This blog post is part of Penfires Series on Mactan – Cebu Beach and Resort Chronicles, Post Number 3. One of the most popular and favorite beach outing activities in the Philippines is island hopping, this is also very true in the Island of Mactan here in Cebu. And when better to island hop than this summer! Get your shades and bikinis ready! Party hard this summer! Yey! 😎
Whenever you visit one of the affordable beach resorts here in Opon (old name for Mactan Island) especially in Marigondon, Maribago or Punta Engano, someone will eventually approach you offering to take you and your group to an island hopping adventure. You ‘arkila’ or rent this boat for the day. Yes, even if you just intend to explore islands for just a couple of hours. The boats are yours for the day so to speak.
Mactan Island Hopping Rates may differ slightly but from the more than 5 persons and boatmen we’ve talked with during our beach resort hopping last January 21, 2012, these are the average fees for boat rental with their corresponding number of islands included in the island hopping adventure boat tour as well as the limitations on the number of persons per boat.
*Those first class and well-known beach resorts in Mactan usually offer its guests their own boats for island hopping.
Sample of Motorized Bancas for Island Hopping in Mactan
Average Rates and Fees for a Day of Island Hopping in Mactan, Cebu
- P3,500.00 – Big boats motorized bancas – Up to 40 persons, some boats only carries max of 35 pax.
- P3,000 – Medium sized motorized bancas – Good for 25 pax
- P2,000 –Small motorized bancas – Maximum persons set at 10.
The rates above are the average of the prices quoted to us. If you are good at negotiating, then try to haggle down the fees for boat rental especially if it’s off-season. 🙂
For big groups, I am not sure if there are enough life vests for everyone joining the island hopping. Before you close the deal, ask this detail first with the boatmen.
Islands Included in the Island Hopping Adventure
Normally a Mactan boat tour package includes visiting 3 islands – Gilutungan Island (where the Gilutungan Marine Sanctuary is), Nalusuan Island for Nalusuan Marine Sanctuary, Kauhagan Island. Some add in Virgin Island as a freebie or for an extra charge. You can also arrange with your boatmen your island preferences.
Lino, one of the boatmen we’ve talked with advised us that if we intend to go on a whole day Mactan island hopping to SKIP renting any of the beach cottages in the area and to just meet them at Banban Beach Resort in Marigondon (it’s a public beach but no white sand) and ride the boat from there. He mentioned that since the beaches on the small islands in Mactan have finer white sand and clearer water, then swimming there (as opposed to swimming in Marigondon beach resorts) is far more enjoyable. And you save the rental fee for cottages. BUT you have to be ready with pack lunches and snacks and water too as there are no sari-sari stores on the islands. Sound advice. And yep also trash bags. Please be reminded that you’ll be mostly visiting isolated islands and protected sanctuaries so please be responsible and take care of your trash properly.
Banban Resort in Marigondon: You can make this your take off point for Island Hopping in Mactan
By the way, don’t expect so much with Banban Resort, it’s more like a talipapa of cottages. You just make this resort as your jump-point or your take off area to go on an island hopping since there is no entrance as the beach is public. It’s the first resort that will greet you at the END of the main road in Marigondon. Locals also calls this Marigondon Beach. It’s not a good site for swimming since there is no white sand and also there are loads of boats docking in this area (immediately beside the Ban Ban row of cottages)
Alternative take off place: you can visit other Mactan beach resorts and pay for entrance or cottage and then ride your boat from there.
How to contact the boatmen to rent their boats for Mactan Island Hopping?
We of course asked this question, but they said they refrain from giving any contact numbers since oftentimes, those who ‘reserve’ their boats and services, ends up cancelling on them on the day of the scheduled boat tour. So they advise us and potential guests to just come to the beach area either in Marigondon or Maribago or even Punta Engano and Angasil, and ask around. Actually as I’ve said, someone will eventually approach you even if you just stand still. And if you look very ‘touristy’, you’ll be approach in no time at all hehehhe
Have a summer blast! Take your beach party a notch higher with island hopping in Mactan!
P.s. There are some Mactan resorts which offer more activities like kayaking, snorkelling, diving, parasailing, jet ski, banana boatride and more. Contact the beach resort or hotel of your choice for their list of facilities and services.
These are the boat rates for island hopping. To see the full list of beach resorts we’ve visited last Saturday and to get links with their respective details and resort photos, please see this post: Cheap Mactan Beach Resort Options with White Sand: Overview and Direction Tips
Dear is it easy to commute or hail a cab from regency fuente going to the beach and look for island hopping banca offers? How about the commute going back to the city? Thanks again!
hi sherry, i’ve sent the reply to your email =)
hi! is camotes island still far from cebu r hotel?if yes,do you know how much it will cost us to get there?
hi clarissa,
I don’t know where Cebu R hotel is located but if it’s somewhere near the city, getting to Danao port will take around 2 hours on a jeepney and then 2 hours more via ferry. Please refer to the Camotes blogpost to know the details of costs. Thanks.
hello. im going to cebu this comming aug 10-13 i want to exp. this need for adventure!! any tips???
hi kevin, i hope you’ve read all my other posts on Cebu for they contain lots of tips. thanks for visiting here!
