After visiting the lovely coastal town of Moalboal (Cebu), it was time for us to move on to our next stop: Siquijor. Since Siquijor is fairly close to Cebu, we thought this would be a breeze. Well, let us tell you that getting there involves just a bit more work than you’d think! To make it easy for you, we’ve penned down all the steps needed to make your day full of transportation as easy as possible! There are multiple ways to get from Moalboal to Siquijor. Ours is definitely the fastest (about 6 hours), most efficient, and possibly even the cheapest way.
Tricycle ride from accommodation in Moalboal to the bus stand
The first step to get from Moalboal to Siquijor is checking out of your accommodation and getting to the bus stand near Jollibee. To get there you have a couple of options, depending on where you’re staying. If you’re staying near Panagsama Beach, you can choose to walk for about 45 minutes. The other option is to take a tricycle ride that’ll take about 15 minutes. If you’re staying near White Beach, a 15-minute tricycle ride is your best option. Walking would take an hour and a half. But, if you’re up for it in the glaring Philippine sun: go for it!
What we did
We were staying near Panagsama Beach and opted for the tricycle option. Since we met a lovely German couple that were also heading to Siquijor, we were able to split the tricycle fare. We paid 250 pesos (around € 4) for the 4 of us. This means we only had to pay 125 pesos for both of us (around € 2). We definitely recommend making friends that you can share the fare with! 😉
Bus ride to Bato
When you arrive at Jollibee, you’ll probably already see a couple of buses near both sides of the road. You have to get on the bus that’s standing on the side of Jollibee. It should be going in the right direction if you have your back to Jollibee. There’ll also be a bus standing on the side of 7-Eleven ready to go to the left, but that’s not the one you should get on. All buses have a sign next to the driver seat that states the final stop. The stop you have to look out for is called “Bato (via Barili)”. The trip on the bus took us 2 hours and 10 minutes. We paid 274 pesos for both of us (just under € 4,50).
If you don’t immediately see a bus when arriving at the bus stand, don’t worry! Even though there isn’t a fixed schedule, buses arrive every 45 to 60 minutes. There’s plenty of shops and cafes on the intersection that can keep you busy while you’re waiting. Also, this next bus ride is the longest continuous trip you have to undergo today. It’ll only get better after this one!
What we did
When we arrived at Jollibee, we first bought some snacks at 7-Eleven because we knew the bus ride would take some time. Then we walked to the bus, handed our backpacks to the conductor, and got on. The conductor will punch some holes in the ticket to indicate the fare, and that’s that! The conductor will also tell you when it’s time to get off, so a great deal all things considered. 😉
Tricycle ride from Bato to Liloan Port
After little over 2 hours on the bus, you will arrive at Bato Port. The slower option of getting to Siquijor involves getting a ferry from here to Tampi, but we would not recommend it. Yes, you save some money by not taking a tricycle ride now, but remember that you’ll have to get an even longer ride from Tampi to Dumaguete Port. To get from Tampi to Dumaguete Port, you can either get an expensive tricycle ride, or a bus ride of about 40 minutes. Honestly, we’d avoid it all together and just get a tricycle ride from Bato to Liloan Port. The tricycle ride from Bato to Liloan takes about 15 minutes. And don’t worry about not getting on a tricycle, the drivers will be waiting for you once you get off the bus.
What we did
We, obviously, took the tricycle ride from Bato to Liloan Port. Since there were 4 of us, we were able to split the fare and even haggle a little bit. The starting offer of the tricycle driver was 100 pesos each. In the end we managed to get it down to 50 pesos each (around € 0,80). So we paid just 100 pesos in total for both of us. However, the driver wanted to earn some more money, we guess, and put a Northern-Irish couple with us – all in the same tricycle! This meant there were 6 of us in one small tricycle, which was… an experience. 😉 But, no complaints from us because the 6 of us actually spent a lot of time together on Siquijor. We can definitely say that we made friends for life!
