Planning a Boracay vacation? Fantastic! This is a great part of the world.
Boracay is a popular travel destination in the Philippines. Well-known for its famous powdery white sand beaches, it’s also filled with strips of restaurants, shopping malls, hotels, and bars.
Soak in the island’s natural attractions. Swim to your heart’s content in the turquoise waters, sunbathe, and go island hopping. If you prefer, you can also do plenty of shopping or experience the island’s vibrant nightlife.
However, before you can enjoy Boracay, you need to get there. Thankfully, it is not hard to make this journey.
Below, I describe exactly how to travel to Boracay. I start with a summary and then give you detailed instructions based on whether you want to fly, take a ferry or travel overland.
Finally, I also give you instructions for some of the most popular routes, including from Iloilo and Singapore.
How To Get To Boracay Island
No matter how you travel to Boracay, whether it’s by bus, ferry or flight, you need to get to Caticlan and then take a quick boat ride across to Boracay Island itself.
Caticlan is a small place with even the airport within walking distance to the jetty. There are also tricycles or vans that will take you to Caticlan Jetty.
At the jetty, there are small bangkas or boats that will take you directly to the island. It only takes 10-15 minutes by boat to reach Boracay.
Click here to book a transfer including your boat ride from Caticlan Airport to Boracay.
The section on getting from Caticlan to Boracay below has exact details, but it is straightforward.
Getting To Boracay By Plane
Note that Caticlan Airport is often called Boracay Airport. This is exactly the same airport. There is no airport on Boracay itself and this is the closest airport to the island.
The airlines flying into Caticlan include Cebu Pacific, Cebgo, Philippine Airlines and AirAsia.
From Boracay/Caticlan Airport, it’s only 500 meters via tricycle or van to Caticlan Jetty.
If you’re flying from Manila, the Philippine capital, the flight to Caticlan will take an hour.
Meanwhile, if you’re coming from the Visayas, there are direct flights to Caticlan from Mactan-Cebu International Airport. These flights only take an hour as well.
There are also flights from Angeles City, El Nido and Davao within the Philippines. There are international flights from Seoul, Shanghai, Nanjing and Taipei. The ticket prices to Boracay can vary widely depending on sale prices and how far in advance you book.
Click here for all the latest flight prices.
You can read our full guide to traveling from Caticlan Airport to Boracay here.
Ferry To Boracay
If you’re coming from Manila or Southern Luzon, another option is to travel by sea via 2Go Travel ferries.
The travel time is approximately 11 hours from Batangas pier to Caticlan for the boat ride over to Boracay.
The fare starts at ₱2,320 for a reclining seat or ₱2,420 for a bunk with the exact price depending on the accommodation you choose on board.
Click here for the latest ferry timetables and ticket prices from Batangas.
If you’re coming from Manila, you have to first take a 2-hour bus ride from Pasay or Cubao bus terminals to Batangas Port. Find bus options here.
Once you arrive at Caticlan Jetty, it’s just a short 10-15 minute boat ride to Boracay.
There are also ferries from other places in the Philippines to Caticlan. You can take a ferry from Roxas Dangay Port on Mindoro Island. This takes about four hours with Starlite Ferries and leaves multiple times a day. Tickets start at ₱1,010.
Click here for the latest timetables and prices.
You can also look here to see if there are ferries from other ports in the Philippines to Caticlan.
How To Get To Boracay By Bus
Another alternative is to take a bus to Caticlan for the short boat trip to Boracay.
This is the way to go if you are already on the island of Panay traveling from cities such as Iloilo or Roxas City. You can take local buses cheaply and easily to Caticlan for the boat to Boracay.
If you are on a different island, you can look for a RoRo, also known as a “Roll On/Roll Off”, bus.
These buses travel overland and use ferries to cross between islands
You can find options here for the latest bus timetables and ticket prices.
Note that for shorter local buses, you’ll need to buy your ticket at the bus terminal.
How To Get To Boracay By Car
If you’re wondering how to get to Boracay from Manila with your car, you can travel to Caticlan for the boat ride to Boracay.
