All guides · newest first
All guides on bantayan.org.
Short answer: All our guides in one list: the newest first, then everything by topic. Use the search at the top if you are looking for something specific.
New & updated.
New · 10 Nov
Bantayan or Malapascua (or Boracay)? An honest comparison
Updated · 10 Nov
Bantayan town – the old church town of Bantayan Island
Updated · 10 Nov
Kawit (Medellin) to Santa Fe ferry – Aznar Shipping schedule and fares
New · 10 Nov
Funtastic Island (Gibitngil) – day trip from Santa Fe
Updated · 10 Nov
How to get to Bantayan Island from Cebu
New · 10 Nov
Internet, SIM cards and mobile signal on Bantayan Island
Getting here
- Getting here. Cebu airport to Bantayan step by step – bus or van to Hagnaya port, ferry to Santa Fe. Travel times, costs and the mistakes that cost you a day.
- Ferries (all routes).
- Flights to Cebu. Are there flights to Bantayan? Status of the Cebu–Bantayan flight, how to get from Mactan-Cebu airport to Hagnaya port, and which flight to book for the last ferry.
- Getting around. How to get around Bantayan Island – tricycle, habal-habal, scooter and motorbike rental, bicycles and cars – with 2026 prices, travel times, helmet law and licence rules.
- Escalante (Negros) to Santa Fe ferry – Bethlehem Shipping. The daily boat between Escalante City on Negros and Santa Fe, Bantayan Island – port, fares, travel time and what to check before you go.
- Kawit (Medellin) to Santa Fe ferry – Aznar Shipping schedule and fares. The second ferry to Bantayan Island – Aznar Shipping from Kawit port in Medellin, north Cebu, to Santa Fe. Schedule, fares, travel time and tickets.
- Live ferry tracker for Bantayan Island – how we are building it. Why public maps rarely show the Bantayan ferries live, and how bantayan.org is building its own AIS receiver in Santa Fe to show where the ferry is and when it arrives.
Places
- Santa Fe. Santa Fe is the port town of Bantayan Island. Mayor, barangays, population, history since 1872, beaches, fiesta and the official offices to contact.
- Bantayan town. Bantayan town, the largest municipality on Bantayan Island: parish from 1580, plaza, Holy Week processions, Palawod fiesta, barangays and contacts.
- Madridejos. Madridejos guide: the fishing town at the northern tip of Bantayan Island – Kota Park fort, sunset baywalk, fiesta on December 8, how to get there, key contacts.
- Island map.
Things to do
- All sights & beaches.
- Island hopping. How island hopping from Santa Fe works: usual stops, boat prices, island fees, best time and safety. Virgin Island, Hilantagaan, Santa Fe Lagoon, Kinatarkan.
- Itineraries. Day-by-day plans for 2, 3 and 5 days on Bantayan Island – beaches, island hopping, Bantayan town and Madridejos – with ferry and weather buffers.
- Events & fiestas. Fiestas, festivals, Holy Week and holidays on Bantayan Island month by month, with travel tips for full ferries and rooms. Dates to confirm locally.
- All guides (newest first).
- Funtastic Island (Gibitngil) – day trip from Santa Fe. Funtastic Island on Gibitngil, off Medellin: cliff jumping, zipline, slides and swimming. How to get there from Santa Fe by private boat or via Kawit, fees and tips.
- Hilantagaan Island – snorkeling near Santa Fe. Hilantagaan is an inhabited island barangay of Santa Fe, reached by boat. Snorkeling reef, entrance fee, how to get there and respectful visiting.
- Kinatarcan Island – how to get there and what to expect. Kinatarcan (Kinatarkan, Guintacan) is a remote island of Santa Fe with cliffs, a lagoon and simple guesthouses. Boats from Daanbantayan and Santa Fe, and what to bring.
- Kota Beach – Santa Fe's main white sand beach. Kota Beach is one of the best-known white sand beaches in Santa Fe, close to the port. Free access, sunrise views, sandbar at low tide and tips for swimming.
- Kota Heritage Park – the Spanish fort of Madridejos. Kota Heritage Park in Madridejos: ruins of a Spanish-era fort and watchtower with sunset views; the sea walk closed after the 2025 quake.
- Lighthouses of Bantayan Island. Light stations around Bantayan: Kota Point in Madridejos, near Bantayan town's harbour, and on Kinatarkan island (Santa Fe). Where they are and what we know.
