Cebu to Malapascua Island – The Ultimate Guide

Malapascua Island is a hot spot for divers around the world to come and see the unique Thresher Sharks found off the shores of the island.  As someone who doesn’t dive, I found myself visiting (with my boyfriend who loves to dive), wondering, “What am I going to do on an island for diving?”  Lucky for me, Malapascua is beautiful, relatively untouched, and chill – meaning I thoroughly enjoyed my time on the island.  This is everything you need to know about visiting Malapascua, with a focus on how to get from Cebu to Malapascua Island.

 

If you’re planning a trip to the Philippines, don’t miss…

• Everything You Need to Know About Planning a Trip to the Philippines
• The Best Packing List for the Philippines

 

Where is Malapascua Island?

Malapascua Island is administratively part of Cebu (the peninsular barangay of Logon, Daanbantayan, Cebu to be more specific) and is located just north of the northern tip of Cebu in the Philippines.  The island is in the Visayan Sea and is only accessible by boat.

 

How to Get from Cebu to Malapascua Island

While the journey can feel long, getting from Cebu to Malapascua Island is relatively easy.  The main things to consider are – do you want to go the cheap route and take a public bus (cheaper but takes longer due to more stops) or do you want to go the more expensive route and take a van (more comfortable, more expensive, shorter ride)?  Another thing to consider is where in Cebu you’re coming from.  The most common way to get to Malapascua is by departing from Cebu City so whether you fly into Cebu City and leave from there – or take a bus from the south to Cebu City; this guide focuses on Cebu City to Malapascua Island.

 

Step 1:  Getting to Cebu City

The first thing you need to do in order to get to Malapascua is to arrive to Cebu City.  Fortunately, Cebu City is where the airport is so if you’re flying to Cebu, you’re already where you need to be.  Common airlines in and around the Philippines are Cebu Pacific Air and AirAsia.  I would check out both airlines to compare prices and choose the best option for you.

 

Step 2:  Cebu City to Maya Port

From Cebu City you’ll go to the North Bus Terminal where you’ll get on a bus going to Maya Port.  The easiest way to get to the terminal is to get a “Grab” (Philippines edition of Uber).  Once you arrive you can pay around 300 php/person to take a public bus to Maya Port or get in a smaller, private van.  The upside to the bus is that it’s cheaper and has A/C.  The downside is that it isn’t as comfortable and takes longer due to the stops along the way.  As far as I could tell, the buses didn’t necessarily leave at the times they were supposed to – instead it all seemed pretty random.  The ride on a public bus takes around 4 hours, and in a van it takes around 3 hours.  One last thing to note:  one reason we were skeptical about taking a van from the North Terminal to Maya Port was that the driver couldn’t say when the van would be leaving and it seemed as though it needed to be full before departing.  Who knows if this would’ve taken 30 minutes or three hours?  We decided to go the cheaper route and take the public bus instead.

As far as I can tell, public buses run from the North Terminal to Maya Port 24-hours/day and Maya Port is open from 0500-1700.  We arrived to the bus station at 0740, were put on a public bus immediately and left at 0750.  We then arrived at Maya Port around noon.

 

Step 3:  Maya Port to Malapascua Island

Once you arrive to Maya Port, you’ll be dropped off and required to go inside the office to pay an environmental fee.  (This is pretty standard for every island in the Philippines).  The fee costs 120 php/person.  After you pay your fee, you’ll go back outside to purchase a ferry ticket.  The ferry ticket costs 200 php.

The boat ride from Maya Port to Malapascua only takes about 30-minutes and the boat runs every 30 minutes from 0500-1700.

 

Getting to Malapascua Island from Bantayan Island

Of note, another popular way to get to Malapascua is by traveling from its neighbor island to the west – Bantayan Island.  If you’re on Bantayan Island and want to travel to Malapascua, you can get a private boat (currently, there are no public boats that travel between the islands) that shouldn’t cost more than 3,500 php (for the price of two persons).

 

If you’re planning to visit Bantayan Island, don’t miss…

• 2 Day Bantayan Island Itinerary

 

How Long Does it Take to Get from Cebu to Malapascua Island?

From the time that you arrive to the North Bus Terminal in Cebu City to the time you get off at Malapascua Island should take about five to six hours.  If you take a public bus, the entire cost of the journey should be around 620 php.

 

Is it Worth Visiting Malapascua?

If you’re a diver – absolutely.  If you’re not a diver, my answer is a little more nuanced.  (I am not a diver, so I’m discussing this from a non-diver lens).  As a non-diver there isn’t much to do on Malapascua aside from hanging out on the beaches (which are arguably some of the best in the world).  However, if you’re interested in a chill island vibe, with few tourists, then yes – Malapascua is worth visiting.  If you’re more interested in adventure travel or get easily bored at the beach – there are better places in the Philippines to visit.

 

Best Time to Visit Malapascua

The best time to visit Malapascua Island is from December through June when the weather is predominantly hot and dry, which makes it ideal for beach activities and diving.  This period aligns with the high tourist season, so while you’ll enjoy the best weather, expect more visitors and potentially higher prices​.  If you prefer a quieter experience, consider visiting during the shoulder months, like November or late June, when the weather is still pleasant, and there are fewer tourists.  Keep in mind, though, that from July to October, the island experiences more rain, which might affect outdoor activities but doesn’t necessarily hinder diving.

 

How Many Days Should You Spend in Malapascua?