Hi Penfire… i took interest in reading your post… do you happened to have contact number for the boatment because i am thinking of availing the island hopping
Hi John, so sorry I don’t have. I tried to ask for their numbers but they said they prefer on-the-spot negotiation for island hopping, reason is that they’ve got burned from all “reservations” that did not push through. There are lots of boatmen in Marigondon, Punta Engano, Angasil area, so finding one will not be a problem.
hello penfire,
I am interested of availing the pumpboat for rent for my plan to have an island hopping with my family. Can I ask a number from one of the boatmen? I am living in Lahug then it is too far for me to visit to have an appointment. How about the transportation? If we will ride a private vehicle can we go inside the beach just near the boat? My concern is we will be bringing with us our ADHD sister. I hope you would response my message.
Thanks a lot.
Hi Kathleen,
You don’t have to worry about hiring a boat when you get to Marigondon area, there are tons of them. So sorry I don’t have the number as they don’t give it out anymore. They’d rather do transactions on the spot.
If you are bringing a vehicle you can park it in Vano beach, they are gated and have a security guard. Parking fee and entrance is on the post for Vano Beach, please refer to it. If someone is driving your family, then you can choose to be drop off in BanBan area and find a boatman there. It would be easy to find a boatman.
Alternative is Angasil Area, beside Portofino Beach Resort, there are also lots of boatmen there too. I just don’t know about availability of secured parking space in the area. Hope this helps!
hi penfire do u have a contact for d boat rental? im looking for a cheap boat. tnx! please send reply to jayr921@yahoo.com
HI can I have contact number from the boat?
Hi Anne, so sorry I don’t have the contact number for the boat. Reason is already indicated on the post as well as in reply to earlier similar questions. Thanks!
Hi Penfire,
You’re blog has been very informational in my trip planning. I’ve been looking at IslandBanca and their prices was more than we can budget for as their target pax is 10 (good for barkada) and we only have 3. I’d like to follow your footstep. Just to clarify, the boat at Marigondon beach are plenty during your viist right, and they’re ready for hire at anytime? Kindly reply or leave a pm for me at your convenience. Thanks!
Hi Martin,
Yes, and they will swarm you. They are there everyday in Marigondon particularly in Vano Beach and in Ban Ban Beach and in Angasil Port beside Portofino. Try to haggle first before agreeing with any one boatman. Enjoy your island hopping!
Cille =)
Hi will do that! Thanks so much, ill make some feedback after we made our trip.
Hi Martin, that’ll be awesome so we all can get updated with the latest Cebu island hopping rates. Don’t forget pala to bring food and water etc malamang magugutom kayo while island hopping. Enjoy!
Hello, I’ve been doing a final round of research on net. I found Vano Beach at Plantation Resort and another beach around Portofino resort but not Banban Beach. Which resort is it nearest? I’d like to go there directly as you mentioned just to avoid entrance fee from either first 2 resorts since I’m just looking for Island Hopping experience. Sorry again for repeating the inquiry. Hope to hear from you soon.
Banban is at the very end of the Marigondon road, if you go straight further, you’ll come face to face with the sea.
Hi just return from Cebu. We did no go with Banban resort, neither the taxi drivers nor the resort receptionist we stayed were familiar Banban (peace, im not discredit its existence). Anyway we went straight for portofino resort instead, entrance fee is 120 each pax which is costly since we just wanted to pass through to get to island hopping boats. Long story short, there were no boats around there and we availed island boat hopping from portifino which costed 3500 for whole day rent. Hope my feedback helps 🙂
Hi Martin, thanks for getting back here. Banban is really the end of Marigondon road, that’s the public beach. If you go straight you’ll pass by the corner of Plantation Resort and at the end of that road is Banban. Tip to others: Just tell driver ‘Marigondon Beach’ if they don’t know Banban.
On Portofino, thanks for the info on latest entrance rate for Day Tour. There is no “independent / third party” boat service INSIDE Portofino resort, these “freelance” boats are in Angasil Port which is BESIDE Portofino. You don’t need to go inside Portofino Resort. Angasil Port is also the jump-off point for those who wants to take the pumpboats to Sta Rosa Island.
P3,500 is the rate for the really big boats as mentioned on the post, but there are P3,000 and P2,000 boat rates for medium and small boats respectively. But it maybe the Portofino Resort only have one size “in-house” boats.
Thanks again for getting back here with the latest rates, this will help future visitors. Hope your Mactan island hopping experience more than made up for the bumps on the road.
hi,sure ba talaga na pag punta namin dun meron talagang mga available boats..?
or do we have to go there before the island hopping and ask the boatmen for reservations?
i mean day before namin gusto mag island hopping?
Hi Grace,
As mentioned on my post and in replies to previous comments, there are boats there everyday. Go to Banban in Marigondon Beach or Angasil Port beside Portofino. Almost all of the Mactan beach resorts also have in-house island hopping services.
But if you want to know for yourself, you can go there a day before and pay your boatman downpayment for the island hopping tour. Or you can negotiate to pay on the day you’ll take the tour. BUT you have to note that only a few boatmen will accept “mere reservation” since the probability of the tourist backing out at the last minute is very high.
Hope you’ll have a great time exploring islands off Mactan!
okay thank you so much…:)
Hi,
Your blog has been so helpful! Thanks a lot.
Can you recommend a name of the nicest boatman that we can look for when we do island-hopping?
Also, do you have a list of extra charges for every island destination? e.g. docking fees, entrance fees, facility and equipment fees, etc.
Thanks!
can i have the contact number? thanks
Hi rill, so sorry but as mentioned in the post the bankeros refuses to give phone numbers madami kasing nangyari na binobook sila and their boats kaso di tumuloy when the agreed-upon dates arrived, nasayang yung araw nila, that’s why they prefer in-person, face to face transaction.
hi … alam nyo po ba yung north sand bar? gusto po namin pumunta doon. thanks 🙂