This is a straightforward guide on how to commute to Boracay if you are coming from Manila. Point of entry will be Caticlan Airport in Aklan.
The Philippines’ party island can be access by public transpo easily, here is the step by step guide on Boracay transfers:
First, book a flight to Caticlan. There are four airlines which covers the route Manila to Caticlan (Boracay), and these are Philippine Airlines (PAL), Cebu Pacific Air, Air Asia Zest, and SkyJet. (Alternative is a flight from Manila to Kalibo)
*Make sure to check your eTicket for the correct airport; be aware that some Caticlan flights will be via NAIA Terminal 3, while some are via NAIA Terminal 4 (old domestic).
Second, once you arrive in Caticlan Airport you need to fill up a tourist info sheet. You can find the counter for this besides the baggage carousel. After completing the tourist info form, get out of the Caticlan airport and walk about 200 meters to the tricycle terminal, this terminal is visible from the airport gate.
Third, in the terminal you will pay 25 pesos per person for the tricycle ride from Caticlan airport to the Caticlan Jetty Port. The tricycle will accommodate a minimum of two persons per trip, so if you are alone you will pay 50 pesos to ride the tricycle all by yourself to the port. The ride from airport-to-port is less than 10 minutes.
*You also have the option to pay for your boat ticket of P25 per person at the tricycle terminal. I suggest you pay for the tricycle ride AND boat ride at the same time. Reason is that there are more people queueing for boat tickets at the port versus at the tricycle terminal.
*After paying for the boat ticket, you will get a small form for the boat passenger manifesto. Fill it up with your details: travel date, name, age, and gender. You will need to give this form to the crew as you get on board the ferry.
Fourth, once you get to the Caticlan Jetty Port, go to the counter beside the port entrance. You will need to pay the environmental fee of P100 and the jetty port terminal fee of P75. (If you did not pay for your boat ticket at the tricycle terminal in the airport, you can pay for boat fare at the counter. One price for all boat rides to Boracay.)
Fifth, walk to the pier and get on-board the boat currently accepting passengers.
The system followed in Caticlan Jetty Port is very efficient. The boats queue and the passengers will just get on the one being filled. During peak season, one boat can be filled in just a minute or two and then it sails away. Limited number of passengers per boat is strictly observed, so overcrowding is avoided.
The boat ride from Caticlan port to Boracay Island is just around 15 minutes.
Sixth, when you get to Boracay port just go to the exit straight away. There is a tricycle terminal outside. You can ride a tricycle like a local, this is what we did and we only paid 20 pesos per pax.
*Approach any Boracay tourism officer to ask which of the available tricycles you should get on to go to your hotel in Station 1, Station 2, or Station 3. Or you can ask the tricycle drivers to refer you to the correct tricycle that will pass by/near your hotel. Alternative, you can also hire a tricycle to bring you and your group to your hotel for a “special trip”, which will cost you around 120 pesos. A tricycle can fit max of 6 persons.
Enjoy Boracay! Stroll leisurely along the long stretch of powdery white sand beach. Get to Willy’s Rock to see the Grotto. 🙂
Tip: Supposed your hotel is in Station 1 and you walk all the way to Station 3, you may want to consider riding a tricycle back to your hotel to save energy. Or walk the long way back while sipping a delicious fruit smoothie from Jony’s or Jonah’s, that’s a good idea. 😀
Return Trip Boracay to Caticlan
Penfires suggestion: Just hire a tricycle for a special trip to Boracay port. Special fare is 100 pesos.
Boat fare Boracay to Caticlan is 25 pesos, about 15 minutes sailing time. Along with your boat ticket you will get a small form for the passenger manifesto. Fill up the details and give this to the boatman.
*You will also need to pay a terminal fee of 100 pesos. Yep, you still need to shell out P100 even though you will just pass by the port terminal – local tourists and foreigners it’s the same fee. :/
**There are also boats sailing to Kalibo.
Once you get your boat ticket and paid for the terminal fee, just proceed to the pier and get on board a Caticlan bound boat.
There is a tricycle terminal just outside the Caticlan jetty port, fare is 25 pesos per person minimum of two persons per tricycle. Ride to Caticlan airport is less than 10 minutes.
In case you are going to Kalibo or Iloilo, there are air-conditioned vans and buses outside the jetty port. Kalibo Airport is about one and a half hours away from Caticlan Jetty Port, while Iloilo City is a six hours’ journey from Caticlan.
You don’t need to pay for expensive air/land/sea arrangements for Boracay transfers, just follow this transport to Boracay Island. 🙂
If you need to find hotels at reasonable prices, check out offers via Agoda for Boracay stay: Low to Medium Price Range or this one for Recommended Hotels.
Enjoy your vacation in one of the world’s best island! Party! Party!
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