If you’re thinking of including these 2 wonderful islands with stunning beaches and underwater scenery in your trip around the Philippines, you’ll need to know how to get from Malapascua to Bohol in a simple way. Although both are located in the Visayas region, there is no direct way to connect them; you’ll have to combine different types of transport and pass through Cebu Island.
Having done this route plenty of times, here we’re going to tell you how to go from Malapascua to Bohol in the most direct way. At the end of this article, you’ll also find how to do the reverse route, that is, how to go from Bohol to Malapascua.
Step 1: Bangka from Malapascua to Maya
You probably already know how it works—it’s likely you arrived on the island this way—but the first step on the route from Malapascua to Bohol is to take one of the bangkas, the traditional Filipino outrigger boats, to the port of Maya.
These depart from Logon or Barrio pier about every hour between 6:30 and 17:00. The ticket costs 200 pesos per person, although it’s common that if there aren’t enough passengers (10), they try to charge you more money up to the 2.000 pesos it costs to hire the whole boat. If you don’t want to pay more, you can wait for the next one.
The ride takes between 30 and 45 minutes, depending on sea conditions.
bangkas from Malapascua to Maya
Step 2: Bus, van or car from Maya to Cebu
Once on Cebu Island, you can either walk 2–3 minutes to the bus station (it’s slightly ahead following the road on the right-hand side) or hop into one of the vans that are usually waiting at the pier.
- Buses are slower but cheaper. The journey takes between 4 and 6 hours, depending on the traffic going into Cebu. They charge between 250 and 300 pesos, depending on whether they have air conditioning or not.
- Vans are faster but less comfortable. Since they cram in lots of people, sometimes you end up like a contortionist. They charge 350 pesos per person.
Whatever you choose, you’ll get off at Cebu’s North Bus Terminal, next to SM City. They operate 24 hours, with more frequency when there’s daylight, that is, from 6:00 to 18:00.
Another alternative is to hire a car with driver from Maya port to Cebu port. It’s much faster and more comfortable, but also more expensive. Expect between 2.500 and 3.000 pesos. If you don’t want to negotiate there, you can leave us a comment and we’ll give you our trusted contact.
Step 3: Taxi, Grab or bus to Pier 1 at Cebu Port
Already in Cebu City, the next step to get from Malapascua to Bohol is to take transport that brings you to the pier to catch a boat. Most of them depart from pier 1 (muelle 1).
To do this, you can link up rides on multicabs (the smaller version of jeepneys). We’ll warn you it can be a bit of a hassle, especially if you’re carrying a lot of luggage, but it will be the cheapest, since a ride on these usually doesn’t exceed 10 pesos. To know which ones to take, it’s best to ask people or take a look at this map.
Another alternative is to take a MyBus bus that goes toward the port. It’s a cheap but slow option. It’s a bit tricky to figure out how to get there, so it’s best to ask the security guards at the station in the shopping mall.
Finally, the easiest thing is to go for a white taxi (make sure they turn on the meter) or request a GRAB car. The latter is an app that works like Uber or Cabify: you request a car and they charge a fixed fare depending on the route and current traffic. You can pay in cash or by card. In either case, it usually takes about 20 minutes depending on traffic. It will cost you approximately 100–150 pesos.
Step 4: Boat from Cebu to Bohol
You’re already at the port—next step is to take a boat from Cebu to Bohol. You have several alternatives, which basically boil down to two:
- Go to Tagbilaran: it’s the capital of Bohol and, therefore, there are more boats. This is what we recommend if you’re going to stay in Tagbilaran itself, Loboc, Panglao or Anda.
- Go to Tubigon: the boat trip is shorter and cheaper, but it only makes sense if you plan to stay overnight in Carmen to visit the Chocolate Hills from there. If you arrived very late in Cebu, it’s also an option to consider, since there’s a ferry at 1:00 in the morning.
From Tagbilaran to Tubigon it’s almost a 2-hour bus ride.
