Bantayan Island
Bantayan is where we tell people to go when they say they want the beach and absolutely nothing else: powder-white sand, shallow turquoise water and an island pace that resets you in about an hour.
It sits off Cebu’s north-west tip, and getting there is a two-part journey: a 3-4 hour drive up to Hagnaya port in San Remigio, then a ferry across to Santa Fe on the island.
The crossing takes roughly an hour to an hour and a half, and the last departures are in the evening - so the timing of your drive matters more than anything else about this trip.
That’s the part we take care of: we coordinate the pickup around a realistic ferry connection, so you’re not left waiting at the port or watching the last boat leave without you.
How to get to Bantayan Island from Cebu City & the airport
- Private transfer to Hagnaya (what we arrange)~3-4 hrs to port
A private car or van from your hotel or the airport to Hagnaya port, timed to a specific ferry. We can also arrange a vehicle on the island side. Request a quote for the all-in fare.
- Ceres bus (public)~3.5-4.5 hrs to port
Ceres buses run from the Cebu North Bus Terminal to Hagnaya port, where you transfer to the ferry.
- Hagnaya → Santa Fe ferry~1-1.5 hrs
RORO ferries (operators such as Island Shipping and Super Shuttle) cross to Santa Fe; the last trip is in the evening, so leave the city by early afternoon to be safe.
What to expect
Powder-white beaches
Santa Fe’s long, shallow, pale-sand beaches are the island’s signature - calm and great for families.
Slow island pace
Bikes, tricycles and quiet lanes; an easy place to do very little for a day or two.
Ferry coordination
Hagnaya is the main gateway with the most frequent trips; we time the drive to the boat schedule.
Overnight-friendly
Because of the ferry, Bantayan works best as an overnight rather than a same-day round trip.
Best time to visit
Dry season (roughly February-May) for the calmest crossings and best beach weather. The island is busiest around Easter.
When Hagnaya port is open, and what to expect at the gate
- The crossing
- Hagnaya (San Remigio) to Santa Fe on Bantayan, roughly 1-1.5 hours by RORO. There is no direct boat from Cebu City - the drive north to the port is the first half of the journey
- High tide
- The Cebu Port Authority said in March 2026 that it had agreed with the shipping lines to suspend Hagnaya operations during high tide, so departures move with the tide cycle rather than running to a fixed board
- Why
- The magnitude 6.9 earthquake of 30 September 2025 tilted the berth and dropped it far enough that seawater washes over the loading area at high water. The port stays in use between tides; it is the loading area, not the route, that is affected
- Repair status
- Still open at the last reporting we can find (June 2026): geohazard studies were being contracted and the funding for a permanent fix was in dispute between the port authority and the host towns
- Second port
- Kawit port in Medellin, further north, also runs to Santa Fe and is used as the alternative when Hagnaya is awkward. It was damaged in the same earthquake
- Operators
- Island Shipping and Super Shuttle Ferry run the Hagnaya crossing; Aznar Shipping is named on the Kawit sailings. Tickets are bought at the port, in cash
- This is the single thing to settle before the car leaves Cebu City: on this route the boat, not the drive, sets the departure time - and since March 2026 the boat moves with the tide. We confirm the day’s sailings with the shipping line before we set out and time the pickup to a named departure, which on a 3-4 hour drive is the difference between a beach afternoon and a night in San Remigio.
- Published last departures from Hagnaya disagree - about 4:30 PM and about 5:30 PM both appear in current guides - so we are not printing a time we cannot stand behind. The practical advice every source agrees on is the same: leave Cebu City by about 1:00 PM, and earlier in the wet season.
- The tide constraint applies coming back as well. If you are on a flight out of Cebu the day you leave the island, build the buffer on the Bantayan side rather than the Cebu side - a missed morning boat is recoverable, a missed check-in is not.
- None of this closes Bantayan. Santa Fe has been open for business throughout, ferry operations through both Hagnaya and Kawit were reported normal within weeks of the quake, and the island itself is unaffected - the friction is at the mainland pier, and it is a timing problem rather than a safety one.
What the quote covers
- A private air-conditioned car or van with an English-speaking local driver for the Cebu mainland road leg to or from the port for Bantayan Island
- Door-to-door pickup and drop-off at the exact addresses you give us, not a meeting point
- Fuel, tolls and parking
- Waiting time and any extra stops you tell us about up front, priced into the quote rather than added afterwards
- One fixed all-in price for the trip, agreed in writing before you travel
- Entrance, activity, guide and boat fees at places you choose to stop (paid locally)
- Meals and personal spending
- Accommodation, including a driver overnight on a multi-day trip unless we have set it out in the quote
- Inter-island ferry and boat crossings, unless we have set them out in the quote
We never invent activity or entrance prices - you pay those directly on the ground.
Bantayan Island: frequently asked questions
Which port do the Bantayan ferries leave from?
Hagnaya port in San Remigio, on Cebu’s north-west coast, is the main gateway - the RORO ferry crosses from there to Santa Fe on the island in about an hour to an hour and a half. It is the mainland leg up to Hagnaya that decides which boat you catch: our Cebu City to Bantayan Island route page has the drive, the distance and the cut-off times, and the Mactan airport to Bantayan Island page covers the same run if you are coming straight off a flight.
Can I visit Bantayan as a day trip?
It’s possible but tight - the drive plus ferry each way eats most of the day, and you’d be watching the last evening boat back. We usually recommend at least one overnight so you actually enjoy the beaches.
How do you handle the ferry timing?
We plan your pickup around a realistic Hagnaya departure with buffer for traffic, so you reach the port in good time. Schedules can change with weather, so we keep some flexibility and confirm closer to the day.
Do I need to book the ferry in advance?
For most days you buy ferry tickets at the port, but seats and vehicle slots can fill on peak weekends and holidays. We’ll advise on timing and, where useful, help you plan around the busier departures.
Does a quote to Bantayan Island include the boat or ferry?
Getting to Bantayan Island means a road leg plus a sea crossing, and those are two different bookings. What we quote is the private vehicle leg on the Cebu side, timed to the sailing you are aiming for: one fixed all-in price agreed in writing before you travel, with fuel, tolls, parking and any waiting time or extra stops you tell us about already inside it. The crossing itself is not in that figure unless we have set it out for you. Tell us your sailing, or ask us to work to one, and we will say plainly what we are quoting for and what you book yourself - we will not leave you guessing at the pier.