How to Get There: Siquijor from Cebu by Bus

Traveling by bus from Cebu to Siquijor is probably the most popular mode of transportation to get to the island. If you are on a touristy or vacation mode, this route is the most fun because it is like hitting three islands in one trip. I would warn you, however, to be extra careful when taking this route during Holy Weeks (especially Maundy Thursday and Good Friday) and during All Souls' and All Saints' Days.

How to Get to Siquijor from Cebu via Bus/Landtrip

 This way takes only half a day, or approximately five hours if you do smart planning. But this way will make you take almost all modes of land and sea transportation available to mankind. This is because this route will look like this:

Cebu City (bus) --> Liloan Port (pumpboat or fastcraft) --> Sibulan Port (multicab or tricycle) --> Dumaguete Public Market (tricycle) --> Dumaguete Port --> Siquijor

To further break it down, the route looks like this:

I only use this route when I am not in a hurry, I do not have deadlines to beat, and I am not bringing anything home with me. If you can help it, try to bring a hand carry bag. This route has its many charms though. Including meeting locals (and smelling their armpits when its very crowded), and having the chance to experience Cebu and Dumaguete's rich culinary culture through the vendors hawking local delicacies and the side-walk carenderias at stop-overs.

Please note that the jump-off point is Cebu City South Bus terminal, not the North Bus terminal. It is only in the South bus terminal that you find buses going to Liloan in the town of Santander (not to be confused with Liloan, the town after Consolacion in northern Cebu). Here is a step-by-step guide to this route:

No. 1: Choose a bus. I almost always ride an airconditioned Ceres bus. I am most comfortable in these kinds of buses. But when there's no choice, there are also non-airconditioned Ceres buses, although I find that these buses stops more times than the airconditioned ones. There are also other buses, such as Sun-Rays. But I find that the Sun-Rays bus drivers drive too fast.

No. 2: Choose the Liloan-Santander bus. There are many ports in the south of Cebu and many of them have boats that will take you to Negros Oriental. So, choose the specific bus that will go to the Liloan Port. Also, choose the bus that traverses Argao and Oslob because this route will take you faster to your destination. Bus fare was P185, as of November 2016.

No. 3: Choose the port/craft. The Ceres bus takes you to the Cuadro Alas Port, while other buses will take you to the nearby port, which I call the old port. At the Cuadro Alas Port, the vessels are fast craft, while at the old port the vessels are pumpboats. If you are driving your own car, drive along the Dumanjug-Moalboal route until you reach Bato Port in Samboan. The ro-ro boats are there. Fastcraft fare was P62, as of November 2016.

No. 4: When you reach the Sibulan port, take the multicab or the tricycle. I take the multicab because it's cheaper, although very crowded. The multicab will take you to the Dumaguete Public Market. Multicab fare was P10, as of November 2016.

No. 5: Take the tricycle to Dumaguete Port, from the Dumaguete Public Market. Tricycle fare was P8, one way, as of March 2017.

No. 6: At the Dumaguete Port, choose which vessel you'd like to take going to Siquijor. You can read about my guide on what vessel to choose, and their schedule HERE.

Ro-Ro Boat from Liloan to Larena

In No. 3, you have a third option -- Maayo Shipping, which has a daily ro-ro boat trip from Liloan, Santander, to Larena Siquijor. The schedule is as follows:

Liloan 10:00 AM ETD - Larena 12:15 PM ETA

Larena 06:00 PM ETD - Liloan 8:15 PM ETA

P.S. The photos above were taken on Oct. 29, 2016, a Saturday, and few days before All Souls' Day and All Saints' Day. It was a very long weekend, and the line to the Ceres bus at the Cebu South Bus terminal was also as long as the weekend that was.