Malapascua is a relatively small island.  You can walk from south to north in about 45 minutes and from east to west in about 15 minutes.  The island measures at 2.5 km long and 1 km wide.  With that being said, you don’t need much time to see Malapascua in its entirety.  I would recommend two days and if you’re there to dive to plan your stay around how many days you plan to dive and then add one more day to hang out on the island.

 

Where to Stay in Malapascua

We chose to stay at SLAM’S Garden Dive Resort for its ideal location and fair prices.  Overall, I would rate the stay as mediocre with the highlight being the location.  Here are other hotels I’d recommend on Malapascua…

• Blanco Beach Resort
• Angelina Beach Resort
• Malapascua Exotic Island Dive Resort

 

BOOK YOUR STAY IN MALAPASCUA HERE!

 

How to Get Around Malapascua

There are no cars in Malapascua so walking is the main mode of transportation.  However, if you’re going further (i.e. south to north) and you don’t want to walk, taking a motorbike is an option.  Tourists are not able to rent, but you can catch a ride with a local.  To get a ride, you’ll want to go to the area between Logon Beach and Bounty Beach.  The easiest way to explain it is to put “Blanco Beach Resort” into your Google maps, and before you reach the beach, you’ll notice tons of motorbikes lined up here.  Usually, locals are hanging around this area asking if you need a ride north (or wherever you want to go).  Make sure to negotiate price before getting a ride!

 

The Best Things to Do on Malapascua Island

Like I mentioned earlier, Malapascua is famous for diving so tons of divers flock here to see the unique Thresher Sharks.  But even if you aren’t a diver, there are other ways to spend time in Malapascua!  Here are some of the top things to do when you visit the island.

 

The Best Beaches in Malapscua

Of course, one of the top things to do in Malapascua is to hang out on one of the gorgeous beaches.  Below you’ll find the best beaches on the island, and what each beach is good for…

• Logon Beach – Best for quiet (nobody is really around); beautiful beach area with boats; no chairs/umbrellas
• Bounty Beach – A little bit more “happening”; tons of bars and restaurants along the beach; few places you can find small chairs/bean bags to sit on
• Langub Beach – Long, sandy beach in the north and very quiet; no umbrellas/chairs; nothing around
• Exotic Bar & Restaurant – The beach that this restaurant sits on isn’t named, but this is a great spot if you’re interested in proper lounge chairs/umbrellas – but you do need to pay to use these chairs/facilities

 

Diving with Thresher Sharks

Diving with Thresher Sharks is one of the main reasons people visit Malapascua.  And as my boyfriend is a diver, this is the reason we came to the island.  According to him, the best diving center on the island is, Sea Explorers, and the main dive site to see Thresher Sharks is Kimud Shoal.

If you’re lucky, you can also see Tiger Sharks at Monad Shoal, but you are less likely to encounter these creatures.  My boyfriend says you have a 50/50 chance each time you visit this dive site and unfortunately, he wasn’t lucky enough to see them either time that he went.

 

IF YOU’RE AN ADVANCED DIVER AND WANT TO BOOK A SHARK DIVE IN ADVANCE, CHECK OUT THIS TOUR

 

Snorkeling with Blacktip Reef Sharks

As a non-diver, my favorite thing to do in Malapascua was to snorkel with Blacktip Reef Sharks.  These sharks are very small and do not attack humans.  In fact, Blacktip Reef Sharks are not considered to be a serious threat to humans and there are no serious of injuries or death noted from snorkeling with these sharks in Malapascua.

To find this snorkel site, simply put “Blanco Beach Resort” into your Google maps.  If you’re looking at Blanco, you’ll notice an inconspicuous staircase to the right of the resort.  Take that staircase and you’ll come down an alley where Blanco will be on your left and the snorkel spot will be on your right.

This activity is free and if you don’t have your own snorkel gear, you can rent from the resort on site which costs 150 php.  You also need to leave 1,000 php which you can collect once you bring the snorkel and mask back.  The hours of this activity are from 0700-1700.

Another way to snorkel with the sharks is to rent a private boat (the cost is around 1,200-1,500 php depending on who you rent from) where you’ll be taken to four snorkel sites around the island.  I did this and would highly recommend it as it’s also a great way to spend the day journeying around the island.  If you need help setting this up, you can contact my friend Robert on WhatsApp – +63 915 460 5039.  (Of note:  There is also a 50 php/person fee on top of the total price for conservation efforts).

 

Best Bars & Restaurants in Malapascua

The one thing that I think Malapascua could improve on would be to have more restaurants and cafes.  However, there were a few that I found that I thoroughly enjoyed.  These include…

• Sea Explorers – For drinks at sunset (the food is awful here so don’t stick around for dinner)
• Blanco Beach Resort – Great spot for lunch or sunset cocktails (you can use the beach and facilities here for free if you dine at the restaurant so I recommend coming for lunch and sticking around throughout the day)
• Angelina – By far the best dinner spot on the island
• Amihan Restaurant – Another great dinner spot with incredible views

 

Philippines Essentials – What You Need & Need to Know About Visiting the Philippines

 

I hope that this guide not only helps you get to Malapascua from Cebu, but also ensure you have the best time while visiting!  If you have any questions about traveling from Cebu to Malapascua Island or anything else Malapascua related, let me know in a comment below!

 

For more island guides in the Philippines, don’t miss…

• The Ultimate El Nido Travel Guide
• The Best Things to Do in Panglao, Philippines

 

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For more information on things to see and do in the Philippines, make sure to check out my Instagram page/highlight reel by searching “#ppinphilippines” or under my highlights for “Philippines”; alternatively, head to my TikTok and search for the saved “Philippines” highlight

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