Last month I was researching how to get to Bantayan Island. After coming back from a fantastic trip to the island, I have learned all the ways to go to Bantayan Island. I wanted to write a guide for you.
How to get to Bantayan Island: Take the aircon bus from Cebu North Bus Terminal to Hagnaya Port. Then take the ferry over to Santa Fe Port on Bantayan Island. From the port on the island you can hire a tricycle to your accommodation. The trip will take about 5 hours on average, and cost about 500 PHP per person.
I would strongly recommend that you hop on a bus that leaves Cebu City before noon, and that you pick the aircon bus over the open-air bus, and not for the reason you may think.
Aircon Bus to Hagnaya Port
Taking the bus and ferry to Bantayan Island is smooth and easy.
There are other options like taxi to the port, or even plane directly on to Bantayan Island. But unless you want to burn some money for fun, there is no good reason to pick these options over the aircon bus, as the bus is very comfortable, and surprisingly fast (about 3 hours to the port).
Finding the Right Bus at the Terminal
First, simply make your way to the Northern Bus Terminal. We recommend Grab unless you’re local. Grab is cheap, and should cost you no more than 150 PHP for a 20 min ride or so.
From there you can take the AIRCON BUS directly to the pier. Do not pick the standard non-aircon bus, as it will take 2 hours longer, and won’t be any cheaper!
We made this mistake on the way up there, and didn’t make it to the ferry in time, as it stops running around 5 PM. More on that later.
You will recognize the aircon bus as it is bright green, and has two rows of seats with two seats on each side.
It should cost you around 185 PHP per ticket to the pier, and this bus leaves every 20 minutes.
If you wish to go all the way to on to the island with the bus, you need to get on a bus that leaves for “Bantayan Town Terminal” at midnight, 3:30 AM, 10 AM or 12:30 PM.
In any case you should try to leave before 1 PM to make the last ferry in time, they usually stop running around 5 PM. Also you may skip over the worst rush traffic in Cebu.
Here is a contact number for the bus company if you have further questions: 032 345 8650
Ferry From Hagnaya Port to Santa Fe
The ferries leaves quite frequently from Hagnaya Port to Sant Fe. There are two different types of ferries going to Bantayan Island: Super Shuttle Ferry, a smaller more run down ferry. And Island Shipping, a better maintained, bigger ferry.
Both are going to cost you 180 PHP per trip per person, and will be just fine. Children cost half (90 PHP), and seniors and students only pay 144 PHP.
If you decide to drive there for some reason, expect to pay 600 for your motorbike, or 1270 for your car.
There is a 10 PHP Port Fee, so keep some change ready for that.
Here is a schedule for all the ferries leaving Hagnaya Port for Santa Fe:
- 01:00 AM – Island Shipping (Only on Tuesdays and Fridays!)
- 03:00 AM – Island Shipping
- 04:00 AM – Super Shuttle Ferry
- 05:00 AM – Island Shipping
- 06:30 AM – Island Shipping
- 07:00 AM – Super Shuttle Ferry
- 08:00 AM – Super Shuttle Ferry
- 09:30 AM – Island Shipping
- 10:30 AM – Super Shuttle Ferry
- 11:00 AM – Island Shipping
- 12:30 PM – Super Shuttle Ferry
- 01:30 PM – Island Shipping
- 02:30 PM – Super Shuttle Ferry
- 03:30 PM – Island Shipping
- 04:30 PM – Super Shuttle Ferry
- 05:30 PM – Island Shipping
As you can see the ferries leave quite frequently. They also don’t leave on time at all, so don’t worry about making them in time. Just get there before 5 PM and you will be totally fine.
The ferry ride takes about 90 minutes.
If you don’t make it in time, there are a few accommodation options in the area to stay at overnight.
When you reach Bantayan Islands port, you will need to pay another fee, this time, the environmental fee will set you back 30 PHP per person. You also need to write your info in a book, so be prepared for that.
