You can follow PG news here: I Love Puerto Galera
Batangas to Sabang ferry discontinued July 1?
- Thread starter Divenut1959
- Start date
Please register or login
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
OP
Divenut1959
Contributor
Having returned yesterday July 12 from Sabang to Manila after a week there let me offer my impressions of the situation.
When I left Manila on July 6 to go to Sabang the only boat traveling from Batangas to PG was the Genesis,,,I arrived Batangas July 6 at 930 am expecting to get a 1030 boat? no such luck sat around for 3 hours waiting until 1230 pm...,to set the record straight the Genesis is not a fast craft it is enclosed fiberglass construction carry about 140 people bobbing along like a cork...honestly the travel time was about the same on this boat vs the bancas before. The benefit of the bancas was you had the open air cabin and it was actually not a bad trip... although the Genesis did have AC the idea of sitting tightly packed in might be a bit claustrophobic for some..windows but they were sealed and no outside deck to go to..So the trip to Sabang on July 6 was on a schedule where the only boat running was the Genesis. I was told the Raptor would start the around July 10 or so but I had other plans than to do the return trip from PG to Batangas.
The road trip from PG to Sabang (or Sabang to PG) by trike can only be described as pure hell. This road has been under construction for months and now some local civil engineering brain child came up with the idea to punch softball size holes in the existing decent concrete from PG to Sabang to facilitate the future removal of the road. However there is no activity to remove the road and start repairing so your looking at a swiss cheese road that is so bad I decided there was no way I was going to PG for my return trip. The other issue is getting from Sabang to PG earlier before y ou depart to buy your tickets as you cannot purchase in advance only on the day of travel. The more I thought about and since I was having a private van pick me up in Batanagas on the return trip to Manila I decided to hire a private boat and leave on Thursday July 12 literally in front of where i was staying at 930 am and I was in Batangas at 11:00....for sure it was 10X more expensive than the public boat but I honestly didnt want to deal with this new world order to get from Batangas to Sabang...
If your going in a group of say 3 or more getting a private van and boat is the only way to go to Sabang now..the PG hub is a cluster and there is no one who has figured out a way for a). allow passengers to buy tickets in advance in Sabang so not to stand in line in PG hour or two before travel and b) have some system of transportation other than jeepneys or trikes to PG from Sabang.
Long and short is the Raptor I believe is up and running now so there should be 6 round trips now instead of the 3...if I had to choose I would only consider the Raptor as this is a tri hull fast craft and will get you to PG in about 45 minutes as opposed to the Genesis which at least for me was not comfortable at all. I understand the Raptor has an open air deck so you can step out into the fresh air on the crossing. There are other options like going to Balatero but that will; add another 15 minutes or so of trike time as it is on the other side of White Beach.
When I left Manila on July 6 to go to Sabang the only boat traveling from Batangas to PG was the Genesis,,,I arrived Batangas July 6 at 930 am expecting to get a 1030 boat? no such luck sat around for 3 hours waiting until 1230 pm...,to set the record straight the Genesis is not a fast craft it is enclosed fiberglass construction carry about 140 people bobbing along like a cork...honestly the travel time was about the same on this boat vs the bancas before. The benefit of the bancas was you had the open air cabin and it was actually not a bad trip... although the Genesis did have AC the idea of sitting tightly packed in might be a bit claustrophobic for some..windows but they were sealed and no outside deck to go to..So the trip to Sabang on July 6 was on a schedule where the only boat running was the Genesis. I was told the Raptor would start the around July 10 or so but I had other plans than to do the return trip from PG to Batangas.
The road trip from PG to Sabang (or Sabang to PG) by trike can only be described as pure hell. This road has been under construction for months and now some local civil engineering brain child came up with the idea to punch softball size holes in the existing decent concrete from PG to Sabang to facilitate the future removal of the road. However there is no activity to remove the road and start repairing so your looking at a swiss cheese road that is so bad I decided there was no way I was going to PG for my return trip. The other issue is getting from Sabang to PG earlier before y ou depart to buy your tickets as you cannot purchase in advance only on the day of travel. The more I thought about and since I was having a private van pick me up in Batanagas on the return trip to Manila I decided to hire a private boat and leave on Thursday July 12 literally in front of where i was staying at 930 am and I was in Batangas at 11:00....for sure it was 10X more expensive than the public boat but I honestly didnt want to deal with this new world order to get from Batangas to Sabang...
