Antique is the long, narrow province down the western edge of Panay, and its northern end packs two good reasons to visit into neighbouring towns. In Tibiao you can soak in a repurposed sugar cauldron beside a river. In Culasi, a short boat ride leads to Mararison Island, a small fishing community of grassy hills and a sandbar that surfaces at low tide.
For anyone starting in Cebu, the first decision is the route, and the obvious one is not always the best. Iloilo City is the usual gateway to Antique, but Culasi and Tibiao sit much closer to Caticlan. Three days is a comfortable length for both stops. Two is possible if you skip the overnight on the island.
This guide covers both ways in, what the Kawa bath, falls and island crossing cost, a rough budget and the best months. Fees come from recent postings and they drift, so confirm each one at the counter.
Getting From Cebu to Northern Antique
Fly Into Caticlan
Nonstop flights link Mactan-Cebu and Caticlan in roughly an hour to an hour and 20 minutes, and Cebu Pacific, Philippine Airlines and Cebgo have all been listed on the route. The Boracay from Cebu guide covers that flight. From Caticlan, buses heading south through Culasi take about one and a half to two hours, with fares around PHP 100 to PHP 120.
Tibiao is a little further south, and a connecting bus from Culasi has cost about PHP 30 to PHP 50.
Or Fly Into Iloilo
Cebu to Iloilo is about 55 minutes by air. From Iloilo, buses to Culasi take around five hours, and a PHP 220 fare was posted in 2024 with the first trips leaving near 5 AM. Tibiao is closer on this side, roughly three to four hours by van, with older fares around PHP 180.
The neat plan is to fly into one gateway and out of the other: Caticlan on the way in, a bus down to Iloilo at the end, and a flight home from there. It avoids doubling back, though you should compare one-way fares for your dates first. Start early either way, since services thin out in the afternoon. If you have extra days, Iloilo is also the base for the Gigantes Islands.
Tibiao: Kawa Bath and Bugtong Bato Falls
How the Kawa Bath Works
This is not a hot spring. Old cast-iron cauldrons, once used for boiling muscovado sugar, are filled with water and heated by a wood fire underneath, and an attendant keeps the temperature low. Leaves, ginger and flower petals go in, and the pricier versions add milk, coffee, beer or wine.
At Calawag Mountain Resort in Barangay Tuno, on the bank of the Tibiao River, 2024 rates were PHP 299 for the salt bath, PHP 399 for milk, coffee or beer, and PHP 599 for wine, all per head. Add a PHP 50 entrance fee and a PHP 50 environmental fee paid at an outpost on the way up. From the junction, a habal-habal to Tuno costs about PHP 70 to PHP 90, and the uphill ride can take half an hour. Twenty to thirty minutes in the water is plenty.
Bugtong Bato Falls
Bugtong Bato has seven tiers. The trek starts at the barangay hall in Tuno, where you register for about PHP 50 and hire a guide at PHP 150 to PHP 200 for up to four people. The walk follows the stream for 25 to 40 minutes and crosses two bamboo suspension bridges, so wear footwear that can get wet.
The first tier is the easy one. The second involves a steep staircase with a rope, and the third needs a swim and a rope climb up wet rock. Ask your guide whether the upper tiers are sensible that day, and after heavy rain stay on the lower ones.
Mararison Island From Culasi
Crossing and Fees
Mararison is also called Malalison. Before crossing, register at the Culasi Municipal Tourism Office near the municipal hall, where a PHP 10 terminal fee and a PHP 20 environmental fee were posted in January 2025. Pump boats run roughly from 6 AM to 5 PM, and the crossing takes 15 to 30 minutes depending on the sea.
A round-trip charter for up to five people has been PHP 750 in older listings and PHP 1,000 as a minimum in early 2025, so budget the higher figure and split it. The guide for the hill walk is PHP 200.
What to Do on the Island
Mararison is a village of about 790 residents on roughly 55 hectares. The hill trail takes 30 to 60 minutes, passes the school, and reaches a summit of about 83 metres with 360-degree views that include Batbatan Island. Expect strong wind at the top. The west side looks out to Nablag Islet and is the usual sunset spot, while the sandbar on the east tip appears at low tide and faces Mount Madja-as at sunrise.
Homestays have been listed from PHP 200 to PHP 250 per person, and electricity is limited, so charge your phone before you cross. Buy fresh food in Culasi, where it is cheaper, and ask your host to cook.
What the Antique Leg Costs
Sharing a boat and guide with a group of four or five, a rough figure for three days and two nights is PHP 3,000 to PHP 4,500 per person, excluding the Cebu flights. That is an estimate built from the fees above: buses and habal-habal, the Kawa bath and falls, a night at Calawag and a night in a homestay, and about PHP 400 to PHP 600 a day for food.
Carry cash in small bills for fees, guides and rides. Signal can be weak or absent around the resort, so download your maps before you go.
When to Go
Tibiao receives about 2,240 mm of rain a year. June and July are the wettest months and February is the driest. The drier months, roughly February to May, usually give calmer crossings and a safer trek, and the island hills turn golden. In the wet months the hills are green, the stream runs higher and boatmen can hold crossings when the sea is rough, so leave a spare day. Our island hopping safety guide covers what to pack for boat days.
Is Antique Worth the Trip From Cebu?
If you want an easygoing three days that pairs a river, a waterfall and an island without Boracay's crowds, yes. The cost is a longer road leg than most Cebu trips, so land early, book the return flight with slack, and treat the island crossing as weather-dependent. Pick your gateway first, check the fees at each stop, and the rest of the plan falls into place.