Bantayan, Cebu | Keen to Travel

Bantayan Island

What's in this Blog

How to Get to Bantayan Island from:

Cebu City
Manila

Back to Cebu City from Bantayan Island

Hagnaya Port schedule

Places To Visit

Brief Description About:

Roaming Around
Island Hopping
Santa Fe Town
Bantayan Island
Virgin Island
Santa Fe Beach
Sugar Beach
Anika Beach
Camp Sawi
Paradise Beach Campsite
The Ruins
Ogtong Cave
Bantayan Church
Places to Eat

Suggested Itinerary for 4D/3N in Bantayan Island

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Where is Bantayan Island?

Bantayan is an island in northern Cebu Province. It takes almost five hours of land travel from Cebu City and another 45min ferry ride to the island.

This humble town offers fine white sand beaches, pool caves, Hispanic-era churches, and chill motorbike road trips. The known beach area here is Santa Fe, where most tourists stay. Spend at least three days on this island and enjoy a slow-paced life.

How to get to Bantayan Island from Cebu City

Van/Bus

From the city or airport (CEB), take a taxi to North Bus Terminal.
Look for buses going to Santa Fe/ Bantayan. There are also shuttle vans; they are faster but not comfortable. You may also take buses to Hagnaya Port, but I recommend buses directly to Bantayan to make transfers easier.
Five-hour travel to Hagnaya Port with one stopover for food and toilet. The fare is Php245.
You will reach Hagnaya Port. Pay Php300 and Php30 for ship transfer and wait for the next trip. Make sure you hop on the same ship with your bus.
Travel time is 50mins; then you will arrive at Santa Fe Port.
Pay for an environmental fee of ~Php75
Ride the same bus and depart at Santa Fe town or near your hotel

How to get to Bantayan Island from Manila

Via Cebu International Airport (CEB)

Book a flight from Manila to Cebu (CEB) via Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific, or Air Asia. flight frequency is almost hourly.
You will arrive at Mactan Island.
Take a taxi going to the city and follow the blog entry "How to get to Bantayan Island from Cebu City".

Back to Cebu City from Bantayan Island

Van/Bus

From your hotel, take a tricycle to Santa Fe port or wait for a bus to Cebu City.
Pay for port transfer Php300 and terminal fee Php10
Board your assigned ship, and you will reach Hagnaya Port after 50mins.
Look for buses going to the city or opt for a van for faster travel time.
Endure the five-hour drive to the city with one-stop for food and a toilet. Pay fare of Php245
You will arrive at North Bus Terminal. Take a taxi to the airport if you need to catch your flight.

Hagnaya Port transfer schedule to Santa Fe Port and vice versa

Hagnaya Port to Santa Fe Port

4am
7am
8am
10.30am
12.30am
2.30pm
4.30pm

Santa Fe Port to Hagnaya Port

6am
8.30am
10.30am
12.30am
2.30pm
4.30pm
6pm

There are two shipping lines servicing this route that makes the trip schedule almost hourly.

Places to Visit in Bantayan
1. Sta. Fe Beach | 2. Virgin Island | 3. Sugar Beach | 4. Camp Sawi | 5. Ruins | 6. Paradise Beach Campsite | 7. Ogtong Cave | 8. Bantayan Church

Sta. Fe Beach

Virgin Island, Bantayan

Sugar Beach

Camp Sawi

The Ruins

Paradise Beach Campsite

Ogtong Cave

Bantayan Church

Bookmark this page and return when you are at Bantayan Island. Follow the directions to reach these recommended destinations. The map below is interactive, and 4G on the island is reliable.

Roaming Around

There are a few ways to roam around the island- motorbike, bike, tour. Motorbike is the most convenient for solo/couple travelers. You can go to places at your own pace; rent starts at Php350/day. The bike is the cheapest way, but you need much effort to visit spots. If you are in a group, you may opt to get tours for hassle-free travel and island hopping.

Island Hopping Rates

These are the rates for island hopping; you may use this as a reference for your trip.

Santa Fe Town

The small town of Santa Fe has a party-island vibe. I've been here for few times, and the island is consistently adorable. The beach, nature, and night chill will compel you to come back from time to time.

Bantayan Island

Located in the northern part of Cebu, Bantayan Island is a known destination for awe-inspiring beaches and island life experiences. The land travel from Cebu City to Bantayan Island is almost 6hrs, but you will be rewarded with many destinations from beaches to ruins to tropical sceneries. There is an airport on the island, but flights were canceled without further notice due to the pandemic.

Virgin Island

You can visit this island without arranging any tours. Just go to the port area and look for boats going to this island. They charge Php1000 per boat, max of 6 pax. Upon arrival on the island, you will pay Php200/pax for entrance. There are cottages, rooms, and a restaurant on the island, but you can look for a shaded area, lay your beach blanket, and enjoy the scenery. The island has restricted areas, but the tourist area is already instagramable. Mind the time because the boat drivers will pick you up after 3-3.5hrs

Santa Fe Beach

Sante Fe beach is an open beach stretching from the port area to Sugar Beach. It is a thrilling idea to know that a stunning beach is just a few meters away when you are in Santa Fe town. So literally, you can eat-drink-swim. A good spot is between Kota Beach and Marlin's Beach resort. I like it because there is less crowd and finer sand.

Sugar Beach

Right after the Santa Beach is the Sugar Beach. You know it's Sugar when you notice that the swimmable area is a broad stretch of knee-deep water before it reaches the deep area. Kids will definitely enjoy this beach, and it's less crowded for adults.

Anika Beach

The shoreline along Anika Beach resort was on the right-hand side when you arrived at Sta. Fe port. This beach is attractive during low tide because of the ripple pattern on the sand and the long sandbar. The view here is sunrise, so perfect for breakfast and coffee. Lovely!

Paradise Beach Campsite

Paradise Beach Campsite is another beach on the island but with cliff sceneries. It's near the Mangrove Eco-Park, so visit this place too.

Image by: @edpineda_

Camp Sawi

Camp Sawi became known because of the Filipino movie. Initially, it was located at Kota Beach, but they moved this to the Mangrove Eco-Park. What's in here are mangroves, Camp Sawi signage, and the wooden bridge. Entrance fee is ~Php50.

Image by: @windun

The Ruins

As the name says, this is an old structure with graffiti. There is a nostalgic feeling here at the Ruins during sunset or golden hour. No entrance fee, so feel free to witness the sunset. There is an open beach down this area if you want more thrill in your adventure.

Image by: @edpineda_

Ogtong Cave

Ogtong Cave is inside the privately owned resort. If you visit this, you have to pay Php200 for the entrance. The resort has a pool and beach area. The cave, however, is quite interesting. It is not a big one, but just a natural rock pool inside a cave.

Bantayan Church

Bantayan Church or Sts. Peter and Paul Parish is located at Bantayan town proper- not around Santa Fe. This historic church still has Hispanic-era beauty even after some restorations and renovations. Across the church is the marketplace where you can buy cheap dangit/dried fish.

Places to Eat

There are numerous places to eat in the center of Santa Fe town- from grilled to pizza to noodles. When in Bantayan, try the scallops; it is cheap here. Beer and cocktail prices are pretty reasonable.