Bantayan and Malapascua Islands

The long sandbar at Kalanggaman Island (day trip from Malapascua Island)

Highlights

Time of Visit:  January and February 2025

Duration of Visit:  Four days at each island

Description 

Bantayan and Malapascua are two popular tourist destination islands north of Cebu.  The two are popular because of laid back vibes and outdoor/adventure opportunities.

Bantayan Island has a couple of nice beaches with calm waters, caves with swimmable brackish water and is the jumping off point to visit the relaxing Virgin Island.  Despite the name, Virgin Island has a resort that has a bar/restaurant and cabins.

Malapascua is much smaller than Bantayan but you’ll run into more international tourists here.  The place has the small island vibe where alleyways are considered roads and it seems like the locals know each other.  International tourists flock to this island because of world class diving opportunities and see thresher sharks. It is impossible not to run into a dive shop a couple of minutes walk from the port.

So if you visit Cebu, make sure you have enough time to visit Bantayan and Malapascua Islands.  We think that the people here are less pushy which adds to the wonderful experience. 

Bantayan Island

Activities

Island Hopping

Probably the most popular activity on the island.  The island hopping is regulated so the fees are set and there is no haggling.  You don’t need to pre-book anything.  Just show up in the morning at the island hopping station in Barangay Okoy (near Maykenn Beach).

You basically hire a boat which is operated by locals. The price depends on your party size and where you want to go.  The usual destinations for the boat tour are Virgin Island, snorkeling off Hilangtagaan Island and Baigdad Lagoon Resort.  These three locations are enough to fill an entire day.

Spending an entire day at Virgin Island would not be a bad idea.  The amenities include toilets, hammocks under coconut trees and open huts facing the water.  There is also cliff jumping.  The resort has a bar/restaurant and the prices were on the high side but not like double of what you would pay on Bantayan Island.  

Visitors can enjoy the island between 8AM and 3PM.  The island does have four air conditioned nipa huts for guests.  They also have Wifi for overnight guests.  Not a bad place to spend an idyllic day or more.

Snorkeling near Hilangtagaan Island was also fun.  Lots of reef fishes, especially if you brought food with you.

Baigdad Lagoon is another place you can relax (but hands down, it is not as nice as Virgin Island).  The resort has amenities such as tables, lounge chairs, showers and bathrooms.  There is also a bar/restaurant.  Enjoying the small freshwater pool is additional.  We were just content laying on the lounge chair facing the sea while sipping fresh coconut water and the wind on our faces.

Baigdad Lagoon Resort ground is compact so it can feel crowded compared to Virgin Island.  Also, the resort is reachable by walking during low tide.  The walk is less than one km on the beach.  Just make sure you are aware of the tides so you don’t have to find a boat to get back (the island hopping boats will not tell you this – they will say that there is no road and you will need a boat to get to the resort).

Land Tour

There are several places on the island that are worth visiting.  Our favorite was Sandira Beach, especially in the late afternoon.  The water was almost glass calm and clear.  Just do not go  during weekends to avoid the crowds.  There is an entry fee from 8AM to 5PM.

Kota Beach is a nice and long public beach.  Best of all is it is free.

Next was Bantayan Nature Park.  The park has a cave with clear brackish water that you can swim in, similar to Ogtong Cave. The park also has a large freshwater pool with a slide.   We enjoyed the fish spa the most.  Those little fishes pecking the dead skin off our feet sure felt ticklish.  The park is open from 8AM to 8PM.  There are also air conditioned cabins for people to stay overnight.

Exploring the towns of Bantayan and Madridejos can also be entertaining.  Who knows what would catch your eye.  We went to Bantayan to see St. Peter Church which is one of the oldest churches in the Philippines.  Its stained glass windows and painted ceiling are mesmerizing.

Madridejos has the colorful Kota Ocean Park and Bontay Walk.  The ocean park reminds us of the white and blue painted structures in Greece.  Bontay Walk is a walkway over the water.