Getting into the city from the Santa Fe Port, is not an issue. The tricycle drivers will let you know they are there. The normal rate for short tricycle trip around the area is 20 PHP per person, but they may ask you for 30 PHP from the pier to your hotel.
The tricycle ride takes 5 minutes.
Continue reading this quick guide to learn where to stay on Bantayan Island.
Getting around on Bantayan Island
There are a few options for getting around the island.
Renting a motorbike on Bantayan Island
The easiest way to get around is rent a motorbike in Santa Fe.
Lots of locals will offer to rent you their motorbike for 24 hours for about 250-300 PHP. There are also a few shops you can rent from between the port and Santa Fe.
After chatting to some expats and locals, we found out that the actual price they pay for renting a motorbike is 150 PHP for 24 hours. So if you want to haggle a bit, this is a reasonable amount to pay them.
We decided to just let one of the locals deliver them to us and paid them 250 PHP per day, with the condition that they would not take our passport as a deposit. This is very reasonable on the island, so just keep looking if they insist on a deposit.
Driving around the island is easy, and the MAIN ROADS are nice and safe. The more rural side roads are very bad though, so be careful.
Hiring a Tricycle
A tricycle ride for 5-10 min will cost you 20 PHP per person.
You can also hire the tricycles for a day trip around the southern part of the island for 600-700 PHP. This is a great option if you don’t want to drive yourself.
The trip itself lasts around 4 hours (depending on how long you spend at each spot), and they will take you to all the interesting places around the island.
Hiring a Boat
You can also hire a boat to take you around for a few hours. The cost for a boat ride for 2-3 hours is about 300-400 PHP. Like with everything else, you will need to haggle to get the best price.
Getting back to Cebu City
Getting back to Cebu City is going to cost you about the same as the trip to Bantayan Island did. The only difference is that there is no environmental fee, but you still need to pay 20 PHP at the port in Santa Fe.
Bus from Bantayan Island to Cebu City
Getting on the bus on the island is a great option, especially if you have heavy luggage.
The bus leaves from Bantayan Town Terminal at:
- 5:00 AM
- 7:30 AM
- 9:30 AM
- 11:30 AM
- 1:30 PM
- 3:30 PM
- 5:00 PM
It is advisable to get on the bus at Bantayan Town, but if you are traveling light, you can try your luck at the port as well. We did, and it wen’t fine, as there are buses leaving frequently.
The cost is the same as the other direction 185 PHP.
Ferry from Santa Fe to Hagnaya Port
You can also show up at Santa Fe Port and take the ferry over like we did. And then just grab a bus from Hagnaya Port.
Here is the ferry schedule from Santa Fe to Hagnaya Port:
- 03:00 AM – Island Shipping (Only on Tuesdays and Fridays)
- 05:00 AM – Island Shipping
- 06:00 AM – Super Shuttle Ferry
- 07:30 AM – Island Shipping
- 08:30 AM – Super Shuttle Ferry
- 09:30 AM – Island Shipping
- 10:30 AM – Super Shuttle Ferry
- 11:30 AM – Island Shipping
- 12:30 PM – Super Shuttle Ferry
- 01:30 PM – Island Shipping
- 02:30 PM – Super Shuttle Ferry
- 03:30 PM – Island Shipping
- 04:30 PM – Super Shuttle Ferry
- 05:00 PM – Island Shipping (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday)
- 05:30 PM – Island Shipping
Here the cost is also the same. About 180 PHP per person for both ferries.
From here you can get of at Pacific Mall in Cebu City if you are heading to the airport. If you are returning to the city to stay there, just get off anywhere at your convenience.
Continue reading to learn the best places to stay on Bantayan Island!
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I have spent the past 10+ years traveling around the world. On this website, I am dedicated to making high-quality travel guides focusing on South East Asia. My content focuses on how to get the most out of your travels. That includes getting good value, staying in the best locations, what things to do, and what to avoid.
