Compare operators
| Operator | Price | Rating | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12Go Asia | ₱650 | — | 5.5h | Buy Ferry Ticket on 12Go → |
| 12Go Asia | ₱650 | — | 5.5h | Buy Ferry Ticket on 12Go → |
We earn a commission on bookings made through these links, at no extra cost to you. See our affiliate disclosure.
This is Bohol’s most reliable Mindanao connection, and it is an overnight one. There is no fast craft, no day sailing, and no direct flight — the sea route is the route, and it takes most of a night.
Lite Ferries and Cokaliong Shipping Lines both run it: an overnight RoRo between Jagna, on Bohol’s southeastern coast, and Cagayan de Oro’s Macabalan port area, taking roughly five to six hours on a departure around 22:00 or midnight, from about ₱650. Trans-Asia Shipping has also run a second option out of Tagbilaran Pier, on a timetable that is not reliably published.
Which one to pick has almost nothing to do with the crossing and everything to do with where you start. Jagna is 1.5 to 2 hours from Tagbilaran by bus; if you are already in the city or on Panglao, Trans-Asia from Tagbilaran saves you that leg — when it is running.
The two options, compared
| Lite Ferries / Cokaliong from Jagna | Trans-Asia from Tagbilaran | |
|---|---|---|
| Bohol port | Jagna Port, southeastern coast | Tagbilaran Pier, in the city |
| Overland to the port | 1.5–2 h by bus from Dao Terminal, ~₱80–100 | None from Tagbilaran; 30–45 min from Panglao |
| Crossing | Overnight, ~5–6 h, arrives Macabalan / CDO Port | Overnight |
| Schedule | Departs Jagna ~22:00 or midnight | Not reliably published — verify before planning |
| Fare | ~₱650–₱1,050, economy to cabin | Verify |
| Confidence | The regular, daily-to-multi-weekly product | Real, but treat as unverified for any given date |
Neither leg has a fully published, confirmed-current timetable, and both operators ticket mainly at the pier or through Barkota rather than the international aggregators. Confirm the sailing for your date before you build a schedule around either.
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 → Cagayan de Oro
From Jagna the sailing leaves late — around 22:00 or midnight — and lands you in Cagayan de Oro in the early hours. Getting to Jagna means the Dao Terminal bus via Duero and Guindulman, roughly 1.5 to 2 hours for about ₱80 to ₱100. Aim to arrive in Jagna with daylight to spare; the wharf has a public market behind it but not much in the way of a waiting hall, and you may have several hours there before boarding.
Choose your class deliberately on this one. Lite Ferries’ defining feature across its network is bunks rather than seats, and on an overnight run the difference between classes is the difference between sleeping and not:
- Economy A — open-air deck, basic bunks, shared restrooms. Cheapest, and genuinely rough if the habagat is active.
- Standard A / Standard B — bunks with either upper-deck ventilation or more sheltered lower-deck positioning. Bring your own sheet.
- Tourist Sitting — air-conditioned reclining seats.
- Tourist (Lying) / Business — air-conditioned cabins, proper bunks, sheets and pillows included.
For a five-to-six hour overnight crossing, Tourist (Lying) or Business is the sensible default — fares run about ₱650 to ₱1,050 across the ladder. Standard and Economy expect you to bring bedding.
🚢 Check Bohol → Cagayan de Oro schedules and book on 12Go
Cagayan de Oro → Bohol
Northbound from Cagayan de Oro’s Macabalan port area, the same overnight pattern applies in reverse, and the arrival is the part to plan. Landing at Jagna in the early hours, you are on Bohol’s east coast, not at the tourist belt — Tagbilaran is about 66 kilometres away and Panglao a further half hour beyond that. Allow 1.5 to 2 hours by hired van or private transfer.
Arrange that transfer before you sail. Jagna has limited standing transport at early-morning arrival times, and a pre-dawn wharf is a poor place to start negotiating.