- Mangroves and protected areas on Bantayan Island. Bantayan was declared a wilderness area in 1981 and has many small marine sanctuaries. Visit the Obo-ob mangrove boardwalk and learn the rules for reefs and lagoons.
- Ogtong Cave – the cave pool at Ogtong Cave Resort. Ogtong Cave is a cave with a spring-fed pool inside a private resort in Santa Fe. Day-use fee, hours and its status after the 2025 earthquake.
- Paradise Beach (Sandira) – the cove beach of Santa Fe. Paradise Beach, also called Sandira, is a privately managed cove beach in Santa Fe reached by a short walk. Small entrance fee, calm water, camping.
- Santa Fe Lagoon (Balidbid / Baigad Lagoon). The Santa Fe Lagoon in barangay Balidbid is a protected mangrove lagoon, relaunched in March 2026 with kayaks and paddle boards planned. No motor boats. Fees and tides.
- Spanish-era watchtowers of Bantayan Island. Spanish-era stone towers once warned Bantayan of raids from the sea. Where the remaining towers are – Kaongkod and Kota Heritage Park in Madridejos.
- Sts. Peter and Paul Parish Church, Bantayan. Bantayan town's coral-stone church (built 1839–1863) of a parish founded in 1580, one of the oldest in the Philippines. Visitor notes and 2025 quake status.
- Sugar Beach – a quieter stretch next to Kota Beach. Sugar Beach is a calm, shallow white sand beach in Santa Fe next to Kota Beach, with fewer resorts and local fishing boats. Access reported free; tide tips.
- Virgin Island (Silion) – island hopping from Santa Fe. Virgin Island, locally Silion, is a small privately run islet off Santa Fe. Boat from Santa Fe, entrance fee, best time, rules and what to bring.
Plan & practical
- Weather & tides. Current weather in Santa Fe, high tide at Hagnaya port (loading may pause), and where to find official typhoon and sea travel warnings.
- Best time to visit. When to go to Bantayan Island – dry season, rainy season, typhoon months, sea temperature and crowds for every month, from 10 years of weather data.
- Prices & money. What things cost on Bantayan Island – ferry, fees, tricycle, scooter, island hopping, entrance fees, rooms and food – with daily budget examples and sources.
- Safety & emergency numbers. Emergency number, Coast Guard, typhoon warnings and how to avoid the booking scam on Bantayan Island.
- Internet & SIM. Buying and registering a tourist SIM, Smart, Globe and DITO on Bantayan, fiber and Starlink for longer stays, and what happens to the internet in a power cut.
- Bantayan or Malapascua?. Bantayan, Malapascua or Boracay? How you get there from Cebu, what each island is good at, fees, and whether you can combine Bantayan and Malapascua.
Stay & eat
- Where to stay. Santa Fe, Bantayan town or Madridejos – which area suits you, and how to avoid fake resort booking pages on Facebook.
- Eat & drink. What to eat on Bantayan – fresh seafood, dried fish, local markets and beach food. Our own tips only name places our local guide has visited.
- Shops & daily needs. Market, supermarket, pharmacy, laundry, SIM cards and internet on Bantayan Island.
- Directory.
Island life
- News & notices.
- Living on Bantayan. Long stay on Bantayan: visa extensions at the nearest immigration office, renting, fiber and Starlink, electricity, hospital, shopping and typhoon season.
- Electricity. Electricity on Bantayan Island: BANELCO price per kWh for homes and businesses (changes every month), what the bill is made of, contacts and planned power interruptions.
- History. How Bantayan Island grew from a fishing and pearl island to three towns: the 1580 mission, raids, the egg industry, Typhoon Yolanda and the 2025 earthquake.
More guides
- About bantayan.org. bantayan.org is a free, ad-free community guide to Bantayan Island, made by a local guide in Santa Fe with SolvraONE.
- Chat assistant – what the Bantayan Guide can do. What the AI chat on bantayan.org answers, what it shows, what it cannot do, where its knowledge comes from and how your chat is stored.
- How this site works. Who runs bantayan.org, how AI writes and updates it, how a local guide checks it, and how to report mistakes.
- Money, cash and ATMs on Bantayan Island. Bring enough cash to Bantayan. Where ATMs are, when they run out of money, and who takes GCash, Maya or cards.
- Privacy. bantayan.org uses no tracking cookies. What data we process for visits, search, map, forms and chat, under RA 10173 and the EU GDPR.
- Useful contacts on Bantayan Island. Emergency 911, tourism offices, municipal halls, hospital, Coast Guard, ports and ferry companies on Bantayan Island – with source and check date.
Local guide check pending