport options and you’ll have to combine several. That’s why we’ve put together this guide so you can get to Padre Burgos as quickly as possible.
Where is Padre Burgos?
Padre Burgos is located in the province of Southern Leyte, on the island of Leyte. It belongs to the Eastern Visayas region. If you look at the map, it sits next to Sogod Bay.
The most important nearby port is Maasin (about 30 kilometers away), followed by Bato and Hilongos on the opposite coast of Leyte. The nearest airport is Tacloban, in the north of the island.
Most resorts are located along the coast heading north. Buses don’t have any exact stops; they stop as people request them, so you won’t have any problem getting to your accommodation.
How to get to Padre Burgos from Cebu
In our opinion, unless you’re already in Bohol, the most convenient way to reach Padre Burgos is from Cebu. As we explain in How to get to Cebu, there you have an international airport as well as a major port with boats arriving from almost anywhere in the Philippines.
To go to Padre Burgos from Cebu, you basically have 5 options: via the port of Maasin, the port of Hilongos, the port of Bato, the port of Ormoc, and via Tacloban Airport. The most direct 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 daily fast ferries at 7:00 a.m. and gets to Maasin in just 3 hours—fantastic! You can book on this platform.
If you want to save money, there’s also the option to go with Cockaliong Shipping, which departs every Monday and Friday at 19:00 and arrives in Maasin at 1:30 a.m. They depart from Pier 1 (muelle 1) of Cebu City Port. As the route is somewhat variable, we recommend reconfirming schedules here. They don’t sell tickets online.
In the opposite direction, that is, from Maasin to Cebu, departures are at 8:00 on Tuesdays and Thursdays and arrival is around 14:00.
Prices on this route start at 540 pesos for Economy class and increase as you go up in class, even up to a suite. In any case, they are all bunks, so you’ll be quite comfortable. To this cost you’ll need to add 25 pesos for Cebu port fees.
How to get from Maasin to Padre Burgos? Once there, as soon as you leave the port, you’ll see multicabs (smaller jeepneys) heading to Padre Burgos. They take between 30 and 40 minutes and cost around 60 pesos per person. They dropped us at our resort, already past the town of Padre Burgos. You can also wait for any bus heading toward Sogod.
Almost all resorts in Padre Burgos organize pickups anywhere in Leyte. So you can also check with them if you don’t want to complicate things too much. 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 you can’t find boats to Maasin that suit you, another way to go to Padre Burgos from Cebu is by taking a ferry to Hilongos. There are several companies, but the two main ones are:
- Roble Shipping: boats at 11:00 and 21:00 daily. The trip takes about 5 hours. Prices start at 480 pesos for a seat but, since it’s several hours, it’s worth getting a bunk. The price difference isn’t big. You can’t book online; you’ll need to go to their office. Once there, you can walk to Pier 3, which is where the boats depart.
- Gabisan Shipping Lines: boats every day except Tuesdays at 14:00 (arrival 17:30) and every day except Sundays at 21:00 on a ro‑ro type boat, which is slower (about 5 hours). The trip also takes about 5 hours and prices are similar to Roble’s, starting at 400 pesos.
How to get from Hilongos to Padre Burgos? Once at the port, it’s common to see buses as soon as you exit the boat on the left-hand side. It’s very likely one of them will be heading to Maasin, as it’s a very frequent destination. If not, you can walk to the main road or take a pedicab (pedal tricycle) and there flag any bus going toward Maasin. The journey takes roughly 90 minutes. The bus fare depends on whether it has air‑conditioning, but it’s around 80 pesos.
Once in Maasin, connect with any bus or multicab going to Padre Burgos. It’s about 45 minutes more.
3. Go from Cebu to Padre Burgos via Bato
Another alternative is to take a ferry to Bato. The companies are:
- Medallion Transport: boats on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 20:30. It takes 6 hours and costs from 470 pesos. You can book online here.
- Southern Pacific Trans. Corp.: daily departures at 20:00 arriving at 3:00. – Confirm in advance at the port; they don’t have a website or Facebook.
How to get from Bato to Padre Burgos? As in the case of Hilongos, there are also buses heading to Maasin—usually the same ones that pass through Hilongos. Being closer, the ride is 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 the schedule of one of the ferries to Ormoc might suit you to go from Cebu to Padre Burgos. The companies are:
- Roble Shipping: daily ferry from Cebu to Ormoc at 22:00. It takes about 5 hours. From 600 pesos.
