Cebu to Negros ferry: timetable, fares and which crossing to use, re-checked August 2026

The two crossings, and which one to use

Liloan (Santander), on Cebu’s south-east tip, crosses to Sibulan, effectively a northern suburb of Dumaguete: the city centre is 15 to 20 minutes away and Dumaguete’s airport is minutes from the pier. Bato (Samboan), around the corner on Cebu’s south-west coast, crosses to Tampi in San Jose, further up the Negros coast road. Both are Maayo Shipping RORO crossings that take cars and motorbikes as well as passengers.

• Coming down Cebu’s east side? Cross at Liloan

  The east-coast road through Oslob runs to Cebu’s southern tip, and Liloan Port at Santander is on it. This is the crossing with the verified nine-sailing timetable above, it lands you closest to Dumaguete, and a passenger-only fast craft works the same corridor if you are travelling without a vehicle.

• Coming down Cebu’s west side? Cross Bato to Tampi

  The west-coast road through Barili, Moalboal and Alcantara does not pass Liloan; it reaches Bato in Samboan, around the corner from the southern tip. Cross there to Tampi and pick up a bus (or your driver) on the Negros side, rather than doubling back along the coast to Liloan.

• Bato-Tampi times and fares

  Every schedule we found contains the same seven departures each way, although some add eight more. We publish that common floor below and leave the disputed extras out. Fares remain unpublished because current figures differ by more than double and none comes from Maayo Shipping. The Negros-side road leg is covered on our Tampi to Dumaguete page.

• Travelling light? There is also a fast craft

  A passenger-only fast craft runs Liloan-Sibulan in about 20 to 30 minutes. No vehicles: for a car or motorbike you want the RORO timetable above.

Bato to Tampi: the seven departures all sources share

Some online timetables list fifteen sailings, others seven. These seven appear in every list, so we publish them as a dependable floor, not a claim that only seven boats run.

Maayo Shipping operates this RORO crossing in both directions, carries vehicles and takes about 30 minutes. These times were re-checked on 10 September 2026. Confirm the posted board at the pier if your connection depends on one of the additional sailings.

• Departures from Bato and from Tampi

  5:00 AM, 8:00 AM, 10:30 AM, 2:00 PM, 5:00 PM, 8:00 PM and 11:30 PM. The same seven times appear in both directions.

• Watch the middle-of-day gap

  The corroborated list has no sailing between 10:30 AM and 2:00 PM. Do not assume one of the disputed extra boats will run if you have a flight or onward connection to make.

• Useful for a late west-coast arrival

  The last corroborated Bato-Tampi boat is 11:30 PM, one hour later than the 10:30 PM last sailing on Liloan-Sibulan. Bato is also the natural port when you come down Cebu through Moalboal and Badian.

• No fare published

  Current third-party figures range from ₱80 to ₱200 and none is from the operator. Buy at the counter and check the posted fare notice rather than planning around an online price.

Doing it overland by bus: which service goes to which port

If you are travelling Cebu to Dumaguete by bus, the whole trip is one long land journey down Cebu with a short boat at the end, and the part people get wrong is which bus reaches which port. Every southbound service leaves from the Cebu South Bus Terminal on N. Bacalso Avenue in Cebu City. Vallacar Transit, the company behind Ceres Liner, runs the southern routes, with Sugbo Urban working some of the same loops.

Two of those services run all the way to Cebu’s southern end, one down each coast, and they do not call at the same port. Pick by the coast, not by the destination on the windscreen, because both are signed for Bato.

• Down the east coast, via Oslob: this one calls at Liloan Port

  Ceres times this service as Cebu City to Bato (Samboan) via Oslob, Liloan Port and Santander. It is the bus to take if you want the short crossing to Sibulan and the closest landing to Dumaguete. Sugbo Urban also runs a Cebu City to Siquijor service down the same east-coast road via Oslob and Liloan Port.

• Down the west coast, via Moalboal: this one ends at Bato

  The sister service runs Cebu City to Bato (Samboan) via Barili, Dumanjug, Ronda, Alcantara and Moalboal. It never touches Liloan, so coming down the west coast, or breaking the trip at Moalboal, Bato to Tampi is the crossing on your doorstep. Worth knowing either way: Bato port and Liloan port are about a 10-minute tricycle ride apart round the southern tip, so ending up at the one your bus did not serve costs a short hop rather than a lost afternoon, and if the Bato board shows nothing between 10:30 AM and 2:00 PM, Liloan may well have a boat sooner.

• Prefer not to change at all? Take a through bus

  Ceres runs direct Dumaguete to Cebu City services from its Dumaguete terminal on Calindagan Road, timetabled via Bato and Oslob and via Bato and Barili. The bus itself rolls onto the RORO, so you stay in your seat for the crossing and keep your luggage with you the whole way.

• Fares and departure times

  We do not print bus fares or departure times here, because we have not verified them against the operator the way we have the ferry timetable above. Tickets are bought at the terminal on the day. Check the current times at the Cebu South Bus Terminal or the Dumaguete terminal before you plan around a specific departure.

Fares: the base fare, and the surcharge on top of it

• Regular passenger base fare: ₱120

  Verified live on Maayo Shipping’s booking portal on 7 July 2026. That is the base fare, and a fuel surcharge and a separate terminal fee are added at the pier, so bring more small cash than the headline fare. Pay at the pier ticket counter, or when booking online.

• Discounted fares

  Discounts exist for eligible passengers (students, senior citizens and PWD are the standard categories on Philippine ferries), but we have not verified the current amounts. Bring a valid ID and confirm at the counter.

• Vehicles and motorbikes

  Vehicle rates change more often than passenger fares and we have not verified the current amounts. Check directly with Maayo Shipping before travelling with a car or motorbike.

Getting to and from the ports

• Sibulan pier to Dumaguete and beyond (what we arrange)

  A private car meets you at Sibulan pier, timed to your sailing, and has you in central Dumaguete in 15 to 20 minutes, or takes you straight on to Dauin, Valencia, the Twin Lakes or an Apo Island morning boat. The same works in reverse: we get you to the pier comfortably ahead of your departure.

• Tampi pier to Dumaguete (what we arrange)

  If you cross at Bato instead, you land at Tampi in San Jose, about 18 km up the coast. Your driver meets that sailing too and runs you south into Dumaguete in roughly 30 to 45 minutes, or straight on to Dauin or Valencia.

• The Cebu-side road leg

  The drive between Cebu City and Liloan port is the long part of the journey, around 4 to 5 hours door to door. Our sister site cebu.travel arranges the Cebu-side transfer, timed to the same sailing.

• Public transport

  Public buses serve both sides of the crossing, and tricycles cover the short hop between the piers and the nearby towns. It works, it just takes longer and needs more juggling with luggage and boat timings.