If you have an hour before your onward ride, the town rewards it. Jagna’s compact Spanish colonial centre sits directly behind the wharf, including a coral-stone parish church whose structure dates to 1697 — a substantial piece of built heritage for a town this size, and typical of how the Augustinian and Jesuit foundations along this coast were built at a scale set by the order rather than by the parish.
🚢 Check Cagayan de Oro → Bohol schedules and book on 12Go
The ports
- Port of Jagna — Bohol’s main southern sea gateway after Tagbilaran. A working wharf with a commercial, transit-driven character: ferries from Cagayan de Oro, Nasipit and other Mindanao ports call here regularly.
- Port of Tagbilaran — the provincial capital’s terminal, rebuilt by the PPA in 2021, and the Trans-Asia departure point.
Jagna itself is worth a stop if your transfer is not immediate. The public market runs on peanut butter made in small batches from roasted Bohol peanuts and sold in recycled jars, alongside kalamay — the sticky rice-and-coconut sweet packed in a coconut husk that is the province’s most common pasalubong. Both are made in the town rather than trucked in, which is more than can be said for most souvenir stalls on the island.
Operators on this crossing
Lite Ferries and Cokaliong Shipping Lines carry the regular service between them, on daily to multi-weekly overnight runs. Lite Ferries’ class ladder is the widest of any operator serving Bohol, which on an overnight run is a feature rather than clutter — the fare gap between an open deck and an air-conditioned cabin buys you a night’s sleep.
Trans-Asia Shipping runs the Tagbilaran alternative. It is a real service, but its timetable for this corridor is not reliably published, and Trans-Asia sells direct or through Barkota rather than consistently through 12Go. Verify availability before treating it as your plan.
How to book
- Decide your Bohol port first — Jagna if you are on the east or south coast, Tagbilaran if you are in the city or on Panglao and Trans-Asia is running.
- Confirm the departure time for your date at the pier, with the operator, or via Barkota — aggregator coverage on this corridor is thin.
- Book Tourist (Lying) or Business for the overnight leg. Bring your own sheet if you book Standard.
- Print your ticket. Overnight ferries typically want a printed copy at the gangway rather than a phone screen.
- Arrange onward ground transport from Jagna before you arrive.
Frequently asked questions
Where does the Cagayan de Oro ferry land in Bohol?
Jagna Port, on the southeastern coast — not Tagbilaran. Budget 1.5 to 2 hours by van onward to Tagbilaran or Panglao.
Who operates it?
Lite Ferries and Cokaliong Shipping Lines from Jagna. Trans-Asia has also run a Tagbilaran option on a less reliable timetable.
How long is the crossing?
About five to six hours, on a departure around 22:00 or midnight. It is an overnight sailing in both directions.
How much does it cost?
Roughly ₱650 to ₱1,050 from economy up to a cabin berth.
What class should I book?
Tourist (Lying) or Business — air-conditioned cabins with bunks, sheets and pillows included. Standard and Economy are cheaper bunks that need your own bedding and offer less shelter in rough weather.
Is there a faster way from Cagayan de Oro to Bohol?
Not directly. Flying to Bohol-Panglao via a Cebu connection is the alternative if you would rather skip the overnight crossing, but it costs more and adds a layover.
Can I sail from Tagbilaran instead of Jagna?
Yes, on Trans-Asia — which saves the 1.5 to 2 hour bus ride to Jagna. Its schedule for this corridor is not reliably published, so confirm it is running before planning around it.
Is the crossing rough?
It can be. Overnight RoRo is functional rather than comfortable even in the upper classes, and the June–November habagat adds real motion to an already long crossing. A lower-deck or air-conditioned cabin handles most of it.
Related on bohol-philippines.com
- Jagna — the port town, its market, and the 1697 parish church.
- Port of Jagna — the wharf, its operators, and onward transport.
- Bohol ⇄ Camiguin Ferry — the other Mindanao-side crossing from Jagna.
- Bohol ⇄ Misamis Oriental — the same sailing, asked for by province name.
Operator, schedule, 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; aggregator coverage is spotty and marked up. Confirm before booking.