Sibuyan is one of the islands that belongs to the Romblon island group. Known as the “Galapagos of Asia” (with a very big grain of salt), its wild nature, the near total absence of tourism, and the chance to visit one of the most beautiful islands we know, Cresta de Gallo, are great reasons to take on the journey to get here. Since the information we found was patchy—if not almost non-existent—we want to tell you everything about how to get to Sibuyan.
Note: we’re making this guide as a reference, but, as often happens in the less touristic Philippines, changes are frequent. While on the previous island, Romblon, we asked around 10 different people—including port staff—about ferry schedules to Sibuyan and each person told us something different. Keep in mind that boats get canceled, suddenly don’t show up, or are delayed. Therefore, we always recommend traveling the Romblon islands only if you have plenty of time for the unexpected.
A good amount of time to visit Romblon – Sibuyan – Cresta de Gallo is at least 8 days; if possible, 9 days. Also, always try to confirm schedules with the shipping companies and don’t put all the weight on our info.
Keep reading and discover how to get to Sibuyan.
Where is Sibuyan
Sibuyan is one of the islands in the Romblon archipelago, in the Visayas region. It is the 2nd largest island, after Tablas, and is located east of Romblon Island and west of Masbate.
The island has 3 municipalities: Cajidiocan, Magdiwang and San Fernando. Each of them has a small port with boats to other parts of the Philippines. Thus:
- From Cajidiocan boats mainly depart to Masbate, although since December also to Batangas (Luzon).
- From the port of Ambulong in Magdiwang (the largest) boats go to Romblon and San Agustin (Tablas).
- From Azagra or San Fernando bangkas depart to the port of Culasi (Roxas).
There are no airports on Sibuyan. The closest airports are Roxas (on Panay Island) and Tugdan (on Tablas).
Now we’ll tell you how to get to Sibuyan from different parts of the Philippines.
How to get to Sibuyan
How to get to Sibuyan from Romblon
The easiest and fastest way to get to Sibuyan is from Romblon. Obviously, to do so, you’ll first need to reach that island, but in How to get to Romblon we tell you everything.
Once in Romblon, due to ferry schedules, you’ll need to stay overnight in Romblon. Don’t see it as an unnecessary stop; this island truly deserves at least 3 or 4 days. It’s one of our favorites.
From Romblon, three ferry companies sail to the port of Ambulong in Sibuyan: Star Horse Shipping, Montenegro Shipping and Starlite. The first two depart at 5:30 in the morning and arrive at around 7:30. Starlite operates at 2:00 and arrives around 5:00. Prices are around 350 pesos.
That’s the theory. In practice, sometimes they leave early, sometimes they’re late, and sometimes they don’t sail… The best thing is to ask the day before and, most importantly, go to the port very early.
How to get to Sibuyan from Tablas
In this case, the most convenient way to reach Sibuyan directly is to take the daily boat that departs from the port of San Agustin at 4:00 and arrives at 7:30. The company is Montenegro.
How to get to Sibuyan from Roxas (Capiz, Panay)
If you’re coming from Panay Island, perhaps after visiting destinations like Boracay or Iloilo, the most convenient option is to use Starlite ferries that depart every day at 13:00. You can book them via this link. Prices start at 800 pesos and the journey takes about 5 hours. They depart from Culasi port and arrive at Ambulong port in Magdiwang.
How to get to Sibuyan from Manila
At the moment there are 4 ways to get to Sibuyan from Manila:
- Via Tablas: you can take one of the flights from Manila to Tablas. These arrive at Tugdan Airport, but keep in mind they are not daily. They are operated by AirSWIFT and prices are usually not very cheap, typically between 4,500 and 5,500 pesos. From the airport, take one of the (infrequent) jeepneys to San Agustin or take a tricycle (they usually cost 600–800 pesos; you’ll need to negotiate). There you’ll have to spend the night (there are guesthouses) until you can take the Montenegro boat from Tablas to Sibuyan, which departs at 4:00.
