Four Days in Bantayan: The Itemized Cost, Solo, Couple and Barkada

Four days on Bantayan costs about ₱8,200 solo, ₱7,200 each as a couple, and ₱6,100 each in a group of six. The gap is not accommodation. It is the boat. An island hopping charter costs the same whether two people or six are in it, and that single line is what makes Bantayan a barkada island.

Below is every line, sourced and dated, plus the three figures on this island that nobody can agree on.

Getting there, per person, round trip

Cebu City to Santa Fe is a bus and a ferry, and it takes most of a morning.

• Ceres bus, North Bus Terminal to Hagnaya. The only direct operator. First departure 02:30, then roughly every 20 minutes to a last trip at 22:00. Return runs 02:00 to 18:00. Three to four hours.
• Bus fare: ₱180 to ₱300 one way. This is the messiest number in the whole trip, with published figures ranging from ₱130 to ₱299 across the past nine months depending on aircon and on who was counting. We model ₱250.
• Bus terminal fee ₱25, or ₱20 for seniors, students, PWDs and children.
• Ferry, Hagnaya to Santa Fe, about an hour. Island Shipping ₱370 regular, effective 11 May 2026. Super Shuttle Ferry ₱392, effective 12 May 2026. Both after a MARINA-coordinated rollback that followed a March 2026 increase. Any guide still quoting ₱180 to ₱230 is out of date.
• Ferry terminal fee ₱5 to ₱25, depending on operator.
• Santa Fe environmental fee ₱30 per person, on arrival.

Round trip transport, per person: about ₱1,370. Sailings run roughly eight times a day on each line, so missing one is an inconvenience rather than a disaster.

On the island

Reported rates, September 2026. None of these is LGU-published.

• Scooter: ₱250 to ₱500 a day.
• Tricycle: ₱30 per person shared from the port to a resort, ₱100 for the whole tricycle, ₱30 to ₱150 for trips around Santa Fe. Habal-habal ₱50 to ₱200.
• Half day tricycle island tour: ₱500 to ₱1,000. Group multicab tour ₱3,000 to ₱3,500.
• Accommodation: budget guesthouse ₱500 to ₱1,500 a night. Mid-range beachfront ₱1,500 to ₱4,000. Upscale ₱4,000 and up.
• Food: carinderia meal ₱100 to ₱150. Restaurant main ₱150 to ₱450. Budget ₱300 to ₱500 a day eating locally, ₱600 to ₱1,200 at beach restaurants.
• Danggit at the market: ₱200 to ₱350 a kilo. This is what people actually take home.

Island hopping and the fees

• Boat, up to five people: ₱1,000. Private charter ₱1,500 to ₱2,500. Shared seat ₱300 to ₱500 per person.
• Island hopping ecological fee ₱100 per person, paid at the Santa Fe Tourism Office. This is separate from the ₱30 arrival fee.
• Virgin Island entrance: the least stable number on the island. Published figures include ₱250 for the first two people plus ₱100 each after, ₱250 per person flat, ₱350 plus a ₱200 docking fee, and ₱500 for the first two plus ₱100 each after. Budget ₱500 for two and carry more.
• Hilantagaan ₱100 per person. Balidbid Lagoon ₱200 for the private beach, free in the public area. Ogtong Cave ₱200 adult and ₱150 child for non-guests. Paradise and Sandira beaches ₱50 to ₱70. Kota Heritage Park free.

Four days, three nights: the three budgets

Solo, about ₱8,200

• Transport in and out: ₱1,370
• Budget room, ₱800 a night for three: ₱2,400
• Food, ₱500 a day for four: ₱2,000
• Scooter, ₱350 a day for three: ₱1,050
• Island hopping shared seat, Virgin Island entrance and ecological fee: ₱750
• Ogtong Cave: ₱200
• Tricycles and incidentals: ₱400

Solo is the expensive way to do Bantayan because the room and the bike carry no one else.

Couple, about ₱14,300 together, ₱7,170 each

• Transport for two: ₱2,740
• Budget double, ₱1,200 a night for three: ₱3,600
• Food for two, four days: ₱4,000
• One scooter for three days: ₱1,050
• Private boat ₱1,500, Virgin Island ₱250, ecological fees ₱200: ₱1,950
• Ogtong Cave for two: ₱400
• Tricycles: ₱600

The saving over solo is entirely the shared room and the shared bike.

Barkada of six, about ₱36,500 together, ₱6,087 each

• Transport for six: ₱8,220
• Group accommodation, ₱2,500 a night for three: ₱7,500
• Food for six, four days: ₱12,000
• Three scooters for three days: ₱3,150
• Private boat ₱2,000, Virgin Island ₱650, ecological fees ₱600: ₱3,250
• Ogtong Cave for six: ₱1,200
• Tricycles: ₱1,200

The boat is ₱2,000 whether it carries two or six. That is the whole argument for bringing the group.

What moves these numbers

• Holy Week adds 30 to 50 percent to accommodation, and Bantayan is one of the busiest islands in the country that week. Avoid it or book months out.
• Ferry fares moved twice in 2026, up in March and back down in May. Use the May figures and re-check before you travel.
• Eating at beach restaurants instead of carinderias roughly doubles the food line, from ₱2,000 to ₱4,000 over four days.
• Many resorts offer free port pickup. Ask when booking and remove the tricycle line entirely.

The earthquake, and what it actually affects

The magnitude 6.9 earthquake of 30 September 2025 was centered at Bogo City in northern Cebu. The Department of Tourism’s position afterwards was that Cebu remained safe and open, with Mactan-Cebu International Airport and the major hotels fully operational.

Churches and historic structures were damaged in San Remigio, Bantayan and Tabogon. As of July 2026, St. Peter the Apostle Parish in Bantayan town had pediment and cross damage, restricted entry pending engineering assessment, mass sometimes held outdoors or in temporary shelters, and photography restricted in work zones. Restoration is continuing in stages. Call the parish before planning a visit.

No disruption to Hagnaya port, Santa Fe port, ferry service or beach accommodation is documented in any source. The trip works. The church is the one thing that does not.

For the crossing itself see the northern Cebu ferry guide, for the island itself the Bantayan travel guide, and to model a different trip length the Cebu trip budget calculator.

Suroy Wear

Split the boat, not the island.

Six people, one charter, one province. The Cebu Coordinates Tee for everyone who came along. ₱999.

Wear the story