Cebu to Moalboal by bus

Cebu to Moalboal by bus

Getting from Cebu city to Moalboal is almost effortless.

You can take a taxi to the Ceres Lines Bus terminal in the center of town (1.5 kilometers from the Fuente Circle) and take the bus bound towards  Barilli.

It is important to note that you do not want to be at the “north” terminal in Mandaue where Ceres Lines leaves for Maya – Malapascua.

That route is completely different, to Moalboal you head south and cross over the mountains to the other side of the island.

The fare from Cebu to Barilli is 50 pesos and takes 2 hours. update – probably more now

You then exit the bus at the Moalboal market where there is a big gathering of tricycles waiting for customers.

From that junction on the highway it is 4 kilometers on a concrete road to Panagsama Beach where there is a line of dive shops and resorts on the coast.

The standard fare for locals is around 8 pesos ea. but they ride 5 to 8 persons and therefore the driver earns 40 to 64 pesos per run.

As a tourist they will charge around 70 pesos for the traveler and his luggage. Bargaining can be done and a motorbike ride can be had for around 40 pesos or less.

Even though it is called Panagsama Beach there is no sand beach in Moalboal and the resorts have built right out over the waters edge on the coral.

Typhoon Nitang destroyed the once beautiful beach on Sept 1, 1984 with a signal 3 storm. The beach never recovered.

Though I know nothing about sand beach hydraulics it doesn’t seem that there is any chance of re-establishing a beach with all the resorts built out on the corals.

You must zig zag through back alleys to get through the town.

Walking along the coast can only be done during a low tide.

In most cases the driver will be happy to stop at several resorts while you check out the prices and have a quick look at the accommodation.

The cheaper bungalows start at 500 pesos and the costs rise considerably from there. Most resorts have swimming pools in lieu of a beach.

Scuba diving is the main draw to Moalboal with a popular dive, Pescador Island, a short pumpboat ride from the resorts.

To me it is a drawback to the place not to be able to walk along the shoreline in Moalboal.

There is a beach “White Sand” about 10 kilometers away that you can hire a tricycle to get to but it seems to defeat the purpose of staying in Moalboal.

Moalboal