Need to know how to get to Boracay from Cebu? The answer is below.
Boracay is the perfect island getaway. With white sand, aqua water and jungle-clad shores, what more can you ask for in a vacation?
While it’s not far from Cebu City to Boracay, this journey can seem complicated – at least until you take it step-by-step. It’s actually quite straightforward with many people taking this trip every day.
Below, I break down exactly how to travel from Cebu to Boracay so you know exactly what you need to do and when. This guide will cover information on flights, ferries, schedules and fares.
After reading this guide, you’ll be well on your way to paradise!
This guide also covers the reverse journey from Boracay to Cebu.
Cebu To Boracay Map
This map shows you how to get to Boracay from Cebu by land and sea.
The distance between these two places is 282.5 kilometers, with a travel time ranging from around 4 hours to more than 23 hours depending on what transportation option you choose.
BEST OPTION: How To Go From Cebu To Boracay
How To Get To Boracay From Cebu – Compare Your Options
Here’s a summary of your options:
| Mode of transport | Duration | Best For? | Book |
| Flight via Caticlan | 4 hours | People who like the quickest and easiest option | Book here |
| Ferry/Bus | 23 hours | People who like to travel overland in the easiest way | Book here |
| Bus/Ferry | 20+ hours | People who want to travel by land as much as possible | Book here |
Whichever option you choose, you’ll eventually need to reach Caticlan Jetty and take a boat across to Boracay. From here, you need to take a boat across to Boracay. This boat to Boracay is described in its own section below.
Option 1: Fly From Cebu To Boracay
The fastest way to travel is to take direct flights from Cebu to Boracay. The approximate flight time is around one hour, and the cost of flights starts at around ₱1000.
However, you can often find cheap flights from Cebu to Boracay if there is a sale or special promotion. Airlines include Cebu Pacific, Philippine Airlines and AirAsia.
If you get a good fare, flying is not just easier and quicker but also cheaper than the alternatives.
Note that there isn’t actually an airport on Boracay so the Boracay Airport is actually in Caticlan. The airport is called both Boracay Airport and Caticlan Airport. From Caticlan, it’s a quick boat ride across to Boracay (described in detail below). There is no way around this.
Click here to see the latest flight prices and options for your dates. Sometimes, Skyscanner here can find some extra options.
On arrival at Boracay Airport, you need to get to Caticlan Jetty. Thankfully, this is very close and easy.
If you do not have much luggage, you can walk in about ten minutes. Otherwise, you can ride a local tricycle to Caticlan Jetty. From here, you can take a boat following the directions below.
Click here for tickets for the boat from Caticlan to Boracay.
Option 2: Cebu To Boracay Ferry
Another alternative is to travel from Cebu to Boracay by ferry.
If you would prefer to avoid traveling by air, the easiest way is to take a ferry from Cebu City to Iloilo City. Trans Asia makes this journey overnight departing from Cebu Pier 3 at 6pm and arriving in Iloilo at 8:30am the next morning. The journey takes about 14.5 hours.
The Trans Asia ferry only runs this route a couple of times a week so you also need to be flexible to take this option. This ferry costs from ₱2,278 and varies depending on the type of accommodation you choose on board.
Click here to see the latest timetables and prices.
Once you arrive in Iloilo City, you can either choose to stay and explore the city or take a 10-20 minute taxi ride to Ceres Northbound Terminal.
From here, take a bus bound for Caticlan. These buses leave approximately every 30 minutes and take around six hours. Fares range from ₱430 to ₱510.
You can be dropped off at Caticlan Jetty to take the last leg of the journey – the quick boat ride to Boracay.
Option 3: Cebu To Boracay Land Trip?
First of all, it’s not possible to 100% travel by land from Cebu to Boracay. Both Cebu and Boracay are islands so you’ll have to travel over water at some point. However, this option walks you through how to make the journey using as much land transport as possible.
The easiest way to make this journey is to start by taking a bus from Cebu City to Bacolod. The only bus line that runs this route is Ceres Liner. They operate several routes, but the most common (and fastest) route runs from Cebu City to Toledo. From here, you hop on a ferry from Toledo to San Carlos on the island of Negros.
You then hop back on the bus and travel via Don Salvador to Bacolod. You can find the schedule for this bus here.
All up, this takes about 7-8 hours and costs about ₱580+ by the time you pay for the bus and the separate ferry and terminal fees (these are not included in your bus ticket).
From Bacolod, you need to take a ferry to Iloilo City on the island of Panay. You can take a fast ferry between these two cities that runs a few times a day and takes two hours. Prices start at ₱750 on Montenegro.
Click here for the latest schedule and prices.
Now that you are in Iloilo, you can take a bus to Caticlan Jetty following the instructions in option 2 above.
All up, this option takes more than 20 hours so it is faster than option 2, but this assumes you are not waiting too long for connections between your different forms of transport.
The other problem is that you don’t get a night’s accommodation on the ferry like in option 2. If you take this option, I suggest you spend a night in Iloilo to break up the journey so you arrive in Caticlan during the day for the easiest and cheapest boat crossing to Boracay.
Ferry From Caticlan To Boracay
No matter which option you choose above, once you have made it to Caticlan Jetty, you need to take a boat across to Boracay. This can be a small bangka or a bigger boat. This only takes 10-15 minutes.
Boats have frequent departures from 5am to 8pm with less frequent departures running overnight.
The boat fare from Caticlan to Boracay is made up of the following:
- ₱50-100 for the boat ticket
- ₱150 for the terminal fee
- ₱150 for locals and ₱300 for everyone else for the environmental fee.
These are all per person fees.
You can purchase your ticket at the port or in advance. You can find ferry tickets here.
Boats arrive at Cagban Jetty on Boracay. From this jetty, you can take a tricycle to your accommodation or you can click here to book a private transfer from Caticlan Airport to your hotel in Boracay.
You can read my full guide to traveling from Caticlan to Boracay here.
Getting from Boracay To Cebu
For the return journey, all you need to do is take the above transportation options in reverse.
First of all, you need to get to Cagban Jetty on Boracay and then take a boat across to Caticlan Jetty.
Then you have your three options.
The easiest and quickest option (and often the cheapest) is to take a flight to Cebu from Boracay/Caticlan Airport (look here).
If you would prefer to travel overland, you need to take a bus to Iloilo City. This takes about six hours.
From Iloilo, you can either take a ferry direct to Cebu City (look here) or travel across to Bacolod by ferry (ticket prices and timetables here) then take a bus back to Cebu City.
Find more information in the sections above on each of these journeys.
Final Words
So there you have it! We’ve covered the different Cebu to Boracay transportation options.
The quickest and most convenient way is to take one of the flights to Caticlan and then take a boat across to Boracay Island. This can also be the cheapest option so it’s definitely worth investigating.
As an alternative, you can also catch a ferry from Cebu to Iloilo and then travel overland to Caticlan before taking the boat to Boracay. Finally, you can also take a combination of ferries and buses.
I hope you found this Cebu to Boracay travel guide useful. Click here to find out how to get to Boracay from other destinations, or click here to find our full Boracay travel guide.
