Moalboal to Siquijor: A Complete Guide To Your Travel Day 2024

The Philippines is known for being an interesting travel destination due to the amount of transport you need to take to get between the islands. The journey from Moalboal to Siquijor isn’t the easiest, however with this blog you should be more than ready to tackle it.

Moalboal to Siquijor Travel Options

Siquijor Rainforest — Click Me! To Find The Best Places To Stay On Siquijor

Where Is Moalboal?

Moalboal is located on the bustling island of Cebu, home to a variety of experiences: from diving with Thresher Sharks on Malapascua island, to the vast Cebu City shopping centres and snorkelling with turtles from the beach in Moalboal. Cebu has it all, however getting from place to place can be interesting.

Moalboal lies on the southwest coast of Cebu, boasting some of the worlds best snorkelling. Just a stones throw away from the shoreline at Panagsama Beach are wild turtles and millions of sardines in a bait ball forming the famous Sardine Run. Something not to be missed.

Where is Siquijor?

Siquijor is a small island that sits just south of Cebu known for its witchcraft by the locals. Although it looks close by on a map, the journey isn’t the easiest so follow our steps below for a smooth journey.

We recommend using 12Go to book Ferries & Busses, also Rome2Rio for all of your travel planning needs in Asia.

Moalboal To Siquijor Travel Steps

Get To Liloan Port, The South Of Cebu

1. Trike from Panagsama Beach to Moalboal Bus Stop (10 minutes, ₱100-200)

2. Bus to Bato (1.5 hours, ₱130)

3. Tricycle to Liloan Port (10 minutes, ₱70)

Option 1: Ferry via Liloan

4. Ferry straight to Siquijor (at inconvenient times)

Option 2: Ferry via Dumaguete

4. Ferry to Sibulan Port (30 mins, ₱130)

5. Tricycle (or bus) to Dumaguete Port (20 mins, ₱75)

6. Ferry to Siquijor (40 mins, ₱250)

Final Step: Tricycle to Accommodation From Siquijor Port (San Juan is best)

Step 1: Get To The South Of Cebu, Santander Liloan Port

Both routes involve getting to the south of Cebu first, so let's start with that:

Moalboal To Liloan Port with Public Transport

You will most likely be staying at Panagsama Beach or at least on Panagsama Road - so the first step will be to get to the bus stop outside of Jolibees in Moalboal via walking or tricycle (10 minutes, ₱100-200)
Next you want to aim to catch the aircon Ceres bus heading south (₱130). The stop you’ll get off at is Bato near Lilian Port (₱70-100)

Moalboal To Liloan Port with a Private Taxi

Alternatively, if you are a large group or family it makes sense to get a private taxi. We went with this option as with 4 of us in the taxi, the bus ticket and tricycle would’ve nearly cost the same.

Now you would have arrived in the region of Santander, Lilian Port you have two options to get to Siquijor

Direct Ferry via Liloan
Ferry via Dumaguete

Direct Ferry To Siquijor

Let’s start with the direct ferry as that seems like a no brainer however there’s a catch….. at the time of writing they only run at 2am 3 times a week which is ridiculous. On Sundays they also run at 7am however to catch that you would have to stay in Dumaguete the Saturday to give yourself time.

Ferry via Negros Dumaguete

The next, and more likely option, is the ferry via Dumaguete, Negros.

First catch the ferry from Lilian Port to Sibulan Port (30 mins, ₱130)
Once you arrive at Sibulan Port you will then need a tricycle to Dumaguete Port (20 mins, ₱75).
From Dumaguete port you will be on your final ferry to Siquijor, here you can either get a ocean jet which are faster or a Montenegro which are cheaper

Montenegro	Ocean Jet
₱ 234	₱ 350
7am, 9am 10am, 2pm, 3:30pm, 6pm	7:20am, 11am, 1pm, 7:10pm
2 hours	45 Minutes

Once you’re in Siquijor port, your final mode of transport will probably be a tricycle to your accommodation.

Best Places To Stay Siquijor

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 the island's attractions.

We use Booking.com and HostelWorld for all of our stays around the world!

Below is a list of top accommodations we recommend for San Juan, Siquijor:

Looking for an eco-lodge away from the main strip? Lazy Lizard is a great budget opiton for your stay in San Juan. Up from the main road it is quiet, in the jungle and offer scooter hire. There’s options for private rooms or shared dorms.

Perhaps you want something more luxury or your here for the diving! Apo Diver’s Resort offers sea views on the beach front with a beautiful pool and chill out spot.

Backing onto Tubod Marine Reserve this is a great luxury choice if you love snorkelling. The resort also boasts a large seafront swimming pool, free coffee and breakfast as well as an on-site restaurant.

What To Do On Siquijor Island?

We stayed 5 nights on Siquijor and think this is the perfect amount of time to see everything the island has to offer. Here’s our highlights.

Top Pick: Cambugahay Falls

Visit early or don’t bother going, this is our top pick as it was so tranquil at 8am plus we saw an iguana!

Best Beach: Salagdoong Beach

An adventure beach with cliff jumps, snorkelling and crystal waters. Although a little drive away, we think it’s worth it.

Off The Beaten Track: Cantabon Cave

Our favourite cave tour of the Philippines and still a hidden gem on the island.

Other Blogs On Siquijor

Top Tips For Travelling The Philippines

If you’re visiting the Philippines here are our top travel tips:

Book flights in advance - they can become expensive if you leave it last minute… oh and check your luggage allowance to skip expensive check in fees at the airport. Don't forget your Apple Airtags to track your bags
Bring a Lifestraw - allowing you to fill up water whenever and wherever with peace of mind plus you’re helping the environment! We also love our Water Shoes, Microfibre Towels & Eye Mask for travel days
Bring Mosquito Repellent with a high Deet percentage
Embrace the chaos and get stuck in, the locals are friendly and love to help and share information about their home!
For a checklist of what's needed to pack for your trip, read: How to Pack for Backpacking to South East Asia: Backpacking Essentials and Accessories

We love our DJI Mini for all of our drone shots!

Final Thoughts

Overall the journey from Moalboal to Siquijor isn’t the easiest however everything usually runs like a well oiled machine. The multiple tricycles make it seem harder because they add more pieces to the puzzle, but they’re usually waiting at the stops for all the tourists so are easy to find, just make sure to barter and not get ripped off. There used to only be two ferries a day from Dumaguete to Siquijor however on our recent journey they ran nearly every hour meaning there was no need to book ahead, even on a Saturday.

Travel Tools To Help You Plan

These are some of the travel tools we love and use daily, by booking through our links you support our blog and help us grow, thank you.

We think the journey is well worth it as Siquijor has been our favourite island in the whole of the Philippines so far. If you do visit and take this journey please 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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