When we told you all the things to do in Romblon, we already told you it’s one of our favorite islands in the Philippines. One of the big reasons we came to love this island—besides the beauty of its nature and its people—is the lack of tourism, which let us enjoy it almost on our own. And that’s largely because getting to Romblon is still not very simple and you need to invest a bit of time.
If you feel like discovering this part of the Philippines, we recommend dedicating at least a week or, even better, 10 days. Romblon doesn’t have an airport and you’ll need to allow time to get there. Plus, we think part of the charm of this trip lies in combining this island with a visit to Tablas, Sibuyan and Cresta de Gallo, at least.
Are you up for falling in love with Romblon like we did? Keep reading and find out how to get to Romblon.
Heads up: these schedules and prices are always subject to change and it’s normal in the Philippines for routes to be modified. We recommend contacting the ferry companies or the Romblon Tourism Office before relying fully on a timetable, especially if you don’t have much wiggle room. We work hard to keep everything on the site up to date, but it’s normal that we occasionally miss some details.
How to get to Romblon from Manila: plane + boat
The fastest (and perhaps the easiest) way to reach Romblon is to take a plane to Tablas Airport, which is called Tugdan Domestic Airport and is located in the Alcantara area. Once there, you’ll need to negotiate a tricycle, van or jeepney to take you to the port of San Agustín. We shared a tricycle for 1,000 pesos (3 people) and the ride takes one hour.
Keep in mind that flights from Manila to Tablas are not daily and schedules vary. As of today, only AirSWIFT operates them and fares are around 4,500–5,500 pesos, even when bought in advance.
From San Agustín, in Tablas—where there’s a new terminal that mimics the Sydney Opera House (yes, welcome to the Philippines!)—the following boats depart for Romblon:
- Montenegro Shipping Lines: has a daily boat at 4:00 from San Agustín to Romblon. The trip takes 1 hour, but note that the ferry comes from Luzon, so it may run a bit late. It costs 80 pesos.
- Starhorse Shipping Lines: operates ferries every day at 4:00 from San Agustín to Romblon. The trip takes 1 hour.
- Bangkas to Romblon at different times, although they usually leave around 7:00 and 13:00. Schedules are erratic, so it’s best to get there as early as possible to secure the crossing to Romblon and add your name to the port’s list, since only 100 people fit. The ticket costs approximately 200 pesos. The journey takes just 90 minutes, depending on sea conditions.
If you don’t find any boat, it’s feasible to arrange a private transfer (2,000–3,000 pesos) or stay overnight in San Agustín, which has modest guesthouses like Kamella Lodge or East Harbor Inn.
How to get to Romblon from Manila: boat
Another way to get to Romblon is by boat from Batangas, the port closest to Manila.
You can take the frequent buses to the Batangas pier itself from the stations in Buendia (on Gil Puyat Avenue), the Parañaque Integrated Terminal (PITX), EDSA Taft or Cubao (next to Ali Mall). They leave roughly every half hour and the journey takes about 2 hours, although it depends a lot on traffic—which in Manila is usually horrible—and the ticket costs around 250–300 pesos, depending on the bus type. You can book at this link.
Once in Batangas, the best option is to take the Starlite Ferries ferry, which has a daily sailing that departs at 16:00 and arrives in Romblon around 1:00 a.m. Tickets start at 1,400 pesos, depending on the class you choose, but all of them include a bed. We don’t recommend the air‑conditioned cabins because it really gets extremely cold. You can conveniently book from this link.
If, for whatever reason, this option doesn’t suit you, you can also go from Manila to Lucena City (about 3–4 hours/300–400 pesos/book here) and opt for the following boats:
- Starhorse Shipping Lines: they depart daily at 16:00 from Lucena and arrive in Romblon around 5:00. In case it’s useful, they also stop in San Agustín (Tablas). It costs 80 pesos.
- Montenegro: they depart from Lucena daily at 15:00 and arrive in Romblon the next day at 5:00. Like the previous one, they also stop in San Agustín. It costs 80 pesos.
None of these ferries can be booked online in advance.
How to get to Romblon from Tablas
If you’re visiting neighboring Tablas and want to reach Romblon, you’ll have to do it via the port of San Agustín. There you have these options:
- Montenegro Shipping Lines: boat every day at 4:00, 1 hour, 80 pesos.
- Starhorse Shipping Lines: every day at 4:00. Same duration and price.
- Bangkas to Romblon: in theory, only one leaves at 13:00. About an hour and a half and 200 pesos. Travelers also tell us it’s feasible to arrange a private bangka for 2,000–3,000 pesos.
How to get to Romblon from Sibuyan
You have several options, although you should always confirm the timetable, as they can be a bit erratic:
- Starlite Ferries: departs daily from Ambulong Port (Magdiwang) at 19:00 and arrives around 21:00. Tickets start at 350 pesos and can be booked here.
- Montenegro Shipping Lines: departs every day from Magdiwang (Sibuyan) to Romblon at 8:00 and arrives at 10:00. Cannot be booked online.