- Via Batangas: in this case, you can go to Batangas port (buses from Buendia, EDSA Taft or Cubao, a couple of hours, 200 pesos) and there take one of the Starlite boats that depart every day at 16:00 and arrive around 5:00 in Sibuyan, at Ambulong. The ticket costs about 1,400 pesos, depending on the fare. It can be booked here.
- Via Lucena City: although we don’t think it’s as convenient, from this city in Luzon (Dalahican port) you have Montenegro boats to Sibuyan every day at 15:00, which arrive in Sibuyan at 7:30 the following day. They cannot be booked online. From Manila to Lucena it’s about 3 hours by bus; these can be booked here and cost about 400 pesos.
- Via Roxas: you can take one of the direct flights from Manila to Roxas with Air Asia, Philippine Airlines or Cebu Pacific. The journey takes barely 1 hour and prices are around €20 if booked in advance.
Flights from Manila to Roxas (Panay)
Once in Roxas, you’ll need to follow the steps we described in the previous section.
How to get to Sibuyan from Cebu
If you’re coming from the Cebu area and want to reach Sibuyan, you have 2 options:
- Go to Iloilo by overnight ferry from Cebu: they depart on Thursdays and Sundays at 19:00. The company is Cockalion Shipping Lines and the trip takes about 12 hours, but you travel in a bed. Prices start at 1,400 pesos and you can book here. In theory, the Trans-Asia shipping line operates every Monday and Friday at 18:00 and takes roughly the same time to get to Iloilo. From there, go to Roxas by bus or van (2 hours) and then follow the steps we gave you to go from Roxas to Sibuyan.
- Take a flight from Cebu to Iloilo: they are daily, operated by Cebu Pacific Air and Philippine Airlines. The flight takes about 50 minutes. Prices, if booked in advance, are around €23. From there, bus or van to Roxas and from Culasi to Sibuyan by boat.
- Take a flight from Cebu to Roxas: this is a less interesting option because they are with a layover, so they’ll hardly take less than 4–5 hours and prices are around €50. Afterwards, you just need to go to Culasi port and take the boat to Sibuyan.
How to get to Sibuyan from Boracay
We believe the easiest way is to go to Roxas by bus from Caticlan to Roxas (approximately 4 hours, about 300 pesos) and follow the steps we gave you to go from Roxas to Sibuyan. If you can’t find buses to Roxas, you can first go to Kalibo and from there to Roxas.
The other option is to go to Sibuyan from Caticlan via Tablas or Romblon. In this case, you’ll have to choose between:
- Bangka from Caticlan to Santa Fe (every day at 10:30 and 14:30, 1 hour) or bangka from Caticlan to Looc (10:15, about 90 minutes) + tricycle from Santa Fe or Looc to San Agustin (we’d say roughly 1,000 pesos) + bangka or ferry from San Agustin to Romblon. Most likely you’ll have to spend the night in San Agustin, where there are a few guesthouses.
- Ferry from Caticlan to Odiongan (Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays) at 14:00 and arriving at 17:00 + bus from Odiongan station to San Agustin (about 90 minutes) + ferry from San Agustin to Sibuyan at 4:00. You’ll have to spend the night.
If you have the time, we recommend exploring both Tablas and Romblon, as they are islands that are really worth it.
How to get to Sibuyan from Masbate
If you want to get to Sibuyan from Masbate, you’ll need to go to the port of Mandaon (2 hours from Masbate City) and from there boats depart on Wednesdays and Sundays at 9:00 with the company KHO Shipping Lines. We advise you to arrive earlier, because sometimes it tends to leave around 7:00. Also, reconfirm because it’s not a very common route.
This bangka will drop you at the port of Cajidiocan.
Things to do in Sibuyan
Discover things to do in Sibuyan in this detailed article about our time on the island.
And that’s our extremely detailed guide on how to get to Sibuyan. We hope you find the option that best suits what you’re looking for. If you have any questions, the comments tab is open!
