How to get from Siargao to Manila

Why visit Manila?

Manila is the capital of the Philippines — an old city often disregarded by travellers who use it only as a gateway to the country’s more visually appealing islands. But if you have an extra day in your itinerary, we think Manila’s colourful history is a great way to kick off your trip.

Explore the walled city of Intramuros, Fort Santiago, Manila Cathedral and San Agustin Church — all of which were first built in the late 1500s. Art and anthropology also attract many locals to Manila. You will find here the National Museum, a complex of three museum buildings that tell the story of the Filipinos.

There are 4 ways to travel the 762 kilometers (473 miles) from Siargao to Manila. You can choose between the flight, ferry, indirect flight via Cebu and indirect flight via Butuan. The journey takes 2 hours to 1 day 10 hours and the quickest way is by flight. If you're on a budget, the cheapest option is by flight with tickets starting at 1,600 PHP ($28).

If you want to travel directly from Siargao to Manila, then flying is the best choice.

There are two airlines that operate direct flights from Siargao to Manila:

• Philippine Airlines or PAL Express
• Cebu Pacific or CebGo

PAL Express and CebGo are subsidiaries of the two main airlines.

SkyJet was also another airline with direct flights for this route. However, they stopped operating during the pandemic and haven’t resumed any flights from Siargao to Manila yet.

Siargao Airport

Flights depart from Siargao Airport, also known as Sayak Airport. This small airport is on the west side of Siargao island.

If you’re staying in General Luna, you can easily take a van to the airport, which would take around 45 minutes.

Direct flights from Siargao to Manila

You can book tickets that prices start from 1,600 PHP ($28). To avail cheaper tickets, it’s best to book your ticket in advance or during seat sales.

Philippine Airlines or PAL Express flights from Siargao to Manila take 2 hours. Meanwhile, Cebu Pacific or CebGo flights take a bit longer, around 2.5 hours.

Check Flights on Skyscanner

Manila Airport

TIP: If you decide to travel by plane, please consider including a carbon compensation fee to reduce your impact on the environment.

An adventurous and budget-friendly way to travel from Siargao to Manila is by taking a flight from Butuan City.

The entire journey goes like this:

1. 1. Ferry from Siargao to Surigao (1 hour 30 minutes)
   2. Tricycle to Surigao Bus Terminal (15 minutes)
   3. Bus to Butuan Terminal (3 hours)
   4. Multicab to Butuan Airport (20 minutes)
   5. Flight to Manila (1 hour 40 minutes)

1. For this option, the total travel time is around 6 hours 45 minutes to 7 hours 45 minutes. We explain every step for this route below.

There are multiple ferry trips available at Dapa Ferry Terminal daily. These ferries can bring both passengers and cargo to Macapagal Port in Siargao.

The two main ferry operators for the Siargao to Surigao route are JP Shipping Lines Inc. and Evaristo & Sons Sea Transport Corp.

Dapa Ferry Terminal

The ferries from Siargao to Surigao City depart from Dapa Ferry Terminal. It is located in the southeastern part of the island.

This ferry terminal is a 40-minute tricycle ride from General Luna. The tricycle ride costs 300 PHP ($5.20), and it can fit up to 3 people with luggage.

The ferries from Siargao dock at Macapagal Port in Surigao City.

From Macapagal Port, you need to take a tricycle ride to the bus terminal. This is where you can ride a van to the airport for your flight to Manila.

Outside the port, you can find tricycles and multicabs to bring you to Surigao Bus and Jeepney Terminal. A multicab would cost 10 PHP ($0.20), while a tricycle ride would cost around 20 PHP ($0.30).

Since the terminal is just 5 km away from the port, the ride would take around 15 minutes.

We recommend taking a tricycle if you have a lot of luggage and if you want a direct ride to the terminal.

At Surigao Bus and Jeepney Terminal, there are vans and buses bound for Butuan City.

We recommend taking a bus for this route, as buses leave every hour. A van, on the other hand, would wait until it is full of passengers before departing the terminal.

Bachelor Express buses have hourly trips from Surigao to Butuan. It costs 270 PHP ($4.70) to Butuan Terminal. The ride takes around 3 hours.

The bus drops passengers off at Butuan City Integrated Bus Terminal.

From Butuan Terminal, Butuan Airport is still 9 km away.

Outside the terminal, you can ride a multicab going to Butuan Airport. A multicab serves as a jeepney in this area.

This ride costs only 20 PHP ($0.30) and takes 20 minutes to the airport.

For the last leg of the trip, you have to take a flight from Butuan to Manila.

Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific also offer flights between Butuan and Manila. The flight can take around 1h 40m, depending on the airline.

Flights from Butuan to Manila are generally cheaper than direct flights to Siargao and indirect flights via Cebu. You can find tickets that cost around 1,000 PHP ($17.40).

For the cheapest flights, check out Skyscanner.

Travelling by ferry from Siargao to Manila requires more than one day of travel. It also involves multiple transfers.

This option involves these 3 steps:

1. Ferry from Siargao to Surigao (1 hour 30 minutes)
2. Ferry to Cebu (8 hours 30 minutes)
3. Ferry to Manila (22 hours)

It’s important that you plan each trip accordingly so that you won’t miss any of the ferries.

The first ferry for this option is a ferry from Siargao to Surigao.

There are two main ferry operators for the Siargao to Surigao route: JP Shipping Lines Inc. and Evaristo & Sons Sea Transport Corp.

Ferries from Siargao dock at Macapagal Port in Surigao City. This is also the port where you will take the second ferry for this trip.

There are two ferry operators that take trips from Surigao to Cebu.

The final leg of your Siargao to Manila trip is a ferry ride with 2Go Travel.

With 2Go Travel’s new schedule, there are two direct trips in a week from Cebu to Manila:

• Tuesday 10:00-08:00 (22 hours)
• Friday 22:00-20:00 (22 hours)

Note that there are also trips from Cebu to Manila that make a stop in other cities. There’s a Tuesday trip with a stop in Butuan (43 hours) and a Saturday trip with a stop in Ozamis (31 hour).

We suggest that you avoid booking on these days and book a direct trip on a Tuesday or Friday instead.

A Mega Value class ticket costs 910 PHP ($15.90). Note that the fares depend on how early you book. This means that tickets can still get a lot cheaper if you book in advance.

You can book your ticket directly on the 2Go Travel website, but they are also available to book on 12go.Asia through the link below.

The ship departs from Cebu Port Pier 1 and docks at North Harbour Pier 4 in Manila.

Another option to travel from Siargao to Manila is by an indirect flight with a layover in Cebu. This option is usually an alternative if the direct flights are sold out.

Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific also offer indirect flights from Siargao to Manila. These flights make a stop at Cebu Airport. The flight from Siargao to Cebu takes 1 hour.

An indirect flight from Siargao to Manila costs around 3,400 PHP ($59). If you’re booking months in advance, you can find tickets that cost as low as 2,500 PHP ($44).

Note that indirect flights are available when you browse Siargao to Manila flights on Skyscanner. The results would show both non-stop or direct flights, as well as flights with stops in Cebu.

Check Flights on Skyscanner

Layover in Cebu

The layover in Cebu between the two flights varies, but it can range from 1.5-5 hours. Try to book a flight that gives you enough time to check in in time for your connecting flight.

For the second flight, it takes 1.5 hours to reach Manila from Cebu.