- Starhorse Shipping Lines: from Magdiwang every day at 10:00 and arrives 2 hours later in Romblon. Cannot be booked in advance.
Take a look at our Sibuyan Guide to plan this part of your trip.
How to get to Romblon from Roxas, Panay
If you’re in Panay or in other nearby parts of the Philippines (such as Iloilo or Kalibo, which have airports), one option is to go to Roxas, which also has an airport, and from Culasi Port take the Starlite Ferries boat that departs daily at 13:00 and reaches Romblon around 21:00. Tickets start at 1,200 pesos (depending on class) and can be booked here.
Buy tickets from Roxas to Romblon here
How to get to Romblon from Caticlan, Boracay
If you’re on the famous island of Boracay and you feel like popping over to Romblon, you can get there too, although not directly. You’ll have to retrace your steps and take the small boat from Boracay to Caticlan (you know they run 24 hours) and there connect with other boats.
You have 2 alternatives:
1. Via Tablas:
Here you basically have these options:
- Take the 2GO ferry to Odiongan in Tablas (departs Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays at 14:00 and arrives at 17:00; it can be booked here) + take a tricycle to the Odiongan Bus Terminal or wait for a bus or jeepney to pass on the main road towards San Agustín (roughly 90 minutes) + boat to Romblon (you have the schedules above). Given the times, you’ll have to spend the night.
- Take the bangka (pumpboat) from Caticlan to Santa Fe in Tablas (it departs every day at 10:30 and 14:30; 200 pesos, about an hour, cannot be booked). Afterwards, you can negotiate a tricycle to San Agustín (we don’t think it’ll be less than 1,000 pesos) or take a jeepney to Odiongan (about 1 hour, 50 pesos) and then a bus or jeepney to San Agustín. You’ll need to sleep in San Agustín and take one of the boats to Romblon.
- Take the bangka from Caticlan to Looc (they run Monday to Saturday at 10:15 and take roughly 90 minutes, approximately 200 pesos) + jeepney from Looc to Odiongan (45 minutes) + jeepney or bus from Odiongan to San Agustín (60 minutes) + boat to Romblon. You’ll also have to spend the night.
If you have several days to explore this area of the Philippines from Boracay, don’t miss the chance to visit Carabao Island, a gorgeous island full of paradise beaches with hardly any tourism. From Caticlan you have bangkas to San José at 9:00, 10:00, 13:00 and 14:00 for 200 pesos). From there, there are boats to Santa Fe (Tablas) at 6:00, at 11:00 (Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays) and at 13:30 for 150 pesos. These routes take no more than 1 hour.
2. Via Roxas:
You need to get to Caticlan and from there to Roxas (about 4 hours, 300–400 pesos). If you see there are no direct rides to Roxas, you could first go to Kalibo by bus or van and then connect with any bus or van going to Roxas. In Roxas, take one of the Starlite Ferries boats, which depart daily at 13:00 and arrive in Romblon at 21:00. Tickets start at 1,200 pesos. You can book here.
Make the most of the island with our Boracay Guide.
Getting to Romblon from other places in the Philippines
We’ve focused on telling you how to get to Romblon from the most common places in the Philippines, but with more than 7,000 islands, you know the options are truly endless. Here are a few more routes that may interest you, but if you want to know another one, you can ask us in the comments and we’ll reply as soon as possible.
- How to get to Romblon from Cebu: you can look for a flight from Cebu to Roxas (it will connect via Manila, from €45) and then link up with the Starlite boat we mentioned. Another option is to take a flight from Cebu to Iloilo (direct, from €23) or a ferry from Cebu to Iloilo (12 hours, only certain days of the week; can be booked here), go to the New Ceres Terminal and take a bus or van to Roxas (approximately 3 hours).
- How to get to Romblon from El Nido: you’ll first have to go to Manila; we detail everything in How to get to Manila from Palawan. Once there, choose one of the alternatives we mentioned.
- How to get to Romblon from Coron: basically you have to choose between going to Manila (see How to get from Coron to Manila) and then flying to Tablas or taking a boat from Batangas or Lucena; or, as we did, taking a Bunso Transport boat that leaves Mondays and Fridays at 8:00 and costs 1,400 pesos. The journey takes about 6–7 hours, depending on sea conditions. Afterwards, you need to take a bus or a van (better a van, as it will be faster) to Roxas Mindoro (Dangay Port), which will take about 2.5 hours. There you have Starlite ferries to Odiongan on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays at 17:00 (arrival at 19:00) and Montenegro at 16:00 on Tuesdays and Fridays. From Odiogan, take a bus or jeepney to San Agustin and then one of the boats to Romblon that we’ve mentioned. You’ll have to spend the night.
Wherever you’re coming from, Romblon will win you over. Discover the best hotels to stay at in our article on where to stay in Romblon.
Do you have any questions about how to get to Romblon? We’ll be happy to answer in the comments.
You’ll find much more information in our Romblon Guide: things to do, where to stay and other useful info.
