The other day we took a straight overland trip from Legazpi, on the south of Luzon, to Siquijor Island south of Cebu. The whole trip involved two buses and four ferries, plus some jeepneys in between. It took about 36 hours altogether and cost approx. 2,000 pesos. Following are the stages it consisted of.
Legazpi to Pilar Port Bus
Early morning, we got on a jeepney to Legazpi Central Bus Station. Buses to Pilar Port depart regularly. No time schedule; leaving when they are full. We had to wait for some 30 minutes. The ticket cost 75 pesos and we had to take an extra seat for our backpacks. It took roughly an hour until we were dropped off right before the port’s entrance.
Pilar Port to Masbate City Ferry
We had to pay a 15 pesos port fee in order to enter the port. There were 3 daily ferries scheduled: at 08:00, 12:00, and 22:00. The one in the evening was the cheapest. We booked our tickets for the one at noon. They had in-cabin tickets for 540 pesos and deck tickets for 460 pesos. We, of course, went for the deck – why would you want to sit inside anyway? The trip lasted for some 2-2,5 hours.
Masbate City to Cebu City Ferry
Transasia Lines operates one overnight ferry from Masbate City to Cebu City every Friday. As we found out on the spot, Montenegro also has one on Saturday evening.
It was a little tricky to find Transasia’s ticket office at Masbate port. Everyone we asked sent us in a different direction. The correct one was to exit the port, past the welcoming gate, to the left, and all straight till you see the office on your right side.
For booking the ticket it required some patience. We had to fill long forms and give passports; then wait while the staff slowly did their magic and an ancient printer took about a minute for each line. Luckily, only two people waited before us. If there was a queue of, say, fifteen, we could have waited half the day.
Following are their prices at the time of our trip. We got the 2nd class ticket, which was actually a deck bed. It was just perfect to sleep; I can’t imagine it being any better inside with AC. We also had to pay a 30 pesos port fee upon reentering the port. Though we got away with paying for one person only, as I remained hidden behind the corner while Sophie was at the counter.
Cebu City to Liloan Port Bus
We arrived at the port of Cebu City at dawn. Had a coffee at a nearby place and continued on our way. We walked up to Cebu North Road and caught a jeepney to the city’s South Bus Terminal. There we quickly got a ride on a big and pretty comfortable bus bound for Liloan Port. The ticket cost 235 pesos and the trip lasted some 4-5 hours.
Liloan Port to Dumaguete Ferry
There was a ferry scheduled from Liloan to Dumaguete at roughly every hour. The ticket was 85 pesos and the trip lasted less than half an hour.
Dumaguete to Siquijor Ferry
Lastly, we had to catch the ferry across to Siquijor. We go on a jeepney to take us from Sibulan to Dumaguete Port. There also were plenty of tricycle drivers stationed at Sibulan port but they asked for crazy money and I found them persistent beyond my taste. The jeepney dropped us off downtown, wherefrom we had to take a short walk to the port.
A ferry was bound to depart at 18:00 for Larena Town on Siquijor; I reckon it was the last one. The ticket cost 204 pesos. After some 2 hours onboard, we finally arrived to our destination.
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