- Lite Shipping: daily at 11:00. It also takes about 7 hours and can be booked here.
- Oceanjet: fast ferries 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 at 5:30, 9:00, 12:30, and 16:00. The journey takes 3 hours. You can book here.
- Seacat: daily at 8:30 and 15:30. They also take around 3 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 runs around 200 pesos, depending on what you choose. There’s usually supply around the port but, if you don’t find anything, go to Ormoc City Park between Larrazabal St. and the baywalk.
5. Go from Cebu to Padre Burgos via Tacloban
If the schedules don’t work for you, you can fly, although if it’s not booked in advance it will be more expensive and you won’t save much time. Cebu Pacific Air (Cebgo) and Philippine Airlines operate flights almost daily. If you’re clear on your plans weeks/months in advance, you can find flights for around €16.
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 for those that pass through Padre Burgos so you don’t have to make extra transfers. It will take about 3.5 hours by van, considerably more by bus since they make stops.
How to get to Padre Burgos from Bohol
Spent a few days in beautiful Bohol and want to get to Padre Burgos? Then it’s not too complicated.
The first thing you need to do is get to Ubay Port, from which boats depart for Leyte. Depending on where you are in Bohol, you’ll have to get there in one way or another:
- From Tagbilaran to Ubay: at Dao Terminal (Integrated Bus Terminal) you have buses and vans to Ubay. 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 do so, you can take the airport bus, which runs along Alona Beach main road (1 hour/50 pesos), a tricycle (45 minutes/300 pesos), or a taxi (30 minutes/500 pesos). Then follow the steps above.
- From Anda to Ubay: take a motorela to the Bohol Circumferential Road (if you share it, they charge 20–30 pesos). There, wait for 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. For a private ride they shouldn’t charge you more than 40 pesos. The boat schedule from Bohol to Leyte is:
- To Bato: Soemco Mariner departs daily at 8:00 and takes 1.5 hours. It costs 470 pesos. You also have ferries with Medallion Transport departing at 10:00, 12:00, and 18:00. The ticket costs 480 pesos. Neither can be booked online. In the opposite direction, from Bato to Ubay, departures are at 8:30, 10:30, 15:00, and 18:00.
- Hilongos: Leopard’s boats leave Ubay at 9:00 and take a couple of hours.
NOTE: it’s best to take all these schedules with a grain of salt or confirm them in advance with dive centers in Padre Burgos because these aren’t touristy areas, options are limited, and they change constantly.
Once in Bato or Hilongos, you’ll need to take a bus to Maasin and then a multicab to Padre Burgos. Estimate between 90 minutes and 2 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 the whale shark, don’t hesitate to go to Padre Burgos. It’s not that complicated, as it’s relatively close.
To go from Siargao to Padre Burgos, follow these steps:
- Take the boat from Siargao to Surigao in Dapa: there are boats roughly from 4:00 until 15:30. The only one you can book online is Evaristo and Sons, which departs at 4:00, 6:00, 10:00, 13:00, and 15:30 daily. The 4:00 boat takes 3.5 hours and the others 1.5 hours. It costs around 400 pesos, depending on the type of boat. If you leave early, you can 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: they depart roughly when full from the corner of Borromeo Street and Luneta. The trip is just about 8 kilometers.
- Take a boat from Lipata to Lilo‑an: Fastcat has boats at 00:00, 6:00, 12:00, and 18:00 daily. The trip takes 2 hours. If you don’t make the ones to Lilo‑an, which is closer, you can go to San Ricardo. San Ricardo Shipping Lines and Montenegro have several frequencies roughly between 5:00 and 17:00. They aren’t sold online and we recommend asking the Pintuyan tourism office to reconfirm schedules. The crossing takes about an hour and costs around 300 pesos.
- Take a bus or van toward Sogod or Maasin: ask the driver, but usually you can board any that goes to Tacloban, Sogod, Ormoc… Also ask if there’s one going to Maasin. It’s about 40 minutes to Sogod. Once there, take another bus to Maasin. Ask if it passes through Padre Burgos so you can get off at your accommodation. This leg will take you about 4–5 hours.
☀️ Remember that Pintuyan is on the way, so staying there is a shorter alternative in both time and money.
