Boracay: How to get there | Travel Guide

How To Get To Boracay Island

Boracay Island, Malay, Aklan, Philippines

Whether you go by plane or by boat, the port of entry for Boracay Island is the small town of Caticlan on the mainland. Outrigger boats or "bancas" leave every few minutes from Caticlan's jetty port. The short boat trip to Boracay's jetty port at Cagban costs ₱25. Tourists have to pay a terminal fee of ₱100 and an environmental fee of ₱75. Tricycles are available at Cagban to bring passengers to their hotels. Tricycle fare is from ₱20 per pax up to ₱150 per trip depending where your resort is.

How to get there:

By Air

There are two (2) airports located near Boracay.

• 
  Caticlan or Godofredo P. Ramos Airport (MPH IATA) - ☎ +63 36 288 7111. Much smaller and closer airport, only a few kilometers away from Caticlan Jetty. It now handles jet flights to Manila operated by Cebu Pacific, Philippine Airlines, as well as turbo aircraft from Cebu operated by Cebu Pacific, Philippine Airlines and SkyJet. There is a ₱200 terminal fee when departing although this is sometimes included in the ticket price; check first with your airline before paying.
  
  Ground transportation. From the Caticlan airport, you can either take a tricycle (₱40) or walk (10 minutes) to Caticlan Jetty Port. Besides, Cebu Pacific airlines offers hotel transfer for ₱350 per person.
  
• 
  Kalibo International Airport (KLO IATA) - ☎ +63 36 262 3264. 2 km away from Kalibo and 70 km away from Caticlan Jetty. This airport can handle big aircraft such as Boeing 737 and Airbus A320. However it is much farther from Boracay than Caticlan airport. Its international destinations include Beijing, Busan, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Taipei, Singapore, Shanghai and Seoul, operated by Cebu Pacific, China Airlines, Philippine Airlines and Air Asia. While domestic flights are limited to only Cebu and Manila. There is a ₱200 terminal fee for domestic flights and ₱700 for international (2016).
  
  Ground transportation. There are minivans, vans, coasters and buses that serve travellers between Kalibo International Airport and Caticlan Jetty Port. 1½-2 hours ride costs ₱250 for a van and ferry, ₱300 for more comfortable bus. Additionally you will be asked to pay environmental and terminal taxes of ₱175 on top of your tickets. Besides, AirAsia airlines offers hotel transfer for ₱520 per person.
  

By Sea

• Ferry from Batangas port to Caticlan port - Operated by 2GO travel. Departs Batangas port at 9PM and gets to Caticlan port at 6AM. Departs Caticlan port at 8AM and gets to Batangas port at 6PM. One way fares from ₱995.

• Ferry from Batangas port to Caticlan port - Another option is to start your journey with Philtranco, Alps, Dimple, Ceres or Rodastco coaches which leave at regular intervals throughout the day from Cubao, serving the Manila-Caticlan route for ₱1,200. Rodastco also offers a door-to-door service with pick-ups anywhere in Metro Manila. The contact numbers for trip booking are +63 2-7326891 or +63 917-3820426, or +63 919-3820426.

The more challenging Do-It-Yourself version goes as follows: The easiest way would be to book a straight trip that allows you to purchase just one ticket from Cubao terminal to Caticlan Port. The cost is ₱1000-1200. But if you really want to save money, you can also commute from Cubao bus terminal station (near Alimall). There is really no difference except for the fact that you need to purchase tickets at every stop. Cubao-Batangas: best leave between 7PM-8PM so you arrive in Batangas Port before 10PM. Batangas-Calapan: the trip takes 2 hours via cargo ship or an hour to one hour and a half via supercat. Do not purchase tickets for the Calapan to Roxas van as this can either be a scam or you end up squeezed in one van along with several other passengers with tickets. Calapan-Roxas: takes about 4 hours. Make sure you leave early so you arrive before 4AM. In the morning, the ship to Caticlan usually leaves at 2AM and 4AM and the next trip won't be until 10AM. The 10AM trip usually leaves late. This is the best time to leave travel via Cubao to Roxas. You arrive in Caticlan at 8AM and you are left to enjoy the rest of your day in Boracay.

By Land + Sea

The "Nautical Highway" is a combination of overland highways and roll-on, roll-off (RoRo) vessels that allow you to bring your vehicle up to Panay Island and visit key cities like Kalibo. Taking your car all the way to Boracay, though, is not possible. Public transport also operates on the same route, and is the most cost-effective way of traveling between Manila and Boracay. Assuming good connections, the total journey time is around 12 hours.

The easiest way of arranging this is to book a van in Manila by contacting private operators such as Angel Star (02 783-0886 c/o Abner) and Gope (02 732-6891 c/o Cesar). This will enable you to book a straight trip from Metro Manila to Caticlan at the cost of ₱1200, more or less. Their group operates several passenger vans which can load 10-14 or 15-18 persons. You book the trip exclusively or share with fellow travellers. The Van leaves at 9PM daily from Manila, travelling through Batangas-Calapan-Roxas (arrives Roxas at 5AM or 6AM) to catch the 8AM or 10AM ferry/boat to Caticlan, where you are expected to arrive between noon to 2PM. Before proceeding to Boracay Island though, be sure to get your return ticket (Roxas-Manila) at the Caticlan Ferry Terminal (inquire about the updated schedule from the staff of the van operators). Take an early dinner before boarding the van and bring water and something to eat while in transit. Riding a van gives you a more relaxed pace to Caticlan because you do not have to stop in many sub-destinations which lengthen your trip and therefore can be truly tiresome.

Articles you might be interested in:

● Boracay Island
● Boracay: Weekend Getaway!
● Boracay From Above!

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