How do we go to Bantayan Island ?
important here if you want to travel this wonderfull country is "be
patient" often the coordination between land-/sea-/and -airtransport
is unbelivable bad. Waiting 3 - 4 hours between each journey is common.
For a local Philippino it is no problem though, just lean back and take a
nap or chika chika with people around you.Getting up to us in Bantayan Island, forigners do not have to spend time bite their nails or unpatient look at their watch. The connection between bus and ferryboat is fairly good. The trip with bus, just to mention, is actually a beautifull trip and somtimes even a culturell expirence, all depending on the buscompany you choose.
Bus connection from Cebu North busterminal, Cebu City - Hagnaya port is:
Departure start 3 AM.there is 4-5 different bus lines driving to Hagnaya, calculate your travel time by bus to around 3 - 3,5 hours, they mostly make a 15 minutes break at the halfway. (Philipinos do seldom travel more than 1 hour without having or bringing snack) the price for the trip from Cebu City - Hagnaya is 85 - 100 peso, depending buslines and if with or without aircon
The trip,
with Island Shipping, from Hagnaya - Sta. Fe, Bantayan
Island, takes around 1 hour, though it is also a nice tript, ocationaly
you can wach dolphines but allways you can see flying fish end fishermen
standing up in their small bancas in open sea, that even the waves is
fairly high for such a small "nutt shell". The ferryboat is not
European standard, though the safetyequiptment is there and in order.
Departure is 06.30 AM -07.30 AM - 10.00AM - 12.30noon - 2.00PM and 5.30 PM. therefore if you
like to arrive in daylight, then you better get up early in Cebu.The price
for this trip is 120 peso including piertax.
If you do not like to experience the busride you can as a alternative ride on a V-Hier to Hagnaya. They depart from White Gold Jeepnyterminal and AYALA Center's parkingarea. V-Hire is a mini-Van with air-con and they carry only around 15 passanger. Departure time:As soon as they are full or somone pay the remaning wacant seats. price per seat is only 100 - 110 peso. In this kind of transporth you pay for your lugage if it takes space up . Te trip Cebu - Hagnaya port is around 2 - 2,5 hours.
From our guest Chris Den Dulk,
the trip is to look at as follow (he is right) Once you are in Cebu it
is a piece of cake. Go to the Nothern bus terminal.
Take the bus for Bogo.
There are many, and we took the basic bus for the open windows and the
photographic opportunities.
No aircon but it is not a
problem once the vehicle is in motion.
Trip is about 3 hours. It is so cheap that I even forget the price.
Bogo is a great city so
get a pension house there for the night. ( Very cheap. ) No need to book
in advance unless there is a festival. Take a look around in a tricycle,
wonderful.
Take a tricycle to
Hagnaya Port. Few pesos and 20 minutes ride.
The ferry service to
Bantayan Island is excellent. One every 2 hours mostly.
Again, just a few pesos.
Then it is a tricycle
ride to St Bernards, pedal power. Do give the young blokes at least 50
pesos for this service, they work hard. But then you will be rewarded
with a huge smile and exclusive service at all times!
The reverse trip we did
to Cebu in less than 5 hours. ( 9.30am ferry from Banayan Island saw us
in Mandaue Cebu by 2.30pm.)
To everyone at St Bernards, THANKYOU. We will return.
Chris den Dulk Dunedin New Zealand.
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Last modifide : November 2003