How to Go to Boracay

Book your flight

From Manila, there are five airlines to choose from:

Philippine Airlines (PAL)
Cebu Pacific Air
AirPhil Express
South East Asian Airlines (SEAIR) - Telephone No. +632 849-0100 (Manila)
Zest Airways

All these airlines provide online reservation for your convenience. The two most popular flight destinations to Boracay are:

Caticlan - a three-minute tricycle ride away to Caticlan Jetty port where you need to board a pump boat or fast craft to the island of Boracay; generally has more expensive flights than Kalibo. Curently, only propeller-type planes are allowed to land here due to its short runway.

Kalibo - a one and a half-hour van/bus ride away to Caticlan Jetty Port. I prefer to arrive here because it gives me the option to select a flight that utilizes a jet-type plane such as Airbus. Another option is via Iloilo which is a six-hour bus ride away to Caticlan Jetty Port.

At the Airport

Don't get lost especially for first time travelers and for those coming from abroad. Three airport terminals in Manila are serving flights to Boracay:

Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 2 - serves PAL flights except those operated by AirPhil Express (they have code share for Caticlan flights); also known as the Centennial Terminal.

NAIA 3 - Cebu Pacific and AirPhil Express flights; the newest terminal in front of Resorts World Manila.

Manila Domestic Airport - SEAIR and Zest Airways flights.

If you booked online, remember to bring your printed flight confirmation. You cannot enter the airport without this. NAIA 3 check-in counters Unlike with other countries, airport terminal fee in the Philippines is not yet included in the airfare. It needs to be paid separately in the airport before going to the boarding area. P200 at NAIA for domestic flights.

Upon Landing

Upon arrival, take your appropriate ride to go to Caticlan Jetty Port.

From Caticlan Airport - There will be a tourist information sheet that needs to be filled up per group (yup, not per passenger). Outside the small airport, tricycles are waiting for you. It costs P50 per chartered trip and would only take a two or three-minute ride to reach the Caticlan Jetty Port.

From Kalibo Airport - Lots of vans are waiting outside the airport for P200 per head which already includes the pump boat ride from Caticlan Jetty Port to Boracay's Cagban Port. The price of the van ride alone is P175. Travel time is more or less 1.5 hours; also give a 30-minute allowance for some waiting time and unexpected delays just to be sure. Note: Most of the vans are kinda crappy. Another option is to ride the South West Tours bus for P250.

From Iloilo Airport - I haven't tried this route yet but I read in online forums that it would be a six-hour land travel via Ceres bus to Caticlan Jetty Port.

Caticlan Jetty Port to Cagban Port

The fees and boat ticket booths are located outside Caticlan Jetty Port. There are two common options for the boat ride: the more popular pump boat (P25) which departs every five minutes and the air-conditioned Montenegro fast craft (P30). The latter seems to offer a more comfy ride but is very limited and has 30 (?) or so minutes of interval.

Other fees include environmental fee of P75 and terminal fee of P50. The pump boat, environmental and terminal fees are to be paid in Windows 2 and 3 located at the left side of the port (facing the port). Montenegro fast craft (Window 1) is located at the right side. Enter the port and have your bags and tickets inspected. Before boarding the boat, you have to list down your name on the boat manifest. A short 7 to 10-minute pump boat ride to Boracay's Cagban Port.

Almost There

Tricycles are already waiting for you at the Cagban Port.

The fare per head depends on where you'll alight (ask your hotel/guesthouse); it normally costs P20 per head. For comfort, we prefer a chartered ride at P100 per trip.