How Our Barkada Visited Apo Island and Siquijor for Just ₱2,560 Each
Looking for a new adventure? Here is a Cebu-Apo Island-Siquijor itinerary and expense guide to get you started planning.
Pam Baroro When not moonlighting as a freelance wordsmith and code wrangler, Pam is a millennial mom who loves to explore the outdoors to camp/hike/trek/backpack with her partner and their 4-year-old daughter. Check their family travel blog at Hey, Miss Adventures!
Contributed by Hey Miss Adventures!
We did a quick trip to Negros Oriental and Siquijor over the long weekend, along with a few friends.
Before I get in to the details of the actual trip, here's an overview of our expenses. We went to a fiesta in Dauin, Negros Oriental so we saved nearly two days' worth of meals for five people. Awesome, no?
I'm excited about sharing photos from our trip but in the mean time, here's our itinerary + budget for you to devour.
Itinerary and Expenses
| Day | Particulars | Group Cost | Cost/Person | Family Cost | Notes |
| 1 | Bus: Cebu City to Liloan | ₱185 | ₱370 | ||
| RoRo: Liloan to Sibulan | ₱62 | ₱186 | *toddler was paid in full | ||
| Multicab: Sibulan to Dumaguete | ₱20 | ₱40 | |||
| Multicab: Dumaguete to Dauin Proper | ₱18 | ₱36 | |||
| Tricycle: Dauin Proper to Malatapay | ₱50 | ₱10 | ₱20 | *haggled haha multicabs are usually the ones that ply these routes | |
| Boat to Apo Island | ₱2,500 | ₱500 | ₱1,000 | *boat was good for 6 but there are smaller boats; toddler was counted as an adult | |
| Registration at Apo Island | ₱100 | ₱200 | *Neg. Or. locals paid only ₱10; we no longer availed of guides and other equipment because it had gotten costly | ||
| Tricycle: Malatapay to Dauin Proper | ₱50 | ₱10 | ₱20 | ||
| Accommodation | FREE | *stayed with an uncle's friend at Lowland Resort in Dauin for free; room costs ₱1,500-₱2,000 per night but you can all huddle together inside for no additional cost; camping is also possible | |||
| DAY 1 SUBTOTAL | ₱905 | ₱1,872 | |||
| 2 | Bus: Dauin to Dumaguete | ₱16 | ₱32 | ||
| Tricycle: Ceres Terminal to Dgte Port | ₱10 | ₱20 | *about ~5 blocks to port | ||
| RoRo + Terminal Fee: Dgte to Siquijor, Siquijor | ₱185 | ₱425 | *fare: ₱170 (Montenegro Shipping Lines); terminal fee: ₱15; child rate: ₱55 | ||
| Breakfast at Dabarkads, San Juan, Siquijor | ₱100 | ₱20 | ₱170 | *ate at Dabarkads and had our fiesta takehome heated for ₱100; divided this by 5 then ordered a sandwich (₱70) and two calamansi juices (₱30 each) | |
| Multicab tour around Siquijor | ₱1,800 | ₱300 | ₱600 | *contacted my uncle (0915 - 954 - 4667) to tour us around Siquijor; more friends joined and divided cost by 9; added tip (not included in cost) | |
| Entrance: Enchanted Balete Tree | ₱5 | ₱10 | |||
| Entrance: Lazi Church and Convent | FREE | ||||
| Entrance: Cambugahay Falls | FREE | ||||
| Lunch | ~₱200 | ~₱23 | ~₱46 | *had leftover from fiesta takehome and bought a bit more at nearby market | |
| Entrance: Salagdoong Beach | ₱25 | ₱50 | |||
| Parking Fee: Salagdoong Beach | ₱35 | ₱4 | ₱8 | ||
| Cottage: Salagdoong Beach | ₱100 | ₱11 | ₱22 | ||
| Dinner: Dagsa Restobar at San Juan | ₱1,415 | ₱283 | ₱566 | *ordered the ₱1,200 buffet, good for 6 (5 of us + my uncle); ordered drinks | |
| DAY 2 SUBTOTAL | ~₱882 | ~₱1,949 | |||
| 3 | Homestay at Lazi, Siquijor | ₱1,500 | ₱300 | ₱600 | *air-conditioned room good for 5-6 people; Ates Homestay, near Lazi Church and Convent |
| Breakfast at Joel's Lechon Manok, Siquijor, Siq | ₱220 | ₱44 | ₱88 | *near port in Siquijor, Siquijor | |
| RoRo + Terminal Fee: Siquijor to Dgte | ₱144 | ₱358 | *fare: ₱130 (GL Shipping); terminal fee: ₱14; child rate: ₱56 | ||
| Tricycle: Dumaguete Port to Sans Rival | ₱8 | ₱16 | *a 3-min walk; it was raining very hard when we got off the boat and it seemed like it won't stop sooner (it actually did) | ||
| Lunch at Sans Rival | ₱550 | ||||
| Tricycle: Dumaguete to Sibulan | ₱30 | ₱60 | *did our best to haggle haha | ||
| RoRo: Sibulan to Liloan | ₱62 | ₱186 | |||
| Bus: Liloan to Cebu City | ₱185 | ₱370 | |||
| DAY 3 TOTAL | ~₱773 | ₱2,228 | *per person cost does not include lunch at Sans Rival since we paid individually for our orders | ||
| GRAND TOTAL | ~₱2,560 | ₱6,049 | *family cost: 2 adults + 1 toddler | ||
Key takeaways
- Expenses go much lower when travelling in groups
- Riding public transportation might be more challenging when travelling with a certain number of people
- We saved money because of the fiesta so we splurged on our lunch on the last day
- Travelling in a group means that a person sometimes have to pay for the fees (to be paid by the members later on) but tracing all those expenses at the end of the day can be difficult. Instead, we used a travel+finance app on Android (made by one of my friends who went with us on this trip) to make paying each other easier.
That's it. I hope you tune in during the next couple of days for more in-depth posts + photos of our trip.
Happy travels!