Bantayan or Malapascua (or Boracay)? An honest comparison.
Short answer: Want a quiet dream beach without the party crowd? Choose Bantayan – long white beaches, flat roads to explore by bike or scooter and fresh seafood; Malapascua for diving with thresher sharks on a tiny island; Boracay if you prefer a short flight, lots of choice and nightlife. Between Bantayan and Malapascua there are only private or shared tourist boats, or a long trip over land.
Cebu City → Bantayan, door to door
5–8 hours
Cebu City → Maya port (Malapascua)
about 4–6 hours
Flight Cebu → Caticlan (Boracay)
about 1 hour 10 minutes
AI illustration
What it costs
Ferry Hagnaya → Santa Fe₱380
Boat Maya → Malapascuaabout ₱200–240
Malapascua environmental fee₱120 for foreign visitors, ₱75 for locals (2022 charter; travellers in 2026 report about ₱140 at the desk)
Boracay environmental fee₱300 for foreign visitors, ₱150 for Philippine residents
Daanbantayan, the town on mainland Cebu where Maya port lies, is not Bantayan Island – the names are easy to mix up.
Our local guide says
Ralf, local guide in Santa Fe
“If you want a quiet dream beach where you really have your peace – no party, party, party – you should definitely come to Bantayan. We have white sand here: Sugar Beach, a long, clean white beach with crystal-clear water.”
Our local guide’s verdict: If you want a quiet dream beach where you really have peace and no non-stop party, go to Bantayan.
Bantayan: you want long white beaches, a slow pace and time to explore. Our local guide in Santa Fe recommends Sugar Beach: long, clean white sand and crystal-clear water. The sea is calmest outside the windy months – see best time to visit. The island is flat, so a scooter or bicycle takes you to beaches, churches, mangroves and the three town centres. Seafood is fresh, and you can go island hopping from Santa Fe. The trade-off is the long trip from Cebu and the ferry connection – see getting here.
Malapascua: you dive, or you want to. Thresher sharks are seen at cleaning stations very early in the morning, and boats leave before sunrise. The island is so small that you walk everywhere. There are no cars, and there are only a few ATMs, which can be offline or out of cash, so bring enough cash.
Boracay: you would rather fly than sit on a bus, and you want many hotels, restaurants and water sports in one place. Expect more fees on arrival.
Fees you pay on arrival
Bantayan: a terminal fee at Hagnaya port (about ₱20–25) and the eco-tourism fee in Santa Fe (₱30). Ferry and fees are on the ferry page.
Malapascua: an environmental fee at Maya port – ₱120 for foreign visitors, ₱75 for locals (2022 charter; travellers in 2026 report about ₱140 at the desk). Divers pay extra marine park fees at the dive sites.
Boracay: terminal fee ₱150, environmental fee ₱300 for foreign visitors, ₱150 for Philippine residents and the boat ₱50, plus a service charge of ₱35 per trip, plus possible online booking charges. You can register and pay these fees online in one QR ticket (LezzGo Boracay, since August 2025); paying at the port is still possible. Check the final total before you pay.
Combining Bantayan and Malapascua
There is no ferry run by a shipping line between the two islands; boats are private charters or shared tourist transfers booked through tour desks, and prices vary widely. Tour desks in Santa Fe can arrange a private boat; the crossing takes about 2–3 hours and depends on calm sea. Ask for the price before you agree, and do not go when the coast guard has stopped sea trips.
The other way is over land: ferry from Santa Fe to Hagnaya, then a bus or van north to Maya, then the boat to Malapascua. Plan a full day for this.
Is Bantayan Island worth it?
Yes, if you come for the beaches and the slow pace rather than for nightlife or diving. Give it at least two or three days – a day trip from Cebu means most of the day on the road. Our itineraries show what fits into two, three or five days, and prices shows what a day on the island costs.
FAQ
Is Bantayan or Malapascua better?
It depends on what you want. Bantayan is bigger, with long beaches and flat roads to explore; Malapascua is tiny and is mainly a place for diving with thresher sharks.
Is there a ferry from Bantayan to Malapascua?
Not by a regular shipping line. Tour desks in Santa Fe book private or shared boats (about 2–3 hours); the other way is over land via Hagnaya and Maya port, which takes most of a day.
Bantayan or Boracay?
Boracay is a short flight from Cebu and has far more hotels, restaurants and nightlife. Bantayan takes longer to reach by bus and ferry, but is quieter and less built-up.
Is Daanbantayan the same as Bantayan Island?
No. Daanbantayan is a town on mainland Cebu; its Maya port is where boats leave for Malapascua. Bantayan Island is reached from Hagnaya in San Remigio.
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