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Both ends of this crossing are somewhere other than the name implies, and getting that wrong is the whole difficulty of the route.
It does not leave from Tagbilaran. Mindanao-bound sailings go from Jagna, on Bohol’s southeastern coast, about 66 kilometres and 1.5 to 2 hours from the Tagbilaran–Panglao tourist belt. And it does not arrive at Butuan. It lands at Nasipit, the port town in Agusan del Norte that serves Butuan city — a distinction that costs you another transfer at the far end.
Lite Ferries and Cokaliong Shipping Lines both work this corridor, with Trans-Asia also on the route. It is an overnight crossing of roughly seven to eight hours by RoRo — a fastcraft run, where one is scheduled, does it in four to five — and it is not a daily service on any single operator. Check which line is sailing on your date before you build anything around it.
The crossing at a glance
| Bohol port | Jagna, southeastern coast — not Tagbilaran |
| Mindanao port | Nasipit, Agusan del Norte — not Butuan city |
| Operators | Lite Ferries · Cokaliong Shipping · Trans-Asia |
| Crossing time | ~7–8 h by RoRo (~4–5 h on a fastcraft run) |
| Sailings | Lite Ferries Mon / Wed / Fri 22:00, Sun 10:00 · Cokaliong Sun 23:59 |
| Fare | ~₱700–₱1,150, standard economy to tourist bunk |
| Overland, Bohol side | 1.5–2 h from Tagbilaran |
| Overland, Mindanao side | Nasipit to Butuan city, onward transfer required |
Fare note: the peso figures on this page are terminal base fares. This operator ticketing runs through the port counter or Barkota, the domestic aggregator, rather than the international booking sites — where a third-party agent does list the route, expect a booking fee and a static exchange rate on top. See the booking-channel map for who sells what.
Bohol → Nasipit
The first leg is by road. From Tagbilaran’s Dao Integrated Bus Terminal, buses to Jagna run via Duero and Guindulman and take roughly 1.5 to 2 hours for about ₱80 to ₱100; by hired van, budget the same time and rather more money. From Panglao, add the crossing to the mainland first.
Build that in as a real part of the travel day. Jagna is on the opposite side of the island from the resort strip, and travellers routinely underestimate it — this is not a transfer you make on the morning of an early sailing.
Once you are at the wharf, the crossing itself is the straightforward part — but it is a long one. Lite Ferries sails Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 22:00, plus Sunday at 10:00; Cokaliong runs a Sunday 23:59 departure. Most of those are overnight, and at seven to eight hours you will be aboard for the duration.
Lite Ferries’ vessels are bunk-classed rather than seated across its network, which matters more the longer the crossing. Fares run roughly ₱700 to ₱1,150 from standard economy to a tourist bunk. On an overnight run, pay the difference for a proper berth rather than an open deck.
🚢 Check Bohol → Butuan schedules and book on 12Go
Nasipit → Bohol
Northbound, confirm your transport from Butuan city out to Nasipit before you commit to a sailing — the port is not in the city, and the transfer is the part that slips.
Landing at Jagna, you are on Bohol’s east coast with 1.5 to 2 hours still to go before Tagbilaran, and a further half hour beyond that to Panglao. The same Dao Terminal bus runs in reverse. If the sailing arrives early or late, that overland leg is what absorbs it, so avoid chaining a same-day flight out of Bohol-Panglao to this crossing.
🚢 Check Butuan → Bohol schedules and book on 12Go
The ports
Jagna Port is Bohol’s secondary sea gateway after Tagbilaran, and its character comes from exactly this kind of traffic — Mindanao ferries calling at a working wharf, with a public market behind it rather than a passenger terminal. Ferries from Cagayan de Oro, Nasipit and other Mindanao ports call here regularly.
The town behind the wharf is older than the ferry trade by a wide margin. The coral-stone Church of Saint John the Apostle and Evangelist dates its original structure to 1697, making it one of the older surviving ecclesiastical buildings on the island — built from stone cut out of the reef in front of it, which is the standard construction logic along this coast and the reason these churches weather so differently from later brick and concrete work. It is a useful marker of how long this stretch of shoreline has functioned as a gateway, well before anyone routed a Mindanao ferry through it.
Jagna is also worth an hour if your transfer is not immediate: the public market runs on small-batch peanut butter from roasted Bohol peanuts, sold in recycled jars, alongside kalamay in its coconut shell.
How to book
- Check the sailing DAY first. Lite Ferries runs Mon/Wed/Fri and Sunday; Cokaliong adds a Sunday night departure. There is no daily service.
- Arrange the Tagbilaran-to-Jagna transfer well ahead. It takes longer than most visitors expect.
- Book a berth rather than an open deck. Seven to eight hours overnight is not a deck-chair crossing.
- Confirm onward transport from Nasipit into Butuan city once the crossing is booked.
Frequently asked questions
Does the Butuan ferry leave from Tagbilaran?
No. It sails from Jagna Port on Bohol’s southeastern coast — 1.5 to 2 hours from the Tagbilaran and Panglao area by bus or van.
Where does it actually arrive?
Nasipit, the port town serving Butuan city in Agusan del Norte — not Butuan itself, which needs a further onward transfer.
Who operates the route?
Lite Ferries and Cokaliong Shipping Lines, with Trans-Asia also on the corridor.
How long does the crossing take?
About seven to eight hours by RoRo, overnight. A fastcraft run, where scheduled, does it in four to five.
What days does it sail?
Lite Ferries on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 22:00 plus Sunday at 10:00; Cokaliong on Sunday at 23:59. There is no daily service.
How much is it?
Roughly ₱700 to ₱1,150 depending on class, from standard economy up to a tourist bunk.
Is Jagna far from the main tourist areas?
Yes — about 1.5 to 2 hours by van from the Panglao and Tagbilaran belt, since it is on the opposite side of the island.
Is there anything to do in Jagna if I have time before the sailing?
A compact Spanish colonial centre behind the wharf, a 1697 coral-stone church, and a public market known for peanut butter and kalamay.
Related on bohol-philippines.com
- Jagna — the port town and the real departure point for this crossing.
- Port of Jagna — the wharf, its operators, and onward transport.
- Bohol ⇄ Cagayan de Oro Ferry — the other Mindanao crossing from Jagna, with a confirmed schedule.
- Bohol transport — flights, ferries, and getting around the island.
Operator, sailing-day, duration and fare detail from operator ground truth, 2026-08; Jagna heritage and market detail from the Jagna destination record. Local operators ticket at the pier or via Barkota — 12Go coverage on this corridor is spotty. Confirm before booking.