Short answer
New Maya port is about 133 km north of Cebu City, roughly 4-4.5 hours by private car up the northern coastal road through Danao, Bogo, Medellin and Daanbantayan. This page is the road leg by itself, ending at the pier gate, for travellers who are booking the Malapascua outrigger themselves or whose stay is on the mainland side.
Because the journey ends at Maya, it is entirely ours to run: one vehicle, one driver, door to gate, with no crossing in the middle. The crossing to Malapascua, if you are making it, is a public outrigger of about 30-40 minutes that runs through the day and stops at 5:00 PM, so a morning departure from the city leaves a comfortable buffer.
By public transport, Ceres buses run north to Maya from the Cebu North Bus Terminal. It is much cheaper and much slower, with stops the whole way up, and it puts you and your bags at the mercy of the last boat.
Step by step: Cebu City to Maya Port (Daanbantayan)
- 1Leave the city in the morning
The last boat from Maya leaves at 5:00 PM, so a morning or early-midday departure gives a safe buffer on a four-hour-plus drive.
- 2Head north up the coastal road
Through Mandaue and Danao, then Bogo, Medellin and Daanbantayan. About 133 km and 4-4.5 hours depending on traffic leaving the city.
- 3Stop where you like on the way
The car is yours for the journey and the driver waits, so lunch or a look at somewhere along the northern coast can sit inside the run rather than costing you a separate day. Put it in the "Stops along the way" field on the quote form and it is in the plan from the start.
- 4Arrive at New Maya port
Dropped at the port gate. The onward outrigger to Malapascua is booked and paid at the pier, or arranged by your resort if they run their own boat.
Ways to travel, compared
- Private transfer to Maya Port (what we arrange)~4-4.5 hrs
Door-to-gate from your Cebu City hotel to New Maya port, timed to a daytime boat, with luggage and dive gear handled and stops on the way if you want them. Fixed, all-in price - request a quote.
- Ceres bus to Maya~4-5 hrs
From the Cebu North Bus Terminal straight up to Maya. Cheapest, but slower with stops, and awkward with dive gear.
- Maya to Malapascua outrigger~30-40 min
The crossing, if you are going on to the island. Runs through the day, stops in the late afternoon, small public fare paid at the port. Separate from our quote unless your written quote says otherwise.
When New Maya port is open, and what to expect at the gate
- Last boat to the island
- 5:00 PM from New Maya port. The operator side states it as a hard rule that covers chartered boats as well as the public outriggers, so it is not a queue you can talk your way into at 5:30
- First boat
- 5:00 AM, with a published board of about 22 crossings through the day. The crossing itself is 30-40 minutes
- What the board actually means
- These are public outriggers and they leave when they fill - about 10 passengers is the minimum reported. Times on the board are the shape of the day, not departures you can hold someone to
- Why 5:00 PM is the wrong target
- The last trip is the one most likely to have nobody else on it. Current guides warn that if the boat does not fill you are asked to pay for the whole thing, so aiming for the cut-off can turn a P200 seat into a charter
- When you have to be moving
- Counted back from 5:00 PM on our own drive times: clear arrivals at Mactan by about midday (4.5-5 hours, ~145 km), or leave Cebu City by about 1:00 PM (4-4.5 hours, ~133 km). Island resorts quote 1:00 PM off a flight, but on a 3-4 hour estimate for the road - midday is the number our own figures support
- Coming back
- The published board off the island ends about 4:30 PM, half an hour earlier than the outbound one. We have only one source for that, so treat it as the board rather than a guarantee and cross in the morning if a flight depends on it
- Paid at the port, not by us
- A seat is reported at P200-240, with roughly P140 environmental and P5 terminal fees per person. A private charter is reported at about P3,000-5,000, or P4,000 for up to ten passengers. Cash, at the pier, and worth re-confirming on the day
- Settle the boat before the car leaves, because on this route the boat is the deadline and the drive is just what fits inside it. Tell us your flight number or your checkout time when you request the quote and we time the pickup backwards from a crossing with daylight to spare, not from the 5:00 PM cut-off.
- If you land after about 1:00 PM, the honest answer is that Malapascua is a next-morning trip. An overnight near the airport or up in Daanbantayan and an early run north is a better night than a 5:00 PM sprint that ends at a closed pier with your bags on the pavement - and we would rather quote you the two-part version than the one that fails.
- Weather sits on top of all of this. These are small open boats and they are the first thing the coastguard stops in a heavy swell; a suspended crossing has no later alternative the same day. It is the reason the margin matters more here than the timetable does.
