Land Travel Boracay
RO-RO to Paradise Island

Oour land travel Boracay adventure can either start off from the north in Luzon, going south to Boracay, or it can start from the south, either from Mindanao or Visayas, going north to Boracay.

The Roll-On Roll-Off (RO-RO) bus goes all the way from Luzon down to Mindanao and return.

Land Travel Boracay

The Roll-On-Roll-Off (RO-RO) route started only recently (April 2003). It is another means of traveling to Boracay — by bus and ferry. Bachelor Express was the first bus company to field buses along this route: Manila to Batangas Port by land; ferry to Calapan City, Mindoro; then by land again to Roxas, Oriental Mindoro; and finally arriving in Caticlan, Aklan by ferry. With RO-RO, the bus and ferry fares are combined into one fee.

The RO-RO Program is a government initiative to enhance public access to selected tourism areas throughout the country. It traverses the Strong Republic Nautical Highway (SRNH) -- one of Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's pet projects.

Land Travel Boracay: Manila to Caticlan

Philtranco and Bachelor Express run bus routes along the SRNH . From Cubao or Pasay in Metro Manila, buses head for Batangas Port, around two hours travel south of Metro Manila.

From Batangas, ferries transport the buses across to Calapan, Mindoro. The trip takes another 2 hours. The buses then traverse the island for 5 hours, and again travel on ferries from Roxas to Caticlan -- another 5 hours.

The entire journey takes approximately 14 hours and can be very exhausting. The experience can also be nerve-wracking, to say the least, considering that bus drivers accelerate at breakneck speeds and the road conditions are generally poor most of the way.

If you don't mind the long and strenuous trip getting to Boracay and you really want to save on your travel budget, then you can probably handle the stress on this route.

You can buy Bachelor Express RO-RO tickets and board their buses at the Ali Mall Terminal in Cubao, Quezon City. Philtranco have bus terminals both at the Ali Mall and in Pasay City.

Fares cost around PhP700 for non air-conditioned buses; while air-conditioned buses are a little bit more expensive at around PhP850. Fares are all-inclusive for bus and ferry rides.

RO-RO buses leave several times a day, but additional trips may be scheduled depending on passenger demand.