How to get to Padre Burgos from Malapascua
If you plan to do a double and enjoy both the thresher shark in Malapascua and the whale shark, then you’ll want to know how to get from Malapascua to Padre Burgos. To do this, you can choose to go 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 your ferry time, you may or may not need to overnight in the city. Take a look at Where to stay in Cebu to decide. The steps are:
- Bangka from Malapascua to Maya: depart roughly every hour from 6:30 to 17:30. The ticket is 200 pesos per person and they take about 30–45 minutes.
- Bus or van to Cebu: you can choose between the vans at the port (350 pesos) or the buses (250–320 pesos). Vans are faster, depending on city traffic on arrival. Allow 3–6 hours.
- Taxi to the appropriate port terminal: it can take about 30 minutes, depending on traffic. Make sure they use the meter.
- Ferry to Maasin, Bato, Hilongos, or Ormoc: detailed above in How to get to Padre Burgos from Cebu.
- Bus to Maasin: also detailed above.
- Multicab to Padre Burgos.
2. Go from Malapascua to Padre Burgos via Kalanggaman
It will take more effort, but if you plan to visit Kalanggaman, it might be worth it. The steps:
- Arrange the transfer to Kalanggaman: this excursion costs 1,200–1,300 pesos for round‑trip transport and 1,000 pesos for island fees. Therefore, you’d need to negotiate at the port how much a one‑way ride costs. You can think of around 600 pesos. Departure is usually at 9:00 and it’s about 2 hours of navigation.
- Arrange the transfer to Palompon: since there’s no “regular” transport linking Kalanggaman with Leyte, you’ll need to join a boat that has come from Palompon and is returning the same day. Expect to arrive in Kalanggaman around 11:00, so you’ll have to wait for the excursions to return, usually around 15:00 or 16:00. If you want to stay longer on Kalanggaman, you can sleep in the huts or tents we mention in the article about the island. For reference, the boat for up to 15 people from Palompon round‑trip costs 3,000 pesos, so the price varies with the number of passengers. The ride takes about 45 minutes.
- Take a bus or van to Ormoc: the van is much faster. It costs around 200 pesos and takes 90 minutes.
- Take a bus or van from Ormoc to Maasin: vans are much faster. They take about 3.5 hours.
- Take a bus or multicab to Padre Burgos: it will take 30–40 minutes.
How to get to Padre Burgos from Manila
If you’re in the Philippine capital, the most convenient way to reach Padre Burgos is to take a flight to Tacloban or Cebu. Buying in advance, you can find them for around €16. Once there, follow the steps we’ve indicated in the sections above.
Flights from Manila to Tacloban
Go to Padre Burgos from other corners 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 let you know, but here’s a brief summary of the most common places:
- From Camiguin to Padre Burgos: you can go from Camiguin to Jagna (Bohol) on the 9:30 boat and arrive around 13:30. You can book from this link. Once there, take a bus to Ubay and try to catch a boat going to Bato or Hilongos.
- From Bantayan to Padre Burgos: you’ll need to return to Cebu (boat + bus) and then follow the steps above to reach Padre Burgos.
- From Siquijor to Padre Burgos: you can go to Bohol (see everything in How to get from Siquijor to Bohol) or to Cebu (more in How to get to Cebu).
- From Moalboal to Padre Burgos: take one of the frequent buses to Cebu (3 hours) and then follow the steps to Padre Burgos.
Where to stay in Padre Burgos
Padre Burgos is a small, low‑tourism place. People who come here basically come to dive because it’s one of the best places for diving in the Philippines. Therefore, what you’ll find most are resorts dedicated to the diving world. In recent years, the number of travelers coming to see the whale shark has increased, so hotels have stepped up and are also offering more budget‑friendly lodging.
Here are some recommendations on where to stay in Padre Burgos:
- Burgos Reef Boutique Resort: the best in the area by far, newly opened.
- Portofino Homestay: located north of Padre Burgos, in a very quiet seaside spot. Comfortable rooms and a pool.
- Daom Dive Resort: simple but spacious rooms, some with sea views. The hotel has a small yet lovely beach for a dip and to go snorkeling straight from shore. They have a restaurant and, of course, a dive shop.
If you plan to go to Padre Burgos in whale shark season (November to April) and especially on weekends, we recommend booking in advance.
By the way, if you finally opt for Pintuyan instead of Padre Burgos to see the whale shark, don’t miss our article How to get to Pintuyan.
We hope this has helped you figure out how to get to Padre Burgos. If you have any questions, we’ll be happy to answer them in the comments.