First of all, you need to drive to Batangas in Southern Luzon. From here, you can take a car ferry to Caticlan that takes 11 hours.
Something to note is that you can’t bring your vehicle to Boracay Island itself. You’re required to leave your car at Caticlan Jetty Port with a daily parking fee depending on your vehicle size.
How To Get To Boracay From…
IloIlo To Boracay
If you’re coming from Iloilo City, hop on a jeepney or taxi that will take you to Ceres Northbound Terminal.
Then, take a bus that’s bound for Caticlan. The approximate travel time is six hours (₱240 – ₱390). Buses leave every 30 minutes. They stop frequently.
You can be dropped off at Caticlan Jetty to take the last leg of the journey – the quick boat ride to Boracay.
Click here for ferry tickets to Boracay.
There is no Iloilo to Boracay ferry at present.
Caticlan To Boracay
This journey is easy. Head to Caticlan Jetty. Then, take a short boat ride from Caticlan to Boracay Island.
If you arrive at Boracay/Caticlan Airport, the Jetty is just 500 meters away, and you can take a van or tricycle.
Even easier, book a transfer from Caticlan Airport to your Boracay hotel here. This can include a transfer to the jetty, the boat to Boracay and a transfer from the jetty on Boracay to your accommodation.
The boat transfer from Caticlan to Boracay takes approximately 10-15 minutes.
Read our full guide to this journey here which includes ticket prices and anything else you want to know.
Kalibo To Boracay
Traveling from Kalibo to Boracay is straightforward. If you are starting from Kalibo airport, there are buses and vans to take you to Caticlan Jetty directly. When you arrive at Kalibo Airport, you can simply walk out and find an agent or van to take you.
However, the easiest way is to book your transfer in advance.
This is the easiest option.
The approximate travel time is 1.5 – 2 hours by van to Caticlan Jetty. It’s then a 15-20 minute boat ride across to Boracay.
Vans are timed to meet incoming flights.
Read our full guide on how to get from Kalibo to Boracay here.
Singapore To Boracay
There is currently no direct flight.
Instead, fly from Singapore via Manila or Cebu to Caticlan.
Click here for all the latest flight prices and schedules.
Flight times start from six and a half hours including transit time.
Batangas To Boracay
Batangas is a city in southern Luzon about two hours from Manila. It has direct ferries to Caticlan. So if you are coming from here, simply take the Batangas to Boracay ferry.
The ferry takes 10–11 hours and arrives in Caticlan on 2GO or Starlite Ferries. From here, you can take the 10-15 minute boat ride described above to Boracay.
Click here for the latest Batangas to Caticlan ferry timetables and ticket prices.
Or read our full guide to traveling from Batangas to Boracay here.
Manila To Boracay
The easiest way to get to Boracay from Manila is to take a flight to Caticlan as described above.
Alternatively, you can also take a bus to Batangas (find prices and schedules here) and then the 10-11 hour ferry to Caticlan (details here).
In either case, you still need to take a boat from Caticlan to Boracay.
Read our full guide on how to get from Manila to Boracay here.
Cebu To Boracay
I recommend flying from Cebu to Caticlan. This is by far the quickest and easiest option, and it is usually the cheapest as well.
Once you arrive at the airport, take the van/boat combo you can purchase here and you’ll soon be in Boracay.
If you really don’t want to fly, you can also take an overnight ferry from Cebu City to Iloilo City and bus to Caticlan from there.
Read our full guide to traveling from Cebu to Boracay here with all the details.
Final Words
So there you have it! In this guide, we’ve covered the different transportation options.
The fastest and most convenient way is to take a flight directly to Caticlan. As an alternative, you can also catch ferries and buses from other destinations in the Philippines. However, this can be much more time-consumming and not necessarily cheaper.
I hope you found this guide useful and now know how you can get to Boracay.
We also have the details on how to get to Boracay from Palawan here. You can also find all the best things to do in Boracay with kids here, best resorts in Boracay here and best Boracay hotels for family here. Otherwise, find our full Boracay travel guide here.
