How To Get To Siquijor: Convenient Routes & Ferry Schedules
Wondering how to get to Siquijor? Exciting! You’re visiting one of our favourite islands in the Philippines, known by the locals for witchcraft and black magic. Siquijor is a gem, still a fairly off the beaten track destination with the only way in by ferry and no public transport on the island. This quieter and more adventurous feel is why we fell in love with the island, Siquijor's snorkelling spots are amazing, providing a unique opportunity to spot giant clams just off the shore.
Getting to Siquijor can be a challenge depending on where you are in the Philippines, however worth the effort. One of the things we learned from spending two months backpacking the Philippines was that getting around the different islands can add up quickly, especially when paying for internal flights. In this guide we compare the most convenient and cheapest ways to get to Siquijor from Dumaguete, Cebu, Bohol, Siargao and Manila.
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Philippines Regions Overview
The Philippine Islands are famous for being difficult to navigate and often require multiple flights and ferries to get from one tourist destination to another. Home to three main regions, Luzon in the north, the Visayas in the center & Mindanao in the south, the Philippines is just a grand cluster of islands and the challenges faced while island hopping is all part of the adventure! Navigating how to get to Siquijor is no exception, but the crystal clear waters and pristine beaches make it all worth it.
Where Is Siquijor In The Philippines
Perhaps a lesser known tourist destination is the island of Siquijor, a small paradise famous by locals for its black magic, rich history and witchcraft. The island attracts tourists looking to relax on Siquijor’s best beaches and snorkel in the crystal clear surrounding waters, seeing rare giant clams, nemo and more. Some of the island’s highlights include Cambugahay Falls, Salagdoong Beach and Mt Bandilaan National Park.
How To Get To Siquijor: The Different Routes
Dumaguete To Siquijor
The nearest island to Siquijor is Negros, home to Dumaguete, a major city with both an airport accessible as well as a ferry port. Luckily this means to get from Dumaguete to Siquijor is a simple journey with only one direct ferry which takes 1 hour 30 mins and costs only $5.
The Dumaguete to Siquijor ferry schedule is also more flexible than neighbouring islands, with multiple operators running throughout the day every hour from 7am to 5:30pm. Although there is a choice of operators, in our experience Oceanjet usually have the most reliable service even though their tickets are prices slightly higher.
Cebu is the main hub of the central Visayas region, and where we recommend flying to when visiting the Philippines as it is a much closer international access point than Manila when looking to island hop.
In order to get from Cebu to Siquijor, the easiest option is a direct ferry which takes 4-5 hours and costs $35 each. Alternatively, if you’re on a budget or get seasick easily, you could choose to go via Dumaguete by flight or by bus to the south of Cebu.
Overall your travel time from Cebu to Siquijor can vary based on the travel option you choose and we recommend you read Our Full Guide On How to Get From Cebu to Siquijor.
Bohol is one of the Philippines most visited tourist destinations, home to the iconic Chocolate Hills and small Tarziers. The island offers something for everyone, whether you’re looking to go Dolphin Watching and relax on Panglao’s beaches or you’re looking for some adventure in Danao’s Adventure Park. Tagbilaran is the capital city of Bohol and serves as the main gateway to the island, making it much more hectic than we expected. In order to get from Tagbilaran to Siquijor, you’ll need to get a direct ferry or travel via Dumaguete.
The travel time for the direct Bohol to Siquijor ferry should be 1.5-2 hours and cost $15, the downside of this option is the ferry schedule only runs once per day. We recommend booking in advance, as the once per day slot fills up very quickly with locals and tourists.
Siargao To Siquijor
Siargao is a remote surfers paradise on the east coast of the Philippines, part of the Mindanao region. It is called the surfing capital of the Philippines for a reason, due to the famous Cloud 9 and home to some of the best surf spots for beginners, intermediates and advanced surfers.
In order to go from Siargao to Siquijor, you’ll first need to go from Siargao to Cebu. The most efficient option for this is by flight, however you can also get there by multiple connecting ferries via Surigao City if you’re on a budget.
Once you have reached Cebu City, how to get from Cebu to Siquijor is easy via direct ferry and covered above in this blog.
Assuming you take the flight option to Cebu, your journey from Siargao to Siquijor could look like the following:
Tricycle from Siquijor Port to accommodation
Overall, this would take 8-10 hours depending on flight schedules aligning with ferry times. If you’re on a budget, you can also explore the ferries from Siargao to Cebu rather than a flight, and then also take the bus to the south of Cebu when travelling from Cebu to Siquijor.
Manila is the bustling capital city of the Philippines and the entry point for many international tourists visiting. In order to get from Manila to Siquijor, you’ll most likely want to take a flight to one of the neighbouring islands with an airport and get a connecting ferry. The quickest and most efficient way to get to Siquijor from Manila is via Dumaguete, the closest city to Siquijor, meaning it has the shortest & cheapest connecting ferry. Other neighbouring islands include: Cebu, & Bohol.
The overall travel time should be 3-4 hours when travelling via Dumaguete, however this depends on your flight schedule coinciding with ferry times. The Dumaguete to Siquijor ferry schedule is fairly frequent compared to the once per day ferry from Bohol.
Tricycle or Taxi from Sibulan airport to Dumaguete Port (10 mins, ₱20-100)
Tricycle from Siquijor Port to accommodation
Getting Around Siquijor
The island of Siquijor is slightly off the beaten track and the locals have truly adopted the island lifestyle with no public transport available. The best way to get around is by trike, and you’ll most likely need one in order to get to your hotel or hostel once you arrive at the port. In our Best Places To Stay Siquijor Guide, we recommend staying in San Juan, the main tourist area on the island where all of the best bars and restaurants are located. From the port, a tricycle to your accommodation will be the best option, alternatively there are also scooters available for rental if you're backpacking.
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Siquijor has lots of accommodation whether you’re looking for a dive school, a luxury resort or a budget hostel you’ll be able to find somewhere. We recommend staying in the main hub of San Juan as this is where most of the restaurants are located as well as easy access to most of Siquijor's best things to do.
We use Booking.com, Agoda and HostelWorld for all of our stays in The Philippines!
Below is a list of top accommodations we recommend for San Juan, Siquijor:
Best Siquijor Tours
Top Tips For Travelling To Siquijor Island
If you’re visiting Siquijor here are our top travel tips:
Plan your transport - getting to Siquijor can seem confusing so make sure to plan your route and leave early on your travel day.
Arrive early to Cambugahay Falls to miss the crowds and experience the natural beauty of the area, we arrived at 8am.
Eat Local, we had some of our favourite food in the Philippines here, mainly from Roadside Diner!
Rent a scooter to explore the natural attractions. The island is small so it's the perfect place to learn to ride a scooter, just make sure you wear a helmet.
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Thank you for reading and enjoy your Philippine adventure. Reach out to us over on Instagram @KateandMikesTravels. We always love to hear from people who read our blogs!
For our Filipino friends: Maraming salamat sa pag babasa, hangang sa susunod nating pag kikita, mamimiss namin kayo, mabuhay ang pilipinas! Salamat
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