Add stops on the way to Maya Port (Daanbantayan)
It is a ~133 km drive, and you do not have to do it in one go. The car is yours for the journey and the driver waits wherever you stop, so a waterfall, an old church or a long lunch can sit in the middle of the run rather than costing you a separate day. List the stops you want in the quote request and we price the day, not the hop.
- The car waits wherever you stop
- Luggage stays in the vehicle
- Fuel, tolls and parking included
- Entrance fees paid locally, as you go
We'll pre-fill Cebu City → Maya Port (Daanbantayan). Add each one to the "Stops along the way" field on the form - it takes them in order - and we come back with one all-in price.
What the quote covers
- A private air-conditioned car or van with an English-speaking local driver for the whole journey
- 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.
Cebu City to Maya Port (Daanbantayan): FAQs
How far is Maya Port from Cebu City?
About 133 km, and roughly 4-4.5 hours by private car up the northern coastal road. It is the same drive as the Malapascua run, stopping at the pier instead of continuing onto a boat.
Can you take me to Maya and stop for lunch on the way?
Yes. The car is yours for the journey and the driver waits wherever you stop, so a meal or a short look at somewhere on the northern coast can sit in the middle of the drive. Put it in the "Stops along the way" field on the quote form and it is in the plan from the start. We price the day rather than the hop.
Do I need to book the Malapascua boat in advance?
The public outriggers from Maya run through the day rather than on a booked schedule, and the last one leaves at 5:00 PM - so what matters is arriving with daylight to spare rather than holding a ticket. If your resort is sending its own boat, tell us the time and we work the drop-off around it.
Is the boat included in the quote?
No. Our quote is for the private road leg to New Maya port. The crossing is a public boat paid at the pier, and the walk or trike at the island landing is separate too, unless your written quote sets them out.
Can you do the return trip, Maya Port (Daanbantayan) back to Cebu City?
Yes - the same private car and driver, Maya Port (Daanbantayan) back to Cebu City over the same ~133 km. Ask for both legs in one quote request and we price the round trip together. If the way back ends somewhere other than where you started, say where in the Anything else? box on the quote form and we quote that leg instead of the reverse of this one.
What does the price for Cebu City to Maya Port (Daanbantayan) include?
The quote is one fixed all-in price for the trip, agreed in writing before you travel, and fuel, tolls and parking are inside it - along with any waiting time or extra stops you tell us about when you ask. What stays separate is what you would choose anyway: entrance, activity and boat fees at the places you stop, your meals, and your accommodation. We do not invent activity prices, so those you pay directly on the ground.
Can I compare options, or have the price split out?
One fixed all-in price for the journey, agreed in writing before you travel, with fuel, tolls, parking and waiting time already inside it. If it would help you decide, ask and we will also quote the alternatives next to it - a larger vehicle against two smaller ones for a group that is on the edge of a van, or the road leg quoted on its own where part of your journey crosses water you are booking yourself. On a trip of several legs we will price them individually as well as together if you want to see where the cost sits. Entrance, activity and boat fees at the places you stop stay outside our figure and are paid locally, and we never mark them up. Say how you want it broken up in the box marked "Anything else?".
How much notice do you need - can I book this for tomorrow?
Usually yes. There is no minimum notice on this route and no cut-off hour, so a request for tomorrow, or for later today, is worth sending rather than writing off. What settles it is whether a vetted driver is free for the time you need, and you will have the answer and the price by email the same day, usually within a few hours. A very early start is routine here rather than a complication. The part that gets harder with less notice is choice - holding a particular vehicle size or an exact pickup hour - not whether the journey can happen, so send the date and, if the timing is tight, the hour you need to be moving.
Do I pay anything up front, and when do I pay the rest?
Nothing to ask for a quote. Once you are happy with the price it is two steps, not a choice between two: a booking fee paid online (card, bank transfer or GCash) confirms the trip and is what gets you your written confirmation, then the balance goes directly to your driver at the end of the journey. The fee is part of the all-in figure you agreed rather than an extra on top of it, and your quote states it before you pay. Free cancellation up to 72 hours before pickup refunds the fee in full.
Maya Port (Daanbantayan) to Cebu City
We run this route in both directions, with the same car and driver. Ask for both legs in one request and we'll price the round trip together.
We'll pre-fill Maya Port (Daanbantayan) → Cebu City on the form. Just add your dates and details.
Coming back to somewhere else - a different town, the airport, a pier for an onward boat? Say where in the Anything else? box on the form and we price the return to that instead of back to the start.
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