Ferry to Sibulan Port
The driver will drop you off right at the ticket office, and since this is a fairly small port there won’t be a lot of people waiting in line. The ferry to Sibulan Port took us around 30 minutes, and there’s only one company where you can get tickets from (Maayo Shipping). The only way to get tickets is to show up at the office, no option of buying online or in advance. Ferries leave every 90 minutes starting from 4:30 AM, with the last ferry leaving at 10:30 PM.
What we did
We arrived 15 minutes before the ferry was about to arrive, which we found great timing as we didn’t have to wait long. After buying our tickets for 130 pesos each (just over € 2) or 260 pesos in total, we boarded the ship. Even though we arrived only 15 minutes before departure, there still was plenty of space for the six of us (and that for a Sunday!). The ride was over in a heartbeat, and along the way we got to know the other 2 couples a bit more. We took the ferry that left at noon.
Tricycle ride to Dumaguete Port
Once you arrive at Sibulan Port, you will be greeted by tons of tricycle drivers hoping to score a deal. Since there were 6 of us now, we had a bit of bargaining power and managed to find a tricycle driver that wanted to take all 6 of us. The ride from Sibulan Port to Dumaguete Port, with an overloaded tricycle in our case, takes around 20 minutes.
What we did
Because it was us, a German couple, and a Northern-Irish couple, we were able to haggle quite a bit. The initial rate that tricycle drivers were quoting us was somewhere between 600 and 700 pesos for the 6 of us. We all found this pretty expensive, so we tried to get the price down a bit. It helped, because in the end we agreed on 400 pesos (just under € 6,50) in total. This meant we paid just 135 pesos (around € 2,20) for the two of us. The perks of being in a large group!
Ferry to Siquijor
After a tricycle ride of about 20 minutes, you’ll be dropped off at the Dumaguete Port ticket office. Chances are there’s already a line waiting to buy tickets, so you know where to be! There are multiple companies that operate ferries between Dumaguete and Siquijor, all with different timetables.
The only company that has an online presence is OceanJet, the most fancy and fastest option to get from Dumaguete to Siquijor by ferry. The other companies Montenegro, Alesson, and Anika Star are a little less new but still do the job. Depending on what company you go for, the trip should take between 45 minutes to 2 hours. We’ve included pictures of all the time schedules that we could find during our recent trip to Siquijor in April and May 2024. Keep in mind that at the Dumaguete Port you’ll also have to pay a terminal fee of 14 pesos (around € 0,20) per person.
What we did
Since we are trying to keep our world trip budget-friendly, we opted for a cost-effective option in Montenegro Lines. We paid 468 pesos for the both of us, which is about € 7,50. The ferry we were on took 1 hour and 30 minutes, although it left 15 minutes later than expected so 1 hour 45 in total. The boat ride was absolutely fine, it went by even faster because all six of us were talking the whole time!
Ride to your accommodation
We know this is different for everyone, but we still wanted to include this part. Once you get to the pier of Siquijor Port, you’ll be met by dozens of tricycle, jeep, and other kinds of drivers. They all want the same thing, to get you to use their services!
We noticed that the drivers that immediately come up to you are the worst ones. They’ll try to persuade you into saying that the fare they’re offering is already the “local price”. They’ll also tell you that you won’t find a better deal anywhere else. This is not true, the supply of drivers is usually higher than the demand, which means you can (and should) haggle! Or if that’s not your thing, just walk away and ask another driver. We do feel that the drivers near the port of Siquijor are a little less keen on haggling, though.
What we did
We wanted to share a ride one last time in order to get the price down, even though we were all staying at a different place. The first drivers were quoting us different prices for each couple/accommodation, and did not want to budge on the price. After talking to a few, we just walked away and started asking less pushy drivers. We managed to find a driver that would quote us one flat fee, 600 pesos (just under € 10) in total. This meant each couple had to pay 200 pesos, or just 100 pesos per person (around € 1,60). Perseverance wins!
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