To go to Tagbilaran from Cebu you have ferries almost every hour from 6:00 to 17:40. Later there are a few odd ones, like Lite Shipping’s at 22:00, but keep in mind it’s a ro-ro type boat and therefore slower. The companies that operate them are Oceanjet (the one with the most departures) and Lite Shipping. The trip with the former takes about 2 hours and the ticket costs around 800 pesos, varying according to the company and seat type. You can check schedules and book here:
Book your ticket from Cebu to Bohol here
If you’re traveling in peak periods such as Chinese New Year, Christmas or Holy Week, we strongly recommend booking. Also if you plan to take the last one, which usually fills up.
Step 5: Arrive at your destination within Bohol
You’re already on the island, but depending on what you’re going to do you’ll sleep in Bohol in one place or another. Here’s how to get from Tagbilaran to the main spots in Bohol:
- To Panglao: here you can take a taxi (600 pesos), a tricycle (300 pesos), a jeepney (25 pesos) or a bus (50 pesos). For the last two options, you’ll need to go to the jeepney and bus stations respectively. Finally, you can also book your private transfer through the KLOOK agency here. This trip will take between 40 and 60 minutes. More info in How to get to Panglao.
- To Loboc: take a tricycle from the port to the Integrated Bus Terminal (Dao Terminal). It shouldn’t cost you more than 20 pesos per person. There you can choose any bus, van or jeepney going to Loboc. The trip takes about 1 hour and usually doesn’t cost more than 50 pesos, although it depends on the type of transport you choose. More info in How to get to Loboc (Bohol).
- To Anda: take a tricycle to Dao Terminal. There you can hop on any bus or van going to Anda. The trip takes about 2.5–3 hours and costs around 100 pesos. If you go by van, it’s normal for them to charge about 120 pesos, since they’re faster. They don’t have a fixed schedule; they leave as they fill up. Buses leave roughly every hour from 5:00 to 17:30. More info in How to get to Anda (Bohol).
⚠️ As you can see, this route from Malapascua to Bohol will easily take you 8 or 9 hours (even more if there’s heavy traffic). Therefore, we suggest leaving Malapascua around 7:00 so you have plenty of time to catch the last afternoon boats from Cebu to Bohol.
How to get from Bohol to Malapascua
If you want to do the journey in the opposite direction, that is, go from Bohol to Malapascua, you just need to follow the steps we’ve detailed above, but in reverse. In short:
- Take transport from wherever you are in Bohol to Tagbilaran: you can read how to do these routes in the previous section.
- Take a boat from Tagbilaran to Cebu: these boats operate roughly from 6:00 to 17:40. It will take a couple of hours. You can book here.
- Take transport to the North Bus Terminal: to get there quickly, we recommend any white taxi or a GRAB car. It will take about 20 minutes and cost you approximately 100 pesos.
- Take a bus or van to Maya port: they operate 24 hours a day. Vans are less comfortable and more expensive (350 pesos), but faster (3.5–4 hours, depending on traffic). Buses are more comfortable and cheaper (around 250 pesos, depending on whether they have air conditioning), but slower (5–6 hours).
- Take a bangka from Maya to Malapascua: the ticket is 200 pesos per person (plus 120 in environmental fees). They operate roughly from 7:00 to 17:30. Note that sometimes they’ll tell you there aren’t enough passengers (10) to fill the whole boat (2.000 pesos), so if you want to leave earlier you’ll have to pay the difference—it’s up to you.
The bangkas going to Malapascua can drop you at Logon (Barrio) pier and, sometimes, depending on them, at Bounty Beach (next to Cocobana Hotel). Once on the island, you can hire a habal-habal (motorbike with driver) to take you to your hotel in Malapascua(40 pesos), although it’s so small that you can surely walk.
⚠️ Keep in mind that this trip from Bohol to Malapascua will take you about 8 or 9 hours. We recommend leaving Bohol first thing (around 6:00 or 7:00) so you can catch the last bangkas from Maya to Malapascua, which are usually around 17:00–17:30.
We hope we’ve helped you figure out how to get from Malapascua to Bohol. Remember you have tons of information about both islands in our Malapascua Guide and the Bohol Guide.
If you have any questions or suggestions, we’d love to read you in the comments.