Eat

There is no shortage of eateries in Bantayan Island, especially in the towns.  It is a common sight to see meat and fresh seafood (mainly fish and squid) being grilled over charcoal.

Sweet treats are also irresistible, especially the local favorite which is “halo-halo”.  “Halo-halo” literally translates to mix-mix where sweetened ingredients such as potatoes, beans, ice cream, corn kernels and whatever would taste good.  Then they pack it with shaved ice and pour milk.  Some may throw in a spoon of sugar for good measure.  Can you say blood sugar spike?

How To Get There

From Mactan Airport at Cebu City, take MyBus or a taxi to SM City North Bus Terminal.  Get on the Ceres Bus bound for Bantayan Island.  The bus will get one of the roll on roll off (RORO) at Hagnaya Port and get off at Santa Fe Port at Bantayan Island.  If you are unable to catch the direct bus to the island, there are buses that go to Hagnaya Port.  The journey takes about four hours.

You can also get on the bus bound for Maya Port (going to Malapascua Island) and get off at Don Pedro Junction, then take a tricycle to Hagnaya Port to catch the ferry.

Purchase a ferry ticket and pay the port fee at Hagnaya Port.  There are two RORO ferry companies that shuttle visitors between the Hagnaya Port and Santa Fe Port.  The ferry ships leave around every hour with the companies alternating at each departure.

Once at Santa Fe Port, walk out of the terminal and there will be a lot of tricycles.  You can haggle the cost to your destination.  The tricycle drivers will normally tell you to do a special  trip so they can leave right away and do not have to wait for other passengers. 

Where To Stay

There is no shortage of places to stay on Bantayan Island.  We chose to stay at Tiki Bar Bantayan which is at the island’s Southeast corner near Kota Beach.  It is shown as a restaurant on Google Maps but they have three lodging units.  Rooms were clean and adequate.  You will find other accommodations through Booking.com.  

The immediate area around Tiki Bar Bantayan has many restaurants to choose from. 

Getting Around

Renting a scooter is probably the most cost effective way to get around.   Just make sure they provide helmets as the island has strict enforcement rules.  We have seen people without helmets being issued citations.  Locals also mentioned the strict enforcement.

There are tricycle drivers that offer land tours around the island.  Expect to pay more than 1K PHP for about a day of going around different locations.

There are jeepneys that go north between Santa Fe to the South to Madridejos to the North.  But those are few and far in between.  Plus that would entail a lot of walking to where you want to go once you get dropped off at the main road.  It would be cost effective if you just want to go from town to town.

Expected Costs

Costs are per person unless noted otherwise.

MyBus from Mactan Airport to SM City North Bus Terminal – 50 (taxi at least 200).

Ceres Bus from SM City North Bus Terminal to Hagnaya Port – 250

Ferry between Hagnaya Port and Santa Fe Port – 320 to 359 (depends on ferry company) (includes port fees)

Island Hopping – 1,800 per boat for two people to Virgin Island (includes the environmental fee).  Additional 300 for each additional destination (e.g 600 for adding  Hilangtagaan and Baidan Lagoon)

Virgin Island Entry Fee – 350

Baiden Lagoon Entry Fee – 250

Sandira Beach – 70

Bantayan Nature Park  – 100 (entry only, additional 100 for the swimming pool)

Scooter Rental – 300/day

Tricycle fare (around 5 km distance) – 30

Tricycle Land Tour – > 1,000 

Malapascua island

Activities

Land Tour

There are plenty of locals that would offer land tours.  We did not opt for one as we rented a scooter for the day and explored on our own.  Looking back at it, a scooter was not really needed as the island is small enough to walk if you are used to walking and used to the heat and humidity.

Diving

It seems there were multiple dive shops on every street in the poblacion area.  Here is where you can get certified to dive or take advanced courses if you need to.  There are both local and foreign dive masters that work at the dive shops.

The popular dive sites are Gato, Kimud and Monad.  I signed up for a day and we did three dives. Two at Kimud where the thresher sharks hung around and one at Monad for possible tiger shark sightings (we did not see one).

