Planning a Boracay vacation? Fantastic! This is a great part of the world.
Boracay is a popular travel destination in the Philippines. Well-known for its famous powdery white sand beaches, it’s also filled with strips of restaurants, shopping malls, hotels, and bars.
Soak in the island’s natural attractions- swim until your heart’s content in the turquoise clad waters, sunbathe, and go island hopping. If you prefer, you can also do plenty of shopping or experience the island’s vibrant nightlife.
However, before you can enjoy Boracay, you need to know how to get to Boracay. Thankfully, it is not hard to work out how to go to Boracay, although you have various choices depending on where you commence your journey.
Below, I describe the exact how to travel to Boracay. I start with a summary and then give you detailed instructions based on whether you are looking for information on the nearest airport to Boracay and want to book flights to Boracay Island or are trying to sort out a ferry to Boracay.
Finally, I also give you instructions for some of the most popular journeys to Boracay such as how to get to Boracay from Iloilo and how to get to Boracay from Singapore
How To Get To Boracay Island
Note that Caticlan Airport is now often called Boracay Airport. This is exactly the same airport. There is no airport on Boracay itself and this is the closest airport to the island.
The airlines flying into Caticlan include Cebu Pacific, Cebgo, Philippine Airlines and AirAsia. From the airport, ride a tricycle or van that will take you to the Caticlan Jetty. At the jetty, there are small bangkas or boats that will take you directly to the island. It’s only takes 10-15 minutes by boat to reach Boracay.
Click here to book a transfer including your boat ride from Caticlan Airport to Boracay.
It’s also possible to take the ferry and bus if you prefer instead of flying. You can also choose to fly into Kalibo Airport.
In the rest of this article, I break down exactly how to do all of these things.
No matter which way you decide to get to Boracay, whether it’s by bus, ferry or flight, you need to get to Caticlan and then take a quick boat ride across to Boracay Island itself.
This boat trip only takes 10-15 minutes and you can buy tickets here. The section on getting from Caticlan to Boracay below has exact details, but it is straightforward.
Getting To Boracay By Plane
For first-time travelers, it can be confusing to work out how to reach Boracay. Since there are no direct flights to the island, the best way to visit is to fly to either Kalibo or Caticlan Airport – the nearest airport to Boracay island.
From Boracay/Caticlan Airport, it’s only 500 meters away via tricycle or van to Caticlan Jetty. Whereas from Kalibo Airport, you still need to take a 1.5 – 2 hour van or bus trip to Caticlan Jetty. From Caticlan Jetty, it’s just a short 10-15 minute boat ride to Boracay island which is described in detail below.
If you’re flying from Manila, the Philippine capital, the flight to Caticlan will take an hour.
Meanwhile, if you’re coming from the Visayas’ islands, there are direct flights to Caticlan from Cebu’s Mactan International Airport. These flights only take an hour as well.
There are also flights from Angeles City, El Nido and Taipei. The ticket prices to Boracay can vary widely depending on sale prices and how far in advance you book.
Click here for all the latest flight prices.
You can read our full guide to traveling from Caticlan Airport to Boracay here.
You can also fly to Kalibo Airport which can be cheaper and offers more international flights. Currently, you can fly from Manila, Ningbo, Seoul, Busan and Hangzhou.
I only recommend flying to Kalibo if it is more direct or cheaper from your departure point as you then need to take the 1.5 – 2 hour van or bus trip mentioned above to make it to Caticlan for the boat to Boracay.
Click here to buy your transfer from Kalibo Airport to Boracay.
There is also more information below about traveling from Kalibo to Boracay.
Click here to look up flight options to Boracay from your city.
Ferry To Boracay
If you’re coming from Manila or Southern Luzon, another option is to travel by sea via 2Go Travel ferries.
The travel time is approximately 11 hours from Batangas pier to Caticlan for the boat ride over to Boracay.
The Batangas to Boracay fare costs from ₱1,346 depending on the accommodation you choose onboard. If you’re coming from Manila, you have to first take a 2-hour bus ride from Pasay or Cubao bus terminals to Batangas Port. Find bus options here.
Once you arrive at Caticlan port, it’s just a short 10-25 minute boat ride to Boracay
Click here for the latest ferry timetables and ticket prices from Batangas.
There are also ferries from other places in the Philippines to Caticlan. You can take a ferry from Roxas Dangay Port on Mindoro Island. This takes about four hours with Starlite Ferries and leaves multiple times a day. Tickets start at ₱1,060.
Click here for the latest timetables and prices.
You can also look here to see if there are ferries from other ports in the Philippines to Caticlan.
How To Go Boracay By Bus
Another alternative is to take a bus to Boracay. You will need a bus that goes to Caticlan.
This is the way to go if you are already on the island of Panay going from cities such as Iloilo or Roxas City. You can take local buses cheaply and easily to Caticlan for the boat to Boracay.
If you are on a different island, you can look for a RoRo, also known as a “Roll On – Roll Off”, bus.
These buses take you across land parts of the Philippines as well as on ferries across the seas.
You can find options here for the latest bus timetables and ticket prices.
Note that for shorter local buses, you’ll need to buy tickets once you are there from the bus terminals.
