Iloilo city is the transportation hub in the region being the largest city in Panay island and the center of region 6. Its ports are one of the busiest in the country being one of the main route in the Visayas of the RoRo buses connecting Mindanao to Manila. Commuting between Iloilo and Bacolod city is pretty easy. It’s just a 1-2 hours away ferry ride from each other depending on your ferry of choice and on the sea conditions. I am writing this guide to help first time travelers and backpackers commute between these two highly urbanized cities.
WHERE IS THE FERRY TERMINAL IN ILOILO?
There are two ferry terminals in Iloilo with trips going to Bacolod. One is in Dumangas Port, which mainly caters to RoRo transportations. The port is 30 minutes away from the city and they have trips for 24- hours. I have written a complete guide about the schedules and fares on Dumagas Port here. The other one, which is the most accessible among passengers in Iloilo city is the Iloilo city ferry terminal situated in Barangay Obrero in Lapuz. This is the newly opened terminal in city proper that hosts 3 fast craft companies going to Bacolod, which is the faster option.
HOW TO GET IN & OUT OF FERRY TERMINAL?
The Iloilo City Ferry terminal is accessible by public transportation. Jeepneys with route Bo. Obrero or Lapuz passes by along the main street then it’s just a just 5 minute walk going to the pier. Just tell the jeepney drivers that you’re going to the port for Bacolod city and they’ll drop you off a block from the main entrance. Taxis and private cars also are allowed inside but they charge you a toll fee of 12php at the gate. Going out of the Ferry terminal is pretty easy. Once you get out of the terminal there are passenger jeepneys stationed at the parking area which charges 8php for a ride going to the city proper. There is also a taxi lane inside the port for a more comfortable ride.
WHAT ARE THE FERRY OPERATORS, FARES AND SCHEDULES?
There are three shipping operators that offer fastcraft services from Iloilo to Bacolod and vice versa namely Oceanjet, 2GO and Weesam Express. These shipping companies have more than 10 trips a day. Trip start as early as 6am with the last trip around 5:30 pm. Travel time is 1 hour but usually gets delayed for 30 minutes if the boat leaves late from Bacolod so make sure you allot extra time in your itinerary for these delays.
Based on experience, Oceanjet has the cheapest fare for one way for tourist class accommodation because they give discounts to the first 50 passengers. You can also avail their promo fare if you get roundtrip tickets. The return ticket should be used within a week for Oceanjet and within the year for 2GO and Wessam Express after the purchase date. Should you wish to make a specific date and time of return, you will be booked but if you want to have an open-dated ticket, the seats are subject to availability.
The Iloilo City Ferry terminal is accessible by public transportation. Jeepneys with route Bo. Obrero or Lapuz passes by along the main street then it’s just a just 5 minute walk going to the pier. Just tell the jeepney drivers that you’re going to the port for Bacolod city and they’ll drop you off a block from the main entrance. Taxis and private cars also are allowed inside but they charge you a toll fee of 12php at the gate. Going out of the Ferry terminal is pretty easy. Once you get out of the terminal there are passenger jeepneys stationed at the parking area which charges 8php for a ride going to the city proper. There is also a taxi lane inside the port for a more comfortable ride.
WHAT ARE THE FERRY OPERATORS, FARES AND SCHEDULES?
There are three shipping operators that offer fastcraft services from Iloilo to Bacolod and vice versa namely Oceanjet, 2GO and Weesam Express. These shipping companies have more than 10 trips a day. Trip start as early as 6am with the last trip around 5:30 pm. Travel time is 1 hour but usually gets delayed for 30 minutes if the boat leaves late from Bacolod so make sure you allot extra time in your itinerary for these delays.
Based on experience, Oceanjet has the cheapest fare for one way for tourist class accommodation because they give discounts to the first 50 passengers. You can also avail their promo fare if you get roundtrip tickets. The return ticket should be used within a week for Oceanjet and within the year for 2GO and Wessam Express after the purchase date. Should you wish to make a specific date and time of return, you will be booked but if you want to have an open-dated ticket, the seats are subject to availability.
Please note that these ferry schedules and fares are were taken from the ticketing booth found at the port. The information provided here may be subjected to change as per shipping operator’s policy. I highly encourage you to call or contact the shipping operator and port authorities for further details. I will try my best to keep the information here updated as I often travel between two cities every now and then.
Archie's Notes: This post was last updated May 15, 2016
