After a couple of weeks it was time to leave and explore someplace new so we decided to take the ferry from Siquijor to Dumaguete. We enjoyed our time here immensely and had some real adventures like the falls and underground river. We enjoyed the cultural aspect of the island like the Balete Tree and the tales of witchcraft & Voodoo.
Understanding public transportation in the Philippines can be a challenge for even the most well traveled explorer so I have documented the process below with plenty of pictures so you won’t have any issues at all.
Siquijor island has two main ports for ferries, Siquijor city and Larena city. This guide will detail the steps for the Siquijor city port as it is by far the most common port used between the islands. However, the process is fairly similar no matter which port you use.
Given that the Siquijor port is just North of San Juan, the biggest tourist area on Siquijor island we will depart from there (The Larena port is about another 25 minutes North). The ticketing office you see above will be your first stop in the journey off the island. As you enter you will find a ticket machine with the different shipping lines listed. At this terminal they were Oceanjet, Montenegro, Aleson, and Anika Star (Who was not running this day because the ferry engine was broken).
Often times there will be an employee manning the kiosk to assist you. If you are not sure you can walk up to the shipping counter windows where the ferry times and costs will be displayed. Once you have made your choice take a seat and wait for your ticket number to be displayed.
After the signage has displayed your ticket number you can walk up to the window and purchase your ferry ticket from Siquijor to Dumaguete. The ticket cost for this trip was 350 Pesos and just 20 more Pesos for and upgrade to business class. That’s less than $8 US for the 1.5 hour trip.
After you have received your tickets you can leave the ticketing office and proceed to the Siquijor port to catch your ferry. Keep your tickets and passport ready as you will have to present it to the guards on the short walk to the port terminal ferry building.
Once you get to the ferry building you will need to pay the terminal fee. This varies from terminal to terminal but has never been more than a dollar for me. However, it’s always in addition to the ferry ticket cost and you have to pay at the terminal so keep some Pesos handy.
After paying the terminal fee you will be “inspected” by security (a stick poked into your bag). That will be the entirety of the search. Don’t ask me how that can be an effective search please.
Once in the terminal there will be signs above sections of chairs for the destination. There are usually 2 or 3 different doors being used so take the time to look at the board near the door. They change the placard cards to represent the cruise line and destination. You will hear a couple of tones from the overhead speakers and everyone will get up and head to the appropriate door to embark on the ferry. Don’t worry, they check your ticket at the door so if you made a mistake they will let you know. Once on the ferry you can usually leave your luggage at the main level, but sometimes they ask you to sign a log book.
After an hour and a half you will end up in the Dumaguete port. Just follow everyone else out of the terminal and there will be plenty of tricycles offering rides. There are several accomodations within 10-15 minutes of walking as well if you prefer.
This is where most people end up with false information unfortunately. While Siquijor does have an airport no commercial flights fly to it. The best you can do is fly in and out of Dumaguete and use the ferry between it and Siquijor.
The 50 km travel time for the ferry from Siquijor to Dumaguete varies depending on which ferry service you take, but generally the fast ferries take 45 minutes to an hour and the regular ferries take 1-2 hours as they are a good bit slower.
Ferry ticket prices can vary, but you can generally expect to pay around $8-14 for a one-way ticket on the regular ferries and $10-20 for the fast ferries.
The main ferry operators on this route are Ocean Jet, Montenegro, Aleson, and Anika Star
