Cebu to Tubigon (Bohol) — FastCat RORO Ferry
~2 hours · RORO ferry · 4 daily departures each way
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Tubigon is Bohol’s commuter port, and it reads as one. There is no arrivals hall worth the name, no ticketing hall full of tour desks, and no pretence that the people getting off the boat are on holiday. What there is instead is the cheapest sea crossing between the two islands, running from one in the morning to ten at night, at roughly half what the Tagbilaran fast craft costs.
For a traveller headed to Calape, Loon, Carmen, or anywhere along Bohol’s northwestern arc, that combination is hard to argue with. The overland leg from Tubigon to the Chocolate Hills is about an hour — comfortably shorter than the same drive from Tagbilaran. For anyone headed to Panglao, the arithmetic reverses: you save on the ticket and spend the saving, plus an hour, getting across the island.
A note on speed, because the record is muddled. Tubigon has long been described as the fastest Cebu–Bohol crossing on the strength of a roughly 45-minute fast-craft time. That figure is not currently bookable. Every Tubigon sailing on 12Go in August 2026 runs about two hours, the same as the Tagbilaran fast craft, and the genuinely quickest crossings on the strait are the Getafe ones at an hour and a quarter. Tubigon’s advantage today is price and departure spread, not speed.
The crossing at a glance
| Crossing | ~2 h (all bookable sailings, August 2026) |
| Bookable sailings | 10 ferries daily on 12Go |
| Departure window | First 01:00 · last 22:00 |
| Fare band | From about ₱530 (roughly US$7–10) |
| Operators bookable | Lite Shipping (6 sailings) · FastCat (4 sailings) |
| Cebu terminals | Pier 3, and the Ouano terminal in Mandaue on some sailings |
| Bohol pier | Port of Tubigon, Pooc Occidental |
| Vehicles | Yes — FastCat carries them, and a Talisay RoRo service also serves Tubigon |
Cebu → Tubigon
Most sailings leave from Cebu Pier 3. FastCat runs four a day; the 13:30 departure arriving 15:30 is representative, and its Business Class sells at around US$9 with aircon and washrooms. Lite Shipping runs six, spread from around 01:00 through to late evening, and holds the cheapest fares on the pair.
The detail worth knowing before you book is that some Tubigon-route sailings depart not from the Cebu City piers at all but from the Ouano terminal in Mandaue City, on the northern side of Cebu’s metro. If you are staying near Mactan airport, IT Park, or Mandaue, that terminal is closer and considerably less crowded than Pier 1 or Pier 3. It is also easy to miss, because the corridor is usually described as leaving “from Cebu Pier.” Confirm which terminal your specific sailing uses at the moment of booking, not at the moment of departure.
🚢 Check Cebu → Tubigon schedules and book on 12Go
Tubigon → Cebu
Coming the other way, the port is a causeway pier on the edge of a working town, and the transport waiting outside it is vans, multicabs, and tricycles — no Grab anywhere in Bohol province. From Tagbilaran City the drive to Tubigon is about 45 minutes by non-stop van, or one to two hours by bus with stops; from Panglao, allow around an hour via Tagbilaran; from the Chocolate Hills at Carmen, roughly an hour on the northwestern highway.
Because the sailings run so early and so late, Tubigon is the one Bohol port where a genuinely pre-dawn departure is normal rather than exceptional. If you are on the 01:00, arrange the van the night before — you will not find one waiting at midnight.
The return arrives back at Pier 3 or, on the relevant sailings, at Ouano in Mandaue. Check which, because the two are on opposite sides of Cebu’s metro and the difference is a real half-hour of traffic.
🚢 Check Tubigon → Cebu schedules and book on 12Go
The ports
- Port of Tubigon — the Bohol terminus, at Pooc Occidental in Tubigon poblacion. A 400-capacity passenger terminal building has been planned here; confirm what has actually been built when you arrive, because the waiting area has historically been basic.
- Port of Cebu — the Cebu City baseport containing Pier 3.
Operators on this crossing
Bookable today: Lite Shipping and FastCat. Between them they carry the ten daily sailings on 12Go.
The Bohol Tourism Profile records up to nine operators having served this corridor historically, including StarCraft, and Tubigon’s own port record lists more names than currently sell tickets online. Treat the longer list as history rather than as options: what you can actually book on any given day is the pair above. This is the honest shape of a commuter route — capacity comes and goes with the cargo trade, and the operator roster is less stable than on the tourist corridors.
FastCat accepts vehicles, and a separate RoRo service from Talisay in southern Cebu also lands here, which makes Tubigon the practical choice for anyone moving a car or motorcycle between the islands without paying tourist-corridor prices.
How to book
- Confirm your Bohol-side destination first. Tubigon earns its fare on the northwest coast and loses it if you are going to Panglao.
- Search the corridor on 12Go for your date, in the direction you are travelling — the two directions are separate searches.
- Check the departure terminal on the sailing you pick: Cebu Pier 3 or Ouano, Mandaue.
- Choose a class. FastCat’s Business Class buys aircon and a washroom; Lite Shipping’s cheapest berths are bunk-class rather than seats.
- Arrange onward ground transport before you sail if you are on an overnight or pre-dawn departure.
Frequently asked questions
Is Tubigon the fastest ferry from Cebu to Bohol?
Not on current schedules. Every bookable Tubigon sailing runs about two hours. The quickest crossings on the strait are to Getafe — 1 h 15 m on OceanJet from Cebu Pier, 1 h 20 m on Sunriser from Cordova.
Is it the cheapest?
Yes. Fares start around ₱530, roughly US$7, which is the lowest on any Cebu–Bohol port pair.
Which Cebu terminal does the Tubigon ferry use?
Usually Pier 3, but some sailings depart from the Ouano terminal in Mandaue City instead. Confirm at booking — they are on opposite sides of the metro.
Can I take a car or motorcycle?
Yes. FastCat carries vehicles on this crossing, and a RoRo service from Talisay in southern Cebu also serves Tubigon.
How long is the drive from Tubigon to the Chocolate Hills?
About an hour to Carmen on the northwestern highway — shorter than the same drive from Tagbilaran, which is the main reason to choose this port.
Is there a ferry in the middle of the night?
Yes. Lite Shipping’s schedule starts around 01:00. Arrange your van or tricycle in advance if you are on it; nothing waits at the port at that hour.
Related
- Cebu to Bohol by Ferry: All 7 Port Pairs Compared — the full fare-and-port comparison.
- Cebu ⇄ Tagbilaran Ferry — the high-frequency option, closest to Panglao.
- Cebu ⇄ Getafe Ferry — the fastest crossing, for northern Bohol.
- Port of Tubigon — facilities, operators, and onward transport.
Schedules, operators, and fares verified against 12Go on 2026-08-20; port and operator-roster detail from the Bohol Tourism Profile and the Port of Tubigon record. Confirm live schedules and fares before booking.