If your going in a group of say 3 or more getting a private van and boat is the only way to go to Sabang now..the PG hub is a cluster and there is no one who has figured out a way for a). allow passengers to buy tickets in advance in Sabang so not to stand in line in PG hour or two before travel and b) have some system of transportation other than jeepneys or trikes to PG from Sabang.
Long and short is the Raptor I believe is up and running now so there should be 6 round trips now instead of the 3...if I had to choose I would only consider the Raptor as this is a tri hull fast craft and will get you to PG in about 45 minutes as opposed to the Genesis which at least for me was not comfortable at all. I understand the Raptor has an open air deck so you can step out into the fresh air on the crossing. There are other options like going to Balatero but that will; add another 15 minutes or so of trike time as it is on the other side of White Beach.
Hope it will get better soon.
As suggested if you are in a group of three, private transfer is the most sensible way. For about $30.00 extra per person it is money well spent. For a solo traveller it is another story
As suggested if you are in a group of three, private transfer is the most sensible way. For about $30.00 extra per person it is money well spent. For a solo traveller it is another story
D_Fresh
Contributor
While it's more of a gamble, I think the odds are decent of a solo traveler hoping a ride on a private banca from Berberabe, offering to pay their share of course.
Well this sucks. I was just in Sabang last March where I brought a group of 13. We had private shuttles both ways but being a large group the per person price was not much more than the public ferry. Me and my partner were talking about returning ourselves next year but this is a new wrinkle.
D_Fresh
Contributor
I agree with you. But hopefully this doesn't prove to be too much of a wrinkle for ya. IMO, the additional cost of private banca from Berberabe is well worth it.... no security check hassle, no cramming into the boat, and you can ask your captain to slow down/speed up/get closer to something for a better look. Basically, more freedoms. Additionally, they can take you directly to your resort if it has a pier. You can arrange private banca through your resort/lodging contact, should be around P 3,500 (plus a small tip to your captain/crew). I am always looking for an excuse to go to PG, so please, if you'd like, feel free to message me, maybe we can share the cost of a banca.
I highly recommend supporting local.... there is a small sari-sari store there at Berberabe. Grab a few beers, snacks, water, or whatever, relax, and enjoy the wonderful sea breeze while reclined or laying on the benches.
But I really do wish they would get the public ferry situation ironed out asap. It really has a big impact on locals and solo travelers.
Edit, added: Maybe we should start a sticky bulletin for people making trips around PH? Something to the effect of "Myself and X people are heading to PG on Dec 1, returning Dec 7, anyone want to share Banca, Meet up, See you around?" Anyone else think this could be helpful?
Puerto Galera Gallera Si-Kat Sea Cat bus service ferryboat Manila Mindoro Philippines - Contact Us
They have been running the service for very very long time so perhaps a quick call to them could yield more up-to-date info on the ferry schedule.
They have been running the service for very very long time so perhaps a quick call to them could yield more up-to-date info on the ferry schedule.
There is NO change in Si-Kat schedule except the trip ends at Mulle.
The jeepney's terminal, a small open space good enough for two jeeps to park along side, at Mulle for Sabang is quite a distance away especially if you have heavy bag(s) to carry. Walk out to the main road and turn left, up the small incline and down a bit, the stop is on the right. Do not expect there will be any jeep running late in the afternoon. It is only P20.00 instead of the usual P200.00 for the tricycle from the pier.
The jeepney's terminal, a small open space good enough for two jeeps to park along side, at Mulle for Sabang is quite a distance away especially if you have heavy bag(s) to carry. Walk out to the main road and turn left, up the small incline and down a bit, the stop is on the right. Do not expect there will be any jeep running late in the afternoon. It is only P20.00 instead of the usual P200.00 for the tricycle from the pier.
Last edited:
OP
Divenut1959
Contributor
Here is what 'Maybe" the latest schedule for Batangas to Puerto Galera. If you are considering going you might want to confirm with a dive shop or your resort to confirm if these boats/schedules are current. Hopefully the golden raptor is up and on schedule now.
Similar threads
