Matnog to Maya Ferry

The Matnog to Maya ferry is a direct Lite Ferries roll-on/roll-off crossing linking the Luzon gateway of Matnog, Sorsogon with Maya Port in Daanbantayan at the far northern tip of Cebu. It is one of a small pair of long-haul RORO routes — the other terminates at Bogo — that carry passengers and vehicles straight from Bicol to northern Cebu without the old overland detour through Samar and Leyte.

Expect a long open-water passage of roughly seven to nine hours, with late-night departures on selected days of the week. Being a RORO vessel, the ship takes cars, vans, trucks and motorcycles as well as foot passengers, and it plugs into Lite Ferries' onward services from northern Cebu toward the rest of the Visayas and Mindanao.

What makes Maya a useful arrival point

Maya is best known as the jump-off port for Malapascua Island, the diving destination famous for thresher sharks, as well as for the northern Cebu coast around Daanbantayan. Arriving here means:

• A short onward hop by outrigger boat to Malapascua for divers and island travellers.
• Direct road access into the beaches and towns of Cebu's northern tip.
• A vehicle-friendly entry into Cebu for motorists coming down from Luzon.

Passenger fares for the crossing sit in the region of ₱1,300 to ₱1,530 for standard and tourist class, with vehicles charged separately by size — roughly ₱2,500 for a motorcycle up to about ₱17,000 for a van, plus any fuel surcharges in force. As with every long inter-island RORO route, departures depend on sea conditions and can be rescheduled, so confirm the sailing day and time with Lite Ferries before you head to the port.