How To Get To Boracay Philippines By Car
If you’re wondering how to get to Boracay from Manila via car, you can travel to Caticlan for the boat ride to Boracay.
First of all, you need to drive to Batangas in Southern Luzon. From here, you can take a car ferry to Caticlan that takes 11 hours.
Something to note is that you can’t bring your vehicle to Boracay Island itself. You’re required to leave your car at Caticlan Jetty Port with a daily parking fee depending on your vehicle size.
Boracay How To Get There…
Finally, in this guide on getting to Boracay, I cover some of the most popular journeys to reach here below.
How To Go From Iloilo To Boracay
If you’re coming from Iloilo City province, and want to know how to get from Iloilo to Boracay, hop on a jeepney or taxi that will take you to Ceres Northbound Terminal.
Then, ride a Iloilo to Boracay bus that’s bound for Caticlan. The approximate Iloilo to Boracay travel time is 6 hours (₱240 – ₱390). Buses leave every 30 minutes. They stop a lot on the way which is why the journey time is relatively long.
You can be dropped off at Caticlan Jetty to take the last leg of the journey – the quick boat ride to Boracay.
Click here for the latest bus timetables and ticket prices.
There is no Iloilo to Boracay ferry at present.
Caticlan To Boracay
To get from Caticlan to Boracay, head to Caticlan Jetty. Then, take a short boat ride from Caticlan to Boracay island.
If you arrive at Boracay/Caticlan Airport, the Jetty is just 500 meters away and you can take a van or tricycle.
Even easier, book a transfer from Caticlan Airport to your Boracay hotel here. This can include a transfer to the jetty, the boat to Boracay and a transfer from the jetty on Boracay to your accommodation.
The boat transfer from Caticlan to Boracay takes approximately 10-15 minutes.
Read our full guide to how to get to Boracay from Caticlan here which includes ticket prices and anything else you want to know.
Kalibo To Boracay
Getting a transfer from Kalibo to Boracay is pretty straightforward. If you want to know how to get to Boracay from Kalibo airport, there are buses and vans to take you to Caticlan Jetty directly.
When you arrive at Kalibo Airport, you can simply walk out and find an agent or van to take you.
However, the easiest way is to book your transfer in advance.
Click here for your van transfer to Caticlan Jetty, the boat to Boracay and a transfer from the jetty in Boracay right to your accommodation. There’s no easier way to get from Kalibo to Boracay.
The approximate travel time is 1.5 – 2 hours by van to Caticlan Jetty. It’s then a 15-20 minute boat ride across to Boracay.
Vans are timed to meet incoming flights.
Read our full guide on how to get from Kalibo to Boracay here.
How To Get From Singapore To Boracay
If you want to know how to get to Boracay from Singapore, there is currently no direct flight. Pre-covid, there was a flight from Singapore to Kalibo on Silk Air, but, unfortunately, this has not returned.
Instead, fly from Singapore via Manila or Cebu to Caticlan or Kalibo.
Click here for all the latest flight prices and schedules.
Flight times start from six and a half hours with Cebu Pacific having the best connections.
Batangas To Boracay
Batangas is a city in southern Luzon about two hours from Manila. It has direct ferries to Caticlan. So if you are coming from here, simply take the Batangas to Boracay ferry.
This takes 11 hours and will drop you at Caticlan Jetty on 2GO ferry. From here, you can take the 15-20 minute boat ride described above to Caticlan.
Click here for the latest Batangas to Caticlan ferry timetables and ticket prices.
Or read our full guide to traveling from Batangas to Boracay here.
Manila To Boracay
The easiest way to get to Boracay from Manila is to take a Manila to Boracay flight to Caticlan as described above.
Alternatively, you can also take a bus to Batangas (find prices and schedules here) and then the 11 hour ferry to Caticlan (details here).
In either case, you still need to take a boat from Caticlan to Boracay.
Read our full guide on how to get from Manila to Boracay here.
Cebu To Boracay
If you want to know how to get to Boracay from Cebu, I recommend that you take a Cebu to Caticlan flight. This is by far the quickest and easiest option, and it is usually the cheapest as well.
Once you arrive at the airport, take the van/boat combo you can purchase here and you’ll soon be in Boracay.
If you really don’t want to fly, you can also take an overnight ferry from Cebu City to Iloilo City and bus to Caticlan from there.
Read our full guide to traveling from Cebu to Boracay here with all the details.
Final Words
So there you have it! In this guide, we’ve covered the different transportation to Boracay options whether you’re traveling from Manila to Boracay Island, Iloilo to Boracay and many other local and international destinations.
The fastest and most convenient way is to take one of the flights directly to Caticlan. As an alternative, you can also catch a boat to Boracay from Manila (2go travel Manila to Boracay) or via a bus or private car and hop on a RoRo.
I hope you found this guide to how to get to Boracay, Philippines useful and now know all the details for how to get there in Boracay.
We also have the details on how to get to Boracay from Palawan here. You can also find all the best things to do in Boracay with kids here, best resorts in Boracay here and best Boracay hotels for family here. Otherwise, find our full Boracay travel guide here.
