This is the Cebu–Bohol crossing that does not want your business, and saying so plainly is more useful than pretending otherwise.
Lite Ferries runs a roll-on/roll-off service between Taloot Port in Argao, on Cebu’s southeastern coast, and Catagbacan in Loon, on Bohol’s western shore. The crossing takes about two hours. It is primarily a cargo and vehicle route — trucks moving goods, families moving a car, the working traffic that keeps two provincial economies connected — and walk-on passenger service, while it exists, is secondary to all of that.
There is exactly one situation where this is the right crossing for a visitor: you are driving, you are in southern Cebu, and your destination is western Bohol. Taking a vehicle from Argao to Loon avoids driving all the way north to Cebu City, queuing for a city-pier RoRo slot, and then driving south again from Tubigon or Tagbilaran. For anyone travelling without a vehicle, or starting anywhere near Cebu City, the other six port pairs are better in every dimension.
🎫 Walk-in ticketing only
This crossing is not distributed through the online booking sites. Buy at the Taloot or Catagbacan pier counter, or arrange direct with Lite Ferries — who also list through Barkota, the domestic aggregator, rather than the international OTAs. Peso fares on this page are terminal base fares.
The crossing at a glance
| Crossing | ~2 h |
| Vessel type | RoRo — vehicle deck, walk-on secondary |
| Operator | Lite Ferries (sole carrier) |
| Cebu-side pier | Taloot Wharf, Barangay Taloot, Argao |
| Bohol pier | Catagbacan Port, Loon |
| Frequency | 3–5 sailings daily each way |
| Foot passenger | ~₱230–₱260 economy |
| Motorbike | ~₱500–₱800 |
| Car / 4-wheel | ~₱1,500–₱2,200 |
| Ticketing | Walk-in at the pier — not sold through online aggregators |
Argao → Loon
Taloot Port is a Cebu Port Authority facility in Barangay Taloot, south of Argao poblacion — a separate coastal barangay, not the town centre, and it appears on some listings as “Taloot Wharf”. Argao itself is roughly two hours south of Cebu City by bus along the coastal highway.
Lite Ferries runs three to five crossings a day each way. Common departures cluster at 03:00, 06:00 or 06:30, 10:00, and 13:30 or 14:00, with evening slots on top of that. Times shift with cargo demand, so confirm the board at the pier rather than treating those as a timetable.
Fares are the reason to take this seriously as a passenger route as well as a freight one: a foot passenger crosses for about ₱230 to ₱260. A motorbike runs roughly ₱500 to ₱800, and a car or other four-wheel vehicle ₱1,500 to ₱2,200. Bring the vehicle on a quieter sailing if you can — during harvest peaks cargo trucks fill the deck and passenger cars wait.
Loon → Catagbacan and back to Argao
On the Bohol side, the pier is at Catagbacan in Loon, about 30 kilometres north of Tagbilaran along the western coastal highway. By bus from the Dao Integrated Bus Terminal, take a northwestern service toward Tubigon and get off at the Loon junction — roughly 45 minutes — then a tricycle down to the port. By hired van it is 35 to 45 minutes door to door.
Signage for passengers is thin. The port is not laid out for people arriving on foot looking for a ticket window, and it is worth confirming the exact terminal location in Loon town rather than assuming a driver will know which pier you mean. The facility answers to two names, which does not help: provincial and Philippine Ports Authority records call it Loon Port, while local usage is almost always Catagbacan Port. A 2020 Bohol provincial government resolution settled the matter by calling it “Catagbacan Loon Port”, and the PPA included it in a seven-port inauguration in 2021.
The ports
- Loon Port (Catagbacan) — the Bohol terminus. A RoRo vehicle ramp is the primary infrastructure; there is no passenger terminal of consequence.
- Taloot Port — the Cebu terminus, administered by the Cebu Port Authority.
What is actually at the other end
Since this crossing lands you in Loon rather than at a transport hub, it helps to know what Loon is. The town is built around the Immaculate Conception Parish Church, a declared National Cultural Treasure and one of the largest Spanish colonial churches in the Visayas — an ornate twin-tower baroque facade on a scale wildly out of proportion to the town it serves, which is exactly what those churches were built to be. The parish was an Augustinian foundation dating to the 17th century; the present structure was largely completed in the 18th.
The 2013 magnitude 7.2 earthquake partially collapsed the bell towers and caused major damage to the facade and nave. Restoration, backed by the National Heritage Fund and international conservation partners, has run in phases since 2014 and is still visible on the building. If you have crossed with a vehicle, it is a ten-minute detour and the most substantial piece of built heritage on this coast.
Loon is otherwise a fishing and coconut-farming municipality. Handline fishing and bubo fish-trap construction are still ordinary trades here, and tinolang isda — fish poached in ginger broth with green papaya and malunggay — is the standard household dish along this stretch of coast. The municipal market near the church sells danggit and dried squid, dried on bamboo racks in the nearby barangays.
How to book
- Decide whether you need this crossing at all. Without a vehicle, or starting near Cebu City, take Tubigon or Tagbilaran instead.
- Buy at the pier. This is a walk-in route — it is not sold through 12Go or the other online aggregators, and there is no booking widget to use.
- Arrange vehicle space ahead with the operator, particularly during harvest periods.
- Confirm the exact terminal in Loon town — “Loon Port” and “Catagbacan Port” are the same facility under two names.
- Leave slack in your schedule. Cargo priorities, not passenger timetables, set the pace here.
Frequently asked questions
Can I book the Argao to Loon ferry online?
Not through the international booking sites. This is a walk-in route ticketed at the pier, or arranged direct with Lite Ferries — who distribute through Barkota, the domestic aggregator, rather than 12Go. See the booking-channel map for how Philippine ferry distribution actually works.
How much does it cost?
About ₱230 to ₱260 for a foot passenger. A motorbike is roughly ₱500 to ₱800, and a car ₱1,500 to ₱2,200.
How often does it sail?
Three to five times a day each way, with departures commonly around 03:00, 06:00–06:30, 10:00 and 13:30–14:00, plus evening slots.
How long does the crossing take?
About two hours between Taloot Port in Argao and Catagbacan in Loon.
Is this a passenger ferry?
It is a RoRo built around a vehicle deck, and cargo demand sets the schedule. Foot passengers are carried perfectly normally and cheaply — the vehicle deck is simply what the service exists for.
Should I use it to get to Panglao or the Chocolate Hills?
No. Loon is about 30 km north of Tagbilaran, and the crossing is neither faster nor easier to book than the main routes. Use it only when you are moving a vehicle from southern Cebu.
Are Loon Port and Catagbacan Port different places?
No — one facility, two names. Provincial and PPA records say Loon Port; local usage says Catagbacan. A 2020 provincial resolution used “Catagbacan Loon Port” to cover both.
How do I get from the pier into Loon town?
Tricycle. The port is not signposted for foot passengers, so confirm the location locally rather than assuming.
Related
- Cebu to Bohol by Ferry: All 7 Port Pairs Compared — the full fare-and-port comparison.
- Cebu ⇄ Tubigon Ferry — the practical crossing for western and northwestern Bohol.
- Loon — the town, the church, and what is worth stopping for.
- Loon Port (Catagbacan) — the pier itself and how to reach it.
Route, operator, and port-naming detail from the Loon Port and Taloot Port records; 12Go availability checked 2026-08-20. Schedules on this corridor are not reliably published — confirm with the operator before travelling.