Diving here is more expensive compared to other places in the Philippines (except Tubataha Reef from Palawan).  Fun dives are the cheapest while sanctioned ones (those that count towards advanced courses) are more expensive.   Just ask for fun dives if you just want to be in the water and don’t care about advancing your diving skills.

Kalanggaman Day Trip

Kalanggaman is a small and narrow island with coconut trees and a beautiful sand bar at both ends.  We signed up for a joiner day trip with a local named “Kuya Eric” who acted as a broker between us and the boat operator.  We were able to save 200PHP pp with Kuya Eric, otherwise it would have been 1.5K PHP pp.  

The pumpboat left Malapascua around 9:30AM.  It would have left earlier if it wasn’t for the time wasted waiting for people that signed up but did not show up.  We reached Kalanggaman at 11:30 AM and had a total of three hours to enjoy the island and the provided lunch (the 2:30PM departure time was a hard deadline).

How To Get There

Make your way to Maya Port at the Northeast corner of Cebu Island.  Ceres Bus from Cebu North Bus Terminal goes to the port.  The travel time took about four hours with two designated stops.

There are private vans that also take visitors to Maya Port from Cebu.  However, we find that those vans are packed like sardines and uncomfortable, especially on a long haul.

You can also hire a taxi or a private driver to take you to Maya Port.  There were a couple of people that went this route and came straight from Moalboal.  Of course, the price would be hefty but it beats spending nine to 10 hours of total travel by bus from Moalboal.

The pumpboat ferry from Maya Port leaves every 30 minutes if there are enough passengers to justify the turnover.  The first trip is at 7AM and the last trip is at 5:30PM.  

Where To Stay

There are several accommodation options on the island.  Most are near the port where the dive shops and restaurants are located.  There are other accommodations sprinkled at the island’s Northern half but that would mean you would be far from the dive shops and restaurants (which is a disadvantage).

We stayed at Malapascua Starlight Resort which is near everything.  Sunset watching was about a five minute walk.  Their staff is friendly and the rooms are adequate.

Getting Around

The majority of streets on the island’s poblacion are no wider than a pedestrian sidewalk.  Locals on motorbikes use these narrow streets to get around.  So just stay on one side when walking instead of being in the middle.

Away from the poblacion, the streets become wider but there is no mass transportation.  We did not even see a tricycle there. 

“Habal-habal” is the common way to get around the island.  A “habal-habal” is a motorbike driven by a local that will take visitors where they need to go.  You just basically ride on the back along with your bags.

We rented a scooter from our accommodation to get around the island.  You do not need a scooter if you are not planning on leaving the poblacion area.

Expected Costs

Ceres Bus from SM Cebu North Bus Terminal to Hagnaya Port – around 300

Ferry between Maya Port and Malapascua Island – 200

Maya Port Environmental Fee and Docking Fee – 140

Fun Dive – 5,000 to 6,000 (varies by dive shop) (3% additional if paid by credit card)

Kalanggamman Island Day Tour – 1,500 (contact Kuya Eric at 63 935 362 8184)

Summary

Tranquil Bantayan Island off the northern coast of Cebu has postcard-perfect white sand beaches, calm turquoise waters and laid-back island vibe. It offers a relaxing escape from the busier tourist areas in the Philippines.  Spending a lazy day at Virgin Island and Baigdad Lagoon Resort, scooter riding along coastal roads and enjoying fresh seafood in charming, low-key beachfront eateries epitomizes what a vacation (holiday) should be..

Malapascua Island is a short boat ride from the northern tip of Cebu.  It is a small island famous for its world-class scuba diving, particularly for the rare opportunity to see thresher sharks.   Beyond diving, Malapascua offers a peaceful island experience with limited development, creating an intimate atmosphere ideal for snorkeling, kayaking, and sunset strolls. 

Both islands offer different but complementary experiences: Bantayan is better for beach relaxation, while Malapascua is a haven for divers and ocean lovers.